The village of Stow lies on the A7 a few miles north of
Galashiels Its seldom used full name is The Stow of
Wedale. Local folklore interprets "Wedale" as "Dale of
Woe", commemorating, it is said, a battle fought here by King Arthur.
Although little remains today, Our Lady's
Chapel is probably the oldest site associated with the Blessed
Virgin Mary, in Scotland.
The name Stow is thought to be from the Old English for "Place"
or "Holy
Place", and Wedale from the Old English "Wiche" meaning shrine
and "Dahl" meaning valley. So we have Valley of the Shrine.
The first written mention of Wedale comes in
the Historia Britonum" written by the Welsh monk Nemius in
AD826.
According to Nemius, King Arthur had, in gratitude to Our Lady
for a vision in which she assured him of victory over the
invading Angles, caused an image of Our Lady to be brought from
Cappadocia and placed in "Our Lady's House at Wedale". |