Ratlinghope
The small village of
Ratlinghope lies against the lower slopes of the western side of
the Long Mynd.
Ratlinghope is a small
village, with very few buildings - so small, in fact, that it is
said once to have been described as "... a bit blowed off a
village".
It lies alongside the Darnford Brook which originates at Wildmoor
Pool in the hills above, and includes a number of houses spread
over several hamlets ranged over a relatively wide
area.
In the graveyard of St Margaret's Church at Ratlinghope is
the grave of Richard Munslow, said to have been the last
'sin-eater' of the area - a sin-eater being one who
attended the funeral of some unfortunate who had not recanted his
sins so that he (the sin-eater) could take on that burden.
Further details are shown on one of the photographs linked
below.
A millennium yew tree in the church yard was planted in 2000,
propagated from a tree said to be over 1000 years old.
