Little John's grave lies in the churchyard of St Michael and All Angels in Hathersage, Derbyshire, a few minutes uphill from The Little John on Station Road. It is marked by a headstone and a footstone set unusually far apart and enclosed by railings. The village has claimed it for centuries, and the pub takes its name from it.
The distance between the two stones is the whole point. Whoever is under there was either very tall or very well spoken of, and Hathersage has never been in much doubt which. An excavation in the eighteenth century is said to have produced a thigh bone of remarkable length, which was reburied after the man who dug it up suffered a run of bad luck he blamed on the disturbance.
None of it is provable. All of it has been told here for long enough to be true in the way that matters to a village.
The name
Why a pub carries it
The building has been a pub on this corner since 1863. Villagers gave it the Little John name in 1947, taking it from the grave up the hill rather than from anything a brewery decided in an office.
That is why the oak leaves and crossed arrows turn up on the sign, on the wallpaper, on the menus and on the glass. They are not decoration borrowed from a theme. They come from the churchyard four hundred yards away.
Where
St Michael's churchyard
Church Bank, up the hill from Station Road.
How far
A few minutes
On foot from the pub. Uphill, but not seriously so.
Cost
Free
Open churchyard. Please be respectful of other graves.
The pub's name
Since 1947
Given by villagers, taken from the grave.
While you are up there
Make a loop of it
The churchyard is worth ten minutes on its own, and the walk up gives you the best view of the village you will get without climbing properly. From there you can carry on towards North Lees and Stanage Edge, or drop back down for lunch.
Asked often
The grave
Where is Little John's grave?
Little John's grave is in the churchyard of St Michael and All Angels in Hathersage, Derbyshire, a few minutes uphill from The Little John on Station Road. It is marked by a headstone and a footstone set well apart, with railings around it.
Is Little John really buried in Hathersage?
Nobody can prove it, and that is part of the appeal. The village has claimed the grave for centuries, the plot is unusually long, and an excavation in the eighteenth century is said to have turned up a thigh bone far bigger than average. Whether it was him is a question the churchyard has never had to answer.
Can you visit the grave?
Yes. St Michael's churchyard is open and the grave is easy to find, marked and railed. It is a short uphill walk from the middle of the village and takes only a few minutes.
Why is the pub called The Little John?
The pub takes its name from the grave. Villagers gave the building the Little John name in 1947, and the oak leaves and crossed arrows on the sign, the wallpaper and the menus all come from the same story.
What else is connected to the legend in Hathersage?
Local tradition puts Little John's cottage near the churchyard, and his bow and cap were said to have hung in the church for generations before being moved on. The story is woven through the village rather than kept in one place.
