Devil's Jumps, Churt facts for kids
The Devil's Jumps are three small hills found near the village of Churt in Surrey, southern England. Long ago, in the 1700s, people called them the Devil's Three Jumps. These hills are famous for the old stories and legends linked to them.
The tallest of the three hills is called High Jump. It stands about 413 feet (126 m) high. Middle Devil's Jump is about 328 feet (100 m) tall. A long time ago, a famous astronomer named Richard Christopher Carrington even had an observatory there! The third hill, Stony Jump, is about 394 feet (120 m) high.
These hills are made of a special type of rock called ironstone. It's a very strong kind of sandstone that has a lot of iron in it. This makes the rock very tough and hard for weather to wear away. The hills are surrounded by heathland, which is a type of open land with small shrubs.
The Devil's Jumps were first shown on a map in 1765 by John Rocque. Later, in 1830, a writer named William Cobbett mentioned them in his book, Rural Rides. He described them as looking like "three rather squat sugar-loaves" with a huge rock on top of one.
Stories and Legends
The Devil's Jumps are part of many old local legends. These stories connect them to other places like Mother Ludlam's Cave, the Devil's Punch Bowl, and the churches in Thursley and Frensham.
One popular story says that the Devil used to have fun by leaping from one hill to the next. This made the god Thor angry! Thor picked up a giant rock and threw it at the Devil, making him run away. The rock landed at the Devil's Jumps. A similar story is told about other hills called the Devil's Jumps in West Sussex, but the Surrey story is likely the original.
Another old tale from the 1800s tells of a witch named Mother Ludlam. The Devil stole her special cauldron, and she chased him on her broomstick. Every time the Devil took a huge leap, he kicked up a hill, creating the Devil's Jumps! He left the cauldron on Kettlebury Hill. It was later found and kept safe in Frensham church. When the Devil vanished, he left behind the valley known as the Devil's Punch Bowl.
There's also a story about a magical boulder on one of the hills. If someone needed a tool, they could pray and touch the boulder, and the tool would appear! But they had to promise to return it. One time, a cauldron was asked for and kept in Frensham church instead of being returned. After that, the magical help from the boulder stopped.
How Tall Are They?
High Jump is about 126 metres (413 ft) (or 413 feet (126 m)) above sea level. It stands about 34 metres (112 ft) taller than the lowest point around it. The Devil's Jumps are among the 36 hills in Surrey that are over 100 metres (330 ft) tall.
Images for kids
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The Devil's Jumps. Looking across Middle Jump to High Jump from the summit of the easternmost hill, Stony Jump
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The summit of Stony Jump
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Ironstone outcrop on Stony Jump
