Why the Cow Logo for the

Heritage ( Bells and History ) Project

The answer goes back to the early 1500’s and St Mary's long association with Bolton Priory.


Prior Moone was born in Long Preston and was the last prior at Bolton Priory at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. He left his personal silver chalice to St Mary's and that is still in use today.


Whilst at Bolton Priory it would appear that Prior Moone had a bit of a dispute with a local farmer that resulted in the well-known nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle".


The interpretation of the rhyme goes like this:       

 Hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle


 A local farmer called Hey swindled Prior Moone and the Catholic faith (referred to irreverently as the cat and the fiddle – Catholica Fide)


The cow jumped over the moon


over the sale of some cows


The little dog laughed to see such fun


The Bolton Priory community laughed at these local antics ( two carved laughing dogs can still be seen on the tower built by Prior Moone at the entrance to the present day church)


And the dish ran away with the spoon.


Hey's daughter wished to get married but could only do so in her local church (the Priory). To get his own back, Prior Moone refused so she
(the dish) ran off with her intended (the spoon)!

 Rev Rachel / Gill Jones

Before you all Google “the cow jumped over the moon” ( 44,100 references )
   - yes, we know that there are some other interpretations of this rhyme;
         ranging from an Elizabethan scandal to an Astronomy Lesson.


Some are here:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Diddle_Diddle

http://francesca-artofmoderndesign.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/scandal-behind-hey-diddle-diddle.html

http://www.rhymes.org.uk/hey_diddle_diddle.htm

We leave you to decide which is the real one.

Why has a cow jumping over the moon been

chosen as a logo for the Heritage Project?