Dane Hills  

The earliest written mention of Dane Hills, on the west side of Leicester, was in 1689. Only one description of Dane Hills seems to have survived.  It is from 1907 and gives a dramatic picture of the area.  It mentions a ‘marvellous maze of entrenchments’ and ‘deep sunken roads and the high aggers [ridges]’. 
In 1600s and 1700s a fair was held at Dane Hills on Easter Monday.  It continued to be a popular place for Easter gatherings up to the 1920s. 

Black Annis 

Black Annis was a witch-like figure said to live in a cave in Dane Hills. She was also sometimes called Black Anna or Cat Anna.  It is not clear if she was a real person or just a character in local stories.  However, there are many different references to her. In 1764 there is a mention in legal documents to an area of land ‘known by the name of Black Anny’s Bower Close’.  Annis was described as having blue features mirroring that of the Hindu Goddess Kali.

A Scary Character 

Her name was often used as a threat to naughty children. In 1797 John Heyrick wrote a poem called On a Cave Called Black Annis’s Bower. In it, he described her in a very frightening way who, instead of hands, had ‘Vast talons, foul with human flesh’.  

Another story about Black Annis was that her cave was connected to Leicester Castle by an underground tunnel. She is said to have waited in the shadows by Rupert’s Gateway.