Stories from Dore Churchyard - Heroic Sheep Rescuer

The rescue of 'Fiona' the sheep from the Cromarty Firth has been much in the news this month. Research into the life of George Stone, who is buried in Dore, shows it's nothing new. He rescued sheep not once but three times!

The First Rescue

The Sheffield Independent, on the 14th of October 1929, printed a photo of George, a rope tied around him, with a headline that read:

Lives Risked for Sheep

Plucky Rescue at Grindleford

Cliff Thrill

George Stone of Piper House, who was keeper to Sir Charles Clifford, and Benjamin Buxton, a motor mechanic of Fox House Garage, 'risked their lives in a thrilling rescue of a year old Scotch sheep from a ledge half way down a 100 foot cliff on the Burbage moor.'

George had noticed its bleating just before dark but it was too hazardous to attempt a rescue. The ledge was only 18 inches wide and was 50 feet from the top of the cliff. The next morning George and Benjamin set out with Edward Rowarth of Fox House, the two sons of the owner of the sheep - Howard and John Priestly of Burbage House Farm, PC Knapp of the Sheffield police and, rather worringly it seems, Sgt Major Lapper of the St John's Ambulance.

George and Benjamin were slowly lowered down the cliff face, one either side of the sheep. When they had tied a rope around the exhausted sheep it was lowered down and finally George and Benjamin were also lowered the fifty feet to the ground. It took two hours in all.

The Second Rescue

The second rescue was reported in the Derbyshire Times on the 16th October 1936. The RSPCA were in attendance and this rescue sounds even more hazardous than the first.

'Courageous Rescue From Quarry at Nether Padley.'

Mr S Osborn, of Nether Padley, phoned RSPCA Inspector Fitzgerald of Chesterfield to say there were four sheep at the back of his house on the quarry face. The owner of the sheep, Mr T. Rowarth of Yarncliffe Lodge, Grindleford, was unaware of their plight. The face of the quarry was about 120 feet high and the ledge was about 35 or 40 feet from the top. How they got there was a mystery.

First a rope ladder was tried but it was too short. So it was George again who ended up getting lowered down on a rope. He managed to tie a rope around two of the sheep and they were hauled up. He was unable to catch the other two so Inspector Fitzgerald was lowered down too and they managed to haul up one more.

The fourth caused trouble and there was a a continual danger of falling stones. Eventually it was lowered to a lower ledge where Joseph Outram of Fern Cottage, Grindleford reached it by ladder and it was lowered safely down. It laid on the ground as though dead but had evidently only 'fainted' and thankfully revived.

1946: Even More Sheep Rescued!

George Stone was awarded a bronze medal by the RSPCA for ‘courage and humanity’ in rescuing sheep trapped in a deep gulley on Burbage Moor on the 27th of October 1946.