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That was more than forty years ago, before Jason Grant had been injured and renamed HopAlong. And before he and Jess were married. She’s always been called EarlyBird, because she has hyperthymia and can get by on just six hours sleep a night. Nowadays the couple rarely comes into town, but when they do, HopAlong and EarlyBird always have a break at the same old Dandy Highwayman Café, and they share a nostalgic moment admiring the coat of arms*. The familiar, historic shield stands two metres high and is topped with the helmet of a black knight, surrounded by oak leaves. But the wolf right at the top seems to be larger and more real than before.
Its three red roses represent Lancashire, the town having been in that county long before Wolfland ever existed. The black wolf wears a leather collar and holds a golden sheaf of wheat, representing the tanning industries and the agricultural markets. A gold shield, with a red strike of lighting, and a cross, hang from a chain below the collar. They signify the area’s engineering heritage, electrical industries, and the early Egyptian Ankh cross represents medicine.
Most impressive is the wolf’s majestic head, breathing fire. The flames signifying the importance of iron smelting to the local economy. The crest bears the motto Optimum Sufficit and above that, instead of Ulverston, the town’s old English name Wulf-heres-tun is picked out in raised brickwork.
Even today, Juniper Henlow likes to point out that Optimum Sufficit means “only the best will do” and that she lived up to the motto when commissioning the new stone arch and the crests!
The bustle of the Pepper Pot Docks has brought new life to the revitalised town of Ulverston. It also brings The Lancastrian to the area every Friday night, and serves as the local distribution hub to get the paper to readers further inland. The ferries run twice a day, but not on Sundays.
It’s not especially big, but it certainly stands out! The Puffin is an extraordinary ferry with two masts and space for about
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