The story of a local Leeds legend and ancient fake news
It's a story which combines local legend with fake news.
The Battle of Stainbeck claims to have been a skirmish in Meanwood between Royalist and Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War.
It was named because allegedly Meanwood Beck, ran red with the blood of the dead, giving the area the name "Stainbeck’.
A stone monument commemorates the event in Carr Manor Fields. The Oates stone was put up by Joseph Oates in 1812, on the site of the supposed burial ground of men killed in the Battle of Stainbeck.
The stone bears a Latin inscription that translates to "Neither do the lands know themselves in the turning of the year".
Yet there is no historical record or documentary evidence to support the occurrence of a battle at Stainbeck that would cause the beck to run red with blood.
Archaeological finds, such as musket balls discovered near the Meanwood Beck, lend some credence to the idea of a conflict in the area, though not necessarily at Stainbeck itself.