Preternatural shapeshifters, plague stones and the Grey Man of Bellister! Tonights highlights come from The Denham Tracts, a publication by David Nutt for the Folklore Society in 1895 which brought together a wonderful collection of local pamphlets and tracts published by Michael Aislabie Denham during the middle of the nineteenth century.

'The belief of our credulous ancestry in a female river demon is still implanted in the mind of childhood on the banks of the Tees; and many are the tales still told of her dragging naughty children into its deep waters when playing, despite the orders and threats of their parents.'

Tales From Antiquaria is a podcast dedicated to exploring the legacy of work published regarding folklore and local history during the golden age of antiquarian writing in the nineteenth century.

For show notes and links, visit the episodes page at thelocalmythstorian.com

Episode written, produced and presented by Eli Lewis-Lycett. All source material taken directly from the stated publication. Main theme music by Humanoid Media. Incidental music from Restum-Anoush.

Find Eli Lewis-Lycett Folklore and History on Facebook and Bluesky

Local superstitions, magical hands and the witches of the Northwest; its our second part exploring Lancashire Folklore, the collection wrote in collaboration between John Harland & T.T. Wilkinson, published in 1867.

'The cows of her neighbours were constantly milked by her - the pitcher in which she conveyed the stolen milk away, walking before her in the shape of a goose. Under this disguise her depredations were carried on till a neighbour, suspecting the trick, struck the goose and immediately it was changed into a broken pitcher.'

Tales From Antiquaria is a podcast dedicated to exploring the legacy of work published regarding folklore and local history during the golden age of antiquarian writing in the nineteenth century.

For show notes and links, visit the episodes page at thelocalmythstorian.com

Episode written, produced and presented by Eli Lewis-Lycett. All source material taken directly from the stated publication. Main theme music by Humanoid Media. Incidental music from Restum-Anoush.

Find Eli Lewis-Lycett Folklore and History on Facebook and Bluesky

Boggarts, ancient cyphers and miraculous footprints! Welcome to episode 13, part one of our journey through Lancashire Folklore, written by John Harland and Thomas Turner Wilkinson and published by Frederick Warn & Co of Covent Garden in 1867.

'The boys at the Burnley Grammar School are said to have succeeded on one occasion in raising the Devil. They repeated the Lord's Prayer backwards, and performed some incantations by which, as it is said, Satan was induced to make his appearance through a stone flag on the floor of the school-house. After he had got his head and shoulders well out, the boys became alarmed and began to hammer him down with the poker and tongs.'

Tales From Antiquaria is a podcast dedicated to exploring the legacy of work published regarding folklore and local history during the golden age of antiquarian writing in the nineteenth century.

For show notes and links, visit the episodes page at thelocalmythstorian.com

Episode written, produced and presented by Eli Lewis-Lycett. All source material taken directly from the stated publication. Main theme music by Humanoid Media. Incidental music from Restum-Anoush.

Find Eli Lewis-Lycett Folklore and History on Facebook and Bluesky