The Fairy Banquet

The following extract has appeared in many books on folklore and is attributed to William of Newburgh (or William of Newbridge, depending on who you read). William of Newburgh was born in Bridlington in 1136

“In the province of the Deiri (Yorkshire) not far from my birth-place a wonderful thing occurred, which I have known from my boyhood. There is a town a few miles distant from the Eastern Sea, near which are those celebrated waters commonly called Gipse. … A peasant of this town went once to see a friend who lived in the next town, and it was late at night when he was coming back, not very sober, when lo! from the adjoining barrow, which I have often seen, and which is not much over a quarter of a mile from the town, he heard the voice of people singing, and as it were joyfully feasting. He wondered who they could be that were breaking in that place by their merriment the silence of the dead night, and he wished to examine into the matter more closely. Seeing a door open in the side of the barrow, he went up to it and looked in; and there he beheld a large and luminous house, full of people, women as well as men, who were reclining as at a solemn banquet. One of the attendants, seeing him standing at the door, offered him a cup. He took it, but would not drink; and pouring out the contents, kept the vessel. A great tumult arose at the banquet on account of his taking away the cup, and all the guests pursued him; but he escaped by the fleetness of the beast he rode, and got into the town with his booty. Finally, this vessel of unknown material, of unusual colour, and of extraordinary form was presented to Henry the Elder, king of the English, and was then given to the queen’s brother David, King of the Scots, and was kept for several years in the treasury of Scotland; and a few years ago (as I heard from good authority), it was given by William, King of the Scots, to Henry the Second, who wished to see it.”

Thomas Wright (Born 1810 – Died 1877) identified the barrow mentioned in the above story with Willy Howe.