Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Folktales

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales

Whittington Stone

At the foot of Highgate Hill can be found the Whittington Stone, so named after Dick Whittington, who, according to tradition sat here and heard the bells of Bow Church which he thought were saying "Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London." The following account of the story of Dick Whittington and his cat was published in ‘English Fairy and Other Folk Tales’ (1890) by

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales

The Princess of Colchester

The following tale entitled ‘The Princess of Colchester’ was published in ‘English Fairy and Other Folk Tales’ (1890) by Edwin Sidney Hartland. ‘LONG before Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, there reigned in the eastern part of England a king who kept his Court at Colchester.

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales

The Princess of Canterbury

The following tale entitled ‘The Princess of Canterbury’ was published in ‘English Fairy and Other Folk Tales’ (1890) by Edwin Sidney Hartland. ‘IN days of yore, when this country was governed by many kings, among the rest the King of Canterbury had an only daughter, wise, fair, and beautiful.

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales

The Parish of St Andrew, Leyland

The Parish of St Andrew in Leyland dates from 1220, though it is thought a church has been on this site since the 12th Century. The church has had several alterations over the centuries, but what I want to concentrate on is the initial construction of the first church and the siting legends associated with it.

Devil / English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales

The Unbidden Guest

The following folktale entitled ‘The Unbidden Guest’ was published in ‘Goblin Tales of Lancashire’ by James Bowker (1878). ‘On a little lane leading from the town of Clitheroe there once lived a noted ‘cunning man,’ to whom all sorts of applications were made, not only by the residents, but also by people from distant places, for the fame of the wizard had spread over the whole country side.

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales

Th’ Skriker (Shrieker)

The following story entitled "Th’ Skriker (Shrieker)" was published in ‘Goblin Tales of Lancashire’ by James Bowker (1878).  ‘On a fine night, about the middle of December, many years ago, a sturdy-looking young fellow left Chipping for his cottage, three or four miles away, upon the banks of the Hodder.

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales / Hauntings

Nogworth Cross

Only the base remains of The Nogworth Cross (aka Northwood Cross) which can be found beside a lane near Shay Lane and the Todmorden Road.  According to ‘A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6’ (1911), ‘In the Extwistle part, on the high moorland, are some tumuli and the sites of supposed British and Roman camps; there is another camp above Thursden.