Folklore of Yorkshire

The beautiful county of Yorkshire is the largest in Britain, and yet still possesses a strong and cohesive regional identity. Built on centuries of shared tradition, a characteristic body of folklore has thrived and endured well into the present day. Folklore of Yorkshire chronicles such beliefs throughout the whole county, identifying distinctive common themes, placing them in their historical context and considering their social and psychological function. You’ll discover Yorkshire’s holy wells and buried treasure, its boggarts, Black Dogs and fairies, and the legends behind the county’s stunning landscape. This fully illustrated book shows how the customs of the past have influenced the ways of today, whilst also revealing something about the nature of folklore itself, both for the tradition-bearers and those who collect it.

Why we love it

This is simply an excellent collection of the folklore of Yorkshire. There’s some excellent indight here into the culture of Yorkshire. There’s a great chapter on witchcraft and religious belief, and another great chapter on Charms and Talismans. There’s a good collection of information on herbal magic- specific days and times in different areas of Yorkshire when the plants would be collected. There’s an excellent delve into the cult of relics as kept by folk magic workers, as well as a few examples of such relics. As with the other folklore books, some of the folklore and practices are more tied to that of the canting tribes rather than being a pan-Yorkshire experience. There’s some Yorkshire specific fairy and devil lore lore- describing encounters, myths, legends and places of interest. Phantom hounds, household spirits and ghosts all make an appearance. There’s a whole chapter dedicated to water lore in Yorkshire- great if you love to visit waterfalls, rivers and holy wells, and another dedicated to the ritual year.

192 pages

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