Witches
in England
True
stories of the persecution of witches in
England. Not for the faint hearted!
Straight from the
Horse's Mouth
The
horse’s contribution to Britain’s rich history and culture is
significant. From
the early image of Queen Boudicca in a chariot being drawn by her
two chargers into battle with the Romans, the horse has long been
part of life in Britain.
John Bull John Bull is an imaginary figure who
is a personification of England, similar to the American 'Uncle
Sam'. But where did he come from, and what does he stand for?
Cigarette Cards
The hobby of
collecting cigarette cards is known as Cartophily. These cards were
originally given away in cigarette packets as
a
marketing gimmick, primarily to encourage people to buy more
cigarettes. They eventually evolved however, into miniature reference
books with fine illustrations and detailed texts that captured
snapshots of the social history of the day.
Folklore Destinations UK
The Lunar Society
The
Lunar Society met in and around Birmingham, England between 1765 and 1813. The
members cheerfully referred to themselves as the ‘lunatics’, but
these men would change the face of the world
forever.......
Icons of England
Nominate your own icon of England. A cup of tea? The Routemaster
bus? The F.A. Cup?..
The Folklore
Year Folklore Customs, Ceremonies and Events taking place
throughout Britain, listed by month
A Day out
with Jack and the Bogies May Day Celebrations in Hastings....
A Taste of Wales The food and flavours of
Wales...
The Legend of St Nectan There are conflicting
legends surrounding this 5th century saint.......
The Best of Brits
Great British inventions.........
Old Glory and the Cutty Wren
An ancient tradition
which until 10 years ago was almost lost......
The Tichborne Dole
The Tichborne Dole
is an ancient tradition which takes place in the village of Tichborne
near Alresford in Hampshire
every year on March 25th (Lady’s Day)
and dates back to
the 13th century. This tradition has a curse attached to it........
A Whiter Shade of Fey
Many
plant-based myths seem to involve protection from, or for, witches and
fairies. Today’s
Wiccans hold white to be the colour of the Goddess.....
Christmas
Traditions in Wales
Including the
unique Boxing Day custom of beating young girls with boughs of holly......
John Wesley John Wesley and his
brother Charles were the founders of the Methodist Movement.
There are now almost 20 million members throughout the world......
"Women
and Children First"
How the
great naval tradition of “women and children first” was established.....
The Wise Men
of Gotham
Who were the Wise
Men of Gotham, and were they really wise? Wise is perhaps not
the correct word to use …a better description would appear to be
‘The clever and cunning men of Gotham’.....
That was the year that was....1953
In 1953 Queen Elizabeth II
was crowned in Westminster Abbey, and Edmund Hillary and Sherpa
Tensing became the first people to scale the summit of Mount
Everest. A year to remember! But the everyday life of the ordinary
citizen in Britain was, by the standards of today, quite simple. But
it was all about to change.....
Lady Godiva
Some 900 years ago an extraordinary
occurrence took place on Market Day in the English Midlands town of
Coventry. Two monks at St. Albans Abbey in
Hertfordshire first recorded this amazing story in Latin. Roger of Wendover wrote of it in the twelfth century and Mathew Paris in the
early thirteenth century
....
The Queens Champion Did you know that the Queen still has a Champion?.....
Bramah's Lock
Joseph Bramah, a farmer’s son,
was born in 1748 and is best known for his invention which is
still in use today – the Bramah Lock. His wager that no-one could
pick this lock went unbeaten for 67 years.....
The Throne of Sir John Harrington - by Royal Appointment
Thomas
Crapper has been credited with the invention of the flushing toilet.. but the actual inventor was Sir John, godson of Queen Elizabeth I ......
A Deadly Curse!
The cursing power of Psalm 109, 'Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow', was once a widely held superstition.
It was this 'cursing poem' that is said to have brought about the worst ship wreck ever recorded in the Isles of Scilly......
The Most Noble Order of the Garter
The Most
Noble Order of the Garter is the oldest European order of chivalry...
The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street
This
is the nickname for the Bank of England - but was there really an "old lady of Threadneedle Street"? Indeed there was...
Mother's Ruin
In the mid-eighteenth century the effects of gin-drinking on English society makes the use of drugs today seem almost
benign!....
Pearly Kings and Queens
One of the great traditions of London, the Pearly Royals started in Victorian days and some still reign today in their various London districts....
Moonrakers The legend that explains why Wiltshiremen are also called
'Moonrakers' ..
...
Smugglers and Wreckers Throughout the centuries smuggling has been considered by the British people to be a very profitable way of life...
Spring-Heeled Jack He terrorised Victorian society, but who was this 19th century Batman?
The Nation's Favourite Take-Away - Fish and Chips
Afternoon Tea - a great British tradition
The Ancient Fenland Tradition of the "Split Goosefeather........and
the part it played in the life - and death - of a King
"How much is your wife worth?" Until the first Divorce Court was established in 1857 it was very difficult and costly to get rid of a wife...
"This Is England" A
new radio programme available via the Internet...
Celtic chalk figures White horse and hill
figures are among the most interesting features of the chalk downlands in southern England. These figures were cut into the chalk in antiquity by the Celts......
Did you know?.. A Quiz - Who was responsible for making bathing respectable; what is the connection between Alexander Pope the
poet and weeping willow trees in America......
The
Loch Ness Monster The
first recorded account of 'Nessie' is that of an eyeball to eyeball
confrontation with the Irish saint, St. Columba in the 6th century.....
Stones
- their secrets, myths and legends
Ancient
stones, standing stones, sacred stones, healing stones,
enchanted stones.....Cricket
- The sweet sound of leather on willow A
warm summers day, a picturesque village green, the sound of
leather on willow, a polite ripple of applause ...
The
Other Man in the Iron Mask! More
English eccentricity.......
Ring a Ring O' Roses.. Children learn
nursery rhymes at their mother's knee - are these apparently childish
rhymes just nonsense or political satire of their times ?
Undying
Heroes!
Heroes
of the past who will rise to fight again in order to save
England in her hour of need...
Pub
and Inn Signs of Britain Inn
signs: a unique record of the history of Britain and the people who made
it.
Food, Glorious Food!
Roast
Beef and Yorkshire Pudding, Trifle, Steak and Kidney Pie,
the British Curry...can we link
traditional British
food to the history of Britain?
Unquiet Graves
Things
that go bump in the night ..Famous and
not-so-famous hauntings.
Folk
remedies, charms and potions
Or
thank goodness for the National Health Service! Who
were the 'Quake doctors', how do you cure warts and
what was the King's Evil? Read on...
Do you believe in
fairies? Stories
about fairies abound throughout history - but in the 21st
century, surely we don't still believe in them - or do we?
Trendsetters
Many
everyday items
are known by the names of the people who first
set the trend. Read on for how 'wellies' became
'wellies' and how compulsive gambling led
to the invention of a simple food!
Great British Eccentrics
Britain
may be a small island but it seems to have more true eccentrics
than many larger countries. Meet a few of them here!
Literary
Giants Nearly
every county in England can claim a 'literary giant' who has lived
within their boundaries....
Folk
remedies, charms and potions
Or thank goodness for the National
Health Service! Who were the 'Quake doctors', how do you
cure warts and what was the King's Evil? Read on...
Superstitions
Do
you feel uneasy when walking under a ladder? Check out these
customs and
superstitions.
ALSO
"Readers' Corner"
Your experiences of Britain and the British!
Featuring
contributions and articles from readers.
The Folklore
Year
Folklore Customs, Ceremonies and
Events taking place throughout Britain, listed
by month
The Folklore
Year - January
The Folklore
Year - February
The Folklore
Year - March
The Folklore
Year - Easter
The Folklore
Year - April
The Folklore
Year - May
The Folklore
Year - June
The Folklore
Year - July
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Year - August
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Year - September
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Year - October
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Year - November
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Year - December
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Who are the
British? Do they really drink tea, eat roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and never leave home without an umbrella? Find
out more about true Brits; past and present, myth and legend, fact
and fiction.