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Vanishing islands, the glass ship of Merlin and the castle of the Fairy King! Tonight, its all about William Wirt Sikes' 1880 collection, British Goblins. 'The sovereign of the fairies, and their special guardian and protector, was one Gwyn ap Nudd. He was also ruler over the goblin tribe in general. His name often occurs in ancient Welsh poetry. An old bard of the fourteenth century, who, led away by the fairies, rode into a turf bog on a mountain one dark night, called it the fish-pond of Gwyn ap Nudd, a palace for goblins and their tribe.' 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

Crocks of gold, spectral river horses and the giantess of Mulgrave! Tonight we're in Yorkshire, with Reverend Thomas Parkinson's 1888 collection, Yorkshire Legends and Traditions.  'At the village of Upsall resided many years ago, a man who dreamed, on three nights successively, that if he went to London Bridge he would hear of something greatly to his advantage. He went, travelling the whole distance from Upsall to London on foot. Having arrived there, he took up his station on the bridge, where he waited until his patience was nearly exhausted, and the idea that he had acted a very foolish part began to rise in his mind. At length he was accosted by a Quaker, who kindly inquired what he was waiting there so long for. After some hesitation he told of his dreams. The Quaker laughed at his simplicity, and told him that he had had that night a very curious dream himself, which was, that if he went and dug under a certain bush in Upsall Castle Yard, in Yorkshire, he would find a pot of gold. Seeing some advantage in secrecy, the Yorkshireman pleaded ignorance of the locality, and then, thinking his business in London was completed, returned immediately home, dug beneath the bush, and there found a pot filled with gold.' 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

Phantom fiddlers, haunted treasure and the Devil on long island! Its the second part of our journey through Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, the American folklore collection of Charles M Skinner from 1896. 'It was twelve o'clock, and here he was playing a dance tune on a Sunday. However, the sin of playing for one second on the Sabbath was as great as that of playing all day; so, as long as he was in for it, he resolved to carry the tune to the end, and he fiddled away with a reckless vehemence. Presently he became aware that the music was both wilder and sweeter than before, and that there was more of it. Not until then did he observe that a tall, thin stranger stood beside him, and that he was fiddling too, composing a second to Joost's air - as if he could read his thoughts before he put it into execution on the strings.' 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

Witches in the Catskills and the infamous galloping Hessian of Tarry Town! Welcome to America, as we explore part one of Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Charles M Skinner's collection of American folklore from 1896. 'Had he not halted horses at the plow so that neither blows nor commands could move them for two hours? Had he not set farmer Raught's pigs to walking on their hind legs and trying to talk? And was he not the chief of thirteen night-riders, whose faces no man had seen, nor wanted to see, and whom he sent about the country on errands of mischief every night when the moon was growing old...' 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

Black Shuck, witchcraft and the galloping ghost of Sir Thomas Boleyn! Its The Norfolk Garland, John Glyde's 1872 collection of Norfolk folklore. 'The spectre of this gentle­man is believed by the vulgar to be doomed on a certain night in every year for a period of 1000 years, to drive a coach drawn by four headless horses, over a circuit of twelve bridges. Sir Thomas carries his head under his arm, and flames issue from his mouth. Few rustics are hardy enough to be found loitering on or near these bridges on that night, and the man who spoke of this belief says that he was on one occasion hailed by this fiendish apparition, and asked to open a gate, but "he warn't such a fool as to turn his head, and well a' didn't, for Sir Thomas passed me at full gallop.' 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

The legend of Dunraven, ship wrecks and sermons in the stones! My Summer Holiday - Being a Tourists Jottings About Tenby is an 1863 publication from William Freeman of London and the work of an unknown author; and seemingly, deliberately so.  Part Victorian travelogue, part collection of local lore - it makes for a unique and particularly charming collection regrading Tenby and its surrounding landscape in South West Wales. 'The North Sands have many interesting features. The rocks here are varied and picturesque. At one point they are clothed with waving ferns; whilst at another they are bare and rugged; then they are marked with gigantic fissures; and then, again, attired in green. At their base lay ponderous stones covered with rare weeds and shelly parasites. About two miles from the town the rocks are separated by a picturesque little valley called Waterwinch, and further on is Monkstone Point, a series of rugged, shapeless rocks, which, in their ponderous confusion, look as though they had been tumbled about by the Titans.' 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

A little while ago I mentioned that I was receiving emails with questions and comments about the show and that if I got enough, I could pull them all together and produce an episode around them. Well, this is that episode, our Summer Listener Special! 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

Medieval miracles, Cheshire dragons and the strange tale of a haunted farm house!  This time we're live from The Grange School in Hartford, Cheshire with a recording of Eli's lecture for Northwich and Distrcit Heritage Society from the 21st May, 2026 - The Real Folklore of Cheshire (Decoding Cheshire's Historic Ballads). The stories featured in the lecture are taken from his new book, The Folklore of Cheshire's Historic Ballads, which is a folktale transposition of Ballads and Legends of Cheshire by Egerton Leigh, published in 1867. The Folklore of Cheshire's Historic Ballads is available via Amazon here! 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

Voices from the sea, druidical sacrifice and the incredible story of the enchanter  of Pengerswick! Its time for part two of Popular Romances of the West of England by Robert Hunt, published by John Camden Hotton of London in 1865. 'On moonlight nights the air has often seemed to be full of sound, and yet the lady's voice was seldom louder than that of a warbling bird. On these occasions, men have seen thousands of spirits gliding up and down the moonbeams, and floating idly on the silvered waves, listening to, and sometimes softly echoing, the words which Lady Pengerswick sang.' 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

Nightriders, spriggans and the Mermaid of Padstow! We're back in Cornwall with part one of our wander through Popular Romances of the West of England by Robert Hunt, published by John Camden Hotton of London in 1865. 'When calms rest upon the ocean, and the waves can scarcely form upon the resting waters, still wailings creep along the coast. These are the wailings of this wandering soul. When midnight is on the moor or on the mountains, and the night winds whistle amidst the rugged cairns, the shrieks of Tregeagle are distinctly heard. We know, then, that he is pursued by the demon dogs.' 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

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

The Banshee, the dance of the dead and eagles that fly you to the moon! Its the final part of three with Lady ‘Speranza’ Wilde's 1887 work, Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland. 'Sometimes the Banshee assumes the form of some sweet singing virgin of the family who died young. Or she may be seen at night as a shrouded woman, crouched beneath the trees, lamenting with veiled face, or flying past in the moonlight'. 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

Leprechauns, midnight rides and the doom of the priests! Its part two of our journey across Ireland with Lady ‘Speranza’ Wilde's 1887 work, Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland. 'But as to the pot of gold, from that day to this not one of the family, father, or son, or any belonging to them, ever set eyes on it. However, the little Leprechaun still sits under the dock leaf of the hedge, and laughs at them as he mends the shoes with his little hammer, but they are afraid to touch him, for now they know he can take his revenge.' 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