Tales of legendary witches often focus on their awesome powers, their familiars, or their fearsome reputation. Northumberland’s most famous witch, Meg of Meldon, has but one of those. But better than that, she was a real person. Meg of Meldon is Northumberland’s most famous witch. But was she really a witch, or just a hard-hearted […]
Mother Red Cap: The Infamous Witch of Camden Town
We’ve already discussed here on the blog the strange link between beer and witchcraft. But the link becomes even more apparent through the tale of Camden’s Mother Red Cap. The short version of the story is that Mother Red Cap lived in a small cottage in Camden Town. The spot where the house stood was […]
The Witch of Wookey Hole: Petrified for All Time
A casual browse of Google Trends shows public interest in witches has remained pretty steady for the past five years, with peaks around Halloween every year. But witches don’t have to remain something you encounter in fancy dress, or as part of an Instagram hashtag. If you venture to Wookey Hole in Somerset, you can […]
Was the location of Callaly Castle really picked by fairies?
Callaly Castle stands around 9 miles west of Alnwick. It’s a Grade I listed building, although there’s no public access. Architects divided the house into private apartments in 1987, and it has been a private residence ever since. Yet the castle features an odd history, as many castles in the north east of England do. […]
Brownies in Folklore: Household Help or Hindrance?
For many in the UK, brownies recall troops of girls clad in brown and yellow, earning badges in a prelude to joining the Girl Guides. Yet they reference the helpful fairies that apparently did housework overnight to help their chosen households. Katharine Briggs considers the brownies as one of the “most easily described and most […]
The Barguest: Demon Dog, Silly Sprite or Spectral Hound?
The barguest is a fascinating creature, most often found in the folklore of northern England. Folklorist William Henderson noted the barguest tales covered Northumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire (1879: 274). That said, some appearances also crop up in Lancashire and Cumbria. In many tales, the barguest was most popularly a death omen. In a most fitting […]
