Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Legends

Ancient Sites / Festivals / Folklore / Giants / King Arthur / Legends / May / Wells

Giant’s Cave, Edenhall

At Giant’s Cave, near Eden Hall, it has been the custom from time immemorial for the lads and lasses of the neighbouring villages to collect together on the third Sunday in May, to drink sugar and water, when the lasses give the treat: this is called Sugar-and-Water Sunday. They afterwards adjourn to the public house, and the lads return the compliment in cakes, ale, punch, etc.

Buried Treasure / Legends

Wimbell Pond

Tradition says an iron chest of money is concealed: if any daring person ventures to approach the pond, and throw a stone into the water, it will ring against the chest ; and a small white figure has been heard to cry in accents of distress, ‘That’s mine’. [W Sparrow Simpson from Notes and Queries 1889 & County Folk-Lore: Suffolk (1893) Lady Camilla Gurdon]

Buried Treasure / Legends

Maiden’s Castle, Reeth

The following treasure legend was published in Notes on the Folk-lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders by William Henderson (1879). ‘I learn from Mr. Robinson, of Hill House, Reeth, Yorkshire, that in his neighbourhood as in many others is a place called Maiden’s Castle, in which tradition avers a chest of gold is buried.

Buried Treasure / Legends

Kirkstall Abbey

The following tunnel legend was published in Notes on the Folk-lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders by William Henderson (1879). ’A…..tale is told of Kirkstall Abbey, near Leeds.

Buried Treasure / Hauntings

Dallinghoo Treasure

In ‘County Folk-Lore: Suffolk’ (1893), Lady Camilla Gurdon gives the following story ‘Beneath a post of a high gate in Dallinghoo lies a hidden treasure; the ghost of its former owner haunts the spot and twelve clergymen have unitedly failed to lay the spirit.’

Apparitions / Devil / Hauntings

Llanilar Church

The following account from ‘Haunted Churches’ (1939) by Elliott O’Donnell (27 February 1872 – 8 May 1965) refers to a Devil tradition associated with three churches in close proximity, though he does not name the individual church.

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Apparitions / Book Review / Buried Treasure / Devil / Dragons / English Fairies / English Folktales / Fairies / Folklore / Folktales / Ghost Stories / Haunted Hotels / Haunted Pubs / Hauntings / King Arthur / Legends / Review / Road Ghosts / Screaming Skulls / Wells / Witchcraft

Lancashire Folk by Melanie Warren

I’ve known Mel for over 20 years, meeting though ASSAP while investigating paranormal cases in the North of England. We share a passion for collecting stories and coming from Lancashire myself I have been looking forward to reading Mel’s new book and revisiting some of the old stories, coming across some new ones..and of course, I can now add the book to my collection!

Apparitions / Buried Treasure / English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales / Hauntings / Legends

Sexhow Ghost

According to ‘Notes on the Folk-lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders by William Henderson’ (1879). ‘Mr. G. M. Tweddell thus relates the history of an apparition which with fitting retributive justice haunted a certain Yorkshire farmer.

Legends

Tunnel Between Finchale Abbey and Durham Cathedral

The following tunnel legend was printed in ‘Notes on the Folk-lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders’ by William Henderson (1879). ‘There was a wild legend in my native city of a subterranean passage between Finchale Abbey and the cathedral of Durham, and of an attempt to penetrate it.

Giants / Hauntings / Legends

Brede Place

Originally dating from the 14th century, Brede Place is a Grade II listed building that was then rebuilt in the 15th century by Sir Robert Oxenbridge, father of Sir Goddard Oxenbridge, the Bede Giant. For a time the house was associated with smugglers and some haunt like stories were told to keep the locals away.