Big thanks to all who came to last night's talk on the historic ballads of Cheshire! Little break from live talks now until October, when it'll be The Haunted Hills at Macclesfield Library! #thefolkloreofcheshireshistoricballads #folkloreontour #cheshirehistory

Just a reminder for anyone coming to my talk for Northwich & District Heritage Society tomorrow night: the venue is the hall of Grange Junior School at 8. There will be copies of The Folklore of Cheshire's Historic Ballads available too on the night at £10. Looking forward to it! #cheshirefolklore

OUT TODAY - THE FOLKLORE OF CHESHIRE'S HISTORIC BALLADS Transposed from the lyric sheets of Ballads & Legends of Cheshire by Egerton Leigh (1867) my new book tells its stories as trad folktale narratives for the very first time. Click link for more. thelocalmythstorian.com/order #cheshirefolklore

Been walking this countryside for years, but never took this route before. All looks a bit ritualistic to me - especially with that single corn sheaf from last years harvest. There are still things at work in the English countryside that stay hidden. Eerie and beautiful.

Some shots from Shutlingsloe this morning, looking over to Toothill, which for years was believed to be a Roman camp, but now is accepted to be the remains of a medieval deer enclosure. The east of the Cheshire landscape really is a world of its own - some real mysteries in those hills.

A fantastic evening tonight Caverswall Historical Society for the opening night of the Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival! An absolute pleasure. Thanks to everyone that made it such a success! Next stop, The Grange School, Hartford on May 21st! #staffordshiremoorlands #folkloreontour

One week until my talk in Caverswall for the opening night of the Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival 2026! Really looking forward to getting back over the border and into headless horseman country once more! Details at Visit Staffordshire: www.visitstaffordshire.com/event/smwf-2...

Harvest Home (Thomas Tryon, 1973) Just finished this. Often overlooked because it came out the same year as The Wicker Man movie. The first rural horror novel? A few difficult moments in the last third, but I think ultimately, they do add to the pay off. Recommend if rural horror is your thing!

THE LONE KNIGHT Published on my website today! Sir Ralph Bagenal, son of a tailor from Newcastle-under-Lyme, would be a courtier, knight and religious exile. His story should be far better known; one the most remarkable figures in Staffordshire history. thelocalmythstorian.com/the-lone-kni...

Built in the 1140s, the castle at Newcastle-Under-Lyme in Staffordshire inspired the market town to develop at its gates. Not much to see today, but you can see the foundations of the gatehouse and the original motte too; both being linked by John O'Gaunt's Road - to whom the castle once belonged.

The 15th century tower of St Chads is all that remains of 5 churches that have been built on the site - all of which have been pulled down following subsidence. It's an ancient place - the settlement of Wybunbury itself is a contender for the oldest in Cheshire, being founded by 600 AD.

Some shots from Goostrey last night, great place to visit with 2 pubs either side of a church with a 1200 Y/O yew. Grizzly history too, with '5 brothers of William Eaton of Blackden slain' there in 1385. Some cracking creepy dolls in that barn window too! #goostrey #localhistory #cheshirehistory

Highly recommend this if you're a fan of earth mysteries / folk horror. Only came out in Jan and I read it on a bit of a whim - well, listened to it on audiobook - but think it might be one of the best things I've read in a few years! #thehillinthedarkgrove #folkhorror #welshhorror

ENGLISH COUNTRY SPECTRES - a new feature has been published over at my website. Having been on a deep dive into folklore collections of the 1800s for the Tales From Antiquaria podcast over the last year, thought I'd share some tales! thelocalmythstorian.com/english-coun... #ghostlore #folklore

One of my favourite tales from my native Staffordshire - in 1459 at the battle of Blore Heath, Margaret of Anjou watched the battle from Mucklestone church tower. Following the defeat, she had a local blacksmith reverse the shoes on her horse so that her tracks would confuse anyone chasing her.

Just a little reminder that, should you be local to Cheshire, you'll find my feature page on local history and folklore in Cheshire Life Magazine every month! #cheshirelife #localhistory #cheshirefolklore

Took these in Bagnall, North Staffs (near Stoke-On-Trent) the other day. The house where Parliamentarian troops created an armoury whilst searching out Royalists during the civil war; and where local legend states Bonnie Prince Charlie visited during his march south in 1745.

Witchmarks at Beeston Caves. Carving them at a cave entrance is fascinating; the caves of the Cheshire ridge have lore attached to them going back 700 years, warnings from the time when it was seen as a place of Pagan worship; way before the fashion for witch-marks really took off.

St Michael's Church, Horton. When Mary was born in 1668 there would have been people in the village that lived through the English Civil War. Yet also, Mary would have been living in Horton during the first glimmers of the Industrial Revolution in the area during the 1760s. Local history eh?

Hi Folks! Lots of Derbyshire folklore in the latest episode of the Tales From Antiquaria podcast; Household Tales & Traditional Remains from 1895. You can hear it on all major podcast platforms and also on the link below! talesfromantiquaria.com/episodes

Hi Folks, The details for my lecture as part of the Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival - 'The Mythstoric Moorlands' at Caverswall Village Hall - are now live on the Visit Staffordshire website. Be nice to get back over the border for this one! www.visitstaffordshire.com/event/smwf-2...

For years, this stone by Vale Royal Locks near Davenham made me curious. Well, its coat of arms is that of George Cholmondeley, Vice Admiral of Cheshire - the very man responsible for overseeing the construction of the river locks during the late 1700s. #valeroyal #Cheshire #riverweaver

The Salt Flashes, Northwich. Quite spooky on a winters morning. Even more spooky when you think about The Witch and Devil, a pub that disappeared into the waters due to subsidence one night in the early 1900s.

One for Harry Potter fans! The new episode of Tales From Antiquaria has a tale where a house goblin is freed, having been presented with a suite of clothes. Elsewhere we have shapeshifters and giant dragon worms! The Bishoprick Garland of Durham from 1834. talesfromantiquaria.com/episodes

Live talks this year... Should you be local or fancy a night away in these mystical northern parts! Just pop me a message or hop onto the relevant website for more info a bit closer to the night in question. #folkloreontour #staffordshiremoorlandswalkingfestival #northwichhistory #cheshirehistory

The latest episode of Tales From Antiquaria is The History and Antiquities of the Parish of St Davids, from 1801! A real spectrum of Welsh history in this! available on all major podcast platforms and at talesfromantiquaria.com/episodes #WELSHFOLKLORE #STDAVIDS #TALESFROMANTIQUARIA

Moulton Bank Bowl Barrow, Cheshire. Just up the road from me...I think there's a lot more to this barrow than first meets the eye. Commanding views, near an ancient drover route; its been ploughed to high heaven over the years but this would have been really, really substantial circa 2000 BC.

Little walk to Whitegate, Cheshire today. The church built for locals by Vale Royal Abbey.

It’s that time of year…Merry Christmas all!

Merry Xmas! For 100s of years, Christmas was a time of revelry and chaos, where social norms were actively cast aside. Today, the paper crowns we wear for Xmas dinner remind us of a time when we could all embrace this 'misrule' - the servants being served by the 'upper classes'. #christmasfolklore

“An unlucky old woman allowed her fire to go out on New Year's Eve, and had to wait till one on the following day before any neighbour would give her a light.” Xmas folklore from 1860s Lancashire in the latest Tales From Antiquaria: talesfromantiquaria.com/episodes #christmasfolklore

John Turner's memorial stone still fascinates me. The pack-horse jagger who, on Christmas Eve 1735, became lost in the snow, a mile from his home in Cheshire's peak borders, and was found next morning...a woman's shoe print pressed into the snow beside him. #johnturner #cheshirefolklore #thursbitch

Although once used as a plague stone, this wayside marker near Higher Sutton, Macclesfield, is a great example of the deliberate Christianisation of an ancient marker stone; remnants of a time when the incoming new faith was doing battle with the last light of Saxon paganism #Cheshire #standingstone

BBC FEATURE Just to let those interested know, my BBC Upload Halloween feature is now available to listen to on The Local Mythstorian website! I've had a few messages since Halloween from folks who missed it, well, you can hear it here if you fancy a listen! thelocalmythstorian.com/bbc

Hi folks! Pt2 of the podcast on A Sheaf of Gleanings, the 19C Shropshire folklore collection is out today. There's witches turned to stone, goblin haunted manners, all sorts! You can listen on the link below and all major platforms. #talesfromantiquaria #folklore talesfromantiquaria.com/episodes

MYTHSTORIC JOURNEYS PAPERBACK! Should anyone fancy a cheeky mythstoric stocking filler, my collection Mythstoric Journeys is available via Amazon in the UK and US as a paperback for a limited time only! Its £9.99 in the UK - link here - shorturl.at/0GQKd (also in US store too) #mythstoricjourneys

Gun Hill in the Staffordshire Moorlands today. The ancient packhorse routes, standing stones, and the sundial from St Matthews in Meerbrook as mentioned in episode 1 of Tales From Antiquaria...a real collection to be enjoyed across the moor. #staffordshiremoorlands #Gunhill #Meerbrook

At Vale Royal Abbey today, I was reminded of how local lore has lingered here for 700 years. I gave a talk on it last year and an elderly lady came up to me at the end and asked if I ever walked in the woods where the abbot was murdered in the 1330s. There, she said, 'the birds never sing'.

Giants & Witchcraft! The latest episode of Tales From Antiquaria is 1/2 on 'A Sheaf of Gleanings' from 1883. Some of the tales in this offer real insight into the magical thinking of the Shropshire folks in centuries past! talesfromantiquaria.com/episodes #folklorepodcast #shropshirefolklore

West Wales - one of my very favourite places; and Manorbier always blows me away. The landscape around the bay, the castle and St James the Great (with its medieval ceiling paintings) is just something else. If you ever get chance to go, dive into it headfirst! An absolute trove of history and lore!

The natural wonder of countryside where I live always inspires my thoughts to folklore and history, and every season it points me in a different direction. It’s a magical place, it really is. #valeroyal #cheshire #davenham #moulton

The latest episode of Tales From Antiquaria takes us to Derbyshire and William Andrews' 1892 collection 'Bygone Derbyshire'. Some real gems in this concerning Sir George Vernon not to mention all manner of local lore! #derbyshirefolklore #bygonederbyshire #derbyshirehistory

Few pics from Jenkin Chapel and Erwin Lane this morning - still one of the most enthralling mysteries of local history in the peak borders of Cheshire for me. Wrote a piece on it a few years ago: thelocalmythstorian.com/death-of-the... #johnturner #jagger #jenkinchapel

Happy Halloween Guys! The latest episode of Tales From Antiquaria is out today, featuring the 1890 collection 'Cornish Feasts and Folklore'. There's sea-spirits, sand-claimed churches and a whole swathe of spooky Cornish ghost-lore! On all providers and at talesfromantiquaria.com/episodes #folklore

Really happy to let folks know I’m being featured on the BBC across the next few days! 6PM Tonight BBC Hereford & Worcester 6PM Tonight BBC Shropshire 6PM Saturday BBC Stoke 6PM Saturday BBC West Midlands 6PM Saturday BBC Coventry & Warwickshire #BBCRADIO #FOLKLORE #BBCSOUNDS

The headless horseman of the moors was featured in Ep 1 of Tales From Antiquaria - this image was sent to me a while back; locals out 'hunting' the horseman back in May 1933! If you've not heard it yet, it's on all platforms and the website too: talesfromantiquaria.com Ep 2 out on Friday!

Ghosts at Chester Castle eh? There really is a special place in British culture for our love of a spooky tale...from late 19C writers to the BBC at Christmas. And, it's a genuine gateway into history; a ghost story can do more for a site than any trad marketing! www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Just wanted to let folks know that episode 1 of my new podcast series Tales From Antiquaria is our today! Let's journey back to the folklore of the Staffordshire Moorlands collected by John Sleigh in 1862 and his 'A History of the Ancient Parish of Leek'. #folklore #talesfromantiquaria #antiquarian

Folklore conservation in action! Absolutely loved learning about this campaign! www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...