God Bless the Brine - The Folklore of Cheshire's Historic Ballads...this is my brand new feature essay, transposing the lyric sheets of 'Ballads & Legends of Cheshire' (1867) into traditional narrative based folk tales. Hope folks enjoy it! It's taken an age! thelocalmythstorian.com/god-bless-th...

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...

Hi all! It's almost time for the launch of my new podcast Tales From Antiquaria. If you get chance, please pop over to the new BlueSky page for the project and follow - its where all the news will be posted once it starts. Thanks folks! The link is here: bsky.app/profile/anti...

Hi Folks! Ahead of the first episode later this month, Tales From Antiquaria is now live on podcast platforms! This means you can now subscribe to the feed - which would be ace! Just click on this link to pick your preferred platform. Can't wait to get started!!! talesfromantiquaria.com/subscribe

Hi Folks! Should you wish to stay informed about the new podcast, Tales From Antiquaria, you can follow the BlueSky page on this link - would be great to keep in touch! bsky.app/profile/anti...

Hi all! Just to let folks know my new project, Tales From Antiquaria, a podcast dedicated to the legacy of folklore writing published during the 1800s, is set to launch! So should you receive a follow etc from antiquariapodcast, its me! Really looking forward to getting this out there! Best, Eli.

Very proud to learn that @inspectrepodcast.bsky.social has been nominated for the Independent Podcast Awards 2025 down in that there London!

Had cause to spend a bit of time around Stoke recently and grabbed some photos to refresh the website. The famed 'Templar' graves at St. Lawrences in Biddulph, and of course, the table tomb of Molly Leigh. Never noticed that medieval coffin at St. John's before - believe it came from Hulton Abbey.

Not a historical post, but thought a few folks might appreciate it: a sun halo I caught on camera on my holiday break. No wonder the ancients were so enchanted with natural phenomena!

As a history nerd, to find this chap being my direct ancestor has been a real trip! Looks like my Staffordshire roots are truly inbedded!

Great sights walking Chester walls this morning; makes a nice change to see an English Civil War history being respected and promoted! #chester #civilwar #chesterwalls

Continuing the recent witchy theme - I cover the history behind the tale of the Bakewell Witches in the new issue of Haunted Magazine. Available across the UK and US from May 30th! www.haunteddigitalmagazine.com/2025/05/haun...

Morning folks! Got this out much quicker than I thought I would - It will be the final episode of the podcast series, as I really need to get stuck into a new project: The History of Witchcraft In Cheshire, Live from The Grange Theatre: thelocalmythstorian.com/podcast #WITCHES #THELOCALMYTHSTORIAN

Great night at The Grange Theatre last night, so good to see so many people turn out for the witches! Podcast ETA is mid-tune. And thanks to Northwich & District Heritage Society for inviting me over. I've now sold out of books too! Better re-stock! #witchcraft #Cheshire #thelocalmythstorian

Just over a week until we go full on witchy at The Grange Theatre! Talk at 8pm - from the Roman roots of the 'witch' stereotype to the Cheshire trials, with all manner of devils, imps & magical motives. Mythstoric Journeys hardback just £10 on the night! #grangetheatre #cheshirehistory #witchcraze

Absolute find whilst walking the streets of Knutsford today!

VE DAY SPECIAL - ahead of next weeks 80th anniversary, I am releasing my grandfathers memoir in PDF. A Sgt in the Royal Engineers I had long assumed the document lost following his passing 20 years ago, but found it earlier this year! You can download it here: thelocalmythstorian.com/albert-s-war

The Saxon crosses of Sandbach fuse pagan and Christian symbols in stone. Nearly lost to Civil War zealotry, they were restored in 1816. A timeless reminder: cultures can clash, yet still create something enduring and beautiful! #sandbach #anglosaxon #celticchristianity