{"id":49673,"date":"2026-06-18T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heritagecalling.com\/?p=49673"},"modified":"2026-06-17T11:30:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T10:30:02","slug":"folklore-in-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heritagecalling.com\/2026\/06\/18\/folklore-in-england\/","title":{"rendered":"Folklore in England"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this blog we\u2019ll explore some of the folklore tales and traditions, some old or reinterpreted, and some new, but all equally part of the tapestry of folklore in England.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer solstice and the Wheel of the Year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

June 21 marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, known as summer solstice. The summer solstice sees the sun rise at its most north-easterly point and set at its most north-westerly point, and has been celebrated through rites, rituals and gatherings since prehistoric times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
A view of Stonehenge, Wiltshire, showing the sun’s rays glinting through the opening in a trilithon. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. View image DP149750<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Communities across England continue to mark key moments in the solar \u2018Wheel of the Year\u2019, a cycle observed within diverse traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many now are taking a renewed interest in folklore, partly because of a rise in the number of people identifying with Pagan spirituality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A number of authors have written on the subject of folk traditions in England, such as historian Professor Ronald Hutton and more recently DJ and author Zakia Sewell with her 2026 book \u2018Finding Albion\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Stonehenge summer solstice celebrations in the year 2000. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. View image AA008000<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Taking part in ‘living heritage’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Inventories of Living Heritage<\/a>, launched in 2025 as part of the UK\u2019s commitment to the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, celebrates folklore as something dynamic and belonging to the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inventory invites communities to submit examples of their own living heritage, from culinary practice to oral expression and performing arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historic England\u2019s Missing Pieces Project<\/a> similarly celebrates \u2018living heritage\u2019, inviting members of the public to contribute their own stories and photographs to places on\u202fthe National Heritage List for England <\/a>(also known as \u2018The List\u2019). Many of the folklore traditions mentioned in this blog are connected to places on ‘The List’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have stories to tell about any of these places, we\u2019d love to hear about them through the Missing Pieces Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
The Merry Maidens <\/a>prehistoric stone circle, Cornwall. This is associated with a type of folklore involving tales of dancers who become petrified through magic into standing stones. Its other name of ‘Dawns Men’ may come from the Cornish ‘dons men’ or ‘stone dance’. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. Harold Wingham Collection HAW01\/9402\/12.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stonehenge, Wiltshire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A famous setting for solstice rites is Stonehenge<\/a>, built in around 2500 BC with sarsen stones carefully placed to line up with the extreme limits of the Sun\u2019s movement. <\/a>Thousands of visitors flock to Stonehenge every year to mark the solstices, following in the footsteps of neolithic ancestors and enjoying a rare chance to get close to the stones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stonehenge has long been seen as a place that has attracted endless tales, shifting speculation and veneration, which are re-interpreted by different generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Reconstruction illustration depicting a celebration of the midwinter solstice at Stonehenge in about 2200 BC. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. View image IC095\/079<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lady Godiva: Coventry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Lady Godiva<\/a> statue in Coventry commemorates that famous tale: Lady Godiva took pity on the people of Coventry who lived bound by the oppressive tax imposed by her husband Leofric, Earl of Mercia. He agreed to lift the tax only if she rode naked atop a horse through the streets of Coventry. And so she rode through the empty streets and was seen by no one except for a man named Thomas, giving an origin to the term ‘Peeping Tom’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
A statue of Lady Godiva in Coventry. \u00a9<\/em> Liam Harding, contributed to the Missing Pieces Project<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018Rufford Park Poachers\u2019: Nottinghamshire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Sewell notes in ‘Finding Albion’, an English folk song called \u2018The Rufford Park Poachers<\/a>\u2019 immortalises a clash between a gang of poachers and gamekeepers on the fringes of the Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire in 1851. The song was made popular by a folk singer called Joseph Taylor. It tells the story of a violent battle that took place between a gang of poachers and some gamekeepers hired by the Earl of Scarbrough, one of whom was killed. Four of the poachers were charged with manslaughter, poaching and affray and were sent to Bermuda for 14 years\u2019 hard labour. Yet, the song remembers them as Robin Hood style heroes: \u2018gallant\u2019 and \u2018bold\u2019, fighting for \u2018poor men\u2019s rights\u2019 against the \u2018rich man\u2019s laws\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/a>
A Victorian depiction of the Rufford Poachers, provenance unknown, Source, Workshop Guardian Website.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cornish Crick Stone and Montol Festival, Cornwall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cornwall has long been associated with a rich folklore culture and is widely known for its stone circles and sites of Pagan ritual. One such site is the Men-an-Tol<\/a> (meaning ‘holed stone’ in Cornish), which has had many a curative and magical power attributed to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The local moniker the ‘Crick Stone’ alludes to its alleged ability to aid those with back pain, and in the past many children suffering from rickets and tuberculosis were brought to this moorland site in Madron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Black<\/a>
Men-an-Tol, a group of 3 prehistoric granite stones at Madron, Cornwall. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. Eileen Deste Collection image DES01\/02\/0123<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In her book, Sewell visits Cornwall to take part in the modern-day Montol<\/a> festival during the winter solstice in Penzance<\/a>. It is a festival of fire and misrule where revellers move through the streets in masks and costume. Launched in 2007 and inspired by older Cornish midwinter \u2018guising\u2019 customs, it is designed to bring the community together in the depths of winter. Sewell reflects that \u2018For many Cornish people, local folklore and traditions like Montol are the lifeblood of the community\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
A view through the hole in the stone of Men-an-Tol, Cornwall. \u00a9 Ella Coltman, contributed to the Missing Pieces Project<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Glastonbury Tor and ‘Avalon’, Somerset<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Glastonbury Tor<\/a> is another place shrouded in myth and legend. The land below the tower is marshland, suggesting it could have once been an island, linked to the legends about \u2018Avalon\u2019, from Arthurian mythology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"View<\/a>
Glastonbury Tor, Somerset. Aerial view of the tor and surrounding countryside, reputedly the Isle of Avalon. \u00a9<\/em> Historic England<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The legend was boosted by some enterprising medieval monks who claimed to have ‘discovered’ King Arthur\u2019s remains. You can find out more about the legends of Arthur and their possible historic contexts from our blog on the subject.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
An illustration by Judith Dobie depicting the staged discovery of the graves of Arthur and Guinevere at Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset, in 1193. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. View image IC141\/001.<\/a> View List entry 1021077.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Morris dancing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to English folk tradition, it\u2019s impossible not to mention morris dancing with its bells and May Day merriment. The Thaxted Morris group, or \u2018side\u2019 as they are known, was founded in 1911 and is the oldest surviving morris side in the country. In 1934, 6 morris clubs formed a federation of Morris Men known as the Morris Ring. The 6 founder clubs were Cambridge, Oxford, Letchworth, Thaxted, East Surrey and Greensleeves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Victorian morris dancers outside the Chequers public house, Headington Quarry, Oxfordshire in 1898. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. View image CC71\/00058<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In June 1934, at the Thaxted Morris Weekend Meeting, the representatives of 5 of the 6 clubs met around the kitchen table of Mrs King’s house at 32 Newbiggen Street, Thaxted , Essex<\/a> and approved a draft constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
A group of morris dancers and a Hobbyhorse at a Thaxted Morris Ring meeting, Essex; photographed in the mid-1960s. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. John Gay Collection image FF003011<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Present day morris dancing ranges from more traditional groups, to the likes of \u2018Boss Morris\u2019, a feminist \u2018side\u2019 established in 2015 in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Boss Morris have performed at festivals, alongside the indie band Wet Leg at the 2023 Brit Awards<\/a>, and featured on Bridget Christie\u2019s folk-horror-comedy TV show \u2018The Change\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Boss Morris at Manchester Folk Festival 2023 – Spiral Earth. \u00a9 Jon Wilks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Well dressing: Derbyshire and Staffordshire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The tradition of well dressing or ‘well flowering’ is particularly practiced in the Peak District area of Derbyshire and in Staffordshire. Often natural materials such as flowers, plants and clay attached to wooden frames are used to make decorative pictures. Historians and folklorists debate its origins, some seeing roots in Pagan water-worship at these springs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
An overlapping of traditions: a well dressing display depicting morris dancers, at Tideswell, Derbyshire, photographed in 1983. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. Knicky Chapman Collection image CHP01\/01\/1481<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At Tissington in Derbyshire the practice may be linked to giving thanks for the deliverance of the village from the medieval Black Death. Examples of well dressing at Tissington occur at Yew Tree Well<\/a> and Hands Well.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
A crowd of people watching the blessing of the Yew Tree Well as part of the well dressing ceremony, Tissington, Derbyshire, 1964. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. View image alb93\/08\/137<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Black Shuck: Norfolk and Suffolk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tales of the monstrous black dog known as the Black Shuck or ‘Old Shuck’ have long been part of local folklore in Norfolk (Sheringham and along the coast) and Suffolk in the towns of Bungay and Blythburgh. He is said to roam the coast and countryside of East Anglia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Black Shuck depicted on a weathervane in Bungay, Suffolk. \u00a9 Cameron Self via Flickr<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The legendary beast is first said to have made his mark on Sunday 4 August 1577, during Sunday service. He was said to have burst through the doors of 2 churches, Holy Trinity Church in Blythburgh <\/a>and St Mary\u2019s in Bungay to a clap of thunder, taking the lives of a man and a boy. Legend has it that as he left Holy Trinity, he scratched the surfaces of the north door, and strange marks resembling burning can still be seen there today.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"A<\/a>
The scorch marks at Holy Trinity Church, said to be left by the monstrous black dog known as Black Shuck. \u00a9 Spencer Means via Flickr<\/a>, Creative Commons<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Barghest: Yorkshire <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The north of England has its own version of a monstrous black dog legend: the Barghest or Bargest, held to be an omen of death. Its name is perhaps derived from ‘bier-ghost’, so a spectre associated with funerary places, such as the prehistoric or Viking burials on the moors where it is mainly said to prowl. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some folklorists speculate that the Barghest could be linked to Fenrir the Wolf from Norse mythology. Fenrir may be depicted on a hogback tombstone found at St Oswald’s Church, Lythe, near Whitby. Legend has it that the Barghest has even been spotted in The Shambles in York, and a gift shop at Number 1 The Shambles<\/a> currently bears its name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"View<\/a>
Number 1, the Shambles, York, photographed from Kings Square. \u00a9 Lynne Strutt, contributed to the Missing Pieces Project<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Devil’s Bridge: Cumbria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some tales focus on one single building or structure in a single place. In this folktale about medieval bridge at Kirkby Lonsdale<\/a>, a cow belonging to an old woman had strayed across a river and could not be coaxed back. The Devil appeared to the old woman and promised to build a bridge, if he had the soul of the first body that crossed it. The woman agreed. The Devil built the bridge and left his hand print in one of the stones. Once the bridge was completed the woman, accompanied by her small dog appeared to keep her end of the bargain, but she tricked the devil by taking out a bun and throwing it across the bridge, her dog then ran across to retrieve it…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
The Devil’s Bridge, Kirkby Lonsdale, photographed in 2014. \u00a9 Phil Platt, contributed to the Missing Pieces Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Mermaid of Nately Scures, Hampshire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This legend surrounds the carving of a mermaid at the medieval St Swithun\u2019s Church<\/a> in Nately Scures, Hampshire. The legend runs that the carving commemorates the tale of a vengeful mermaid whose human sailor lover unwisely turned his attentions to a local girl. As the human couple were making ready to be wed at St Swithun’s church, the angry mermaid appeared and took the sailor back to her undersea world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
A carving of a mermaid on a capital of the doorway to St Swithun’s Church, Nately Scures, Hampshire. \u00a9 Historic England Archive. Knicky Chapman Collection image CHP01\/01\/7602<\/a>.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The weathered original carving is now inside the church, a more modern copy watches over the entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Detail<\/a>
The entrance to St Swithun’s Church, Nately Scures, Hampshire, with the copy of the mermaid carving. \u00a9 Tim Batty, contributed to the Missing Pieces Project<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We have only been able to scratch the surface of places associated with English folklore. There are many more, such as: widespread May Day traditions or more local ones like the ‘Furry Dance’ in Helston, Cornwall, marking changing seasons; dangerous games like inter-village football, cheese rolling in Gloucestershire, or carrying flaming tar barrels at Ottery St Mary, Devon, to ward off evil spirits. Though a more recent event, many would say that Notting Hill Carnival<\/a> has become part of our folklore and traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A<\/a>
Girls performing the maypole dance on Wright’s Meadow, Uffington, Oxfordshire, 1916. Source: Historic England Archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a>
A crowd of people gathered on Flora Day for the Helston Furry Dance, with a newsreel cameraman filming the musicians and dancers, around 1925-1935. \u00a9 Historic England Archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Let us know of your favourite ones in the comments and add your missing pieces <\/a>to the National Heritage List for England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Legend of King Arthur<\/a><\/blockquote>