The Folklore of Warwickshire
@warksfolklore.bsky.social
Exploring the folklore and folk life of Warwickshire. I can also be found at @hilaryrsparkes.bsky.social
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For years I’ve felt that the folklore of Warwickshire has been rather overlooked compared to that of regions. This account aims to go some way to rectifying this.
#folklore
#folklore
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
Candlemas is a festival of light, halfway between winter and the spring equinox. On Candlemas Eve, Shropshire folk brought Snowdrops, or 'Christ's flower' indoors, to purify the home. Associated with Jesus, they removed negative energies protecting the domestic space.
#folklore #Shropshire
#folklore #Shropshire
February 1, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Candlemas is a festival of light, halfway between winter and the spring equinox. On Candlemas Eve, Shropshire folk brought Snowdrops, or 'Christ's flower' indoors, to purify the home. Associated with Jesus, they removed negative energies protecting the domestic space.
#folklore #Shropshire
#folklore #Shropshire
Having another go at make St Brigid’s Crosses. Reeds/straw not an option so this year have gone for pipe cleaners.
No significance in the choice of colours only that it’s been such a dark winter here so I went for bright.😎
#FolkloreSunday #StBrigid
No significance in the choice of colours only that it’s been such a dark winter here so I went for bright.😎
#FolkloreSunday #StBrigid
February 1, 2026 at 9:59 AM
Having another go at make St Brigid’s Crosses. Reeds/straw not an option so this year have gone for pipe cleaners.
No significance in the choice of colours only that it’s been such a dark winter here so I went for bright.😎
#FolkloreSunday #StBrigid
No significance in the choice of colours only that it’s been such a dark winter here so I went for bright.😎
#FolkloreSunday #StBrigid
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
The "Porthcawl phantom steam train" refers to ghost stories associated with the disused branch line in South Wales. The sound of a steam train can still be heard along the old rail route, with sightings frequently reported near the railway bridge on Moor Lane
#phantomsfriday
#phantomsfriday
January 30, 2026 at 3:08 PM
The "Porthcawl phantom steam train" refers to ghost stories associated with the disused branch line in South Wales. The sound of a steam train can still be heard along the old rail route, with sightings frequently reported near the railway bridge on Moor Lane
#phantomsfriday
#phantomsfriday
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
#phantomsfriday
Some small town ghostly malarkey. I grew up Pershore, Worcestershire.
In August 1965 3 small boys claimed to have seen a ghost in a meadow by the river. Over the next 5 nights increasing numbers of ghost hunters gathered there, reportedly 200 by the final night
Some small town ghostly malarkey. I grew up Pershore, Worcestershire.
In August 1965 3 small boys claimed to have seen a ghost in a meadow by the river. Over the next 5 nights increasing numbers of ghost hunters gathered there, reportedly 200 by the final night
January 30, 2026 at 1:24 PM
#phantomsfriday
Some small town ghostly malarkey. I grew up Pershore, Worcestershire.
In August 1965 3 small boys claimed to have seen a ghost in a meadow by the river. Over the next 5 nights increasing numbers of ghost hunters gathered there, reportedly 200 by the final night
Some small town ghostly malarkey. I grew up Pershore, Worcestershire.
In August 1965 3 small boys claimed to have seen a ghost in a meadow by the river. Over the next 5 nights increasing numbers of ghost hunters gathered there, reportedly 200 by the final night
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
Lindisfarne has an interesting variation of the Shuck. Here, the spectral hound takes the form of a white dog, said to be seen around the ruins of the priory and the castle. Locals claim that the dog jumps down from the castle steps towards people and then runs off.
#phantomsFriday
#phantomsFriday
January 30, 2026 at 6:55 AM
Lindisfarne has an interesting variation of the Shuck. Here, the spectral hound takes the form of a white dog, said to be seen around the ruins of the priory and the castle. Locals claim that the dog jumps down from the castle steps towards people and then runs off.
#phantomsFriday
#phantomsFriday
The apparition of an elderly woman who moved silently, face averted, was reputed to walk the corridors of Warwick Castle, . In his autobiography Francis Earl of Warwick (1853-1924), mentioned his wife had twice seen the ghost.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
January 30, 2026 at 8:30 AM
The apparition of an elderly woman who moved silently, face averted, was reputed to walk the corridors of Warwick Castle, . In his autobiography Francis Earl of Warwick (1853-1924), mentioned his wife had twice seen the ghost.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
Just a reminder that it's #PhantomsFriday again tomorrow (don't it come round quick?). All posts on #ghosts - words, art, #folklore, publications, haunted sites and popular culture all welcome.
January 29, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Just a reminder that it's #PhantomsFriday again tomorrow (don't it come round quick?). All posts on #ghosts - words, art, #folklore, publications, haunted sites and popular culture all welcome.
It's snowdrop season but make sure your Galanthus are perky.
In Warwickshire plant lore, if snowdrops brought indoors droop, death and bad luck will follow
In Warwickshire plant lore, if snowdrops brought indoors droop, death and bad luck will follow
January 27, 2026 at 8:21 AM
It's snowdrop season but make sure your Galanthus are perky.
In Warwickshire plant lore, if snowdrops brought indoors droop, death and bad luck will follow
In Warwickshire plant lore, if snowdrops brought indoors droop, death and bad luck will follow
Rhyme "describing" local vilages believed to be written by Shakespeare after he’d lost in a drinking contest at Bidford:
Piping Pebworth, dancing Marston,
Haunted Hillborough, and hungry Grafton,
With Dodging Exhall, Papist Wixford,
Beggar’s Broom and drunken Bidford.
#FolkloreSunday
Piping Pebworth, dancing Marston,
Haunted Hillborough, and hungry Grafton,
With Dodging Exhall, Papist Wixford,
Beggar’s Broom and drunken Bidford.
#FolkloreSunday
January 25, 2026 at 9:52 AM
Rhyme "describing" local vilages believed to be written by Shakespeare after he’d lost in a drinking contest at Bidford:
Piping Pebworth, dancing Marston,
Haunted Hillborough, and hungry Grafton,
With Dodging Exhall, Papist Wixford,
Beggar’s Broom and drunken Bidford.
#FolkloreSunday
Piping Pebworth, dancing Marston,
Haunted Hillborough, and hungry Grafton,
With Dodging Exhall, Papist Wixford,
Beggar’s Broom and drunken Bidford.
#FolkloreSunday
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
Mexican folklore, La Planchada is the ghost of a heartbroken nurse who haunts the halls of hospitals. Dressed in a perfectly pressed, vintage uniform, she is known to tend to neglected patients in the middle of the night, vanishing the moment the morning shift arrives. #Ghosts #phantomsfriday
January 23, 2026 at 10:33 AM
Mexican folklore, La Planchada is the ghost of a heartbroken nurse who haunts the halls of hospitals. Dressed in a perfectly pressed, vintage uniform, she is known to tend to neglected patients in the middle of the night, vanishing the moment the morning shift arrives. #Ghosts #phantomsfriday
In the 17 C, the ghost of a local murder victim was seen walking from the lane by St Gregory's, Offchurch, thru the churchyard, into the church & the bell tower. Sightings ceased, resuming in the 18th C but this time when the ghost walked, the church bell tolled.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
January 23, 2026 at 8:08 AM
In the 17 C, the ghost of a local murder victim was seen walking from the lane by St Gregory's, Offchurch, thru the churchyard, into the church & the bell tower. Sightings ceased, resuming in the 18th C but this time when the ghost walked, the church bell tolled.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
'Sheela-na-Gigs' have evoked much mystery in terms of their use, meaning & symbolism
They are carvings of naked females found on buildings between 11th-16th c.
One belief (which I favour) is that they symbolise fertility, others say they ward off evil spirits 💫
#LegendaryWednesday #WyrdWednesday
They are carvings of naked females found on buildings between 11th-16th c.
One belief (which I favour) is that they symbolise fertility, others say they ward off evil spirits 💫
#LegendaryWednesday #WyrdWednesday
January 21, 2026 at 4:42 PM
'Sheela-na-Gigs' have evoked much mystery in terms of their use, meaning & symbolism
They are carvings of naked females found on buildings between 11th-16th c.
One belief (which I favour) is that they symbolise fertility, others say they ward off evil spirits 💫
#LegendaryWednesday #WyrdWednesday
They are carvings of naked females found on buildings between 11th-16th c.
One belief (which I favour) is that they symbolise fertility, others say they ward off evil spirits 💫
#LegendaryWednesday #WyrdWednesday
On Feb 14 1945 the body of a farm labourer was found in a field on Meon Hill with his throat impaled to the ground by his own hay fork and what appeared to be a cross slashed on his upper body. This alleged “witchcraft” murder has not been solved. #LegendaryWednesday 🧵
January 21, 2026 at 8:25 AM
On Feb 14 1945 the body of a farm labourer was found in a field on Meon Hill with his throat impaled to the ground by his own hay fork and what appeared to be a cross slashed on his upper body. This alleged “witchcraft” murder has not been solved. #LegendaryWednesday 🧵
Swotting up on my UFO/UAP lore. While Warwickshire is hardly Roswell or Rendlesham, I’d like to think the truth is out there and hovering over the county.
#BritishUFOs
#BritishUFOs
January 20, 2026 at 7:52 AM
Swotting up on my UFO/UAP lore. While Warwickshire is hardly Roswell or Rendlesham, I’d like to think the truth is out there and hovering over the county.
#BritishUFOs
#BritishUFOs
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
In old England, an ale-pole or ale-stake, set like a flagpole or suspended outside an inn, marked that fresh ale was on sale. Often dressed with ivy, long linked to Bacchus, the Roman god of drink and revelry, it called passers-by to stop and share the cheer 🍺
#FolkloreSunday
#FolkloreSunday
January 18, 2026 at 10:37 AM
In old England, an ale-pole or ale-stake, set like a flagpole or suspended outside an inn, marked that fresh ale was on sale. Often dressed with ivy, long linked to Bacchus, the Roman god of drink and revelry, it called passers-by to stop and share the cheer 🍺
#FolkloreSunday
#FolkloreSunday
Old Warwickshire rhyme naming types of ale brewed from a single quantity of malt – strongest first:
Black strap,
Ruffle-me-cap,
Fine-and-clear.
Table beer.
#FolkloreSunday
Black strap,
Ruffle-me-cap,
Fine-and-clear.
Table beer.
#FolkloreSunday
January 18, 2026 at 9:52 AM
Old Warwickshire rhyme naming types of ale brewed from a single quantity of malt – strongest first:
Black strap,
Ruffle-me-cap,
Fine-and-clear.
Table beer.
#FolkloreSunday
Black strap,
Ruffle-me-cap,
Fine-and-clear.
Table beer.
#FolkloreSunday
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
Susanna Blamire was a dialect poet of the Romantic age. Her poems reflected the reality of rural life, and her 'And ye shall walk in silk attire' was referenced by Dickens in his 'The Old Curiosity Shop'
more: 'Folklore of the Lake District' by Stephen G. Rae
#bookwormsat #folklore #lakedistrict
more: 'Folklore of the Lake District' by Stephen G. Rae
#bookwormsat #folklore #lakedistrict
January 17, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Susanna Blamire was a dialect poet of the Romantic age. Her poems reflected the reality of rural life, and her 'And ye shall walk in silk attire' was referenced by Dickens in his 'The Old Curiosity Shop'
more: 'Folklore of the Lake District' by Stephen G. Rae
#bookwormsat #folklore #lakedistrict
more: 'Folklore of the Lake District' by Stephen G. Rae
#bookwormsat #folklore #lakedistrict
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
#PhantomsFriday A sketch of a ghost made "from life" by Jamaican legislator/author Richard Hill [1795-1872] whose house was was "constantly visited by the veiled form of a Spanish lady." The household grew used to seeing the ghost, and one day it lingered so long that Mr. Hill made a sketch of it.
January 16, 2026 at 2:33 PM
#PhantomsFriday A sketch of a ghost made "from life" by Jamaican legislator/author Richard Hill [1795-1872] whose house was was "constantly visited by the veiled form of a Spanish lady." The household grew used to seeing the ghost, and one day it lingered so long that Mr. Hill made a sketch of it.
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
St Antony’s eve - Bonfires (Fires of Sant'Antonio): Iconic large bonfires are lit to purify,protect,and mark beginning of agricultural cycles,sometimes blending with pagan rites.Also animal blessings leading to rituals where pets and livestock are blessed. #Folklore
January 16, 2026 at 8:36 AM
St Antony’s eve - Bonfires (Fires of Sant'Antonio): Iconic large bonfires are lit to purify,protect,and mark beginning of agricultural cycles,sometimes blending with pagan rites.Also animal blessings leading to rituals where pets and livestock are blessed. #Folklore
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
White ladies are a staple in English and European folklore.The lakeside at Charlecote Park is haunted by the figure of a woman in white, who is believed to have drowned herself there. Their association with water links them to older Celtic beliefs in water deities.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
January 16, 2026 at 6:36 AM
White ladies are a staple in English and European folklore.The lakeside at Charlecote Park is haunted by the figure of a woman in white, who is believed to have drowned herself there. Their association with water links them to older Celtic beliefs in water deities.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
The last Squire Newsham (d. 1760) is reputed to haunt the grounds of Chadshunt Hall. Sometimes he is seen riding in a coach pulled by 4 horses which vanishes when it reaches a certain point in the avenue. At others, he is on horseback, accompanied by hounds.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
January 16, 2026 at 8:26 AM
The last Squire Newsham (d. 1760) is reputed to haunt the grounds of Chadshunt Hall. Sometimes he is seen riding in a coach pulled by 4 horses which vanishes when it reaches a certain point in the avenue. At others, he is on horseback, accompanied by hounds.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
In Warwickshire death lore, if the deceased's hands remain clammy to the touch, it is a sign that another death in the family is looming.
January 13, 2026 at 8:14 AM
In Warwickshire death lore, if the deceased's hands remain clammy to the touch, it is a sign that another death in the family is looming.
😇😇Happy Saint Monday’s Day! 😇😇
According to GS Northall’s 'A Warwickshire Word Book' (1896), Saint Monday was jokingly added to the calendar by workers “anxious to find an excuse for a holiday”.
According to GS Northall’s 'A Warwickshire Word Book' (1896), Saint Monday was jokingly added to the calendar by workers “anxious to find an excuse for a holiday”.
January 12, 2026 at 9:23 AM
😇😇Happy Saint Monday’s Day! 😇😇
According to GS Northall’s 'A Warwickshire Word Book' (1896), Saint Monday was jokingly added to the calendar by workers “anxious to find an excuse for a holiday”.
According to GS Northall’s 'A Warwickshire Word Book' (1896), Saint Monday was jokingly added to the calendar by workers “anxious to find an excuse for a holiday”.
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
On January 11th & 15th,Romans celebrated a festival to goddess Carmenta (or Carmentis) a goddess of prophecy and childbirth.She had power of looking back into the past and forward into the future.The festival was chiefly observed by women #Folklore #Myth www.vindolanda.com/blog/the-fes...
January 11, 2026 at 9:12 AM
On January 11th & 15th,Romans celebrated a festival to goddess Carmenta (or Carmentis) a goddess of prophecy and childbirth.She had power of looking back into the past and forward into the future.The festival was chiefly observed by women #Folklore #Myth www.vindolanda.com/blog/the-fes...
If you thought Wade Whimsies were just heavily varnished little animals, think again. In the 1950s they also brought some fairy characters like this little pixie* I got from my local Oxfam shop
* I’m going with pixie but may be an elf or gnome
* I’m going with pixie but may be an elf or gnome
January 11, 2026 at 8:26 AM
If you thought Wade Whimsies were just heavily varnished little animals, think again. In the 1950s they also brought some fairy characters like this little pixie* I got from my local Oxfam shop
* I’m going with pixie but may be an elf or gnome
* I’m going with pixie but may be an elf or gnome