The Folklore of Warwickshire
@warksfolklore.bsky.social
Exploring the folklore and folk life of Warwickshire. I can also be found at @hilaryrsparkes.bsky.social
The great aunt of #folklore collector FW Bennett kept a piece of human finger bone which had come from a gibbeted man. She used it to cure rheumatism as there was an old belief that rheumatism could be cured by rubbing the bone of a gibbeted murderer on the afflicted area
November 12, 2025 at 8:26 AM
The great aunt of #folklore collector FW Bennett kept a piece of human finger bone which had come from a gibbeted man. She used it to cure rheumatism as there was an old belief that rheumatism could be cured by rubbing the bone of a gibbeted murderer on the afflicted area
On 11 November people gather at dawn at the base of an old cross on Knightlow Hill for the giving of Wroth Silver – dues paid to the lord of the manor for the right to drive cattle across his land. The ceremony is followed by a Wroth Silver breakfast in a nearby pub.
#WrothSilver
#WrothSilver
November 11, 2025 at 8:14 AM
On 11 November people gather at dawn at the base of an old cross on Knightlow Hill for the giving of Wroth Silver – dues paid to the lord of the manor for the right to drive cattle across his land. The ceremony is followed by a Wroth Silver breakfast in a nearby pub.
#WrothSilver
#WrothSilver
Display of poppies at Bubbenhall
#ArmisticeDay
#ArmisticeDay
November 11, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Display of poppies at Bubbenhall
#ArmisticeDay
#ArmisticeDay
Found this photo on the 'Our Warwickshire' blog of a group of wounded Belgian soldiers outside a Red Cross Hospital in the Institute, Lower Brailes. 1914
I think it’s important to show those who fought when they were alive rather than just as names carved in stone
#RemembranceSunday
I think it’s important to show those who fought when they were alive rather than just as names carved in stone
#RemembranceSunday
November 9, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Found this photo on the 'Our Warwickshire' blog of a group of wounded Belgian soldiers outside a Red Cross Hospital in the Institute, Lower Brailes. 1914
I think it’s important to show those who fought when they were alive rather than just as names carved in stone
#RemembranceSunday
I think it’s important to show those who fought when they were alive rather than just as names carved in stone
#RemembranceSunday
Time to take your (folk) medicine:
The gall of the wild rose, known in Warwickshire as Fairy’s Pincushion, was carried in the county to help ward off /alleviate rheumatism.
The gall of the wild rose, known in Warwickshire as Fairy’s Pincushion, was carried in the county to help ward off /alleviate rheumatism.
November 8, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Time to take your (folk) medicine:
The gall of the wild rose, known in Warwickshire as Fairy’s Pincushion, was carried in the county to help ward off /alleviate rheumatism.
The gall of the wild rose, known in Warwickshire as Fairy’s Pincushion, was carried in the county to help ward off /alleviate rheumatism.
The witch in legend of the Rollright Stones on the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border turned herself into an elder tree. Local lore held that if the tree was cut it bled.
#FolkyFriday
#FolkyFriday
November 7, 2025 at 8:36 AM
The witch in legend of the Rollright Stones on the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border turned herself into an elder tree. Local lore held that if the tree was cut it bled.
#FolkyFriday
#FolkyFriday
Not a book on ghost as such but ‘Needles of Stone’ by the dowser Tom Graves has been really influential on my ghost beliefs. In it Graves uses the theory of earth energies/ley lines to explore why certain phenomena like ghosts, ghouls, fairies and UAPs cluster around certain sites
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
November 7, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Not a book on ghost as such but ‘Needles of Stone’ by the dowser Tom Graves has been really influential on my ghost beliefs. In it Graves uses the theory of earth energies/ley lines to explore why certain phenomena like ghosts, ghouls, fairies and UAPs cluster around certain sites
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
At Long Marston this version of the well-known rhyme used to be recited by those collecting wood for the village bonfire:
Please to remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder plot
Shall never be forgot
As long as old England is tied in a knot
#WyrdWednesday
Please to remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder plot
Shall never be forgot
As long as old England is tied in a knot
#WyrdWednesday
November 5, 2025 at 9:21 AM
At Long Marston this version of the well-known rhyme used to be recited by those collecting wood for the village bonfire:
Please to remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder plot
Shall never be forgot
As long as old England is tied in a knot
#WyrdWednesday
Please to remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder plot
Shall never be forgot
As long as old England is tied in a knot
#WyrdWednesday
A chilblain cure still current in the 1920s involved dipping hands or feet in urine. Folklore collector JH Bloom noted how this occasionally led to the breaking of chamber pots when people were unable to extricate their feet after soaking them in the receptacle.
#Folklore
#Folklore
November 4, 2025 at 9:10 AM
A chilblain cure still current in the 1920s involved dipping hands or feet in urine. Folklore collector JH Bloom noted how this occasionally led to the breaking of chamber pots when people were unable to extricate their feet after soaking them in the receptacle.
#Folklore
#Folklore
In parts of the county a “simulated” horse’s head covered by a sheet was carried on All Souls Day to frighten the unwary. Folklorist Roy Palmer believed that it represented a demon horse. 🧵
November 3, 2025 at 8:29 AM
In parts of the county a “simulated” horse’s head covered by a sheet was carried on All Souls Day to frighten the unwary. Folklorist Roy Palmer believed that it represented a demon horse. 🧵
Researching lore about childhood ailments in the early 20th C, J.H Bloom found that in Shottery bead necklaces were given to children as protection against sore throats. For poorer families a single bead on a cord was used
#FolkloreSunday #FolkMedicine
#FolkloreSunday #FolkMedicine
November 2, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Researching lore about childhood ailments in the early 20th C, J.H Bloom found that in Shottery bead necklaces were given to children as protection against sore throats. For poorer families a single bead on a cord was used
#FolkloreSunday #FolkMedicine
#FolkloreSunday #FolkMedicine
Got the sniffles, a tickly throat, plagued by persistent warts? My theme this month of folk remedies may be of interest.
First a health & safety warning. Don’t try any of the remedies – unless you’ve sought advice from your GP, a qualified herbalist or reputable cunning person.
#folklore
First a health & safety warning. Don’t try any of the remedies – unless you’ve sought advice from your GP, a qualified herbalist or reputable cunning person.
#folklore
November 2, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Got the sniffles, a tickly throat, plagued by persistent warts? My theme this month of folk remedies may be of interest.
First a health & safety warning. Don’t try any of the remedies – unless you’ve sought advice from your GP, a qualified herbalist or reputable cunning person.
#folklore
First a health & safety warning. Don’t try any of the remedies – unless you’ve sought advice from your GP, a qualified herbalist or reputable cunning person.
#folklore
Bridesmaids' dresses get the #Halloween treatment at Lily Rose bridal boutique in Kenilworth.
They do really cool seasonal window displays there.
They do really cool seasonal window displays there.
October 31, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Bridesmaids' dresses get the #Halloween treatment at Lily Rose bridal boutique in Kenilworth.
They do really cool seasonal window displays there.
They do really cool seasonal window displays there.
In the late 19th C a female ghost was reputed to haunt Shottery Brook. In 1930, folklore collector FW Bennett, noted that he could “personally vouch” that the chance of meeting her kept many youngsters away from the water after dark.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
October 31, 2025 at 8:21 AM
In the late 19th C a female ghost was reputed to haunt Shottery Brook. In 1930, folklore collector FW Bennett, noted that he could “personally vouch” that the chance of meeting her kept many youngsters away from the water after dark.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
Folkore of Warwickshire research assistant Ted, aka demon-in-a-snowglobe, is all enthusiastic about tomorrow. He's even got himself a little pumpkin 🎃
October 30, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Folkore of Warwickshire research assistant Ted, aka demon-in-a-snowglobe, is all enthusiastic about tomorrow. He's even got himself a little pumpkin 🎃
Seeking protection from witches? Then head to your nearest church as grabbing hold of a church door handle is one form of shielding yourself from maleficent witchcraft
#WyrdWednesday #witchcraft
#WyrdWednesday #witchcraft
October 29, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Seeking protection from witches? Then head to your nearest church as grabbing hold of a church door handle is one form of shielding yourself from maleficent witchcraft
#WyrdWednesday #witchcraft
#WyrdWednesday #witchcraft
Broomsticks aren’t the only items witches use for flying. One stormy night sometime in the late 19th C, a Darlingscott farmer getting his horses in to shelter saw Betty H., a reputed local witch, fly by on a hurdle.
#FolkloreSunday #Halloween
#FolkloreSunday #Halloween
October 26, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Broomsticks aren’t the only items witches use for flying. One stormy night sometime in the late 19th C, a Darlingscott farmer getting his horses in to shelter saw Betty H., a reputed local witch, fly by on a hurdle.
#FolkloreSunday #Halloween
#FolkloreSunday #Halloween
A phantom calf is said to roam hedgerows along the A3400 going towards Alderminster. It is a creature of ill omen. In 1931 a farm labourer who saw the calf fell off a hayrick and broke his legs.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
October 24, 2025 at 7:33 AM
A phantom calf is said to roam hedgerows along the A3400 going towards Alderminster. It is a creature of ill omen. In 1931 a farm labourer who saw the calf fell off a hayrick and broke his legs.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
October 19, 2025 at 9:21 AM
The ghost of the Dun Cow, killed by Guy of Warwick, was reputed appear in the courtyard of Warwick Castle whenever a member of the Earl of Warwick’s family was likely to die. The spectral bovine made no sound and its hoofs left no marks.
#PhantomsFriday #FolkyFriday
#PhantomsFriday #FolkyFriday
October 17, 2025 at 7:39 AM
The ghost of the Dun Cow, killed by Guy of Warwick, was reputed appear in the courtyard of Warwick Castle whenever a member of the Earl of Warwick’s family was likely to die. The spectral bovine made no sound and its hoofs left no marks.
#PhantomsFriday #FolkyFriday
#PhantomsFriday #FolkyFriday
In 1880 a dairymaid stuck pins into a cow’s heart then roasted it in an oven to summon the witch who had bewitched her herd. A small creature appeared and started scratching frantically at the oven door. The dairymaid killed the creature thus lifting the spell.
#WyrdWednesday
#WyrdWednesday
October 15, 2025 at 8:18 AM
In 1880 a dairymaid stuck pins into a cow’s heart then roasted it in an oven to summon the witch who had bewitched her herd. A small creature appeared and started scratching frantically at the oven door. The dairymaid killed the creature thus lifting the spell.
#WyrdWednesday
#WyrdWednesday
John Day from Wimpstone had the reputation of being a great wart-charmer but details of his wart cure are vague. According to folklore collector JH Bloom, Day did “something” to the wart with a knife, then cut a nick in a stick while “mumbling some words which were indistinct”.
#FolkloreSunday
#FolkloreSunday
October 12, 2025 at 9:31 AM
John Day from Wimpstone had the reputation of being a great wart-charmer but details of his wart cure are vague. According to folklore collector JH Bloom, Day did “something” to the wart with a knife, then cut a nick in a stick while “mumbling some words which were indistinct”.
#FolkloreSunday
#FolkloreSunday
October 11, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Another of my ghost books is ‘Ghost and Witches of the Cotswolds’ by JA Brooks. Contains some Warwickshire material as the Cotswolds extend into the county. Plus, the cover kind of reminds me of the creepy preacherman from ‘Poltergeist II’. 🧵
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
October 10, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Another of my ghost books is ‘Ghost and Witches of the Cotswolds’ by JA Brooks. Contains some Warwickshire material as the Cotswolds extend into the county. Plus, the cover kind of reminds me of the creepy preacherman from ‘Poltergeist II’. 🧵
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
A cave in a hill near Haselor was believed to contain an iron chest full of treasure secured by 3 locks and guarded by a cockerel. One intrepid treasure-seeker found his way to the chest only to be ripped apart by the guardian before he could open the 3rd lock.
#WyrdWednesday
#WyrdWednesday
October 8, 2025 at 7:36 AM
A cave in a hill near Haselor was believed to contain an iron chest full of treasure secured by 3 locks and guarded by a cockerel. One intrepid treasure-seeker found his way to the chest only to be ripped apart by the guardian before he could open the 3rd lock.
#WyrdWednesday
#WyrdWednesday