The Folklore of Warwickshire
@warksfolklore.bsky.social
Exploring the folklore and folk life of Warwickshire. I can also be found at @hilaryrsparkes.bsky.social
Pinned
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
In Irish folklore the cry of the owl heralded death and general ill fortune. To counter this, folk threw hot peppers or vinegar into the fire. They believed this would result in the owl getting a sore tongue and hence not be able to hoot and bring death... #LegendaryWednesday
🎨Doug Larue
🎨Doug Larue
November 26, 2025 at 1:07 PM
In Irish folklore the cry of the owl heralded death and general ill fortune. To counter this, folk threw hot peppers or vinegar into the fire. They believed this would result in the owl getting a sore tongue and hence not be able to hoot and bring death... #LegendaryWednesday
🎨Doug Larue
🎨Doug Larue
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
Owls have been blamed and blessed in equal measure. To the Greeks they were wisdom perched in silence. To medieval villages they were death’s courier on soft wings. Same bird, different fear. #LegendaryWednesday
Art: The Colorful Art Studio
Art: The Colorful Art Studio
November 26, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Owls have been blamed and blessed in equal measure. To the Greeks they were wisdom perched in silence. To medieval villages they were death’s courier on soft wings. Same bird, different fear. #LegendaryWednesday
Art: The Colorful Art Studio
Art: The Colorful Art Studio
My favourite piece of Warwickshire bird lore as it’s so random:
If a peacock flies to your house, a death will follow.
#LegendaryWednesday
If a peacock flies to your house, a death will follow.
#LegendaryWednesday
November 26, 2025 at 9:30 AM
My favourite piece of Warwickshire bird lore as it’s so random:
If a peacock flies to your house, a death will follow.
#LegendaryWednesday
If a peacock flies to your house, a death will follow.
#LegendaryWednesday
Beginning this week’s folk medicine tips for those suffering from the itch, the scritch, the palsy and the gout (or just generally under the weather) with a remedy from Snitterfield:
Drinking an infusion of blackberry leaves was believed to cure boils
Drinking an infusion of blackberry leaves was believed to cure boils
November 26, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Beginning this week’s folk medicine tips for those suffering from the itch, the scritch, the palsy and the gout (or just generally under the weather) with a remedy from Snitterfield:
Drinking an infusion of blackberry leaves was believed to cure boils
Drinking an infusion of blackberry leaves was believed to cure boils
Went to a fascinating talk on natural dyes at Compton Verney museum and gallery on Friday as they are establishing a dyer's garden there.
We could have a go at writing our names in ink made from oak galls. My handwriting is shocking II drew a pic instead 🙂
We could have a go at writing our names in ink made from oak galls. My handwriting is shocking II drew a pic instead 🙂
November 24, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Went to a fascinating talk on natural dyes at Compton Verney museum and gallery on Friday as they are establishing a dyer's garden there.
We could have a go at writing our names in ink made from oak galls. My handwriting is shocking II drew a pic instead 🙂
We could have a go at writing our names in ink made from oak galls. My handwriting is shocking II drew a pic instead 🙂
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
Stonehenge Free Festival 1980 with Hawkwind, Crass, The Mob, Poison Girls, Epileptics, and Nik Turner’s Inner City Unit
November 22, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Stonehenge Free Festival 1980 with Hawkwind, Crass, The Mob, Poison Girls, Epileptics, and Nik Turner’s Inner City Unit
One reputed Shipston witch had a Bible in which she underlined any reference to magic. Unfortunately her Bible was burned after it came into the possession of a man who regarded it as evil.
#FolkloreSunday
#FolkloreSunday
November 23, 2025 at 10:03 AM
One reputed Shipston witch had a Bible in which she underlined any reference to magic. Unfortunately her Bible was burned after it came into the possession of a man who regarded it as evil.
#FolkloreSunday
#FolkloreSunday
23 November is St Clement’s Day. In Warwickshire children would wander villages asking for treats and reciting the rhyme
Butler, butler, fill in your bowl.
If thou fill it of the best
The Lord'll send your soul to rest.
If thou fill it of the small
Down goes butler, bowl and all.
Butler, butler, fill in your bowl.
If thou fill it of the best
The Lord'll send your soul to rest.
If thou fill it of the small
Down goes butler, bowl and all.
November 23, 2025 at 8:12 AM
23 November is St Clement’s Day. In Warwickshire children would wander villages asking for treats and reciting the rhyme
Butler, butler, fill in your bowl.
If thou fill it of the best
The Lord'll send your soul to rest.
If thou fill it of the small
Down goes butler, bowl and all.
Butler, butler, fill in your bowl.
If thou fill it of the best
The Lord'll send your soul to rest.
If thou fill it of the small
Down goes butler, bowl and all.
In Warwickshire, pulped hares’ brains were given to calm restless new-born infants. It is recorded that in Alscot, up until the 20th C, a party of villagers would visit the lady of the manor to request a hare’s head so that its brains may be used for this purpose.
November 22, 2025 at 8:10 AM
In Warwickshire, pulped hares’ brains were given to calm restless new-born infants. It is recorded that in Alscot, up until the 20th C, a party of villagers would visit the lady of the manor to request a hare’s head so that its brains may be used for this purpose.
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
Sir John de Widderington was known as a just lord, but even a good man can make a bad error when troubles pile up. He rode from Barrasford to York to meet Wolsey, & together tackle reivers' lawlessness. And that's when he remembered he had the key to his castle dungeon in his pocket #PhantomsFriday
November 21, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Sir John de Widderington was known as a just lord, but even a good man can make a bad error when troubles pile up. He rode from Barrasford to York to meet Wolsey, & together tackle reivers' lawlessness. And that's when he remembered he had the key to his castle dungeon in his pocket #PhantomsFriday
A spectral nun in a brown habit has been seen a number of times in Nun’s Wood and Wappenbury Woods. On one occasion she actually approached one eyewitness and walked straight through him.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
November 21, 2025 at 8:18 AM
A spectral nun in a brown habit has been seen a number of times in Nun’s Wood and Wappenbury Woods. On one occasion she actually approached one eyewitness and walked straight through him.
#PhantomsFriday
#PhantomsFriday
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
The Unthanks - Magpie - Later... with Jools Holland - BBC
YouTube video by BBC
youtu.be
November 19, 2025 at 5:25 AM
A huge black dog, believed to be the reputed witch Moll Bloxham, once haunted Warwick Castle, terrorising the occupants.
After an exorcism the dog leapt from Caesar’s Tower into the river. According to folklore the black dog/Moll is still there, trapped beneath the fletcher dam.
#WyrdWednesday
After an exorcism the dog leapt from Caesar’s Tower into the river. According to folklore the black dog/Moll is still there, trapped beneath the fletcher dam.
#WyrdWednesday
November 19, 2025 at 8:52 AM
A huge black dog, believed to be the reputed witch Moll Bloxham, once haunted Warwick Castle, terrorising the occupants.
After an exorcism the dog leapt from Caesar’s Tower into the river. According to folklore the black dog/Moll is still there, trapped beneath the fletcher dam.
#WyrdWednesday
After an exorcism the dog leapt from Caesar’s Tower into the river. According to folklore the black dog/Moll is still there, trapped beneath the fletcher dam.
#WyrdWednesday
Starting this week's folk remedies with a cure for styes from Stratford-upon-Avon:
Rub fur from a cat’s tail 9 times backwards across the affected eye.
Rub fur from a cat’s tail 9 times backwards across the affected eye.
November 18, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Starting this week's folk remedies with a cure for styes from Stratford-upon-Avon:
Rub fur from a cat’s tail 9 times backwards across the affected eye.
Rub fur from a cat’s tail 9 times backwards across the affected eye.
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
We wake to mornings of cold magic. Exhale dragon-breath, crunch frost-frozen leaves as we walk. The year is dying. We feel it as rush of ghosts, a shivering that foretells the blade of ice upon its neck. No wonder this is the season where folklore burns bright. – #DAKilroy, 1982 #Folklore
November 17, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
In old European folklore, houseleeks (Sempervivum tectorum) were grown on cottage roofs to guard against lightning and fire. Its little starry blooms and tight rosettes were thought to draw danger away from the hearth, keeping the household safe and sound. #FolkloreSunday
November 16, 2025 at 8:01 AM
In old European folklore, houseleeks (Sempervivum tectorum) were grown on cottage roofs to guard against lightning and fire. Its little starry blooms and tight rosettes were thought to draw danger away from the hearth, keeping the household safe and sound. #FolkloreSunday
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
💤🐁💤It was believed that the soul could escape the body in the form of a mouse during sleep - but if the sleeper was woken up suddenly, before the soul-mouse had the chance to return, they would die.
#FolkloreThursday #FolkyFriday #FolkloreSunday
#FolkloreThursday #FolkyFriday #FolkloreSunday
November 13, 2025 at 10:30 PM
💤🐁💤It was believed that the soul could escape the body in the form of a mouse during sleep - but if the sleeper was woken up suddenly, before the soul-mouse had the chance to return, they would die.
#FolkloreThursday #FolkyFriday #FolkloreSunday
#FolkloreThursday #FolkyFriday #FolkloreSunday
Some more folk medicine for the weekend:
In Warwickshire, leaves and shoots from wild plants like young nettles, cleavers and ale hoof were added to the March brewing of a mild ale consumed by infants. Known as Herb beer, it was believed to help prevent “Spring rash”. 🧵
In Warwickshire, leaves and shoots from wild plants like young nettles, cleavers and ale hoof were added to the March brewing of a mild ale consumed by infants. Known as Herb beer, it was believed to help prevent “Spring rash”. 🧵
November 16, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Some more folk medicine for the weekend:
In Warwickshire, leaves and shoots from wild plants like young nettles, cleavers and ale hoof were added to the March brewing of a mild ale consumed by infants. Known as Herb beer, it was believed to help prevent “Spring rash”. 🧵
In Warwickshire, leaves and shoots from wild plants like young nettles, cleavers and ale hoof were added to the March brewing of a mild ale consumed by infants. Known as Herb beer, it was believed to help prevent “Spring rash”. 🧵
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
In a tale recorded in James Bowker's 'Goblin Tales of Lancashire,' a young man named Giles became so infatuated with the phantom of a beautiful woman he encounters while crossing Fair Snape Fell late one night that his obsession with seeing her again led to a tragic end. #PhantomsFriday
November 14, 2025 at 12:32 PM
In a tale recorded in James Bowker's 'Goblin Tales of Lancashire,' a young man named Giles became so infatuated with the phantom of a beautiful woman he encounters while crossing Fair Snape Fell late one night that his obsession with seeing her again led to a tragic end. #PhantomsFriday
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
A tale of the 'Sleeping Knight' variety is recorded about an ancient barrow near #Cirencester. In 1685 two treasure hunters woke up a figure in armour holding two severed heads. It lashed out at them with a 'truncheon' and they made a quick exit as the mound collapsed.
#PhantomsFriday #FolkyFriday
#PhantomsFriday #FolkyFriday
November 14, 2025 at 12:50 PM
A tale of the 'Sleeping Knight' variety is recorded about an ancient barrow near #Cirencester. In 1685 two treasure hunters woke up a figure in armour holding two severed heads. It lashed out at them with a 'truncheon' and they made a quick exit as the mound collapsed.
#PhantomsFriday #FolkyFriday
#PhantomsFriday #FolkyFriday
Kenilworth ghost lore collected in the 1970s:
An elderly lady in a shawl was seen to materialise then vanish one November evening on the stretch of road near Clinton House and Elizabeth Way.
Sightings of the same ghost had also been reported at the start of the 20th C
#PhantomsFriday
An elderly lady in a shawl was seen to materialise then vanish one November evening on the stretch of road near Clinton House and Elizabeth Way.
Sightings of the same ghost had also been reported at the start of the 20th C
#PhantomsFriday
November 14, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Kenilworth ghost lore collected in the 1970s:
An elderly lady in a shawl was seen to materialise then vanish one November evening on the stretch of road near Clinton House and Elizabeth Way.
Sightings of the same ghost had also been reported at the start of the 20th C
#PhantomsFriday
An elderly lady in a shawl was seen to materialise then vanish one November evening on the stretch of road near Clinton House and Elizabeth Way.
Sightings of the same ghost had also been reported at the start of the 20th C
#PhantomsFriday
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
Reposted by The Folklore of Warwickshire
November’s early darkness enfolds us. The smell of applewood fires and rot is a constant companion at twilight. We hurry between home and evensong, home and pub. Ghosts crowd the lanes, our folklore becomes filled with tales of cold teeth. Winter begins to growl. - #CLNolan
November 9, 2025 at 5:33 PM
November’s early darkness enfolds us. The smell of applewood fires and rot is a constant companion at twilight. We hurry between home and evensong, home and pub. Ghosts crowd the lanes, our folklore becomes filled with tales of cold teeth. Winter begins to growl. - #CLNolan