Illustrated Tales of …

Devon's landscape and history is steeped in its folklore and legends. In Illustrated Tales of Devon, author John Husband explores a multitude of mysterious happenings and strange tales from ancient times to the modern day. The book looks at the legends surrounding Dartmoor's pixies, sightings of the Devil, hairy hands menacing drivers, the true Uncle Tom Cobley at Widecombe Fair, a murderous monk and a postman poet, one of the first air accidents, an inn designed as a pack of cards built by a gambler and a housing estate and pleasure gardens built on the proceeds of a cough syrup… and much more. These strange and remarkable stories are accompanied by the author's photographs of places featured in the text in this hugely entertaining book.

From the wooded depths of the Wealden forest to the fortified cliffs of the Channel coast, and from the high hills of the North Downs to the wide flats of the Romney Marsh, Kent is a county of contrast and variety. Little wonder, then, that it is a place rich with folklore and stories, steeped in legend and superstition. The inhabitants of Kent present a vibrant cast of heroes and villains, while the county's natural landscape, quiet villages, bustling towns, stately homes and royal residences provide the tales' unique and colourful settings. In this book, local author Naomi Dickins brings together a collection of fascinating and entertaining tales from across the county, in which you might discover more about the origins of Kent place names and the Kentish customs of hoodening and yowling; hunt down a gang of smugglers or take a stand with the county's defenders; bid farewell to an exiled king or discover where a native American princess is buried; meet with ancient ancestors, witches and ghosts, or just catch sight of a phantom ship. Illustrated throughout, this book will appeal to residents, visitors and all those with connections to Kent.

Essex is a place where you learn to expect the unexpected. If you know where to look, there's history and mystery at every turn, and this book is here to help you find it all. It brings you stories of strange places with weird names, mystery buildings that make no sense until you know their history, bizarre legends, forgotten facts, lost villages, unknown islands, spirits and ghosts, witches and smugglers. Who knows, for example, the part played by Essex in the colonisation of America? Or that a town in Essex was once the capital of England? Did you know that Captain Cook was married in Essex prior to setting out on his voyages of discovery? Or that legend has it that the story of Saint George slaying a dragon might have begun on Essex soil? All this and more is described by writer and photographer John Wade in Illustrated Tales of Essex. In it he reveals that Essex's people and places of the past are a million miles away from the modern-day reality-TV view of the county.

The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a cluster of small islands in the English Channel, the largest of which are Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm. With a history going right back to prehistoric times, Guernsey and its neighbouring islands are rich in folklore, legends and customs. Small island communities, by their very nature, tend to have a distinct heritage based on storytelling and these tales are passed down from generation to generation. The tales often originate from the truth, even if they are altered so much over the centuries that they end up as fairy stories, so the folklore of Guernsey reveals its history. It is also the foundation of what makes the people and culture of the islands distinct through their customs and their superstitions. What local people may take for granted as ?the norm', may seem absolutely fascinating or bewildering to a visitor. In this book local author Soo Wellfair explores the folklore and legends of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, as well as some of the things that could be considered ?quintessentially Guernsey'. These strange and fascinating stories are accompanied by illustrations of places featured in the text, both present-day and historical, in this hugely entertaining book.

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Cornwallʼs landscape is intertwined with the countyʼs folklore and legends. In Illustrated Tales of Cornwall, author John Husband explores a multitude of mysterious happenings, haunted places and strange tales from ancient times to the modern day. This book looks at the legends surrounding Cornish piskies, stone circles and tors, and the court of King Arthur. Tales of the sea abound, including shipwrecks, mermaids and the Morgawr sea monster, as do stories of the Cornish saints and holy wells. Some historical crimes have entered folklore, such as the Nevell Norway murder, and the book is peopled with unusual and eccentric characters, as well as ghosts. These strange and spooky stories are accompanied by the authorʼs photographs of places featured in the text in this hugely entertaining book.

The historical county of Suffolk has a host of strange and mysterious tales ranging from ancient legends and stories of the supernatural to more modern documented cases. These strange and spooky stories include the Green Children of Woolpit, where a boy and girl with green-tinged skin, neither of whom could speak English, were discovered in a wolf pit in central Suffolk in the twelfth century, and the Wild Man of Orford who was a ?merman' captured off the Suffolk coast. The famous Black Dog of Bungay was a giant supernatural hound said to have killed parishioners in Bungay church during a thunderstorm in the sixteenth century, before killing again at Blythburgh church. Many tales have been told of the ninth-century King Edmund of East Anglia, who gave his name to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. Another royal connection is the casket said to contain Anne Boleyn's heart that was found during the nineteenth century at Erwarton church. Other old tales include the Kessingland Sea Serpent – Suffolk's answer to ?Nessie'; the Beccles Rat-catcher Pipers, a story which has similarities with the Pied Piper of Hamelin myth; the lost city of Dunwich, sometimes called ?Britain's Atlantis'; Suffolk witchcraft; and tales of hauntings and other supernatural activity. More recent stories include the 1980 Rendlesham Forest UFO incident dubbed ?Britain's Roswell'. These strange and spooky stories are accompanied by the author's photographs of places featured in the text, both present-day and historical, in this hugely entertaining book.

Warwickshire, often known as Shakespeare's County, has a host of strange and mysterious tales ranging from ancient legends and stories of the supernatural to more modern documented cases. Curious beliefs and customs were once widespread in Warwickshire's towns and villages, some of which still flourish today.These strange and spooky stories include the quirky death of the Roundhead commander who owned Warwick Castle, the association of the great author J. R. R. Tolkien with the town, and the story of the hand of glory obtained at Warwick hangings. The historic buildings of Stratford-upon-Avon have witnessed many strange events over the centuries and more recently the Crackley Wood sprite has been sighted at Kenilworth. Other stories include the Wroth Silver at Knightlow Cross, an 800-year‑old violent ball game played annually at Atherstone on Shrove Tuesday, and the unresolved mystery of the 1945 murder at Lower Quinton associated with witchcraft, along with other strange tales from the surrounding towns and villages. These stories are accompanied by the author's photographs in this hugely entertaining book.

Wiltshire's very landscape is steeped in folklore and mythology, with almost every hill, standing stone and barrow having its own stories and legends. With so much of this history still visible on the land it is no wonder that the county has more than its fair share of mysterious happenings and strange tales from ancient times to the modern day. This book will explore a multitude of these tales, from how locals earned nicknames such as Moonrakers, Dabchicks, Snuffy, Gudgeons and Knobs, to tales of buried treasure and origin myths of the county's stone circles. It will look at the folklore around sites such as Oliver's Castle, Hackpen Hill, Old Sarum, Collingbourne Wood and, not least, Stonehenge and Avebury. Folk tales have developed around the county's personalities, such as the 'flying' monk of Malmesbury, the Devizes Wizard, the Seend Giant and the wonderful oddities of Jack Spratt's amazing clocks at Wootton Rivers. Other unusual aspects of Wiltshire's history and traditional customs that have entered into local legend include Thomas Lambert (who died before he was born), the election song at Salisbury, the annual fairs on Cley Hill and Cow Down and the healing waters of Purton. Some stories are founded in historical fact, such as the sudden death of a woman in Devizes Market, the reason why Bristol's cross now stands in Wiltshire, the discovery of somewhat 'mysterious' mud springs at Royal Wootton Bassett and Salisbury's memorial to a woman killed by a tiger. Modern mysteries also form part of the county's folklore including the rumours surrounding Rudloe Manor, the alleged Boscombe Down spy plane, the dart embedded in the tower of Calne's church, the tunnels at Corsham and the monolith that suddenly appeared on Laverstock Down in 2021.

Surrey is one of the smallest of the English counties, but also one of the most populous. However, it has managed to retain much of its open spaces and is the most densely wooded county in England. With this comes a rich history that stretches beyond the written record; it is no wonder that there is a wealth of folklore, legends, strange tales and unusual history about the county. The book will explore many of the fascinating stories that have built up around Surrey's ancient landscape, such as the giant sisters at St Catherine's and St Martha's hills, the witch said to have inhabited Mother Ludlam's Cave and the Crowhurst Yew, the trunk of which once housed a room large enough for a table, chairs and more than a dozen people. Legendary heroes and heroines – and villains – of Surrey include Blanche Heriot and the infamous Mary Toft, the woman who gave birth to rabbits, the Godstone pirate, William Davis (the Golden Farmer) and Mary Frith, better known as Moll Cutpurse, the notorious highwaywoman. Spooky histories of places abound, such as Merstham Tunnel (scene of an unsolved murder in 1905), the haunting of Betchworth Castle, the ?Railway of the Dead' at Brookwood, the Silent Pool, the Camberley Obelisk and a haunted house in Egham. Other unusual sites include Watts Cemetery Chapel, the Reigate Heath windmill church and Brockham Hill crater, where strange, foreign plants sprouted in the 1940s. Modern mysteries and urban legends have also entered into Surrey folklore, such as the A3 Ghost Crash of 2002, the Surrey Puma, the Thornton Heath Vampire, the disappearance of Agatha Christie, the Queen's ?forgotten cousins' in Royal Earlswood Asylum and the Reigate Martin Bormann. These strange and spooky stories are accompanied by illustrations of places, both present-day and historical, in this hugely entertaining book.

A red and white dragon fighting tooth and claw in the moonlit sky; mischievous fairy folk luring unwary travellers deep into their underground lairs; a kind-hearted mermaid saving the lives of those in peril on the high seas; and a charmed boy who transforms into an otter and a bird to outrun a wicked witch. In Illustrated Tales of Wales, author Mark Rees explores the fantastical myths, legends and folk stories of Wales which have long fired the imagination of young and old alike. From the medieval tales of the Mabinogion to those rooted firmly in Arthurian mythology, they range from the quirky to the macabre and tell of heroic pets, strange superstitions, devious devils and restless spirits. Wales is home to mighty giants which live on the highest mountains and battle to the death with King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. It has a patron saint of hares, who created a safe haven for humans and animals alike, and a patron saint of love, whose idyllic island became a place of pilgrimage. It has a water horse which has been known to give those who mount it the ride of their lives, and the unforgettable Mari Lwyd, one of the world's more unusual Christmastime traditions in which an eerie horse-skulled visitor goes door-to-door in the dead of night. Illustrated Tales of Wales offers an engaging and different look at Wales, with this alternative tour through the country's peculiar past.