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Folklore of Lancashire

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Introduction

Lancashire, like all other counties of England, has historically had its own peculiar superstitions, manners, and customs, which may or may not find parallels in those of other localities. Boggarts, for instance, are particularly associated with the county (though they can be found elsewhere in the North West). There were unique supernatural beings such as Clapcans, a noise-making bogie associated particularly with Greater Manchester.[1] There was extensive fairylore in the county with many Lancashire fairy placenames including, for instance, the Fairy Caves between Blackburn and Accrington.[2] There are also Lancashire calendar customs like rushbearing[3] at Middleton and Riding the Black Lad at Ashton-under-Lyme.[4]

Lancashire folklore writing began in earnest in the 1820s and continues through to today. It is one of the most vigorous folklore writing traditions in Britain.

Roby and Co., 1829-c.1850

The First Age of Lancashire folklore writing spans 1829 to around 1850. It was defined by the romanticization of folklore, in the works of John Roby, whose Traditions of Lancashire set a precedent for future folklore writings in Lancashire (and also Britain more generally).[5] Roby's approach, though criticized for its fictionalization of sources, was instrumental in popularizing folklore. His contemporaries, including 'the Chronicler' (an anonymous Wigan writer),[6] William Thornber (for Blackpool)[7] and Samuel Bamford, contributed local traditions.[8] Bamford, a working-class author, provided a raw, authentic insight into local beliefs and superstitions, distinguishing his works from Roby’s romanticized narratives.

The Manchester School, c. 1850-1880

This era saw a surge in serious and scholarly folklore collection and writing: in fact, Lancashire arguably led the county in this period in folklore collection. Pivotal figures like John Harland, Thomas Turner Wilkinson, James Bowker and Charles Hardwick emerged, bringing a more academic and rigorous approach to folklore writing.[9] Central were Harland and Wilkinson's works including two jointly-authored monographs Lancashire Folk-Lore and Lancashire Legends, Traditions, Pageants, Sports &c.[10] The writers of this period moved beyond mere collection to analyze and compare folklore themes. These figures were overwhelmingly concentrated in south-eastern Lancashire and many knew and socialised with each other.[11] Their lives centred on Manchester. Another feature of the folklore writing of this period was that it often took place in Lancashire dialect literature: Edwin Waugh, and many others treated folklore themes, above all, boggarts.

Dribs and Drabs, c.1880-1920s

While folklore writing was taking off in Britain, often under the influence of the Folklore Society, it receded in Lancashire. In this period there were various unconnected individuals across the county producing works of varying quality. Notable contributors included W.E.A. Axon, who explored folklore in a controlled manner, comparing Lancashire traditions with those of other regions and countries. Charles Roeder,  a German scholar, wrote on Moston.[12] Tatersall Wilkinson wrote on the folklore of Burnley. Ammon Wrigley wrote on Saddleworth dialect and traditions. Henry Cowper wrote a remarkable piece on the folklore of Hawkshead.[13] James McKay gave a series of talks on boggarts at Burnley.[14] Then the vicar G. R. Oakley wrote Roby-style stories about Rochdale.[15]

Later Writers on Lancashire Folklore

W. Langley Roberts published in 1931 a children's book on county traditions.[16] Frederick Grice brought out a pamphlet in 1953 for adults.[17] In 2018 Melanie Warren published Lancashire Folk, an overview of folklore in the county. Ceri Houlbrook has written on boggarts and particularly Boggart Hole Clough.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ Young, 'Clapcans'.
  2. ^ Amy Fenton, 'Legendary 'fairy caves' are a permanent reminder of town's hidden history', Lancslive (20 Dec 2023)
  3. ^ Poole, ‘Middleton Rushbearing’.
  4. ^ Axon, Black.
  5. ^ Traditions of Lancashire (Longman: 1829-1831).
  6. ^ Young, 'Lancashire Folklore Writing', 152-153 identifies the Chronicler as a Scottish author Peter Landreth.
  7. ^ Thornber, The History.
  8. ^ Bamford, Passages, passim.
  9. ^ Young, 'Lancashire', 154-160.
  10. ^ The second book was published by Wilkinson after Harland's death.
  11. ^ Young, 'Lancashire', 159-160.
  12. ^ Roeder, 'Some Moston'.
  13. ^ Cowper, Hawkshead, 302-338.
  14. ^ Young, Boggarts, 77-111.
  15. ^ Oakley, In Olden Days.
  16. ^ Roberts, Lancashire.
  17. ^ Grice, Folk Tales.
  18. ^ Houlbrook, 'Suburban Boggart'.

Bibliography

Axon, William E.A., Black Knight of Ashton (Manchester: John Heywood, n.d.).

Bamford, Samuel Passages in the life of a radical, and Early days (T. Fisher Unwin, 1905), 2 vols.

Cowper, Henry Hawkshead (The Northernmost Parish of Lancashire) (London: Bemrose 1899)

Grice, Frederick Folk Tales of Lancashire (Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1953).

Harland, John and Thomas Turner Wilkinson,Lancashire Folk-lore (1867)

Harland, John and Thomas Turner Wilkinson, Lancashire Legends, Traditions, Pageants, Sports &c (Routledge and Sons, 1873)

Houlbrook, Ceri ‘The Suburban Boggart: Folklore of an inner-city park’, Gramarye 11 (2017), 19-32.

Oakley, G. R. In Olden Days: Legends of Rochdale and its Neighbourhood (Edwards & Bryning, 1923)

Poole, Robert ‘Middleton Rushbearing’, Manchester Region History Review 8 (1994), 14-22

Roberts, W. Langley Lancashire: County Legend & Folklore (Collins Clear Type Press 1931).

Roby, John Traditions of Lancashire (Longman: 1829-1831) [4 volumes; two in the first series in 1829; and two in the second series in 1831].

Roeder, Charles ‘Some Moston Folklore’, Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society 25 (1907), 65-78.

Thornber, William The History of Blackpool and its Neighbourhood (Galava, 1985 [reprint of the 1837 original]).

Warren, Melanie, Lancashire Folk (Schiffer Publishing 2018).   

Young, S. R. Boggarts, Fairies and Cunning Men: Some Forgotten Lancashire Folklore Essays (Pwca Books 2023).

Young, Simon ‘Clapcans: A Greater Manchester Bogie’, Northern Earth 166 (2021), 11-13

Young, Simon ‘Lancashire Folklore Writing, 1829-1923: John Roby to G. R. Oakley’, Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society 114 (2023), 148-167.

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