The Witch-Mare of Orra—A Forgotten Nightmare Myth

Ah, Urra—barely discernible through the oppressive cloud that choked my aimless trudge around the moor it so generously lends its name to. It is also the setting for the utterly enthralling tale of the Witch-Mare of Orra. A legend I have alluded to with tiresome frequency, though clearly without bothering to grasp its finer point ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=37219

#Bilsdale #NorthYorkMoors #UrraMoor #folklore #RichardBlakeborough

Tales of Runswick Bay: Treasure, Tragedy, and a Hobgoblin

Ah, Runswick Bay, a charming spot on the Yorkshire coast. A sweeping sandy beach curves dramatically towards the village, which clings precariously to the hillside like it is not quite sure why it‘s still there. Originally, the village was a little further, perched towards the rocky headland. That was until 1664, when a ground-sli ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=32159

#RunswickBay #YorkshireCoast #folklore #RichardBlakeborough

Betty Strother: A Yorkshire Witch

Cycling through Danby Park today opened up views of Castleton, perched precariously on the rigg across the Esk Valley. I was reminded of one of those countless lockdown projects—those fleeting fancies born of enforced idleness—which, like so many others, has been unceremoniously abandoned to gather dust. This particular project involved the tedious task of ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=36092

#Castleton #NorthYorkMoors #folklore #RichardBlakeborough

The White Maid of Kilton Castle

The British Cycling Championships descended upon East Cleveland today, bringing to mind a project I embarked upon during the days of Covid: transcribing the works of Richard Blakeborough. Among his tales, "The White Maid of Kilton Castle" holds a special place, for it is set in the environs of Brotton, the very spot where I chanced to witness the women’s rac ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=31969

#Brotton #Kilton #Liverton #folklore #RichardBlakeborough

Elfi The Dwarf — The Story Told at Ye Sign of the Fox & Hounds, Urra

The notion of transcribing these ancient folk tales of Richard Blakeborough, thought to be a splendid idea at first, an idea born during the Covid lockdown, now gnaws at my conscience with growing unease. Recent reports detailing the modification of Roald Dahl's cherishe ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=32062

#Castleton #HuttonleHole #Lastingham #NorthYorkMoors #RoseberryTopping #Urra #folklore #RichardBlakeborough

Aysgill Force — The Butterset Boggles

A brief stroll up Sleddale a side valley off Wensleydale, tracing the course of Gayle Beck, led us to the delightful Aysgill Force. En route, we passed through Gayle, a village woven into one of folklorist Richard Blakeborough's yarns. It kicks off with a birth prophecy, throws in unrequited love, a spurned admirer, a murderous vendetta, and the Buttersett ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=33796

#Hawes #Wensleydale #folklore #RichardBlakeborough

The Ghost of Stokesley Town End

Yet another tale spun by the industrious quill of Cleveland's venerable chronicler, Richard Blakeborough. This piece has lingered on my to-do list, biding its time for a fitting photograph. Regrettably, my patience has waned. Let this image of Aireyholme and Cliff Rigg suffice. Look closely, and the roof tops of Stokesley reveal themselves in the distant, ba ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=31945

#NorthYorkshire #Stokesley #folklore #RichardBlakeborough

The Weird Mystery of the Moor — A Guisborough Legend

Here's another story by Richard Blakeborough, published in the Whitby Gazette on May 5th, 1905. I'm not sure if they're too long to share on this blog, but I'm really interested in them, especially the ones about places I know such as this one about Guisborough Moor where I can picture the landscapes.

Some of the c ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=32778

#GisboroughMoor #Guisborough #NorthYorkMoors #folklore #RichardBlakeborough

The Kildale Spectres

Another one of the old folk tales collected by Richard Blakeborough and published in the Northern Weekly Gazette in July 1901.
THE KILDALE SPECTRES.
By RICHARD BLAKEBOROUGH.
The first part of this story, so far as the source from which it sprang is concerned, has not passed through many lips, seeing that the father of the man to whom the writer is indebted for the whole st ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=31990

#Kildale #Stokesley #folklore #RichardBlakeborough

The Falconer and the Whorlton Elves

Prepare to be delighted and delectated by another tale from that master wordsmith of the North Riding of Yorkshire: Richard Blakeborough (1850-1918), writer, poet, and dramatist. Now, I did have a notion to modernize this story for you, but I quickly found myself struggling by how to handle some of the terms, such as "dark-faced" and "drawf," which are no ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=31918

#NorthYorkMoors #Whorlton #folklore #RichardBlakeborough