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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 9h

“LEGENDS OF NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE” @ FORUM THEATRE (POTTERIES MUSUEM), STOKE ON TRENT - OCT 24th 2PM. I grew up less than a mile from the Potteries Museum, so to be invited to speak there is very cool for me! My work will also be in their folklore exhibition this autumn. Looking forward to it!

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Such a great evening last night at Macclesfield Library for Macclesfield Literary and Philosophical Society! Announcement coming this weekend regarding a very special event taking place in Stoke on Trent later this month.

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

WONDER IN THE WOODS - JAMES CRAWFOOT AND THE MAGICAL METHODISTS OF DELAMERE FOREST (NEW ESSAY FEATURE PUBLISHED TODAY) READ HERE: thelocalmythstorian.com/wonder-in-th...

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Some shots from Lindow Common today. It’s quite an eerie place in the rain. Tales of bog bodies, human sacrifice and Jenny Greenteeth can have that effect I guess!

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

A few references to elfin-inspired place names across Cheshire, Derbs and Staffs from Jeremy Harte’s “Fairy Encounters in Medieval England” - which I’ve just finished at last! #folklorethursday #fairylore

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

FOLKLORE IN THE USA...the latest episode of Tales From Antiquaria is all about Charles M Skinner's 1896 collection "Myths and Legends of Our Own Land" - our first trip across the Atlantic and a glimpse into the folklore collection of the US in the 1800s. LINK www.buzzsprout.com/2538046/epis...

buzzsprout.com

Myths and Legends of Our Own Land (Part One) - Tales From Antiquaria: 19th Century Folklore & Legends

Witches in the Catskills and the infamous galloping Hessian of Tarry Town! Welcome to America, as we explore part one of Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Charles M Skinner's collection of American f...

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Watching the eclipse tonight by the Bronze Age burial mound at the top of my lane, there was a strange feeling of connection. More than that, suddenly there was talk of all the old folklore, of crows fleeing, dogs barking…quite the moment. We ain’t so different from our ancestors sometimes…

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I’ve often talked about the picture books on lore and legend I would look through when I was a kid. Well, unbelievably I came across one on EBAY as I recognised the cover! 4 quid! Haven’t seen this beauty in over 30 years until it came today!

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

After a couple of days offline, my website is back and refreshed! The slightly Tim Burton-esque feel is gone and it's much brighter, with new formatting for essays, podcasts and a new live events page. I quite like it! thelocalmythstorian.com/home #thelocalmythstorian

thelocalmythstorian.com

The Local Mythstorian

Home page of The Local Mythstorian. The Local Mythstorian is the online hub of folklorist Eli Lewis-Lycett, containing essays, podcasts and news.

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Little trip to Farndon, Cheshire. From the church with its musket damage and civil war window, across the medieval bridge into wales and Holt Castle (the villages are a ten minute walk apart) - an absolute dream of a historical day out.

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

In the pamphlet boom of the 1700s there were few more popular topics than the ‘Cheshire prophet’. The farm hand that foretold the future has fascinated folklore for 300 years: but could the most incredible part of his story actually be based in fact? LINK: thelocalmythstorian.com/the-hungry-p...

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

RELICS OF THE CORNFIELD My new essay exploring the ritual symbolism of the Moulton Crow Dance is now released. This unique folk tradition has taken place in my own village for 100 yrs, but its contents suggest it could be far, far older. LINK: thelocalmythstorian.com/relics-of-th... #moultoncrows

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

In summer, in Cheshire…few things can beat an English country morning. #moulton #davenham #englishsummer #cheshirelife

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Sleepless nights with baby Lyra bring there own benefits for research! Perfect 2am reading!

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

The Moulton Crow Dance - filmed today. Local folk tradition dating back 100 years…but its wider origin may be far far older! Currently working on an essay regarding it. #moultoncrows #folkdance #englishfolktraditions #

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Next up - ‘The Phantom Rebel’. Very proud this is the go-to for researching the headless horseman of the Staffs Moorlands. Also the piece that gets, erm, “borrowed” a lot online - which is a huge compliment I guess! LINK thelocalmythstorian.com/the-phantom-... #headlesshorsemanofbutterton

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Having refreshed many essays recently, I’ll be posting links to them here. These are the foundation stones of my whole folklore ‘thing’ 😂. First up, my research piece on the rise and fall of Shipbrook Castle in Cheshire. LINK: thelocalmythstorian.com/invisible-fo... #shipbrookcastle

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

THE LOCAL MYTHSTORIAN There's been a fair few new followers here recently (hello!) and it occurred to me you may not be aware of my website - packed with essays, podcasts and general local mythstoria! It's a hub of my 'work' really, some folks may enjoy it! The link is thelocalmythstorian.com

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

THE REAL FOLKLORE OF CHESHIRE - LECTURE TRANSCRIPT Hello! For those who may be interested, a full transcript of my lecture at The Grange School from last month - 'The Real Folklore of Cheshire' - is now available at thelocalmythstorian.com/the-real-fol... Hope you enjoy it! #cheshirefolklore

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

THE REAL FOLKLORE OF CHESHIRE - LIVE FROM THE GRANGE SCHOOL For those interested, a live recording of my lecture on 21st May forms the latest episode of the Tales From Antiquaria podcast. Hope you enjoy it - back later in the summer (we're about to have a baby!) thelocalmythstorian.com/live-events

thelocalmythstorian.com

The Local Mythstorian - Live Events

Live Events. The Local Mythstorian

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

THE HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT IN CHESHIRE Hi folks - for those so interested - a transcript of my lecture at The Grange Theatre from May 2025 is available now on my website. thelocalmythstorian.com/the-history-... #thelocalmythstorian #cheshirehistory #witchcrafthistory

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

The Green Man by Kingsley Amis (1969) - my favourite novel and a perfect accompaniment to summer walks (on audiobook). If you’ve never read it, highly recommend - a pub landlord battling a mid life crisis AND the ghost that haunts his establishment. Great TV adaptation with Albert Finney too!

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Haunted Magazine Issue 50 is out in UK shops next week and a little later in June in the US - the issue will include a feature from me regarding the ghostly folklore of the 19th century! You can also order online at www.hauntedmagazineprintshop.com #talesfromantiquaria #HauntedMagazine

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

I first began to wonder about this stretch of the Cheshire / Staffs border about 20 years ago. A series of man-made hillocks, within walking distance of the Bridestones...an unacknowledged tomb complex? I actually spoke with the landowner in 2006 - they too, had begun to wonder. #ancientlandscapes

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Big thanks to all who came to last night's talk on the historic ballads of Cheshire! Little break from live talks now until October, when it'll be The Haunted Hills at Macclesfield Library! #thefolkloreofcheshireshistoricballads #folkloreontour #cheshirehistory

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Just a reminder for anyone coming to my talk for Northwich & District Heritage Society tomorrow night: the venue is the hall of Grange Junior School at 8. There will be copies of The Folklore of Cheshire's Historic Ballads available too on the night at £10. Looking forward to it! #cheshirefolklore

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

OUT TODAY - THE FOLKLORE OF CHESHIRE'S HISTORIC BALLADS Transposed from the lyric sheets of Ballads & Legends of Cheshire by Egerton Leigh (1867) my new book tells its stories as trad folktale narratives for the very first time. Click link for more. thelocalmythstorian.com/order #cheshirefolklore

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Been walking this countryside for years, but never took this route before. All looks a bit ritualistic to me - especially with that single corn sheaf from last years harvest. There are still things at work in the English countryside that stay hidden. Eerie and beautiful.

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Some shots from Shutlingsloe this morning, looking over to Toothill, which for years was believed to be a Roman camp, but now is accepted to be the remains of a medieval deer enclosure. The east of the Cheshire landscape really is a world of its own - some real mysteries in those hills.

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

A fantastic evening tonight Caverswall Historical Society for the opening night of the Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival! An absolute pleasure. Thanks to everyone that made it such a success! Next stop, The Grange School, Hartford on May 21st! #staffordshiremoorlands #folkloreontour

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

One week until my talk in Caverswall for the opening night of the Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival 2026! Really looking forward to getting back over the border and into headless horseman country once more! Details at Visit Staffordshire: www.visitstaffordshire.com/event/smwf-2...

visitstaffordshire.com

SMWF 2026 - The Mythstoric Moorlands -

STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS WALKING FESTIVAL 2026 Caverswall Historical Society is delighted to welcome Eli Lewis-Lycett to the 2026 Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival for a captivating talk explori...

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Harvest Home (Thomas Tryon, 1973) Just finished this. Often overlooked because it came out the same year as The Wicker Man movie. The first rural horror novel? A few difficult moments in the last third, but I think ultimately, they do add to the pay off. Recommend if rural horror is your thing!

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

THE LONE KNIGHT Published on my website today! Sir Ralph Bagenal, son of a tailor from Newcastle-under-Lyme, would be a courtier, knight and religious exile. His story should be far better known; one the most remarkable figures in Staffordshire history. thelocalmythstorian.com/the-lone-kni...

thelocalmythstorian.com

The Local Mythstorian - The Lone Knight

The Lone Knight. The Local Mythstorian

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Built in the 1140s, the castle at Newcastle-Under-Lyme in Staffordshire inspired the market town to develop at its gates. Not much to see today, but you can see the foundations of the gatehouse and the original motte too; both being linked by John O'Gaunt's Road - to whom the castle once belonged.

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

The 15th century tower of St Chads is all that remains of 5 churches that have been built on the site - all of which have been pulled down following subsidence. It's an ancient place - the settlement of Wybunbury itself is a contender for the oldest in Cheshire, being founded by 600 AD.

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Some shots from Goostrey last night, great place to visit with 2 pubs either side of a church with a 1200 Y/O yew. Grizzly history too, with '5 brothers of William Eaton of Blackden slain' there in 1385. Some cracking creepy dolls in that barn window too! #goostrey #localhistory #cheshirehistory

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Highly recommend this if you're a fan of earth mysteries / folk horror. Only came out in Jan and I read it on a bit of a whim - well, listened to it on audiobook - but think it might be one of the best things I've read in a few years! #thehillinthedarkgrove #folkhorror #welshhorror

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

ENGLISH COUNTRY SPECTRES - a new feature has been published over at my website. Having been on a deep dive into folklore collections of the 1800s for the Tales From Antiquaria podcast over the last year, thought I'd share some tales! thelocalmythstorian.com/english-coun... #ghostlore #folklore

thelocalmythstorian.com

The Local Mythstorian - English Country Spectres

English Country Spectres. The Local Mythstorian

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

One of my favourite tales from my native Staffordshire - in 1459 at the battle of Blore Heath, Margaret of Anjou watched the battle from Mucklestone church tower. Following the defeat, she had a local blacksmith reverse the shoes on her horse so that her tracks would confuse anyone chasing her.

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Just a little reminder that, should you be local to Cheshire, you'll find my feature page on local history and folklore in Cheshire Life Magazine every month! #cheshirelife #localhistory #cheshirefolklore

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Took these in Bagnall, North Staffs (near Stoke-On-Trent) the other day. The house where Parliamentarian troops created an armoury whilst searching out Royalists during the civil war; and where local legend states Bonnie Prince Charlie visited during his march south in 1745.

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

Witchmarks at Beeston Caves. Carving them at a cave entrance is fascinating; the caves of the Cheshire ridge have lore attached to them going back 700 years, warnings from the time when it was seen as a place of Pagan worship; way before the fashion for witch-marks really took off.

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

St Michael's Church, Horton. When Mary was born in 1668 there would have been people in the village that lived through the English Civil War. Yet also, Mary would have been living in Horton during the first glimmers of the Industrial Revolution in the area during the 1760s. Local history eh?

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Hi Folks! Lots of Derbyshire folklore in the latest episode of the Tales From Antiquaria podcast; Household Tales & Traditional Remains from 1895. You can hear it on all major podcast platforms and also on the link below! talesfromantiquaria.com/episodes

talesfromantiquaria.com

Tales From Antiquaria - Episodes

Episodes. Tales From Antiquaria

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Hi Folks, The details for my lecture as part of the Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival - 'The Mythstoric Moorlands' at Caverswall Village Hall - are now live on the Visit Staffordshire website. Be nice to get back over the border for this one! www.visitstaffordshire.com/event/smwf-2...

visitstaffordshire.com

SMWF 2026 - The Mythstoric Moorlands -

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The Local Mythstorian @elilewislycett.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

For years, this stone by Vale Royal Locks near Davenham made me curious. Well, its coat of arms is that of George Cholmondeley, Vice Admiral of Cheshire - the very man responsible for overseeing the construction of the river locks during the late 1700s. #valeroyal #Cheshire #riverweaver

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