History and Folklore
A plethora of stories and folklore, traditions, celebrations, beliefs and tales passed down over time by families and communities.
From the sinister Black Vaughan whose story inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write The Hound of the Baskervilles, to the Mermaid of Marden, the Dragon of Mordiford and the Kings and Queens of Mercia whose experiences of faeries changed their lives forever. We capture the lives of Kings, saints and the historic people who made a lasting impression on our wonderful county for you to enjoy and share.
At Eat Sleep Live Herefordshire, we really enjoy researching and finding these wonderful tales and hope you will enjoy them too.
We currently run a ‘Folklore Friday’ feature on our Facebook page each week and this section will be updated regularly too, so do keep coming back.
Inspired by Kathleen Lawrence-Smith, David Phelps, Rupert Matthews, David J.Vaughan, Mary Hopkins, Roy Palmer, Robin Haig and Ella Mary Leather.
Cheating the Devil of Kentchurch
As you know we love researching our folklore tales but what we have noticed is that one name keeps popping […]
The Hand of Friendship
There were times when travelling the country lanes in Herefordshire were quite dangerous particularly at night. Whether on horseback or […]
The Baker’s Daughter
As we all know it costs nothing to be kind or nice to a stranger who perhaps isn’t doing so […]
The Wandering Minstrel
It’s well known in the realms of folklore that not everything is what it may seem to be. Spectres, ghosts, […]
Token of Love
Everyone loves a happy ending, a story where true love prevails against all the odds. It warms our hearts, brings […]
The Cursed Doll
This week we venture into the world of Herefordshire curses and superstitions, many of which were attributed to people who […]
Riding the Stang
Did you know that in the days before radio, television and video games, country folk had to make their own […]
A Fright in the Churchyard
The world can be a funny old place and there are times when we’re all fed up with our lot […]
The Great Escape
This week’s tale takes us to a time of turmoil, civil unrest, power struggles and treachery. Where promises and trust […]
The Changeling
Our tale this week comes from Kington. It sounds fantastical, unreal and impossible. But what if it was true? Women […]
The Devil visits Grosmont
There are so many stories and tales about the Devil’s visits to Herefordshire and Wales that we thought we would […]
The Magical Bells of Kinsham
There are many tales and strange occurrences involving churches in Herefordshire folklore. Our story this week takes us to the […]
The Ghost of Lady Bluefoot
There are many tales of hauntings in Herefordshire, some are rather sinister and others said to highlight a wrong doing […]
Heartbreak at the Garrick Theatre
Our story today takes us back to the First World War, to a time of uncertainty where a tragedy befell […]
Tragedy at Alton Court
Our tale this week takes us down to the south of the county near to Ross-on-Wye. To Alton Court a […]
The Tale of King Dribbler
In the early days of Christianity after the Romans had left England, the country was in the hands of warlords. […]
The Story of Wild Edric
Out to the very north of Herefordshire, to the east of Leintwardine there lies a small village called Burrington. It […]
St Katherine’s Vision
There are many tales of pious people who have made their mark on Herefordshire, many of those have been Kings, […]
Callous Crimes at The Callow Inn
Have you ever been driving along a stretch of road at night just as it’s going dark and think that […]
The Friar of Tillington
Every part of the UK has tales of ghostly clergy and Herefordshire is no exception. We seem to have more […]
The Wrath of the Fairy Master
Centuries ago and not far from where Hereford Castle stood on the banks of the River Wye, the city’s washer […]
The Lost Road of Dorstone
In the heart of Herefordshire, where the hills gently cradle the village of Dorstone, whispers abound about an enigmatic and […]
The Walking Dog of Kington
Once upon a time in the quaint town of Kington, nestled in the heart of Herefordshire, there lived a four-legged […]
The Hairy Hands of Dartmoor
As this is our last Folklore Friday for this year we thought we would bring you the tale of the […]
Christmas Creatures
As we near Christmas we thought we would bring you some of the world’s strangest creatures that are remembered at […]
The Enchanted Chamber Pot
This week’s tale is all about enchantment and a character that seems to pop up in many a Herefordshire folklore […]
The Abergavenny Massacre
Sometimes we hear a tale that is so incredible it makes your hair stand on end. This week our story […]
The Duel at Edwyn Ralph
Love can be a very funny thing. Long lasting, hard fought for or fleetingly brief, but desired by many. Our […]
The History of St Ethelberts Well
This week we head way back in time, as far back as the year of our Lord 794. Our story […]
Hereford Cathedral Spur Money
This week we head way back in time, as far back as the year of our Lord 794. Our story […]
Tales of Penyard Castle
Our tale this week takes us to the south of beautiful Herefordshire near to Weston Under Penyard to a place […]
Tragedy at Aylton Court
If you’ve ever been out to the east of Herefordshire you may have come across the lovely village of Aylton. […]
The Famous Nell Gwynne
Nell Gwynne the famous mistress of Charles II was said to have been born ‘half way up a wall’ in […]
Fownhope’s Prize Boxer – Tom Spring
Tom “Light Tapper” Spring born Thomas Winter in 1795 in Fownhope was England’s Bare-knuckle prize fighting Champion in 1823. Born […]
The Ghost of Old Taylor
It was 200 years ago that ‘Old Taylor’ haunted Hereford’s Whitecross Road and he would strike fear into anyone that […]
The Rhydspence Inn Murders
We have so many old and wonderful buildings in Herefordshire steeped in history, many with tales of hauntings. Some of […]
The Strange Disappearance of Old Pembridge
We all love the beautiful Black and White trail in North Herefordshire and one of the prettiest villages on that […]
The Knights Templar in Herefordshire
If you’ve ever explored the beautiful area around Garway in Herefordshire you may have discovered the wonderfully historic church of […]
The Tale of the Woolhope Fairies
You may not know but in years past Woolhope was a poor place to live and this is where our […]
King Merewald, Leominster’s Lion King
Our story this week is focused on a seventh century pagan King who ruled the realm of Mercia. His name […]
Hauntings in St Mary’s Avenbury Church
The strange happenings that we are about to describe occur in what would be considered a rural idyll, a place […]
Hereford Cathedral’s Charnel-house History
Our amazing city of Hereford has a fantastic history, some of which is readily apparent but other parts are still […]
The Haunting of Burton Farm
Many a good ghost story has been told in Herefordshire over the centuries. Some ghosts can be identified and are […]
The Dragon of Mordiford
THE DRAGON OF MORDIFORD Mordiford village grew up around an ancient ford over the River Lugg and has the oldest […]
A Murder of Crows
Our tale this week is all about secrets and lies. Reminding us that whatever happens the truth will out. Sometimes […]
The Hay Poisoner
Our tale this week is all about rivalry, disputes and petty greed that led to the only solicitor in the […]
The Legend of Black Vaughan
Who would think that this lovely black and white building holds a very dark past? Hergest Court has held a […]
The Turnpike Revolt
Did you know that by 1730 Herefordshire had the largest turnpike system in Britain? An act of parliament was passed […]
The Mermaid of Marden
In our quest to bring you some folklore fun we came across the little-known legend of the ‘Mermaid of ‘Marden’. […]
The Witches of Garway Hill
Garway Hill is one of our favourite spots not just for its beautiful location but also for its Folklore. A […]