Lore Of The Land: A Guide To Englands Myths And Legends

Where can you find the 'Devil's footprints'? What happened at the 'hangman's stone'? Did Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, ever really exist? Where was King Arthur laid to rest? Bringing together tales of hauntings, highwaymen, family curses and lovers' leaps, this magnificent guide will take you on a magical journey through England's legendary past.

'A fascinating county-by county guidebook to the headless horsemen, bottomless pools, immured adulteresses and talking animals that make up the hidden landscape of the country.' London Review of Books

'Evokes an England terrified by screaming skulls, tantalized by hidden treasure, spooked by the unearthly clanging of bells, bewitched by fairies and hobgoblins' Country Life

'Wonderful Contains almost every myth, legend and ghost story ever told in England' Simon Hoggart, Guardian

Jennifer Westwood was born in 1940 and studied English language at Oxford, followed by mediaeval Icelandic at Cambridge. A member of the Folklore Society, she has served as Editor of FLS Books and also the journal Folklore. Her books include Albion: A Guide to Legendary Britain (1985), Gothick Cornwall (1992), Lost Atlantis (1997) and On Pilgrimage (2003). She belongs to the Henry Doubleday Research Association, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the Society of Authors. She lives in rural Norfolk. Dr Jacqueline Simpson was born in 1930, and studied English Literature and Medieval Icelandic at Bedford College, London University. She has been an active member of the Folklore Society since the 1960s, having served at various times as Editor, Secretary, and President. Her books include Icelandic Folktales and Legends (1971, 2004), The Folklore of the Welsh Border (1976, 2004), British Dragons (1980, 2000), and, jointly with Steve Roud, A Dictionary of English Folklore (2000). She lives in West Sussex.