Wiltshire Folk Tales

by Kirsty Hartsiotis

These traditional stories and local legends have been handed down by storytellers for centuries. As folk tales reveal a lot about the people who invented them, this text provides a link to the ethics and way of life of generations of people from Wiltshire.

Genres: Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2011

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

What it says on the cover.

A collection of folk stories from the English county of Wiltshire. Where you will find Stonehenge, Avebury, and West Kennett Long Barrow. So with occupation of that antiquity, you get a hell of a lot of folk stories.

Some of these are well known, others very local. Hell, I found one from the village my ancestors came from!

Highly recommended for those with an interest in these things. May also be of interest to those interested in Arthurian matters, as there are several stories that include Arthur or his family.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming book of folk tales, some ancient, some relatively modern, and some (like the Amesbury Archer, actually one of my favorite tales in the book) which have sprung from the author's imagination, based on archaeological evidence. A good read. Interesting, rather fresh approach to re-telling old stories.

[Aimee Mckenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun little book. Collections of folklore stories from around Wiltshire, some are a bit freaky and others more lighthearted. Surprised to see stories about areas very close by to me! Looking forward to picking up some more of these books in the future.

[Luke Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really cute book, picked up on a trip to Salisbury, contains many witty and funny tales as well as lots of important morals of the stories. I highly recommend

[Mr Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of stories from my home county, although sadly little from the area where I live. I know when a book is good when a) I put it down, only to find myself picking it up again 30 minutes later, and b) when it has interested me so much that I have gone and purchased some of the other books mentioned in the Bibliography. I’ve lived near Chippenham most of my life but besides the usual King Alfred stuff I know very little about it, so this little collection has also pushed me to buy a book about my old town.
Going back to these stories, they are all really well written and utterly charming. Some are humorous, some are creepy, most are exciting. I enjoyed reading about the Flying Monk of Malmesbury and the faeries of Hackpen Hill. The Black Dog story was a favourite too. We have a black dog legend about 2 miles down the road on the way to Calne, linked to the cunningly titled Black Dog Bridge.
My only grumble is I wish the book was longer. Maybe a sequel ?
Anyway, I enjoyed it very much. Have passed it on to my Aunt who is Wiltshire born and bred and who Im sure will enjoy it as much as I did.