Folklore and Customs of Rural England

by Margaret Baker

'The Good Old Days' in country areas were ruled by local custom and folklore. This delightful book describes much of England's more important country lore, using contemporary accounts and adding historical material to show the richness of what inevitably lies behind us - often within living memory but not again to be experienced first hand.

Old beliefs, superstitions and rituals, their origins long forgotten, lingered non as part of the collective wisdom of the country community, as they still do here and there, safeguarding family, farm and possessions, reflecting the natural longing for security and prosperity.

As the social isolation of the village began to break up, with the coming of transport, newspapers, village schools and scientific farming, as people became less credulous, less parochial, the simple festivals of the country calendar, the taboos and rituals followed for generations, came to seem foolish and unsophisticated. Inevitably their fate was sealed.

Yet old irrational beliefs are deeply embodied in subconscious folk memory and hints of them are still heard in country conservations. At heart, England is still a rural nation. This book throws light on her roots.

Genres: Nonfiction, Folklore

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 1974

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

1928-

Reviews

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cool i have so many good facts and it makes england (rural england) really very very sweet

[Magid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. What an absolutely fascinating book. I loved it. I want to live in rural England. In a little thatched cottage. And I want to do things like mark crosses in the soot in the fireplace, lest the devil come down the chimney.

[Paul Gallear · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read but perhaps a little dated now. Sometimes just felt like a long list of customs

[G. Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. Customs, folklore, ritual and myth from around England. My only criticism is there are few indications on the time periods these customs come from. Understandably some can't be known of course, but would be nice to know if some were present in medieval /Tudor/ Stuart/ Victorian times rather than most of them simply having been known for a long time. Some are put to a time period, so this is only a slight criticism really

[Sophy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

What Paul Gallear said!

Meh