South Yorkshire Folk Tales

by Simon Heywood, Damien Barker

With origins lost in the mists of time, these lively folk tales reflect the wisdom (and eccentricities) of South Yorkshire's county and people. Amongst the heroes and villains, giants and fairies, knights and highwaymen, are well-known figures, such as Robin Hood and the Dragon of Wantley, as well as lesser-known tales of mysterious goings-on at Firbeck Hall and Roche Abbey. These enchanting tales, many never before recorded in print, will bewitch readers and storytellers, young and old alike.

Genres: Folklore

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2015

Reviews

[Eloise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet and full of local colour. Clear on references and editing and a varied bibliography. My particular fave was The Woodsman and the Hatchet, but I'll always read anything Robin Hood of Barnsdale.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is a collection of books by different authors, drawing of the local folklore of different areas. The South Yorkshire version is a more accademic take than some in the range. For some of the tales in this collection, there is more footnote than story. This was kind of a turn off as I took the intention of these books to be presenting a selection of folk stories in an accessibly way and I felt the overly accademic take made the story less accessable and also less fun. The book also preserves, in many cases, the original form of telling which isn't great. Some of them are told in ways that lack dramatic effect and some are in dialect which is basically unreadable. Would have benefited from a high editorial hand for ease of reading.

[Wuccus · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have an interest in the area then this book will undoubtedly bring you joy, with various stories set in places that locals have likely visited many times, (though the tales are weighted towards Sheffield and Doncaster.)

The tales at the start are in depth, whilst towards the end the stories become more anecdotal and lasting little more than a paragraph in length, which can be jarring. That said, some of these shorter stories are the best in the book, (the gravedigger was a personal favourite.)

If your passion lies in local history and mythology then this book will not disappoint.

[Kerrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book because I was wanting to learn about local folklore. I'm so interested in stories that still live on today but that are rooted in old folk tales.
The lore of a place feels magical to me and I was hoping to learn about ancient lore from my local area from this book. Sadly it didn't feed the knowledge I was looking for but there where a few interesting tales in there.
Though it lacks a real historical backing, it's stories passed down from locals.
Though it wasn't what I was hoping, the book is well presented and put together.

[Jo Leadbetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quaint and thoroughly enjoyable. I'm fascinated by tales that were or are popular thru word of mouth. A slow and more discerning distillation of what is "good" about a tale than the blur of badly written and conceived viral drivel that is available now.

[Rob Mead · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading folk tales should feel exciting, whimsy, or at least fun. This academic collection takes the joy out of most of the ones it presents

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange mixture of tales. The book started well and I enjoyed the sections concerning the early myths, Robin Hood, Swift Nick and the Wantley Dragon. The end chapter was disappointing. Overall found the book interesting.