Dumfries and Galloway Folk Tales

Tony Bonning gathers Dumfries and Galloway stories rooted in local places, speech and tradition. The collection moves from faeries and changelings to witches, warlocks, ghosts, spectres, wraiths and poltergeists, alongside tales of tricksters, magical creatures and people who attempt to outwit the Devil. Lochmaben, Cairnsmore, the River Nith and the Solway all feature in the book’s geographical range.

Among the better-known material is the tale linked with Robert Burns’s ‘Tam o’ Shanter’, while other entries preserve less familiar regional traditions. The stories are arranged in themed groupings and retain elements of Scots language, supported by a glossary. Jo Jackson Bonning’s black-and-white line drawings accompany the retellings, reinforcing the book’s connection with oral storytelling and local folklore.