Hampshire Folk Tales for Children

Michael O’Leary gathers ten folk tales rooted in Hampshire’s landscapes, from the Downs and New Forest to fields, farms, villages, towns and cities. The stories include the Apple Tree Man, the Burley Dragon, the Wherwell Cockatrice, Bevois of Southampton and the Liphook fairies, alongside tales of the Dismal Danes, plague and the Blacksmith of Twyford.

The collection also brings together stories involving Pompey and the Devil, the Stones of Rotten Hill and other local traditions. O’Leary writes as a professional storyteller, presenting these accounts for younger readers, while Su Eaton’s black-and-white illustrations accompany the text. Together, the tales connect Hampshire places with dragons, giants, knights, princesses, Vikings and stories of claimed supernatural happenings.