Berkshire Folk Tales

Berkshire Folk Tales gathers stories from across the county, bringing together legends, local traditions and accounts of remarkable characters. Alongside Herne the Hunter, Wayland the Smith and the stories surrounding the Uffington White Horse are tales of Dick Turpin, Thomas of Reading, the Duke of Chandos and a young girl’s account of King Gaarge killing a dragon.

The collection is framed by a fictional tour through old Berkshire in the summer of 1899, as a group of antiquaries travel by wagonette, hearing stories from the places and people they encounter. Drawn from Berkshire archives and retold for modern audiences, the book moves between battles, heroic deeds, tragic love affairs, violence, humour and local legend, with line illustrations reflecting the county’s landscapes.