North Yorkshire Folk Tales

About this book

North Yorkshire Folk Tales gathers legends and traditional stories from across the county, ranging from the open Yorkshire Dales to its towns and cities. Ingrid Barton arranges the material around recurring figures and themes, including giants, dragons, witches, hobs, creatures of the night, mysteries and York stories.

The collection brings together dragon-slayers, boggarts, fairies, tragic love affairs and accounts of ghosts, while historical figures appear in forms reshaped by local legend. Dick Turpin, General Wade, St Oswald, Mother Shipton and Ragnar Hairy Breeches are among those included. Alongside supernatural traditions, the stories preserve memories of places and people that have helped shape North Yorkshire communities.