Sacred Texts  Sagas and Legends  English Folklore 

Popular Romances of the West of England

collected and edited by Robert Hunt

[1903, 3rd edition]


Title Page
Preface to the Third Edition
Introduction

VOLUME ONE

The Giants

The Age of the Giants
Corineus and Gogmagog
The Giants of the Mount
The Key of the Giant's Castle
The Rival Giants
The Giants of Trencrom, or Trecrobben
The Giants at Play
Holibun of the Cairn
The Giant of Nancledry
Trebiggan the Giant
The Lord of Pengerswick and the Giant of St. Michael's Mount
The Giant of St. Michael's Mount loses his wife
Tom and the Giant Blunderbuss or, The Wheel and Exe Fight
Tom the Giant, his wife Jane and Jack the Tinkeard
How Tom and the Tinkeard found the Tin, and how it led to Morva Fair
The Giant of Morva
The Giant Bolster
The Hack and Cast
The Giant Wrath, or Ralph
Ordulph the Giant

The Fairies

The Elfin Creed of Cornwall
Nursing a Fairy
Changelings
The Lost Child
A Native Pigsey Story
The Night-Riders
The Fairy Tools, or Barker's Knee
The Piskies in the Cellar
The Spriggans of Trencrom Hill
The Fairy Miners - the Knockers
The Spriggan's Child
The Piskies' Changeling
The Pixies of Dartmoor
The Fairy Fair in Germoe
St Margery and the Piskies
The Fairy Revels on the "Gump" St Just
The Fairy Funeral
The Fairy Revel
Betty Stogs and Jan the Mounster
The Four-leaved Clover
The Fairy Ointment
How Joan Lost the Sight of her Eye
The Old Woman who turned her Shift
The Fairy Widower
The Small People's Gardens
St Levan Fairies
The Adventures of Cherry of Zennor
Anne Jeffries and the Fairies
The Piksie Threshers
The Muryan's Bank

Romances of Tregeagle

The Demon Tregeagle
Jahn Tergagle the Steward
Dosmery Pool
The Wish Hounds
Chaney's Hounds

Romances of the Mermaids

Morva or Morveth
Merrymaids and Merrymen
The Mermaid of Padstow
The Mermaid of Rock
The Mermaid of Seaton
The Old Man of Cury
The Mermaid's Vengence

Romances of the Rocks

Cromlech and Druid Stones
The Logan or Loging Rock
Mincamber, Main-Amber or Ambrose's Stone
Zennor Coits
The Men-an-Tol
The Crick Stone in Morva
The Dancing Stones, the Hurlers &c
The Nine Maids, or Virgin Sisters
The Twelve-o'-clock Stone
The Men-Scryfa
Table-Men - The Saxon's Kings Visit to the Land's End
Merlyn's Prophecies
The Armed Knight
The Irish Lady
The Devil's Doorway
Piper's Hole, Scilly
The Devil's Coit &c
King Arthur's Stone
The Cock-Crow Stone

Romances of lost Cities

Lost Lands
The Tradition of Lyonesse or Lethowsow
Cudden Point and the Silver Table
The Padstow "Hobby Horse"
St Michsel's Mount - The White Rock in the Wood
Gwavas Lake
The City of Langarrow or Langona
The Sands at Lelant and Phillack
"The island" St Ives
The Chapel Rock, Perran-Porth

Romances of Fire Worship

Fire Worship
Baal Fires
The Garrack Zans, or Holy Rock
Fire Ordeal for the Cure of Disease
Burning Animals Alive

Demons and Spectres

The Hooting Cairn
Jago's Demon
Peter the Devil
Dando and his Dogs
The Devil and his Dandy-Dogs
The Spectral Coach
Sir Francis Drake and his Demon
The Parson and his Clerk
The Haunted Widower
The Spectre Bridegroom
Duffy and the Devil
The Lovers of Porthangwartha
The Ghost of Rosewarne
The Suicide's Spearman
The Suicide's Ghost
The "Ha-af" a Face
The Warning
Laying a Ghost
A Flying Spirit
The Execution and Wedding
The Lugger of Croft Pasco Pool

VOLUME TWO

Legends of the Saints

Legends of the Saints
The Crowza Stones
The Longstone
St Sennen and St Just
The Saint and Johana
The Saint's Path
The St Leven Stone
The Two Breams
St Keyne
St Dennis's Blood
St Kea's Boat
St German's Well
How St Piran reached Cornwall
St Peran, the Miner's Saint
The Discovery of Tin
St Neot, the Pigmy
St Neot and the Fox
St Neot and the Doe
St Neot and the Thieves
St Neot and the Fishes
Probus and Grace
St Nectan's Kieve and the Lonely Sisters
Theodore, King of Cornwall

Holy Wells

Well Worship
The Well of St Constantine
The Well of St Ludgvan
Gulval Well
The Well of St Keyne
Maddern or Madron Well
The Well of Altar-Nun
St Gundred's Well at Roach Rock
St Cuthbert's or Cubert's Well
Rickety Children
Chapell Uny
Perran Well
Redruth Well
Holy Well at Little Conan
The Preservation of Holy Wells

Romances of Arthur

Arthur Legends
The Battle of Vellan-druchan
Arthur at the Land's End
Traditions of the Danes in Cornwall
King Arthur in the Form of a Chough
The Cornish Chough
Slaughter Bridge
Camelford and King Arthur
Dameliock Castle
Carlian in Kea

Romances of Witches, Etc.

The "Cunning Man"
Notes on Witchcraft
Ill-wishing
The "Peller"
Bewitched Cattle
How to become a Witch
Cornish Sorcerors
How Pengerswick became a Sorcerer
The Lord of Pengerswick an Enchanter
The Witch of Fraddam and Pengerswick
Trewa, the Home of Witches
Kenidzhak Witch
The Witches of the Logan Stone
Madgy Figgy's Chair
Old Mage Figgy and the Pig
Madame Noy and Old Joan
The Witch of Treva
How Mr Lenine gave up Courting
The Witch and the Toad
The Sailor Wizard

Traditions of Tinners

Traditions of Tinners
The Tinner of Chryannor
Who are the Knockers ?
Miner's Superstitions
Christmas-Eve in the Mines
Warnings and "Tokens"
The Ghost on Horseback
The Black Dogs
Pitmen's Omens and Goblins
The Dead Hand
Dorcas, the Spirit of Polbreen Mine
Hingston Downs

Romances of Fishermen and Sailors

The Pilot's Ghost Story
The Phantom Lights
Jack Harry's Lights
The Pirate Wrecker and the Death Ship
The Spectre Ship of Porthcuno
The Lady with the Lantern
The Drowned "Hailing their Names"
The Voice from the Sea
The Smuggler's Token
The Hooper of Sennen Cove
How to Eat Pilchards
Pilchards Crying for More
The Pressing-Stones
Whipping the Hake

Death Tokens and Superstitions

The Death Token of the Vingoes
The Death Fetch of William Rufus
Sir John Arundell
Phantoms of the Dying
The White Hare
The Hand of a Suicide
The North Side of a Church
Popular Superstitions

Customs of Ancient Days

Sanding the Step on New Year's Day
May-Day
Shrove Tuesday at St Ives
"The Furry, " Helstone
Midsummer Superstitious Customs
Crying the Neck
Drinking the Apple-Trees on Twelfth-Night
Allhallows-Eve at St Ives
The Twelfth Cake
Oxen Pray on Christmas-Eve
"St George" - The Christmas Plays
Geese-Dancing - Plough Monday
Christmas at St Ives
Lady Lovell's Courtship
The Game of Hurling

Sham Mayors

The Mayor of Mylor
The Mayor of St Germans
The Mayor of Halgaver Moor
The Faction Fight at Cury Great Tree
Towednack Cuckoo Feast
The Duke of Restormel

Popular Superstitions

Charming and Prophetic Power
Fortune Telling, Charms etc.
The Zennor Charmers
J - H - The Conjurer of St Columb
Cures for Warts
A Cure for Paralysis
A Cure for Rheumatism
Sundry Charms
The Club Moss
Moon Superstitions
Cures for Whooping Cough
Cure of Toothache
The Convalescent's Walk
Adders and the Milpreve
Snakes Avoid the Ash-Tree
To Charm a Snake
The Ash-Tree
Rhyme on the Even Ash
A Test of Innocency
The Bonfire Test
Lights Seen by the Converted
The Migratory Birds
Shooting Stars
The Sun Never Shines on the Perjured
Characteristic
The Mutton Feast
The Floating Grindstone
Celts- Flint Arrow-heads, etc.
The Horns on the Church Tower
Tea-Stalks and Smut
An Old Cornish Rhyme
To Choose a Wife
The Robin and the Wren
To Secure Good Luck for a Child
Innocency
Rain at Bridal or Burial
Crowing Hens etc.
The New Moon
Looking-Glasses
The Magpie
The Month of May Unlucky
On the Births of Children
On Washing Linen
Itching Ears
The Spark on the Candle
The Blue Vein
The Croaking of the Raven
Whistling
Meeting on the Stairs
Treading on Graves
A Loose Garter
To Cure the Hiccough
The Sleeping Foot
The Horse-Shoe
The Black Cat's Tail
Unlucky Things
The Limp Corpse
"By Hook or by Crook"
Weather Signs
Weather at Liskeard
The First Butterfly
Peculiar Words and Phrases

Miscellaneous Stories

The Bells of Forrabury Church
The Tower of Minster Church
Temple Moors
The Legend of Tamara
The Church and the Barn
The Penryn Tragedy
Goldsithney Fair and the Glove
The Harlyn Pie
Packs of Wool The Foundation of the Bridge of Wadebridge
The Last Wolf in England
Churches Built in Performance of Vows
Bolait, The Field of Blood
Woeful Moor, and Bodrigan's Leap
Pengerswick Castle
The Clerks of Cornwall
A Fairy Caught
The Lizard People
Prussia Cove and Smugglers' Holes
Cornish Teeny-Tiny
The Spaniard at Penryn
Boyer, Mayor of Bodmin
Thomasine, Bonaventure
The Last of the Killigrews
Saint Gerennius
Cornish Dialogue

Appendix

Bellerian
The Poem of the Wrestling
Shara and Sheela
The Hag's Bed near Fermoy
The Giant of Nancledry; and Trebiggan the Giant
Geese Dancing - Guise Dancing - Guizards
Wayland Smith
The Wonderful Cobbler of Wellington
H
St Piran's-Day and Picrous-Day
Moses Pitt's Letter Respecting Anne Jeffries
The Bargest, or Spectre Hound
The Mermaid's Revenge
Rock Masses, Celtic
Ambrosiae Petrae
Padstow Hobby Horse
The City of Langarrow or Langona - Perran Churches
St Piran - Perran Zabuloe
St Chiwidden
The Discoverer of Tin
St Neot
The Sisters of Glen-Neot
Millington of Pengerswick
Pengerswick
Saracen
The Tinner of Chyannor
Merry Sean Lads
The North Side of a Church
Peculiar Words and Phrases
The Harlyn Pie