Norfolk Folklore Society
The Norfolk Folklore Society podcast hosted by Siofra Connor & Stacia Briggs. We hope to entice folklore lovers, stone spotters, paranormal investigators, cryptozoologists, folk horror enthusiasts, ufologists, magic users and any other curious souls to join us on our strange journeys around Norfolk.
Episodes
May 1, 2024 • 38 mins
In this episode Siofra and Stacia explore the tale of Melvena Spinks, and alleged witch from East Dereham.
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Join the Norfolk Folklore Society as we introduce author, illustrator and folklorist Helen JR Bruce who will be diving into the rich folklore and mythology surrounding Black Dogs.
Cover illustration - Shuck Zine / Matt Willis
Cover illustration - Shuck Zine / Matt Willis
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March 1, 2024 • 49 mins
This month we have a chat about a very haunted house in Thorpe Marriott. Inspired by the new BBC documentary about the Amityville Horror house, we searched our archives and dug out one of our creepiest stories to discuss.
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February 15, 2024 • 47 mins
We were absolutely delighted to welcome Lucy Spirit and Rachel Duffield as our January speakers the Norfolk Heritage Centre at the Norwich Millennium Library.
Rachel, who is an artist and costume marker, a historical reenactor and an incredible painter who spent years working for Norfolk Museums Service will be presenting the talk written by Lucy, a researcher, writer, open-minded sceptic and spooky expert.
T...
Rachel, who is an artist and costume marker, a historical reenactor and an incredible painter who spent years working for Norfolk Museums Service will be presenting the talk written by Lucy, a researcher, writer, open-minded sceptic and spooky expert.
T...
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February 1, 2024 • 34 mins
Today’s podcast is about the Magical Sword of Winfarthing, the Excalibur of Norfolk which helped women rid themselves of terrible husbands (and find their lost horses) from the safety of their village church.
We have plenty of sword play with a range of topics which see us discuss witchcraft, famous magical swords and why we can’t pronounce most of them, why the sword is associated with supernatural and magical powers...
We have plenty of sword play with a range of topics which see us discuss witchcraft, famous magical swords and why we can’t pronounce most of them, why the sword is associated with supernatural and magical powers...
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January 14, 2024 • 62 mins
Our December 2023 talk was given by the wonderful Val Thomas. Val, a good friend of the Norfolk Folklore Society (she was the first ever speaker the NFS had at our monthly talks!), shared some recommendations for a magical Yule or Christmas dinner with our guests.
About Val:
Val Thomas is a witch, a craftsperson, herbalist and a teacher. For more than a quarter of a century she has lived in Norwich, working with ...
About Val:
Val Thomas is a witch, a craftsperson, herbalist and a teacher. For more than a quarter of a century she has lived in Norwich, working with ...
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December 12, 2023 • 64 mins
We were delighted to welcome the wonderful Laura Cannell to our November at The Louis Marchesi in the pub’s 15th century undercroft.
Laura spoke about her new project, MARSHLORE, which has so far seen the publication of two zines, each of which include a miscellany of stories, original artwork, folklore and more, inspired by the East Anglian marshes, ancient folklore and living traditions. She calls it: “A mix of thor...
Laura spoke about her new project, MARSHLORE, which has so far seen the publication of two zines, each of which include a miscellany of stories, original artwork, folklore and more, inspired by the East Anglian marshes, ancient folklore and living traditions. She calls it: “A mix of thor...
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December 1, 2023 • 36 mins
This month’s podcast is all about ghosts – or rather, the ghosts we’d all draw if anyone
asked us to mock up a quick doodle. You know the one: looks like a floating bedsheet with eyes.
Round on top, wiggly on the bottom, with a couple of eyes holes – it’s the image that
always pops to mind when thinking of ghosts: but why?
This very specific image of ghosts as white sheets has been engrained in our c...
asked us to mock up a quick doodle. You know the one: looks like a floating bedsheet with eyes.
Round on top, wiggly on the bottom, with a couple of eyes holes – it’s the image that
always pops to mind when thinking of ghosts: but why?
This very specific image of ghosts as white sheets has been engrained in our c...
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November 15, 2023 • 74 mins
On October 24 Christian Hudson from Norfolk Ghost Hunters came to speak to us at the Norfolk Folklore Society’s monthly meeting.
Christian works within a team of five, each of whom specialise in different fields, and is a paranormal investigator and demonologist. He works in tandem with the Church of England and the Catholic church and he and his team have been involved with hundreds of paranormal investigations at v...
Christian works within a team of five, each of whom specialise in different fields, and is a paranormal investigator and demonologist. He works in tandem with the Church of England and the Catholic church and he and his team have been involved with hundreds of paranormal investigations at v...
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November 1, 2023 • 36 mins
Today’s podcast was recorded on Gressenhall Farm and workhouse’s Apple Day, which we were delighted to be part of, representing Norfolk Folklore Society in the farmhouse kitchen. From the kitchen table we offered people a host of apple folklore and it was lovely to welcome so many people and to hear their own folklore and ghost stories.
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September 30, 2023 • 34 mins
Simply because they are not expected, ghosts that appear in modern surroundings and with no warning often feel like the most terrifying of all.
Today’s ghost is absolutely terrifying. Our witness tells us: “It was like a damp sheet of very black space wrapping itself around me…”
And where was this horrific patch of dark matter? In the very middle of Norwich city centre, in buildings which have part of an old chur...
Today’s ghost is absolutely terrifying. Our witness tells us: “It was like a damp sheet of very black space wrapping itself around me…”
And where was this horrific patch of dark matter? In the very middle of Norwich city centre, in buildings which have part of an old chur...
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September 1, 2023 • 54 mins
This episode takes us back to the Black Shuck Festival on August 5.
Thank you to everyone who attended and to the festival for having us: we had such a magical time and hope to be involved with next year’s Shuck shenanigans.
We hope you enjoy Shuck Storytime!
Thank you to everyone who attended and to the festival for having us: we had such a magical time and hope to be involved with next year’s Shuck shenanigans.
We hope you enjoy Shuck Storytime!
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S2 Ep9: Norfolk Folklore Society presents Alice Crick: Faunus: Landscape, Memory, and Folk Practice.
August 14, 2023 • 48 mins
We were delighted to welcome the wonderful Alice Crick as our next speaker on July 26 at Arboretum on St Benedict’s Street.
Alice’s talk was called Faunus: Landscape, Memory, and Folk Practice. Here, she explains what she spoke about:
“The great god Faunus has haunted the wildwoods of Norfolk for aeons, leaping across heathlands and fens into other counties whilst also keeping his fluid limbs ready to change names...
Alice’s talk was called Faunus: Landscape, Memory, and Folk Practice. Here, she explains what she spoke about:
“The great god Faunus has haunted the wildwoods of Norfolk for aeons, leaping across heathlands and fens into other counties whilst also keeping his fluid limbs ready to change names...
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August 1, 2023 • 38 mins
We’ve got a very special podcast for you today: we travelled across the border to Bungay to speak to two eye witnesses who have seen – or heard – everyone’s favourite cryptid canine, Black Shuck. Another eye witness account from Bacton is also shared.
This episode's cover image is by the very talented Matt Willis and taken from Shuck Zine.
TheFolkLoreBox - Etsy UK
This episode's cover image is by the very talented Matt Willis and taken from Shuck Zine.
TheFolkLoreBox - Etsy UK
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July 1, 2023 • 37 mins
We were honoured to interview the legendary Black Shuck at our June 2023 at Arboretum and what an evening it was! Black Shuck was absoultly charming, James Mayhew performed and illustrated a wonderful poem and Stephanie Timberlake shared detail of what we have to look forward to at the festival in August.
Just a little warning that this is a live recording so has some background noise. Also, it probably isn't safe for...
Just a little warning that this is a live recording so has some background noise. Also, it probably isn't safe for...
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June 1, 2023 • 37 mins
Today’s podcast is all about the slightly unusual story of time travelling…in an abandoned Norwich underground toilet which has now been demolished. So this isn’t one you can try at home…
This curious tale is courtesy of Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe.
This curious tale is courtesy of Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe.
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May 15, 2023 • 50 mins
Last week Stacia and I shared some of our favourite stones in Norfolk with the Norfolk Folklore Society. We told tales of stones said to increase fertility, stones with curses attached to them, stones where offerings are left, stones that induce orgies, haunted stones and even a mysterious Druid’s stone in the centre of Norwich.
Thanks as always to Arboretum for being such lovely hosts.
Thanks as always to Arboretum for being such lovely hosts.
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May 1, 2023 • 37 mins
Today’s podcast is a classic bit of Norfolk folklore that takes us along the country roads near Cantley, past dykes and low-lying marshland, fields and hedgerows, ancient villages and hidden treasure. We are talking about Callow Pit, a tree-shrouded pond at a crossroads said to have been a hiding place for outlaws, smugglers…and the Devil.
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April 15, 2023 • 43 mins
In April we looked outside of our magical county to virtually visit the ancient ritualistic landscape of the South Dorset Ridgeway with Alex aka Stone Wizard.
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April 1, 2023 • 45 mins
Today’s podcast is a brand-new story (for us!) about a well-documented haunting close to Fakenham in the 1970s in two flats built on the site of a village lost to time many centuries earlier. Ghosts seen included a figure wearing white, a teenage girl and a man: residents reported feeling “a terrible sense of evil” and dreadful things have happened to these buildings over the decades.
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