John Higson, South Manchester Supernatural
1) John Higson, South Manchester Supernatural: The Ghosts, Fairies, Boggarts and Superstitions of Victorian Gorton, Lees, Newton and Saddleworth (2020) (UK, US)
This is southern Manchester as you have never seen it before. We have: shape-changing ghosts; cow-levitating Boggarts; child-murdering Jenny Greenteeth; the tree-haunting Nut Nan; Dicky, a railway-destroying skull; din-making Clap Cans; border-guarding Pad Feet; and, beware, above all, Raura Peena the last fairy of Saddleworth. John Higson (1825-1871) wrote, from the 1850s, a series of supernatural sketches of Gorton (where he was born and grew up), Droylsden (where he lived), Lees (where he died), Saddleworth (where he walked) and other areas he visited, including Preston and Derbyshire. Born to a poor family, raised without an education, Higson became, through hard-work and talent one of the most exciting Lancashire folklore writers of his generation, and got to be friends with some of the most influential county authors of his day. However, because Higson never brought his folklore work together in a single volume his supernatural prose (and two songs) have been lost in obscure and, in some cases, forgotten publications. For the first time now his folklore compositions, from fifteen different articles and books, are gathered together in the hope of giving Higson (and the supernatural world he inhabited) the attention they so richly deserve. Also included: a short biography and William E. A. Axon’s ‘Hartshead Boggart’ (a tribute to Higson from a friend).
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