The Witches and Fairies of Nineteenth-Century Ilkley
The Witches and Fairies of Nineteenth-Century Ilkley (2022) (UK, US)
The present volume brings together our sources for witch- and fairylore from the Ilkley area in the nineteenth century. The sources date from the 1860s to 1900. The most striking is, without doubt, William Butterfield’s encounter with the bath fairies, c. 1820: an often overlooked text by Dinah Craik is included, which sheds more light on William’s brush with the impossible. But there are other wonders, too: a witch’s tongue for sale in an Ilkley shop; old Red Cap; changelings; tips on how to protect yourself from witchcraft; glimpses of barguest; an old woman floating across the Wharfe by magic; and fairy churches, houses and pans in the wilds.
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