Way back in the mists of time, the very first piece of writing I ever had published professionally appeared in Fortean Times #187. Back in the summer of 2004, my article on John Middleton – The Childe of Hale – a real-life giant buried a stones throw from my childhood home, arrived on newsagents’ shelves.
Now, twenty-two years later, I’m privileged to have the piece republished by FT as part of their 2026 Folklore Special.
From the archives of Fortean Times, the world’s foremost journal of strange phenomena, comes a new collection exploring the world of British folklore and legend.
With a widespread revival of interest in folklore and the popularity of folk horror in the cinema, what better time to take a sometimes terrifying tour through our haunted land and its strange beliefs and customs? From the phantom hellhounds and hairy woodwoses of East Anglia to the shapeshifting Boggarts of Lancashire and the corpse candles of Wales, Britain is rich in strange traditions. There’s also no shortage of weird customs—from the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance to Christmas Mumming plays and the rise of ‘Dark Morris’ in Herefordshire – in which local communities prove that folklore is alive and well in the 21st century.
You can pre-order the FT Folklore Special online here, or find it wherever you get your magazines.