There are secrets hidden in every corner of Norfolk, even in the least expected places: what today forms part of a modern shopping mall was once the place where city people went to have curses removed and good luck restored.


This week the team are recording from the crypt at the Assembly House and discuss the wise women of St Stephens and Mrs Mortimer of Great Yarmouth.

S1 Ep31: The wise women of St Stephen's

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.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

In this episode Siofra and Stacia explore the tale of Melvena Spinks, and alleged witch from East Dereham. 

S2 Ep21: The witch of East Dereham

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

S2 Ep20: Norfolk Folklore Presents Helen JR Bruce: Black Shuck, Gytrash and Grim, the Folkloric Black Dog as Death Omen and Guide

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.

S2 Ep19: A VERY haunted house at Thorpe Marriott

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.



Those attending will discover a brief history of Raynham Hall and the life of its infamous ‘Brown Lady’ ghost and how she became a worldwide phenomenon, the history of spirit photography, its controversial reputation and the photographer and sceptic who battled in court over its authenticity and the legacy of spirit photography.



The talk will be the third in a series of Norfolk Folklore Society events for The British Library’s Living Knowledge Network’s Fantasy: Realms of Imagination exhibition which has been funded by Anguish’s Educational Foundation and Arts Council England.

S2 Ep18: Norfolk Folklore Presents Lucy Spirit and Rachel Duffield - The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall

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 and why making swords was so revered.



(Something I forgot to mention in the podcast is what some of those secrets were, such as “the virtues of certain liquids for quenching the hot iron, varying from the water of certain rivers to the urine of a red-haired boy or the juice of radishes mixed with earthworms.” Bear this in mind the next time you make a sword).



Find out why folk magic in a church might not have been the no-no it later became, why women felt the need to ask a sword for help if their husband was a wrong ‘un, a real example of a sword in a stone and how to use a sword for toothache (useful in these days of no NHS dentists).



Siofra also offers an alternative title to the five-series-long Merlin TV series which would have made it a whole lot better and Stacia wonders what excuse you’d need to come up with in order to go and ask a sword to murder your husband once a week for a year.



Both members of the Norfolk Folklore Society would like to make it very clear that they love their husbands very much and have not been visiting (a) Winfarthing or (b) a sword.



We hope you enjoy! 



Love from Siofra and Stacia






S1 Ep31: The wise women of St Stephen's

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