LEGENDS OF THE EAST ANGLIAN LANDSCAPE

Last updated: January 23rd, 2008 Hidden East Anglia:

Now incorporating

the biggest collection anywhere of legends and encounters with that old phantom favourite, the

ghostly hound Black Shuck, in his native counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire

Landscape Legends of Norfolk & Suffolk

Ancient burial mounds, old stones, crossroads, pits, remarkable trees, graves, secret tunnels, beacons, bowers, ponds, earthworks, crosses, effigies, holy wells, hills, ancient dykes, churches, pillars, bridges, fields, moats, meres.....

This is a website of Places and Things, and the weird tales that people have told of them. Although ghosts do feature, it's not a tourist's guide to haunted inns and stately homes. Every legend here is firmly fixed to a particular location or object, whether it's a natural feature of the Norfolk and Suffolk landscape, or one imposed on the landscape by Man.

Growing from an involvement many years ago in the Earth Mysteries field, I've long been fascinated by the way in which folklore and legend attach themselves to both natural and man-made objects. Hidden beneath the skin of the landscape, behind the scenery and the tourist sites, are the bones and blood of tradition. History has mixed with folklore to produce tales of hidden treasure, legendary battles, strange burials, living stones, saints and spirits, devils and demons.

This site is basically a gathering of every legend that I've found in more than 30 years of collecting tales throughout my native East Anglia, and through exploring old books, periodicals and manuscripts. Some of the 300+ legends here appear in no books that I know of, while others haven't seen the light of day for decades.

I've visited many of the sites myself, so I've tried to give Ordnance Survey map references where possible. And I always try to give my sources - though some of the tales were collected so long ago that I no longer have any record of where I found them!

This site is arranged in three ways:

First there's a Gazetteer of every place mentioned, alphabetically by parish or town, and separated into Norfolk and Suffolk. (Where secret tunnels that run from one parish to another are involved, I've had to make a choice as to which end should be the focus of the Gazetteer entry).

Then there is a Landscape Features section, grouping the types of site (mounds, stones, trees etc) into eight categories - with the eighth being the inevitable collection of 'Miscellaneous Tales' that wouldn't fit anywhere else. Here you'll also find 'Extras' - links in most categories to objects that may not have a story, but which deserve to be recorded. (For example, in the 'Trees' section, there's a link to all the various 'Gospel Oaks' and other notable trees that I've found. Similarly, under 'Old Stones' you'll find a link to a list of stones that may be significant in some way, such as on an ancient route, or in the foundations of a church).

Finally there is a Themes section. It doesn't contain everything from the first two lists, but gathers some of the stories under common theme headings, such as 'Hidden Treasure', 'The Devil', or 'The Haunted Landscape'. In the 'Giants, Dragons & Fairies' category there's a link to my 'Quest for Tom Hickathrift', a serious investigation into the origins of the legendary Norfolk giant, and all the sites associated with him. There's also a lengthy search for the truth about 'Edmund of East Anglia', our first patron saint, who has left his mark all over the eastern landscape.

I'd be pleased to hear from anyone who could add any detail to the stories already here, and especially pleased to hear any new tales connected with the landscape features of Norfolk and Suffolk. For this or any comments you might have about this site, please make an entry on the Feedback Form. Alternatively, email me at the address below.

Explore and enjoy!

Mike Burgess.

Lowestoft, Suffolk.

October 2005.

Email: mikeburgess@hiddenea.com

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