John Billingsley suggests a more mundane origin for some alignments The defining characteristic of a ley is – I hope we would all agree – straightness. That was the key point that Alfred Watkins drew attention to, and even advocates of the alleged energy lines that have come to be mis-labelled ‘ley lines’ generally feel […]
A New Line on the Ley: Desire Paths Read More »
This article from John Billingsley[1] is intended as a reflection upon the influence of urbanised and planned landscapes upon human perceptions and the social and political attitudes that may derive from shifting psychogeographic viewsheds Broadly and simply summarised, the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, was characterised by a change in human relationships with the land.
A New Mesolithic Mindset in place: When the rough beast returns Read More »
NE has made frequent references to psychogeography, a hydra-like conceptualisation of people’s interaction with place. Often seen as an urban pastime with origins in a post-war Marxist milieu, John Billingsley here explores how it is also pertinent to rural and traditional cultures and communities, and bears a clear connection with earth mysteries and the wider
The City and the Country: Psychogeography – As we see it Read More »
David Kaiser suggests that an Irish folktale may contain intimations of a native shamanic tradition In Patrick Kennedy’s 1866 seminal Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts, he relates the story of ‘The Corpse Watchers’ [1]. This, he tells us, was the tale most often repeated to him while collecting these stories. In light of modern
The Corpse Watcher Read More »
‘Old Blighty’ has rarely lived up to its nickname as persistently as it has in the last few years. John Billingsley looks at some old techniques used by farmers to keep their animals sickness-free. It’s been a grim spring all round for lovers of rural environments, and especially for British farmers. The spectre of
Medical Care, Magical Cure: Traditional strategies for healthy livestock Read More »
Folk cures for humans as well as beasts involved the medical, the magical and sometimes the simply mystifying. Peter Watson reveals some of the techniques in traditional and historical medical practice The library of Chetham’s school in Manchester contains a remarkable if largely forgotten herbal, beautifully written and illuminated in a hand of the
Folk Medicine and Magic in Lancashire Read More »
David Bower relates a case of a concealed ‘witch bottle’ in West Yorkshire I read with interest John Billingsley’s article about witch bottles [1]. It reminded me of a discovery I came across when researching for a book on local Quaker history [2]. A lead plaque was discovered during the late 1980s, concealed in
The Curse of John Wood Of Newhouse Read More »
Readers may recollect NE’s debate about the ‘blackface’ tradition in British folk performance. NE in general supports established or revival traditions that can be understood as maintaining an element either of disguise necessary in a historical social context, or liminality. Sometimes, however, customs arise where people see things as ‘fun’ and do not realise the
Discussions on ‘Blackface’ issues Read More »
Mumming plays, like so much of British folklore, have been subject to questionable assumptions as to their age and meaning, but today research has shed a clearer light on their origins and functions, as Eddie Cass describes. Easter! Once again, hundreds of people from miles around – and further – will come into Hebden
What is the Pace-Egg Play? Read More »
Michael Haslam muses on the Easter mumming play, to make an important observation concerning its age It’s done because it’s done This much, I believe, is agreed: Pace-Egg, a variant of the St. George Play, is a Folk Play and a Calendar Custom. It was once widely distributed across Britain. Two of its most
Pace-Egg: Notes for a history of doggerel Read More »