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The Ungrateful Sons
Mr Lacy leaves all his possessions to his three sons, on condition that they each take care of him, for one week at a time. The sons, thus rewarded, regard caring for their father as an unfortunate chore and mistreat him, so the old man goes to see a friend who was a lawyer…
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Old Jeffrey
One of England’s most famous poltergeists, and inspiration for many subsequent ghost stories. The poltergeist was reported to haunt Epworth Rectory, the childhood home of John and Charles Wesley (subsequently the founders of Methodism), for three months between 1716 and 1717…
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Tom Hickathrift
Legendary giant-killer, large and with superhuman strength but not himself a giant. He is comparable to the eponymous hero of the Cornish fairy tale ‘Jack the Giant Killer’, and possibly originates from the Norse god Thor…
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Grim & Boundel
In the times before the Vikings first came to Lindsey, and during a period of drought, a big sea captain known as Little Grim heard about two magic stones in the possession of the Danish king that, when hit with sticks of hazel, would make rain fall…
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The Jenny Hurn Boggart
This bend in the River Trent, south of Owston Ferry and once locally known as Jenny Hurn, is said to be frequented by ‘a pygmy being, man-like, with long hair and the face of a seal’, that occasionally crosses the river east to west, ‘in a small craft resembling a large pie-dish’…
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The Pottle o’ Brains
A foolish lad tells his mother he would like to buy a pottle of brains because he is tired of being stupid, and she gives him permission to see the wisewoman of the village. The wisewoman asks him to bring the heart of what he loves best, and he decides…
Lincolnshire Folk Tales Project 