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The Tetford Witch
Tales exist concerning a witch who lived close to Tetford church, in a cottage with a small hole in it, through which she was allegedly seen to pass in the form of a hare – once commonly-believed to be a regular form of disguise for witches.
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King Cnut & the Trent Aegir
The Trent Aegir is a tidal bore on the River Trent, perhaps named for the Ægir, a personification of the ocean in Norse mythology. It tends to run out of steam just south of Gainsborough. The town was briefly the capital of Viking England…
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The Green Lady
According to the legend, Bolle was duty-bound to protect Oviedo, who had been taken prisoner during Sir Walter Raleigh’s 1596 raid on Cadiz, and they fell in love. She apparently pleaded with Bolle to take her back to England and marry her, and eventually he confessed that he was married already, so must refuse…
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The Great Bell of Burgh
Inhabitants of Burgh le Marsh used to light a beacon to lure ships, hoping they would assume it marked the shore, would founder, and could then be pillaged. However, in 1629, as the Mary Rose rounded the shore, there was a significant storm, so the people decided instead…
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The East Halton Hob-Thrust
One morning, so this story goes, a farmer in East Halton got up early to bring his sheep to the barn for shearing – a task he had meant to do the night before – and noticed they were already in there, with a hare among them. He looked up to see the hob-thrust on…
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Greestone Stairs Ghosts
Several ghost stories are associated with the location, including that of a nun who allegedly lays a baby in a flowerbed, the stolen head of St Hugh bouncing down the steps after being dropped by a thief, and a cleric standing under a lamppost…
Lincolnshire Folk Tales Project 