FOLKLORE by Mike Turnbull

FOLKLORE

Emma’s fall.
The tragic tale of Sir Eglamore’s fiance Emma, who fell into Aira Force waterfalls near Ullswater in the Lake District. Emma was prone to sleepwalking and Sir Eglamore returned from the crusades to find her wandering the falls. He made the mistake of waking her by his touch whereupon she awoke, then lost her footing. Sir Eglamore was so distraught, he spent the rest of his life in a cave behind one of the falls.

Devil’s Hand.
Devil’s Bridge is famed for its location at Kirkby Lonsdale and has a sinister tale attached. The bridge was built by the Devil as a bargain struck by a woman who wanted to cross the river with her cow and dog. The woman outwitted him by letting the dog cross first, thus no human soul could be claimed by him, which saved her life. The Devil retreated but not before leaving his hand print on the bridge.

Bella Sheephead.
A dark tale from Dunnerdale in the Lake district where a young girl called Bella would become a blood sucking demon at night. The taste of her own ill fated pet lamb’s blood changed her into a sheep demon. She would kill flocks of sheep at night which prompted the local farmers to take any livestock off the fells. Bella’s blood lust turned to humans as a result. She was said to have grown a grotesque sheeps head.

Magpie Gold.
Any super fans of the Detectorists may recognise the scene depicted in the lyrics of this song. It almost describes the scene in the final episode of series three where the landscape morphs from present day to centuries before. Medieval farmers blow a hawk whistle and they bury gold in an earthen pot before the landscape changes to reveal the coins spilling from the ploughed soil in later times. Magpies take the coins to a nearby tree where Andy & Lance eventually get their prize as they spill out in the closing scene.

The Crier.
The Crier, or Crier of Claife is a tale of a ferryman based at Ferry Nab on Windermere. The story goes that he settles in for the night at the local Inn whereupon he hears a call for a crossing. Extremely tired, he reluctantly accepts the fare but with dire consequences. The voice he heard was the Crier. A demon who wanted to lure him to the depths of Hell itself. The Ferryman escaped but returned so frightened that he died. The local Priest at St Martins church was sent out to catch the fiend and took him to Claife Tower on the far side of the lake.

Where Fortunes Lie.
A Viking tale at the time they stopped raiding our shores and decided to settle instead. Treasures from Monasteries were all well and good, but there were more riches to be found in the land itself. They could settle along the banks of the rivers, farm the land which was very different to their own land. Indeed, traces of these settlements or camps have been found in the form of various artifacts. One which caught my imagination were their gaming tokens or pieces. You can imagine them sitting around a fire at night playing board games, after a long day of sailing, rowing up rivers or farming.

Salt Upon The Fire.
There are many superstitions across our lands. Some believe throwing salt upon a fire prevents tears or wards off evil spirits, while others consider it a way to dispel bad luck from spilled salt. It was customary to plant Rowan trees near homes and livestock to ward off witches and protect against enchantments. Even today, remnants of these superstitions linger in rural communities, where the Rowan tree continues to be revered as a symbol of protection and good fortune.

Valiant Knight.
The Valiant Knight of Brough Castle is an epic tale of brave, and not so brave knights, trying to defend the castle from Scottish raiders. Six knights decided to see if they could ward them off but realised it was a tall order. They retreated down the tower steps, now on fire, to the safety in the lower halls. The Valiant Knight turned around and grabbed all the weapons he could find on the way back up the tower. He only had 2 Shields and 3 spears, which clearly wasn’t enough! He soon retreated too.

Hungry Fox.
Kate found this traditional rhyme and song in a folklore book and remembered it from her childhood. As I didn’t know it, I decided to ‘borrow’ the lyrics and modernise the song to a catchy new version which I do know!

Black Bess.
Dick Turpin is embossed in our minds as pretty much the only highwayman remembered. However in the Eighteenth century there were many highwaymen as the roads from town to town became very dangerous to travel. It was said that Dick Turpin was chased from London to York, whereupon he would find safety. He came to a gorge which he needed to cross to be safe from the pursuing Marshalls. He willed Black Bess to leap this gorge to escape the noose. Although the story was probably attributed to fellow highwayman of the time, Swift Nick. Through time it became the tale of Dick Turpin and Black Bless due to their notoriety and the passing down of the story from generation to generation.

"Mike Turnbull is a singer-songwriter from the Lake District, UK whose main instruments are tenor guitar & octave mandola. Their sound coupled with the sources of his songs suggests Seth Lakeman and, in truth, that isn’t a bad comparison. He certainly has the same drive and energy."
Dai Jeffries - Folking.com

Independent recording artist, producer and session musician.
miketurnbullmusic.com

miketurnbullmusic.com
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