BBC - Wiltshire - Moonraking

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15 November 2009
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Moonraking: The Folklore

Hauntings, superstitions, folklore and legends are rife in Wiltshire. The county has more than its fair share of mysterious happenings and here we bring you a selection plus the chance to add your own experiences!

Traditional caravan at Avebury

• Community History
Wiltshire County Council's Community History website includes a section featuring questions frequently asked by members of the public, which has brought some fascinating stories to light.
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• The Celtic Wheel
We're used to the idea of religous festivals helping us identify where we are in the calander but in more pagan times, the key points of the year were recognised in much the same way by our ancestors. Summer St John from Wiltshire-based Apogee has been investigating.
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• Black Dogs
Wiltshire enjoys its fair share of ghostly events concerning black dogs and Phil Jefferson has written to Moonraking to share tales of such things, which supposedly haunt the woods around Chapmanslade.
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• Moonraking
If you're born and bred in the county, you can rightfully claim to be a 'Moonraker'. But who were the first Moonrakers? There are many communities who lay claim to originating the story but the one we favour is set in Devizes...
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• Name calling
Are you a Bradford Gudgeon or a Trowbridge Knob? May be you prefer to be known as a Dabchick or even a Crocodile! People from many Wiltshire towns and villages are blessed with a sobriquet or nickname, often associated with local folklore...
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• Oak Apple Day
Here's a date for your diary: 29th May, or Oak Apple Day as it is in Great Wishford near Wilton. This special day is still celebrated in the village and perpetuates an ancient right to collect firewood in nearby Grovely Wood...
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• The flying monk
Icarus is remembered for his attempt at flying - and we all know his fate after he scorched his feathers flying too close to the sun. Another ill-fated flyer was Brother Elmer, who in 1010 repeated Icarus attempt by jumping off Malmesbury Abbey...
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• Devilish Wiltshire
Several parts of the county lay claim to their own devilish tales - hardly surprising when you consider his role in the basic premise of good versus evil. At Warminster, he appeared in the form of a hare during the public execution of two men in the town...
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• The ghostly fair
Edith Olivier, the Wiltshire writer who spent much of her life in the county, wrote about a particularly evocative experience that she witnessed for herself while travelling through Avebury....
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• Maypoles
Maypoles were once a common sight in Wiltshire's villages - now there are hardly any. They haven't always been popular - following an Act of Parliament in 1644, many were removed...