Series 5 Episode 4: Westmoreland

Because this is our last "County Episode" for a while, what with next Monday seeing the start of our month-long Haunting Season of spooky content, for this week's episode we've pulled out all the stops, going a bit bonkers for the half-forgotten history and folklore of Westmoreland!

We start off chatting about various Harvest Fair traditions, including beliefs about Michaelmas, "Lawless Hours" and the delightfully anarchic Kidderminster Fray - after which we wend our way to Westmoreland.

Aside from chatting about some of the county's history, including its flooded Corpse Road, the Romantic 'Lake Poets' who called it home, and sites like Kendal, Grasmere, Appleby and Lake Windermere, Martin throws the sweet and savoury together for this week's County Dish, with delights including Westmoreland Sweet Lamb Pie and the county's traditional Pepper Cake!

When it comes to folklore, interspersed with some excerpts from next Saturday's Local Legends interview with the one and only TAFFY THOMAS!!!! (yes, you read that correctly) England's first-ever Storytelling Laureate who shares two tales in just this episode, we talk about Westmoreland's murderous giant Girt Will, Mary Baines the Witch of Tebay, the Curse of Levens Hall, and much more besides.

Then it's on to the main event: Martin's take on "The Somnambulist" which draws together William Wordsworth, the legend of Aira Force, elves, dragons, questing knights, and a healthy dose of the supernatural...

We really hope you enjoy the episode, and we'll be back on Thursday with a new Something Wicked bonus episode about the glamorous 17th century mass murderess La Quintrala ahead of Saturday's full Local Legends chat with Taffy, and the launch of Haunting Season 2024 next Monday!

The Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.

Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...

Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays (Magic and Medicines about folk remedies and arcane spells, Three Ravens Bestiary about cryptids and mythical creatures, Dying Arts about endangered heritage crafts, and Something Wicked about folkloric true crime from across history) plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.

With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?

Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast

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