19 h 28 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What do old stones, stormy seas and long winter nights mean to an island steeped in legend?
In Guernsey Folk Lore, Edgar MacCulloch gathers the stories, superstitions and customs of his island home. He listens to what his neighbours believe and records traditions before they fade. Rather than a single plot, this collection offers many small accounts of a place with its own French-based speech, laws and habits.
Witchcraft holds a strong place in these accounts. Islanders tell of witches who spoil milk, harm cattle and raise storms. Other traditions place fairies and spirits in fields, wells, lanes and ancient stone monuments. Alongside these tales, MacCulloch records charms, cures and customs that connect old beliefs with birth, marriage, death and the farming year.
What you’ll discover
- An island's distinct character Explore Guernsey's own speech and customs, close to France yet long tied to the English crown.
- Witches and gathering storms Discover beliefs about witchcraft that place cattle, milk and household health under threat.
- Spirits among old stones Meet the fairies and lesser spirits that Guernsey tradition links to familiar island places.
- Charms for daily life Explore cures and signs of luck that show how belief shapes everyday habits.
- Customs through the seasons Trace traditions surrounding life's milestones and the farming year through these small accounts.
Who will love it
Readers who love fairy tales, ghost stories and old customs will find a home here, along with anyone curious about island life, farm and sea work, village rhymes, and how beliefs travel between Normandy, Brittany and Britain.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The island year is filled with holidays
- A road inspection became a grand procession
- Work by the sea doubles as a party
- Birth, marriage and death follow old rules
- Stones and rocks hold the island's memory
- Holy wells and chapels blend faith and charm
- Fairies, goblins and the Devil share the dark
- Fear of witches shaped law, trade and home
- Proverbs, songs and tales keep the voice
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- Large print hardcover
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Guernsey Folk Lore
by Edgar MacCulloch · 1903
At midnight on Christmas Eve, Guernsey farmers swear their cattle kneel and the well water turns to wine.
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In short
Do the cattle of Guernsey really kneel at midnight on Christmas Eve? Old islanders swear they do, and they warn that no one should watch.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The island year is filled with holidays
The book opens with the calendar, because Guernsey people love a holiday. Christmas, New Year, Easter, Whitsun and Midsummer bring work almost to a stop, and only a very poor household goes without cake. In 1622 the Royal Court even banned begging on St John's Eve and New Year's Eve at the clergy's request, yet many customs survived the ban.
On December 23 comes la longue veille, a family evening of spiced mulled wine and Guernsey biscuit. It recalls the days when knitting for English and French markets filled the winter nights. On the last night of the year, boys parade a grotesque figure called le vieux bout de l'an through the streets and bury or burn it. January 1 matters more to many families than Christmas, with gifts, visits and currant cake. In the new year, neighbours join the big plough, with as many as twenty-two animals pulling, and the farmer feeds every helper all day.
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What is Guernsey Folk Lore about?
It records the customs, festivals, superstitions and legends of Guernsey, a Channel Island. It covers holidays, the sea, standing stones, holy wells, fairies, ghosts, witches, proverbs, songs and tales, often with comparisons to Normandy, Brittany and Britain.
Who was Sir Edgar MacCulloch?
He was a Guernsey man who collected his island's folklore in the nineteenth century. He drew on stories from servants, friends and neighbours, as well as his own research and observation.
What is the Chevauchée de St Michel?
It is a former road inspection ridden every third year by officers of the Court of the Priory of St Michel. It grew into a parade with footmen, a long lance, stops for food and drink, and the last ride in 1837.
The author
Edgar MacCulloch
1808–1896 · Guernsey antiquarian and folklorist
Sir Edgar MacCulloch (1808–1896) was an antiquarian who lived in Guernsey and served as its Bailiff. He collected material on the island’s folklore. His work was published after his death as Guernsey Folk Lore in 1903. Edith F. Carey edited the book and added material of her own.
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