As stated by the Nottinghamshire Heritage Gateway, ‘folklore’ was originally coined in 1846 by W.J.Thoms – the founder of Notes & Queries – and has come to encompass seasonal customs, beliefs, legends, traditional arts, and similar activities.
From annual traditions, stories of hauntings, to paganism ties and creatures in the forest – our county has ‘seen it’ all.
Thanks to a delve into history blogs, newspaper archives and online forums, here is a closer look at some lesser-known folklores and folk customs in the Nottinghamshire area.
Did your village make the list?
1. Robin Hood
We could not start this list by not mentioning the county's most famous folklore. The story of Robin Hood has put Nottinghamshire on the map for centuries, with people visiting from far and wide to know more about the world's most famous outlaw depicted in English folklore. Robin Hood and his Merry Men are known to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor during reign of King Richard the Lionheart. Hood subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. The first recorded literature reference of Robin Hood was in 1377. According to local folklore, Edwinstowe's Major Oak - in the heart of Sherwood Forest - was Robin Hood's shelter where he and his merry men slept. Photo: National World
2. Wellow Maypole
A maypole has stood on the village green in Wellow, near Rufford, for generations. The maypole features heavily in English folklore with ties to European folk culture. An annual maypole dance, is a ceremonial folk dance performed around a tall pole garlanded with greenery or flowers on the first day of May. In the Folklore Journal, Vol.2 1884 there appears the following account of the Wellow maypole. The permanent 60-foot maypole is one of the tallest in the UK and is the focus for the Spring Bank Holiday revelry in the village. Pictured: All smiles as the May Queen Ellie Wilson takes over from her predecessor Lucy Hollingworth, the longest-reigning May Queen in recent times. Photo: Joy Allison
3. Old Ship Inn, Worksop
Legend has it that a number of wooden beams inside the pub were taken from ships in the Battle of Trafalgar, hence the pub's name. Local folklore has long since speculated that the 'Old Ship’ is/was connected to the Welbeck estate via a secret passage where priests used to hide. The validity of this is open for debate and continues to remain a mystery. Read more about the pub's history on 'Our Nottinghamshire' blog. Photo: Zoopla
4. Baby-rocking ceremonies in Blidworth
Traditionally, the baby boy born closest to Christmas day in the village is rocked in a cradle to re-enact the presentation of Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem. The baby is baptised at St Mary’s Church, often during the Holy Communion Service in the morning and then rocked during the ceremony that afternoon. The practice dates back to the Middle Ages. The ceremony fell out of favour in the 1600s because it became an excuse for excess partying and drinking among villagers. There was even a murder at the 1598 rocking. But Blidworth revived the tradition in 1922, and the village church is believed to be the only place in the world where it still takes place. Pictured: The unveiling of the Rocking sculpture at Forest Folk Corner in Blidworth ten years ago. Photo: Roger Grayson