The Three Ravens Podcast

This week we have something really special for you - a recording of our recent Three Ravens Live Show at Battle Folk & Fable Festival! Focused on the town of Battle on the Kent-Sussex border, and the lore and history of the area, we're talking ghosts, giants, faeries, demon dogs and witches, and Martin is telling his rather silly take on the life of William the Conqueror. With legends includin...

In our fourth Listener Episode, we have a lovely clutch of tales, trivia, and even some recipes sent in by members of the Three Ravens community! The stories include lore about Norfolk's "Callow Pit," the Red Billed Chough, the mythical land of Orkney's 'Fin Folk,' details of an archaeological discovery involving an Anglo Saxon Cunning Woman, a probably (almost certainly) fake Scottish King, and m...

Here's the last in our quintet of bonus compilation episodes to help plug the gap between Seasons 4 and 5.   We’ve entitled this episode Three More Horrors because… well, because these stories are about horrible things, as you might expect – a bit of a warm up for Haunting Season perhaps – with this clutch of tales including our Berkshire story, Herne The Hunter , our Lancashire story, The Gh...

Here's the fourth in our quintet of bonus compilation episodes to help plug the gap between Seasons 4 and 5.   We’ve entitled this episode Three Farces because these tales are silly. Not entirely silly of course, they do have important ideas running through them, but, like all good comedies, they combine a little bit of tickle with a little bit of slap! They include our Herefordshire story, T...

Here's the third in our quintet of bonus compilation episodes to help plug the gap between Seasons 4 and 5. We’ve entitled this episode Three Tombs because these are stories of uncanny things deep underground – places of death and strangeness we’ve sought to bring out into the light – including our Gloucestershire story, The Torbarrow Gaurdian, our Somerset story, The Witch of Wookey Hole, and our...

Here's the second in our quintet of bonus compilation episodes to help plug the gap between Seasons 4 and 5. We’ve entitled this episode Three Romances because it contains three of our tales that are neither comedic, nor tragic – rather, they are strange adventures, and some corkers at that – including our Westmoreland story, The Witch of the Westmoreland, our Nottinghamshire story, The Many Death...

Here's the first in our quintet of bonus compilation episodes to help plug the gap between Seasons 4 and 5. We’ve entitled this episode Three Fae Tales because, as you might expect, it contains three of our fairy or fairy-adjacent stories, including our Yorkshire story, A Discovery of Supposed Witchcraft, our Wiltshire story, A Cuckoo In Winter, and our Warwickshire story from Series 4 The Hand of...

For our final Local Legends episode for Series 4, Martin gathers round the campfire to talk about the folklore of Sussex with Dr Paul Quinn. Paul grew up in Sussex, going on to complete his doctorate at the University of Sussex, working on anti-Catholicism and the Early Modern Stage. He has a wide array of interests, from Doctor Who and popular science fiction to the history of fairy tales, Shakes...

For our Series 4 finale we've got something really special: our first-ever Three Ravens Live Show, all about Sussex, recorded at the Festival of Chichester! We start off with a full live performance of Three Ravens care of Eleanor and our friend and neighbour Ben Harber, and then have a chat about the curious history of Chichester itself. After that, it's time to talk Sussex - and there's so much...

For our penultimate Local Legends episode for Series 4, Martin gathers round the campfire to talk about the folklore of Shropshire with Amy Boucher. Amy is a writer and a folklorist, an educator and a podcaster. She focuses on her native Shropshire, with her emphasis primarily being on the interplay between folklore, history and the paranormal. Like many of us, Amy is fascinated by perceptions of...

In our final bonus episode for Series 4, we're exploring the truly wild life and genuinely abominable crimes of H.H. Holmes, America's first serial killer. Part of the "Something Wicked" series, we start by chatting through how communication technology in the 19th century created a much more anonymous society, one in which a man born Herman Webster Mudgett in New Hampshire could grow up and skip a...

On this week's episode we're headed back to Shropshire in North West England, and Eleanor is telling a Devil tale with a twist... We start off chatting about St Killian, about whom Martin is decidedly unimpressed, after which we sidle on into Shropshire! In addition to talking about the Wrekin, A.E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad , and the morbid nature of some of Shropshire's folk magic, we get the p...

On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin gathers round the campfire to talk about the folklore of Middlesex with the hosts of The Loremen Podcast James Shakeshaft and Alasdair Beckett-King. Over seven years ago, when they were fairly early in their careers as stand-up comedians, James and Alasdair found themselves chatting about folklore on a road trip to the South West. After amusing one a...

In this week's bonus episode, Eleanor talks us through the history and folklore of brooms and besom-making - so flying ointment at the ready! Part of the "Dying Arts" series, we start by discussing the difference between brooms and besoms, the neolithic strategies used to sweep, and how the Black Death ushered in new concepts of cleanliness and godliness. After that, and a chat about the noble wor...

On this week's episode we're headed back to Middlesex, the historic county better known as London, and Martin is telling a whopper of a story, all about the horrors unearthed during the digging of the city's underground... We start off chatting about St Serf and his wild and crazy life, dragon slaying and all, after which we move on to Middlesex! In addition to talking about the Palace of Westmins...

On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin chats with the Lancashire-born host of the Tales of Britain and Ireland podcast, Graeme Cooke. For the last six years Graeme has been releasing episodes, but, unlike us, he's taking things slow and steady: he recently published his 50th episode, and by focusing on quality, deep research and a diverse range of incredibly rich stories, he has created a...

From nuggles to brags, the Ceffyl Dŵr to nixies, there's plenty of reasons to be nervous about horse-shaped monsters on the shoreline - but fear not, as Martin is here to demystify Kelpies and mythical water horses in general! Part of the "Three Ravens Bestiary" series, we start by discussing the links between seaweed and kelpies, the first appearances of mythical Kelpies in the poetry of William...

On this week's episode we're headed back to Lancashire, and Eleanor is telling a spooky story based on a haunted attraction at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach... We start off by discussing St John the Baptist and his bonfires of bones, after which we head off to Lancashire! In addition to talking about Liverpool and its mythical protector birds Bella and Bertie, the county's shifting borders and the wh...

On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin gathers round the campfire with Kent resident and host of the Real Life Ghost Stories podcast, Emma Ozenbrook. Born in Ireland, Emma has lived in Kent for a fair old chunk of time and knows it very well, which, combined with her love for a good story, makes her a cracking ambassador for 'The Garden of England.' If you like a spooky podcast, odds are...

Feeling under the weather? We have something to help with that as, in this week's Bonus Episode, Eleanor is uncovering the mysterious history of folk healers in England! Part of the "Magic and Medicines" series, we start by chatting through who 'Cunning Folk' were, including quite how wide-scale their business was, as well as the time periods in which they were in their prime. This leads us throug...

On this week's episode we're headed back to Kent, and Martin is telling a spooky story based on the life of a sinister historic Archbishop of Canterbury...   We start off discussing St Nectan, his errant cows, and headless commute back home, after which we venture to Kent! In addition to chatting about Dover Castle, the oldest boat in the world, and the eerie landscape of Romney Marsh, we che...

On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin gathers round the campfire with Oxfordshire local and host of The History of England podcast, David Crowther. Born in Loughborough over the border, David has lived in Oxfordshire for many years, giving him a perfect perspective on the county. That of someone who's familiar with it, but who sees it with a sense of perspective. Plus, in addition to bei...

In this week's bonus episode, we're exploring the history of the 17th century mass murderer and sorceress La Voisin! Part of the "Something Wicked" series, we start by chatting through the history of poisoner rings and life in the times of Louis XIV, "the Sun King." We then discuss the rise to power of Catherine Deshayes, a penniless child fortune-teller on the streets of Paris, who married jewele...

On this week's episode we're headed back to Oxfordshire, and Eleanor is telling a tale drawn from a ghastly 18th century true crime!   We start off discussing St Olivia of Palermo, who was apparently resistant to boiling oil - if not axe-blows - after which we head to Oxfordshire. In addition to chatting about Oxford's Civil War heritage, Henry VIII's favourite bathing spot at Ewelme, and the...

On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin gathers round the campfire with Nottinghamshire local and author of the fascinating new book Historic Building Mythbusting , James Wright. Though a long-time resident of Nottinghamshire and a genuine expert in its historic buildings and folklore, James was born in Staffordshire and has been involved with the world of archaeology for over twenty years...