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By Wicked Practise & Sorcery
Henry and Francis Manners, sons of the 6th Earl of Rutland, immortalised forever in alabaster in the church at the Leicestershire village...

mysteriesofmercia
Dec 11, 20231 min read


Event - Script Haven - Chat & Book Signing - January 11th, 2024 - 104 High Street, Worcester, UK
I'm chatting about my work at Script Haven in Worcester early next year, answering questions and signing books. If anyone is interested...

mysteriesofmercia
Dec 7, 20231 min read


A Hidden Gem
This amazing building in a quiet corner of Leominster in Herefordshire is known as Grange Court. Built in 1633 by John Abel as an...

mysteriesofmercia
Dec 4, 20232 min read


A Cunning Cottage
The house of a warlock? Yes and no. This is the cottage once occupied by Charles Walton in the Warwickshire village of Lower Quinton....

mysteriesofmercia
Dec 4, 20231 min read


The Fantastic Folklore of Mitchells Fold
Mitchells Fold is the remains of a modest little stone circle on the border between Shropshire and Wales. Archaeology tells us that this...

mysteriesofmercia
Dec 4, 20232 min read


Cave of the Cunning Folk
Nanny's Cave was once the home of a witch - or cunning woman to be precise - known as Meg O' Fox Holes. She lived here on Kinver Edge...

mysteriesofmercia
Dec 4, 20231 min read


Now Available to Order- The Magic of Mercia
The Magic Of Mercia is out now! Available to order online at https://www.lulu.com/shop/hugh-williams/the-magic-of-mercia/paperback/produc...

mysteriesofmercia
Nov 21, 20231 min read


A Bridge Over Very Troubled Water
The old bridge at Three Shires Head, built around 1790 for the packhorse traders that worked across the Midlands. The bridge stands at...

mysteriesofmercia
Nov 17, 20231 min read


Dark & Lonely Water
This lonely stretch of water on the Staffordshire Moorlands is known as Blakemere Pool, or more accurately "The Black Mere". It was once...

mysteriesofmercia
Nov 17, 20232 min read


The Ancient Ram Inn - Haunted...Or Not?
I swung by the village of Wotton under Edge, as I was in the area, to take a look at the infamous Ancient Ram Inn. One of many old...

mysteriesofmercia
Oct 26, 20232 min read


A Welsh Stone in England
I love to find solitary standing stones hidden away in remote areas. This seven feet tall megalith is known as Wern Derys and it looks...

mysteriesofmercia
Oct 26, 20231 min read


A Sacred Well In the Borderlands
This extraordinary fellow is part of a holy well - or sacred spring - tucked away deep in the Herefordshire borderlands. It is known as...

mysteriesofmercia
Oct 2, 20231 min read


Three Dolmens with a Difference
Here's something really special. Three dolmens - but all standing inside their original mounds, as if cut away to show how a Neolithic...

mysteriesofmercia
Oct 2, 20232 min read


Sun & Fire
At first glance this curious image of a sun might look like some sort of pagan imagery, a survival from past centuries. Or part of a lost...

mysteriesofmercia
Oct 2, 20231 min read


The King & Queen Stones
Framed by oak, horse-chestnut and bramble, these ancient stones stand almost hidden on the southern slopes of Bredon Hill in...

mysteriesofmercia
Sep 12, 20232 min read


A Saint’s Journey in Stone
So here is the rather odd font inside the Church of the Holy Cross that tells the tale of St Bertram. To say it's crudely carved would be...

mysteriesofmercia
Sep 12, 20231 min read


The Shrine of a Mercian Saint
The shrine of St Bertram at the Peak District village of Ilam is a rather special structure known as a "formina". It was built and set...

mysteriesofmercia
Sep 12, 20232 min read


The Incredible Secrets of Castro de Sabroso
I'm in Portugal at the moment, but it's not all sun and Super Bock. The north of the country has a multitude of megaliths, hillforts and...

mysteriesofmercia
Sep 12, 20232 min read


The Clever Daughter and the Green Men
A Green Man smirks from a misericord in Worcester cathedral. He and his "brother" were probably carved around 1380 and they flank a...

mysteriesofmercia
Aug 30, 20231 min read


The Haunted Ruins of Throwley Old Hall
Throwley Old Hall is a ruined mansion dating from the early 1500s, brooding over the Peak District landscape from its hilltop location...

mysteriesofmercia
Aug 20, 20231 min read
Stories of Mercia: Blog2
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