Local Legends #10: Graeme Cooke

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 back catalogue of fantastic tales brilliantly told.

Graeme's knowledge of Lancashire's lore is outstanding and, like his interest in history and folk culture, it's born of passion. If we had spoken about all the topics Graeme considered chatting about, this episode would have likely been 5 hours long - which suggests we need to speak again soon! Still, we zeroed in on some of the shiniest, most fascinating things related to the historic county, and hope you really enjoy our chat.

One which ranges from Lancashire's curious land divisions to the Pendle Witch Trials, famed local folklorists to boggarts, devil summonings, screaming skulls and more, and folds in fascinating details of some of the most important sites in Lancashire, as well as its curious evolution.

It's a spooky county where few things are quite what they seem, so gather close around the campfire and listen in...

Learn more about Tales of Britain and Ireland here: https://talesofbritainandireland.com/

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

Three Ravens is a myth and folklore podcast hosted by Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux.

In each Monday episode we explore a historic county, digging into heritage, folklore and traditions, then we tell a new version of a legend from that county. Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays and Saturdays.

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