Folklore & Tales

“The following beliefs were, common among the fishermen of the Walberswick area: Rainbow at night, Fisherman's delight; Rainbow at morning, Fisherman's warning."

Far inland gulls are a sign of bad weather." "" Sparrows chirruping are a sign of rain.

A robin hopping and shrieking on a hedge is a sign of coarse weather.

"A Friday's sail, always fail." Women bake on a Friday, but do not like to turn a mattress or a bed.

Wearing gold earrings is supposed to help the sight. The touch of a dead man's hand will cure warts.

Shoes placed at a door will prevent nightmares.

A flint or stone with a hole in it over a door will keep evil away. Also known as a witches stone or hag stone.

The breath of a stallion will cure whooping cough.

On New Year's Eve all the lights go out, and everything in the room is said to jump about, and at dawn everything, birds and beasts, are said to turn eastwards.

After a death in the house the bees are told and a "snoo" (bow) of crape put on each hive. If they are not honoured with the mourning they will leave the hive or die.

A great horse-shoe nailed into the ceiling on a beam will secure a spirit so that it cannot escape and cause mischief.

Children born in the chime hours see ghosts.

If a bumblebee enters the house it means a visitor is coming.

When you see a lot of earwigs there is going to be a good home fishing.

Fishermen’s womenfolk say never wash on the day your man goes away or you wash him away.

Walberswick Stories

Crossing the River - Observed by a woman in the 1950's and in 2002 a young boy and an old man have been watched waiting at the landing stage and then crossing the river on a ferry, disappearing as they entered an unnatural fog bank. They are supposed to have drowned a couple of hundred years ago, while crossing in similar circumstances.

The Walberswick Whistle - Believed to come from a nearby group of holes, the affectionately named Walberswick whistle is often heard and said to scare animals. Different stories attribute the cause to varying legends; the most likely candidate is the wind whipping around a group of underground caverns, though some still believe the scream to belong to a woman lost in the caves below.

Phantom Horses - Said to be heard only during the day, phantom horses gallop across the common. In addition, reports of a phantom man have been frequent since the 1940s, appearing both on the common and in the church ruins.

Black Shuck - For four hundred years, a black shuck has been reported in the area, local legend stating that it is the Devil incarnate. The creature has been recently witnessed by two women; they reported seeing a large phantom dog, black in colour and the size of a calf.

Poltergeist - The old railway line aka dead man’s gully is where things mysteriously move on their own indicating poltergeist activity.

The Pub Fisherman - A fisherman has been seen sitting in the smoking room of the public house, though it has not been recognised as a ghost until it has disappeared.

The ghost of a Churchyard Workman is said to have been witnessed by George Orwell during the 1930s, a small and stooping figure dressed like a workman walking silently across the churchyard, before disappearing through the church wall. Others who have seen the figure have described him as an elderly gentleman in old clothes who just appears and disappears.