Modern-day Cambridgeshire is a county of diverse landscapes: from the elegance of the university city and the rural delights of the old county of Huntingdonshire Isle of Ely, each district has its own identity and its own stories. Explore the antics of the inhabitants of the past, including Hereward the Saxon hero; the Fenland giant Tom Hickathrift; the pious Bricstan of Chatteris; the raconteur and skater Chaffe Legge; and Mr Leech, who was carried off by the Devil. You will also discover the hidden history of the area, including how the secret Brotherhood of the Grey Goose Feather helped King Charles I, and what really happened to King John's treasure. These entertaining tales will delight readers both within Cambridgeshire and elsewhere.

Enid Porter spent many years collecting and recording from Cambridgeshire people the folk beliefs and customs held and observed in the country, both past and present. The subjects covered in the book, first published in 1969, range from the folklore of courtship, marriage, birth and death, of trees and plants and the whole world of nature to traditional Cambridgeshire food and drink; from ghosts and witchcraft and the cure of disease to charity and land-letting customs. The traditional occupations of the county, as well as the dress worn by the workers in the various crafts and the tools and implements they used, are also recorded, and there are accounts of various Cambridgeshire sports and pastimes. There is a section on University customs, ranging from the ancient procedure observed at examinations and degree ceremonies, through College Stamps and Mock Funerals, to the appointment made formerly of a Christmas Lord in the Colleges. Miss Porter spent most of her life in Cambridge and her mother’s family have lived there since the sixteenth century, so she includes information based on her own observations and on those of members of her family. The Fenland material has largely been provided by W. H. Barrett, well known through his collections of Fen Tales.

Enid Porter spent many years collecting and recording from Cambridgeshire people the folk beliefs and customs held and observed in the country, both past and present. The subjects covered in the book, first published in 1969, range from the folklore of courtship, marriage, birth and death, of trees and plants and the whole world of nature to traditional Cambridgeshire food and drink; from ghosts and witchcraft and the cure of disease to charity and land-letting customs. The traditional occupations of the county, as well as the dress worn by the workers in the various crafts and the tools and implements they used, are also recorded, and there are accounts of various Cambridgeshire sports and pastimes. There is a section on University customs, ranging from the ancient procedure observed at examinations and degree ceremonies, through College Stamps and Mock Funerals, to the appointment made formerly of a Christmas Lord in the Colleges. Miss Porter spent most of her life in Cambridge and her mother’s family have lived there since the sixteenth century, so she includes information based on her own observations and on those of members of her family. The Fenland material has largely been provided by W. H. Barrett, well known through his collections of Fen Tales.