Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2

In Short

John Roby's collection gathers twenty-one stories anchored in the folklore, history, and landscape of Lancashire, blending Gothic sensationalism with antiquarian local history. Across these pages, historical conflicts like Lambert Simnel’s rebellion and the English Civil War collide with supernatural occurrences, from haunted halls and cursed wells to shape-shifting demons and mystical relics. Characters navigate perilous terrain—both physical, like the treacherous Morecambe Bay sands, and moral, through treachery, temptation, and ambition. The volume retains its lasting appeal because Roby grounds each ghostly tale in real regional geography and archæological detail, transforming local landmarks into enduring mythologies. It bridges the gap between historical romance and regional horror, creating a atmospheric cabinet of curiosities that captures the nineteenth-century fascination with Britain's hidden, superstitious past.

The Story

The volume moves through a diverse series of tales set across different eras of Lancashire history, tied together by their connection to real locations and regional folklore. In the opening narrative, a brave maiden named Eleanor ventures through a frozen, slippery ravine under a cold moon to meet the miller Ralph near the Fairies' Chapel. Conscious of the miller's lurking treachery and her own peril, she relies on her courage as the shadows of the crags mark the hour of a dangerous encounter. Elsewhere, historical events shape the landscape, such as the invasion led by the pretender Lambert Simnel, who lands with Flemish troops under Martin Swartz and English lords seeking to dethrone Henry VII, only to meet defeat on the bleak elevation of Swart Moor.

Amidst political turmoil, personal human dramas unfold. During the Civil War, following the defeat of Royalist forces at Marston Moor, a preacher named Gilgal Snape hunts down fleeing Royalist fugitives. The maiden Marian, torn between her devotion to her spiritual guide and her pity for the hunted men who shared her bread, chooses to protect them. She refuses the temptation of earthly ambition and royal connection, choosing to suffer with her faith while securing a safe-conduct for the imperiled Prince. In another corner of the county, the ancient Clegg Hall becomes the site of fraudulent dark dealings. The false beggar Clegg, versed in chemical secrets and coining, leagues with his son to manufacture counterfeit money in the mansion's subterranean vaults. They exploit the local legend of a ghost to frighten away the curious, but the younger Clegg's love for Alice Haworth disrupts their conspiracy, leading to their exposure when their secrets are unravelled.

Dark forces continue to manifest in everyday life. At Clitheroe, tavern companions boast of crossing the hazardous stepping-stones of the Ribble, mocking the vengeful spirit of Peggy, the Demon of the Well, whose misshapen stone image brings calamity to those who cross her. On the perilous sands of Morecambe Bay, a traveler named Mortimer wanders toward a dark plain stone house, his spirit tortured by anguish, until he hears the voice of his forgotten love, Adeline, singing a mournful ballad from their past. Meanwhile, a woman named Ellen seeks Lady Gerard’s help to consult a magic mirror in a library chamber, hoping to learn the true thoughts of her absent lover.

Spack-bound terror reaches its peak in tales of dark magic and curses. A malevolent figure known as the Red Woman casts a terrifying doom upon the lovers Gervase Buckley and Grace Ashton, invoking destruction upon their ancestral houses until her dark power is challenged. The learned antiquary Doctor Dee intervenes, using a charmed iron ring built into a wall to entrap the Red Woman, stripping her of her magical strength and reducing her to a helpless, shrieking creature. Finally, in an ancient imperial setting involving British figures, a young Briton named Cedric unravels a court conspiracy, rescuing the emperor from traitors in hidden vaults, proving that loyalty and courage can dismantle even the most entrenched dark designs.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Eleanor travels through a frozen, moonlit ravine toward the Fairies' Chapel, guided by the treacherous miller Ralph who flees as soon as the promised shadow signal appears on the crags.

The invaders arrive Foreign troops under Martin Swartz and disaffected English nobles invade to support the pretender Lambert Simnel, sparking a conflict that ends in a bloody defeat on Swart Moor.

A maid's dilemma Marian faces a bitter choice between her religious community and her compassion for fleeing Royalist soldiers, ultimately choosing mercy and securing their safe departure.

Secrets of the hall Coiners led by the feigned beggar Clegg occupy the hidden vaults of Clegg Hall, using the house's ghostly reputation to hide their criminal minting operations until love intervenes.

The well's fury Boon companions in a Clitheroe tavern challenge the wrath of Peggy, the Demon of the Well, whose dark influence brings disaster and superstition to the banks of the Ribble.

Echoes on the sands Mortimer wanders near Morecambe Bay in deep mental anguish, only to be stopped in his tracks by the sound of Adeline singing a song from his forgotten past.

The mirror's vision Ellen visits Lady Gerard to peer into a magic mirror, hoping to discover the hidden feelings and actions of the man she loves.

The red woman's curse The Red Woman confronts Gervase Buckley and Grace Ashton, pronouncing a ruinous curse of poverty and childlessness upon their families.

Doctor Dee's trap Doctor Dee uses a specially wrought iron ring to trick and bind the Red Woman, shattering her magical illusions and breaking the spell over the lovers.

The plot unmasked Cedric the Briton uncovers a murderous conspiracy against the emperor, leading soldiers into hidden vaults to capture the traitors in the act.

The People

• Eleanor: A brave and resolute maiden who journeys alone into a dark, frozen ravine to face an unknown danger, refusing to let fear or treachery sway her resolve.
• Gilgal Snape: A stern, uncompromising preacher who zealously hunts the enemies of his faith, yet retains a deeply affectionate, protective paternal love for his convert Marian.
• Marian: A compassionate young woman torn between spiritual duty and human mercy, who rejects worldly ambition to save hunted fugitives from summary execution.
• The False Beggar (Clegg): A cunning former traveler skilled in chemistry and counterfeiting who uses terror and superstition to turn an ancestral hall into a criminal mint.
• Alice Haworth: A courageous woman imprisoned in her own home by counterfeiters, whose refusal to yield to a forced marriage leads to the unmasking of the criminals.
• Mortimer: A brooding, melancholy lover consumed by inner turmoil, who finds his dark thoughts interrupted by the unexpected sound of a past romance.
• The Red Woman: A fierce, malevolent figure who wields curses and dark prophecies against noble families until her strength is stripped away by superior cunning.
• Doctor Dee: A learned, astute scholar and magician who uses his understanding of charms and mechanical traps to defeat a wicked sorceress and restore health to her victims.
• Cedric: A sturdy, loyal Briton clad in coarse wool who bravely exposes a high-level conspiracy, saving the emperor's life while seeking only mercy for his master.

In Its Own Voice

"The hard and ice-bound waters were dissolving, and might be heard to gurgle in their deep recesses; drops began to trickle from the trees, the bushes to relax their hold, and shake off their icy trammels."

The author captures the quiet, eerie transition of the Lancashire landscape as Eleanor makes her treacherous nighttime journey to the Fairies' Chapel.

"The tyrant sway of the passions, like some desolating invader, can make a paradise into a desert, and the fruitful places into a wilderness."

This observation reflects Mortimer's troubled inner state as he wanders near the Morecambe sands, consumed by spiritual anguish despite the quiet beauty of the moonlit night.

"In that iron ring is concealed the charmed one, wrought out by a cunning smith to this intent--to wit, the deliverance of a persecuted house."

Doctor Dee reveals his clever trap to the defeated Red Woman, explaining how simple human ingenuity broke her magical hold over the Buckley family.

What It's Really About

Beneath its spectral encounters and historical drama, the book explores how human fear transforms ordinary spaces into places of terror. Roby repeatedly demonstrates that superstitions—whether a ghost in a vaulted hall or a demon in a local well—are frequently weaponized by the scheming to manipulate the gullible. The stories contrast calculating human deceit with the genuine supernatural, showing how greed, ambition, and revenge drive people to create their own monsters.

The collection also examines the friction between old beliefs and new orders. Whether through the clash of Yorkists and Lancastrians, Roundheads and Royalists, or pagan magic and Christian faith, the characters are perpetually caught in moments of historical transition. Duty and mercy are constantly weighed against each other; figures like Marian demonstrate that personal moral integrity often requires defying authority and forfeiting worldly gain. Ultimately, the work suggests that while landscapes retain the memories of past violence and superstition, courage and clear-eyed truth remain the only effective antidotes to darkness.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers an entertaining, immersive plunge into nineteenth-century antiquary storytelling, making it a treat for lovers of Gothic fiction, regional folklore, and British history. Reading it feels like sitting by a tavern fire while a knowledgeable local historian weaves dark tales of the surrounding hills, halls, and rivers. Roby writes with a sharp eye for physical atmosphere; his descriptions of freezing ravines, damp vaults, and mist-covered sands pull the reader directly into the chilly, mysterious mood of historic Lancashire.

Readers should be prepared for certain period difficulties. The prose is deliberately ornate, filled with slow-paced descriptive passages, regional dialect spellings, and nineteenth-century archaisms that require patient reading. Some historical references assume a familiarity with British local history that modern readers might lack. However, these hurdles are easily outweighed by the sheer variety of the collection. From atmospheric ghost stories to gripping tales of political conspiracy and magical traps, the book delivers a vivid sense of place and a fascinating glimpse into how regional legends were born, remembered, and passed down.