The Whispering Woods

Every November, fires are lit across Britain in memory of the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, but the traditions surrounding the Fifth of November go far beyond Guy Fawkes. From the Devil’s Stone at Shebbear and the flaming tar barrels of Ottery St Mary to the seventeen martyrs remembered at Lewes, haunted buildings linked to the plot and older beliefs about fire as protection, this episode explores the darker folklore that has gathered around Bonfire Night.The BOOKBUY US A COFFEEJoin Sarah's new FACEBOOK GROUPSubscribe to our PATREONEMAIL us your storiesJoin us on INSTAGRAMJoin us on TWITTERJoin us on FACEBOOKVisit our WEBSITEResearch Links:https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/teaching-resources/the-gunpowder-plot/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/stories/the-monteagle-letter/https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/parliamentaryauthority/the-gunpowder-plot-of-1605/https://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-commons-faqs/gunpowder-plot/https://www.shebbearvillage.co.uk/people/the-devils-stone/https://www.otterystmary-tc.gov.uk/your-community/events/tar-barrels-4th-nov-2023/https://www.lewesbonfirecelebrations.com/https://www.lewesbonfirecelebrations.com/timeline/https://www.lewesbonfirecelebrations.com/lewes-sussex-protestant-martyrs-reformation-6/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1386169https://www.visitsalford.info/what-to-see-and-do/ordsall-hall/Production:Researched, written and produced by Sarah Powell and Roger Hinchliffe. Hosted by Sarah Powell and Tobie Jones. Stories are sourced from historical records, folklore collections, newspaper archives, contemporary accounts and listener submissions. Sources and acknowledgements are provided where appropriate.Thanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again on tomorrow.Sarah and Tobie xx"Spacial Winds," Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licenced under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licencehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In January 1879, a canal labourer travelling through rural Staffordshire claimed that a strange black creature with enormous white eyes leapt onto the back of his horse near a lonely canal bridge. When he tried to hit it with his whip, the lash supposedly passed straight through its body. The encounter became part of local folklore, and the creature would come to be known as the Man-Monkey of Ranton.The BOOKBUY US A COFFEEJoin Sarah's new FACEBOOK GROUPSubscribe to our PATREONEMAIL us your storiesJoin us on INSTAGRAMJoin us on TWITTERJoin us on FACEBOOKVisit our WEBSITEResearch Links:https://www.lovegnosall.com/stories/man-monkey-of-bridge-39https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1406777https://www.jstor.org/stable/1253301https://visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/953200https://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/details.aspx?ExhibitionID=1674&ExhibitionPage=1&PageIndex=16&ResourceID=39888&SearchType=3Production:Researched, written and produced by Sarah Powell and Roger Hinchliffe. Hosted by Sarah Powell and Tobie Jones. Stories are sourced from historical records, folklore collections, newspaper archives, contemporary accounts and listener submissions. Sources and acknowledgements are provided where appropriate.Thanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again on tomorrow.Sarah and Tobie xx"Spacial Winds," Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licenced under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licencehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

For centuries, British folklore has told of people who crossed into another world hidden beneath hills, inside caves or just beyond the edge of an ordinary field. Some returned believing only minutes had passed when years had gone by, others were warned never to eat, drink or take anything with them, and a few were said to come back changed forever. From King Herla and Thomas the Rhymer to Welsh fairy dances and medieval accounts of underground kingdoms, these are the stories of people who were said to enter Fairyland and the strange rules that governed whether they ever came home.The BOOKBY US A COFFEESubscribe to our PATREONEMAIL us your storiesJoin us on INSTAGRAMJoin us on TWITTERJoin us on FACEBOOKVisit our WEBSITEResearch:https://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.28460407https://www.hoap.co.uk/explore_fairy_traditions.pdfhttps://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Science_of_Fairy_Tales/Chapter_7https://www.gutenberg.org/files/55025/55025-h/55025-h.htmhttps://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Child%27s_Ballads/37https://academic.oup.com/book/59910/chapter/512173459https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/tmr/article/view/41568https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/prehistory-fairy-realmhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.28460467Sarah xx"Spacial Winds," Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licenced under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licencehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Content note: This episode includes childhood abuse and neglect, starvation, and a graphic description involving a dead animal.Happy Halloween!!! Welcome to Day 31 of 31 Days of Halloween 2026.In today's episode we share 1 spooky story to get you in the mood for Spooky Season.A special thank you to sophiethetoad for allowing us to share their story!Stories:https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1rel4uv/my_neighbour_used_to_peek_at_me_over_her_fence/The BOOKBY US A COFFEEJoin Sarah's new FACEBOOK GROUPSubscribe to our PATREONEMAIL us your storiesFollow us on YOUTUBEJoin us on INSTAGRAMJoin us on TWITTERJoin us on FACEBOOKVisit our WEBSITEThanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again tomorrow!Sarah and Tobie xx"Spacial Winds" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Content note: This episode includes a threat with a firearm and suicide by gun.Welcome to Day 30 of 31 Days of Halloween 2026.In today's episode we share 1 spooky story to get you in the mood for Spooky Season.Stories:https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/s/QIIAYzqqs7The BOOKBY US A COFFEEJoin Sarah's new FACEBOOK GROUPSubscribe to our PATREONEMAIL us your storiesFollow us on YOUTUBEJoin us on INSTAGRAMJoin us on TWITTERJoin us on FACEBOOKVisit our WEBSITEThanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again tomorrow!Sarah and Tobie xx"Spacial Winds" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Welcome to Day 29 of 31 Days of Halloween 2026.In today's episode we share 4 spooky stories to get you in the mood for Spooky Season.Stories:https://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/s/qWgbu1zagRhttps://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/s/uaT7doZK0Khttps://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/s/GbrogU2WLdhttps://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/s/wbQ3d9okcCThe BOOKBY US A COFFEEJoin Sarah's new FACEBOOK GROUPSubscribe to our PATREONEMAIL us your storiesFollow us on YOUTUBEJoin us on INSTAGRAMJoin us on TWITTERJoin us on FACEBOOKVisit our WEBSITEThanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again tomorrow!Sarah and Tobie xx"Spacial Winds" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Content note: This episode includes the death of a child from tuberculosis and references to illness and death.Welcome to Day 28 of 31 Days of Halloween 2026.In today's episode we share 2 spooky stories to get you in the mood for Spooky Season.Stories:https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/s/ngbeuHmx3Ahttps://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/s/wrd2pa9cIhThe BOOKBY US A COFFEEJoin Sarah's new FACEBOOK GROUPSubscribe to our PATREONEMAIL us your storiesFollow us on YOUTUBEJoin us on INSTAGRAMJoin us on TWITTERJoin us on FACEBOOKVisit our WEBSITEThanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again tomorrow!Sarah and Tobie xx"Spacial Winds" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Welcome to Day 27 of 31 Days of Halloween 2026.In today's episode we share 5 spooky stories to get you in the mood for Spooky Season.Stories:https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghoststories/s/tcWJCeVxT7https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/1ihap9s/what_did_we_hear/https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/16lr3fd/not_sure_what_to_make_of_it/https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/rpdmrc/my_uncles_haunted_house/https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/pelnzv/encounter_with_a_demonic_entity/The BOOKBY US A COFFEEJoin Sarah's new FACEBOOK GROUPSubscribe to our PATREONEMAIL us your storiesFollow us on YOUTUBEJoin us on INSTAGRAMJoin us on TWITTERJoin us on FACEBOOKVisit our WEBSITEThanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again tomorrow!Sarah and Tobie xx"Spacial Winds" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Welcome to Day 26 of 31 Days of Halloween 2026.In today's episode we share 3 spooky stories to get you in the mood for Spooky Season.Stories:https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/14u9rsm/what_was_he_looking_at/https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/ktur9b/the_carved_african_totem_poll_which_terrorized_me/https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/s18vpf/heard_a_child_singing_last_night/The BOOKBY US A COFFEEJoin Sarah's new FACEBOOK GROUPSubscribe to our PATREONEMAIL us your storiesFollow us on YOUTUBEJoin us on INSTAGRAMJoin us on TWITTERJoin us on FACEBOOKVisit our WEBSITEThanks so much for listening, and we'll catch up with you again tomorrow!Sarah and Tobie xx"Spacial Winds" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/