Mother Bunch's Closet Newly Broke Open, and the History of Mother Bunch of the West

Step into a whispered world of 17th‑century folk wisdom with this carefully edited chap‑book, once hidden in the dusty shelves of Cambridge and the British Museum. The collection presents the enigmatic “Mother Bunch,” a figure whose dreams, charms, and prognostications were recorded long before modern folklore studies existed. Listeners will hear a lively introduction that traces the manuscript’s journey from a single 1685 printing through later 18th‑century revisions, highlighting the curious changes that reveal how ordinary people of the West imagined fate.

Beyond the scholarly notes, the text itself offers a series of vivid, calendar‑linked verses—St. Agnes, Valentine’s Day, midsummer eve, and more—each capturing the hopes and superstitions of everyday life. The editor’s commentary invites listeners to compare the stark woodcuts and the lyrical riddles that once adorned the page, while the narrative voice of Mother Bunch, as she meets a wandering maid, draws you into a simple yet resonant dialogue about loss and longing. It’s a compact glimpse into a vanished oral tradition, spoken aloud for modern ears.