author
Charles Dack
1847–1923
A railway clerk turned local historian and folklorist, he captured the weather sayings, customs, and everyday traditions of the Peterborough district with an eye for the details most people overlook. His work preserves a vivid slice of English local life from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1 Audiobook
Weather and Folk Lore of Peterborough and District
by Charles Dack
About the author
Born in 1847, Charles Dack became a clerk for the Great Eastern Railway in Peterborough, but his real passion seems to have been the local history and folklore of the area. He was known as an amateur antiquary, organist, and folklorist, and he also served as an early honorary curator of Peterborough Museum.
Dack wrote about the customs, weather lore, and historical life of Peterborough and its surroundings. His best-known work, Weather and Folk Lore of Peterborough and District (1911), gathers together traditional beliefs and observations about seasonal change, rural customs, and everyday local knowledge.
He died in 1923. Although not a widely famous literary figure, his writing remains valuable for readers interested in folklore, regional history, and the small details of ordinary life that larger histories often miss.