author

Sir Edgar MacCulloch

1808–1896

A Guernsey judge and antiquarian, he is best remembered for preserving the island’s old legends, superstitions, and ghostly tales before they faded from memory. His work has the feel of someone listening closely to local voices and trying to save a whole world of storytelling.

1 Audiobook

Guernsey Folk Lore

Guernsey Folk Lore

by Sir Edgar MacCulloch

About the author

Born in 1808, he was a native of Guernsey who went on to serve as Bailiff of the island from 1884 to 1895. He was also known as an antiquarian and a member of the Folklore Society, and he was knighted in 1886.

His lasting literary reputation comes from his folklore collecting. MacCulloch gathered Guernsey customs, sayings, fairytales, and legendary stories over many years, motivated by a wish to preserve traditions that he felt were disappearing as everyday life changed.

That work was published after his death as Guernsey Folk Lore, edited by Edith Carey in 1903. The book remains his best-known contribution, valued for the way it captures the beliefs, fears, and imaginative life of the Channel Islands in the nineteenth century.