Introduction
Three Shire’s Head: Cheshire lies to the left; Staffordshire to the right; and Derbyshire in the centre (click on the image to view full size).
I grew up in east Cheshire, close to the boundaries with both Staffordshire and Derbyshire. The most popular tales of the area, such as The Wizard of the Edge, and the Floating Island of Redesmere, were familiar to me from an early age. Others I learned in my teens and in adulthood, as I became inquisitive about the curious myths and legends that abound in this region.
What I have collected here are a very small number of those stories; the better-known ones, for the most part, but some minor ones too. I wanted to trace their sources, and to see how they had developed over time, and to test those which made some claim to veracity. It’s been a rewarding experience digging up and turning over the roots and examining them, and I hope that by placing my findings here that my studies may prove to be of interest to others.