Rough Music

Liz Williams is a writer and journalist. She lives in Glastonbury, where she co-owns a witchcraft shop, and where she also lectures in creative writing. Her books include Miracles of Our Own Making: A History of Paganism (2020), also published by Reaktion Books.

"A lively and well-informed account of traditional British popular customs, with a novel and valuable pair of twists: showing the close relationship of those customs with subversion and disorder, and following their observance up into the current time. It is thus a revealing commentary on both past and present." - Ronald Hutton, Professor of History, University of Bristol, and author of Pagan Britain"Liz Williams casts a refreshing twenty-first-century eye over a range of vibrant customs and traditions, questioning ideas of timelessness and exploring the relevance of folklore in society today. Her book is an engaging and thoughtful contribution to the current New Wave of folklore studies in Britain." - Owen Davies, Professor of Social History, University of Hertfordshire, and author of Art of the Grimoire: An Illustrated History of Magic Books and Spells

• ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: What IsFolklore?Chapter 2: Jacks inthe GreenChapter 3: The MariLwyd: Horse Skulls and Wren Hunting Chapter 4: Wassail,Wassail, All Over the TownChapter 5: Morris andMollyChapter 6: MysteryPlaysChapter 7: BonfireNight: Gunpowder, Treason and PlotChapter 8: All theFun of the Fair?Chapter 9: Cheese RollingChapter10: Street FootballChapter 11: UpHelly AaChapter12: Trick or TreatChapter 13: SkimmityRidingChapter 14: The Futureof Folk PracticeReferencesBibliographyAcknowledgements and PermissionsIndex