A comprehensive account of the rich folk culture preserved in the rural secret societies of the British Isles
• Describes the secret rites, ceremonies, and initiation rituals of guilds and rural fraternities such as the Shoemakers, Horsemen, Toadmen, Mummers, and Bonesmen
• Explains their use of masks, black face, and other disguises to avoid persecution
• Draws not only on scholarly research but also the author's personal contacts within these still living traditions
Centuries ago the remote, marshy plains of eastern England—the Fens—were drained to create agricultural land. The Fens remained isolated up until the nineteenth century, and it was this very isolation that helped preserve the ancient traditions of this area, traditions ruthlessly eradicated elsewhere in the British Isles. These magical folk traditions also owe their survival to secret rural societies, from craft guilds and trade unions to Morris dancers and village bands….
