Yorkshire Oddities

Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events is a book by Sabine Baring-Gould, first published in 1874. Part local-history scrapbook and part fireside storybook, it gathers a colourful run of true-to-place narratives from across Yorkshire—odd characters, uncanny happenings, notorious misadventures, and the kind of half-remembered village lore that clings to certain houses, ponds, lanes, and churchyards.

The book moves through brisk, self-contained sketches, each rooted in a particular person or episode. Baring-Gould has an antiquarian’s eye for detail, so the stories don’t float off into pure legend: he pins them to real communities, social customs, and the hard edges of everyday life. You’ll meet memorable figures and notorious cases — such as Jemmy Hirst and James Naylor — alongside darker chapters where family tragedy, scandal, and local reputation collide.

What makes the collection so readable is its balance of tone. Some entries feel like Yorkshire folklore and ghost-story tradition — eerie rumours, grim coincidences, and unsettling “happenings” that refuse tidy explanation — while others are wry portraits of stubborn individuality: parish characters, provincial poets, odd trades, and the small dramas that once travelled faster than any newspaper. It’s ideal for readers who love British local history, Victorian-era storytelling, and regional curiosities.