The Ingoldsby Legends

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The Ingoldsby Legends
Author Thomas Ingoldsby
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Genre(s) humorous verse & prose short stories
Publisher J. M. Dent
Publication date 1840, 1842, 1847 and 1879
Media type Print (Hardback)
Pages 3 vols.
ISBN NA

The Ingoldsby Legends are a collection of myths, legends, ghost stories and poetry supposedly written by Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor, which is actually a pen-name of Richard Harris Barham.

The legends were first printed in 1837 as a regular series in Bentley's Miscellany and later in New Monthly Magazine. The legends were illustrated by John Leech and George Cruikshank. They proved immensely popular and were compiled into books published in 1840 and 1843. They remained popular through the Victorian era but have since fallen out of fame.

As a priest at the Chapel Royal, Barham was not troubled with strenuous duties and he had ample time to read and compose stories. Although based on real legends and mythology, such as the hand of glory, they are usually deliberately humorous parodies or pastiches of medieval folklore and poetry.

The best known poem is the Jackdaw of Rheims about a jackdaw who steals a cardinal's ring and is made a saint.

The chapters include:

  • The Spectre Of Tappington
  • The Hand Of Glory: The Nurse's Story
  • 'Look At The Clock!': Patty Morgan The Milkmaid's Story
  • Grey Dolphin: A Legend Of Sheppey
  • The Ghost
  • The Cynotaph
  • The Leech Of Folkestone: Mrs. Botherby's Story
  • The Legend Of Hamilton Tighe
  • The Witches' Frolic
  • A Singular Passage In The Life Of The Late Henry Harris, D.D.
  • The Jackdaw Of Rheims
  • A Lay Of St. Dunstan
  • A Lay Of St. Gengulphus
  • The Lay Of St. Odille
  • A Lay Of St. Nicholas
  • The Lady Rohesia
  • The Tragedy
  • Mr. Barney Maguire's Account Of The Coronation
  • The 'Monstre' Balloon
  • The Execution: A Sporting Anecdote
  • Some Account Of A New Play
  • The Bagman's Dog: Mr.Peters's Story
  • Introduction To The Second Series
  • The Black Mousquetaire: A Legend Of France
  • Sir Rupert The Fearless: A Legend Of Germany
  • The Merchant Of Venice: A Legend Of Italy
  • The Auto-Da-Fé: A Legend Of Spain
  • The Ingoldsby Penance: A Legend Of Palestine -- And West Kent
  • Netley Abbey: A Legend Of Hampshire
  • Fragment
  • Nell Cook: A Legend Of The 'Dark Entry. -- The King's Scholar's Story
  • Nursery Reminiscences
  • Aunt Fanny: A Legend Of A Shirt
  • Misadventures At Margate: A Legend Of Jarvis's Jetty
  • The Smuggler's Leap: A Legend Of Thanet
  • Bloudie Jacke Of Shrewsberrie: A Legend Of Shropshire
  • The Babes In The Wood; Or, The Norfolk Tragedy
  • The Dead Drummer: A Legend Of Salisbury Plain
  • A Row In An Omnibus (Box): A Legend Of The Haymarket
  • The Lay Of St. Cuthbert; Or The Devil's Dinner-Party: A Legend Of The North Countree
  • The Lay Of St Aloys: A Legend Of Blois
  • The Lay Of The Old Woman Clothed In Grey: A Legend Of Dover
  • Raising The Devil: A Legend Of Cornelius Agrippa
  • Saint Medard: A Legend Of Afric {sic}
  • Preface To The Third Series
  • The Lord Of Thoulouse: A Legend Of Languedoc
  • The Wedding-Day; Or, The Buccaneer's Curse: A Family Legend
  • The Blasphemer's Warning: A Lay Of St. Romwold
  • The Brothers Of Birchington: A Lay Of St. Thomas À Becket
  • The Knight And The Lady: A Domestic Legend Of The Reign Of Queen Anne
  • The House-Warming!!: A Legend Of Bleeding-Heart Yard
  • The Forlorn One
  • Jerry Jarvis's Wig: A Legend Of The Weald Of Kent
  • Unsophisticated Wishes
  • Miscellaneous Poems

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