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Tag Archives: Sheffield Flood disaster

Scared to Death – book launch

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Dr David Clarke

Who was Spring-heeled Jack, the agile bogeyman that terrorised Sheffield and escaped pursuers by making gigantic leaps? What were the eerie sounds in the sky known as the Gabriel Hounds? And why did people believe the ghost of a ‘white lady’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 19th century newspaper archive, ACMRetro, Alan Murdie, Ann Beedham, British Library, Campo Lane ghost, Devil's Footprints, Gabriel Hounds, ghost stories, ghosts, Halloween, Off the Shelf literature festival, Professor Vanessa Toulmin, scared to death, Sheffield, Sheffield & Rotherham Independent, Sheffield City Library and Archives, Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Sheffield Flood disaster, Sheffield Star, Simon Heywood, spring-heeled jack, The Ghost Club, University of Sheffield, Upper Chapel, Victoriana, white lady ghost | Leave a comment
  • Welcome to my website

    Dr David Clarke is a Principal Lecturer/Reader in Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He teaches media law and journalism investigation skills. Before he entered academia he worked as a news reporter for The Sheffield Star and Yorkshire Post and spent four years working as a Press Officer in local government. His Ph.D in Folklore and was completed at the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, University of Sheffield, in 1999. From 2008-13 he acted as consultant and curator of the MoD UFO files project with The National Archives. His books include The Angel of Mons (2004) and How UFOs Conquered the World: the history of a modern myth (2015). In 2016 he became one of the founders of the Centre for Contemporary Legend at Sheffield Hallam University. This blog covers his twin research interests in journalism and folklore. The views expressed in the contents are entirely his own.

  • What is Folklore?

    Once upon a time… ‘Folklore’ meant ancient ballads or fairy tales or the peculiar superstitions and customs of ‘primitive’ peoples. Today folklore is a tool for studying custom and belief, urban legends, modern myth and even rumours spread via the internet. Much folklore can be found online and buried in the narrative content of media and social networking - from legends and reports of ghosts, UFOs and 'big cats' to language, customs and traditions. The study of folklore is centrally and crucially important 'in our attempts to understand our own behaviour and that of our fellow human beings' according to one scholarly definition. Folklore is a vital and ongoing area of study and one of the few academic disciplines that engage, in a fundamental way, with everyday life.
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