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Tag Archives: Susan Hill

Britain’s X-traordinary Files

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Dr David Clarke

My latest book opens The National Archives’ own ‘X-files’ to shine a spotlight on many formerly secret official accounts of uncanny phenomena and other unsolved historical mysteries. From mediums employed by the police to help with psychic crime-busting to sea … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alex Werner, angels of mons, Arthur Conan Doyle, BBC History Extra, BBC Radio 4, black helicopters, Britain's X-traordinary Files, crop circles, disappearing aircraft, dowsing, Forensics, Gallipoli, Loch Ness Monster, Magonia Review of Books, Mary Celeste, Metropolitan Police special branch, MI5, Museum of London, Mysterious Universe, Nick Redfern, Off the Shelf literature festival, phantom helicopters, Printer's Devil Court, Remote Viewing, Royal Navy, Scotland Yard, Sheffield, Sherlock Holmes, Solway spaceman, Special Branch, Susan Hill, The Death Ray, The Flying Dutchman, The National Archives, The Stone of Scone, The UFO Files, The Woman In Black, Top 9 unsolved historical mysteries, Val McDermid, Vanishing Regiment, Westminster Abbey | 2 Comments
  • Welcome to my website

    I am a Research Fellow in Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University where I specialise in teaching media law and investigation skills. Before I entered academia I worked as a news reporter for The Sheffield Star and Yorkshire Post and spent four years working as a Press Officer in local government. My Ph.D is in Folklore and was completed at the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, University of Sheffield, in 1999. Since 2008 I have been working with The National Archives (TNA) as their consultant for the ongoing release of the UFO files created by Britain's Ministry of Defence. My latest book, How UFOs Conquered the World: the history of a modern myth, was published in 2015.

  • 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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