David Longman | Local Legends #30: Bedfordshire
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Show notes
On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by local historian David Longman, whose work chronicling Bedfordshire's 149 churches has thrown up some fascinating and very funny stories!
Before embarking on this particular project, David had spent 39 years working as a teacher and headteacher in middle schools in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Northamptonshire. Outside of his life in education, where his classroom specialism was history, David was ever a keen amateur photographer, and, after travelling the world photographing the last working steam locomotives, he drew his camera's focus closer to home.
David began photographing Bedfordshire’s parish churches in 2017, and as he did he started to notice certain architectural features and to collect associated legends.
Soon, in addition to gathering stories from across the county, he found himself giving regular talks to community groups and organisations about it all, which he continues to do to this day.
So, from castrated monks whose testicles regrew thanks to God, profoundly scandalous rectors, tales of ghosts, the Devil, and the so-called 'Keysoe Miracle,' David has some wonderful stories to tell - while also sharing an insider's view of Bedfordshire, which he rightly calls a "Secret County."
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Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.
Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’
We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.
Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.
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