You would absolutely know a lychgate if you saw one. They make popular backdrops for wedding photos, and provide a quaint air of rustic charm to country churchyards. They're the wooden or stone gateway, complete with tiled roof, that marks the entry into the churchyard. Not all churches have them, and they're far more common outside churches in the countryside than in suburban or city-centre churches. Yet they do have some folklore attached to them.

Let's take a look at what they were for and what beliefs they gave rise to. We'll also look at some popular burial markers you might see in churchyards or cemeteries to broaden our focus to the wider burials.

So let's have a look in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!

Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/lychgates-and-burial-markers/

Fairies in Northumberland talk on 19 April: https://www.newcastlecastle.co.uk/talks

Conway Hall talk about folklore rebels on 26 April: https://www.conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/event/art-magic-lore-wild-talents/

Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/

Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595

Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick

Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore

Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop

Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7

Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick

Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social

'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Ver todos los episodios