Smugglers, Witches and many Flagons of Ale: A Social History of Lulworth, Dorset (English Edition)

My grandmother came from the old village of Lulworth in deepest Dorset. To those who are unfamiliar with the village, it is like the land of the hobbits – very rustic and agricultural, with a scattering of fairy tale thatched cottages. It is home to places called Scratchy Bottom, Durdle Door and Shaggs. It’s the kind of place you get a cock-a-doodle-doo in the morning - and who doesn’t love that? Lulworth is old England where old practices and old beliefs lingered on long after they had faded from memory from the rest of the country. As a descendant of one of the old families of Lulworth, some 400 years at least, I wanted to find out what it was like to live in the oh so sleepy village of Lulworth. As it turns out, I came across some pretty juicy stories (and even a little ancient magic) – a story of smugglers, ghosts and superstition – and beer, plenty of beer! Those peasants sure knew how to party. This book will concentrate mainly upon the 18th and 19th century, (before the military and the tourists arrived) and focus upon the lower end of society, (my end) a social history – just what did those peasants get up to?