Britain Archives - Bone and Sickle

Rhymes for Those Who Can Neither Read Nor Run

January 31, 2026 boneandsickle ballads, books, Britain, children's literature, England, EPISODE, folk music, folklore, frogs, ghost stories, gothic literature, history, literature

Gammer Gurton’s Garland, published in 1784, is one of the earliest collections of English nursery rhymes, and contains verses both[…]

The Sin-Eater

March 24, 2025 boneandsickle afterlife, Britain, Catholicism, death, England, EPISODE, folklore, funerary customs, history, horror, literature, Sin-Eater

The Sin-Eater was a figure associated with funerals of the 17th – 19th century, mostly in Wales, and the English[…]

Swan-Upping and Other Curious British Customs

June 18, 2023 boneandsickle birds, Britain, curiosities, EPISODE, folk customs, folklore, history, holidays, local legends, London, Midsummer, Victorian

Explore some curious British Customs with us, including those of Midsummer, swan-upping, egg-hopping, St. Bartholomew’s knives, and the violent tradition of[…]