The Ingoldsby Legends
The Ingoldsby Legends is a renowned collection of approximately fifty comic poems and six short stories, blending myths, legends, ghost tales, and historical lore with satire on superstition and medieval folklore. Written by the English author and clergyman Richard Harris Barham (1788–1845) under the pseudonym Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor, the work first appeared serially in Bentley's Miscellany starting in 1837 and was compiled into three volumes known as the First Series (1840), Second Series (1842), and Third Series (1847, published posthumously).[1][2][3] Barham, a minor canon of St. Paul's Cathedral and vicar of St. Mary Magdalene in London, drew inspiration from local folklore and broader English traditions, crafting pastiches that parody Gothic and supernatural elements popular in early Victorian literature.[2][1] The pseudonym "Thomas Ingoldsby" evoked an antiquarian country squire, enhancing the tales' faux-historical charm, while Barham's clerical background infused the narratives with ironic moralizing.[1][4] The content features standout pieces like "The Jackdaw of Rheims," a humorous rhyme about a thieving bird absolved by the Pope, and "The Spectre of Tappington," a ghostly yarn debunking apparitions through comedy.[1] Illustrated editions, particularly those from the 1840s onward, included engravings by prominent artists such as George Cruikshank and John Leech, with later volumes adding contributions from John Tenniel, totaling around sixty images that amplified the work's whimsical and grotesque appeal.[5][6] Barham's style employs intricate, anapestic rhymes, burlesque rhythms, and exaggerated diction to mock credulity, making the legends a staple of Victorian humor.[1] Upon release, The Ingoldsby Legends achieved widespread popularity in Victorian England, frequently anthologized and influencing comic verse traditions, though its dense allusions and era-specific satire have made it less accessible to modern audiences.[1] The collection's enduring legacy lies in its playful subversion of folklore, cementing Barham's place in 19th-century British literature as a witty chronicler of the supernatural.[7][1]Authorship and Publication History
Author Background
Richard Harris Barham was born on December 6, 1788, in Canterbury, Kent, England, into a family with deep roots in the region. Orphaned at age seven following his father's death, he inherited a modest estate and received his education at St. Paul's School, where he served as captain for two years, before entering Brasenose College, Oxford, as a gentleman commoner at age nineteen. Initially intending to pursue law, Barham shifted to divinity during a brief illness and was ordained in 1813, serving as curate in several Kent parishes, including Ashford, Westwell, and as rector of Snargate with curate duties at Warehorne. In 1821, he relocated to London upon election as a minor canon of St. Paul's Cathedral, later becoming a priest in ordinary to the Chapel Royal in 1824 and rector of St. Faith in 1842.[8][9] Barham's literary career began with early attempts, including the novel Baldwin, written during a period of seclusion following a leg fracture in his youth, and contributions to periodicals such as Blackwood's Magazine starting in 1826, where he serialized his novel My Cousin Nicholas in 1834.[8][10] His fascination with local history and antiquarianism, evident in genealogical research and restorations like the library at St. Paul's, profoundly influenced his writing, drawing on Kentish folklore, monkish chronicles, and regional traditions. For The Ingoldsby Legends, Barham adopted the pseudonym "Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor" to lend an air of authenticity, evoking the persona of a Kentish squire recounting ancient tales from his ancestral home near Canterbury, a name inspired by real local sites and family connections to medieval lineages like the De Bearhams.[8][11][12] In his later years, Barham endured a long and painful illness beginning with severe throat inflammation in October 1844, which confined him and contributed to completing his works amid declining health. He died on June 17, 1845, at age 56 in London, and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.[8][2]Initial Magazine Appearances
The Ingoldsby Legends first appeared in serial form in 1837, debuting as a regular series in Bentley's Miscellany, a monthly periodical launched that year by publisher Richard Bentley and edited by Charles Dickens. The inaugural installment, "The Spectre of Tappington," published in the January 1837 issue, introduced the collection's signature blend of supernatural elements and humor, quickly establishing its appeal within the magazine's eclectic mix of fiction, essays, and illustrations.[10][13] Additional legends soon followed in Bentley's Miscellany and expanded to Bentley's other publication, The New Monthly Magazine, with stories appearing irregularly through 1840. Rev. Richard Harris Barham, writing under the pseudonym Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor, aligned his whimsical retellings of medieval legends and ghost stories with the magazines' emphasis on light-hearted supernatural narratives.[10][13] The early dissemination in these venues fostered immediate popularity, as evidenced by the pseudonym's widespread recognition by 1840, prompting Barham to continue the series amid favorable public response to its parodic folklore style. Pieces like "The Hand of Glory" in The New Monthly Magazine exemplified how the legends fit the editorial vision of both publications, which prioritized accessible, mirthful content to rival emerging serialized novels.[10][14]Compilation into Volumes
The Ingoldsby Legends were first compiled into book form in 1840, when Richard Bentley published the initial volume titled The Ingoldsby Legends, or Mirth and Marvels. This edition gathered many of the pieces that had originally appeared in magazines such as Bentley's Miscellany, along with newly written content to form a cohesive collection.[10] The success of the first volume led to subsequent compilations: the second volume, The Ingoldsby Legends, or Mirth and Marvels: Second Series, followed in 1842, and the third, The Ingoldsby Legends, or Mirth and Marvels: Third Series, in 1847. The final volume was published posthumously after Richard Harris Barham's death in 1845, with his son, Richard Harris Dalton Barham, assisting in its completion by editing and adding unfinished pieces. Across the three volumes, Bentley assembled approximately 56 legends.[10][1] Bentley played a central role as the publisher for all volumes, overseeing the decision to intermix prose narratives and verse poems within each to enhance the humorous and supernatural tone. Prefaces to the volumes, written under the pseudonym Thomas Ingoldsby, added a layer of wit, such as one that playfully divides the world into Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and "Romney Marsh" to underscore the local folklore inspirations.[10]Content Overview
Structure and Format
The Ingoldsby Legends consists of a blend of humorous prose tales and macaronic verse poems, presented as a series of myths and supernatural narratives attributed to the fictional antiquarian Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor.[10] This framing device includes extensive faux-antiquarian notes, footnotes, and marginalia that mimic scholarly annotations, lending an air of authenticity to the otherwise whimsical content.[13] The pieces are unified under Ingoldsby's persona, often introduced through personal reminiscences or family lore, creating a cohesive illusion of a private manuscript collection unearthed and shared with the public.[10] Organizationally, the legends are structured into three series, each loosely grouped by geographic themes to evoke regional folklore traditions, such as those centered on Kent, France, and Germany.[13] Prefaces and introductory passages precede many sections, offering satirical observations on historical or literary conventions while setting the stage for the ensuing tales.[10] These elements, compiled from initial magazine publications into volumes issued between 1840 and 1847, reinforce the work's mock-erudite character without adhering to a rigid chronological or narrative sequence.[13] In terms of length and variety, the collection encompasses approximately 60 pieces, ranging from concise verse compositions of 100 to 200 lines to more expansive prose narratives spanning up to 20 pages.[13] This diversity allows for a dynamic reading experience, alternating between rhythmic, pun-filled poems and detailed, anecdote-driven stories that build atmospheric tension through descriptive elaboration.[10]Key Stories and Poems
One of the most renowned pieces in The Ingoldsby Legends is the poem "The Jackdaw of Rheims," which recounts the tale of a mischievous jackdaw that steals a cardinal's ring during a grand feast, prompting outrage and a curse from the clergy that causes the bird to waste away.[10] The jackdaw is eventually absolved through the intervention of Saint Werburgh, who miraculously restores it to life, transforming the thief into a symbol of redemption and earning it veneration as a saintly figure.[10] This work exemplifies Barham's signature blend of moral humor and playful rhyme, drawing from an old Catholic legend to deliver a lighthearted lesson on forgiveness.[10] In prose form, "Grey Dolphin" presents a Kentish legend centered on Sir Robert de Shurland, a knight who slays a friar after a quarrel and flees to seek royal pardon from King Edward I.[10] Riding his prophetic gray horse, Grey Dolphin, Shurland swims across the Swale estuary to intercept the king, fulfilling a supernatural prophecy but ultimately meeting his doom when a preserved horse's tooth from Dolphin's skull pierces his foot, leading to infection and death.[10] The story weaves smuggling intrigue, local folklore, and inevitable fate, highlighting Barham's interest in regional supernatural traditions.[10] Among other notable entries, "The Witches' Frolic" offers a satirical parody of witch lore, depicting a group of hags engaging in a chaotic midnight dance and revelry at a ruined abbey, only to be dispersed by a parson's prayers or a hapless intruder's mishaps.[10] "The Smuggler's Leap," a ghostly coastal legend set in Thanet, follows a smuggler who evades revenue officers by making a daring jump across a chalk pit, his spectral form later haunting the site as a warning to illicit traders.[10] "The Bagman's Dog: Mr. Peters's Story" recounts the tale of a traveling salesman's faithful dog Tray, killed while defending his master from gypsies, prompting a heartfelt lament and a quest for a fitting burial under a tree, embedding themes of loyalty in a humorous, archaic narrative style. An early transcription of the folk song "Bingo" appears in the poem "A Lay of St. Gengulphus."[10][15] Barham infuses the collection with satire through recurring footnotes and asides, notably mocking the antiquary John Britton via the character "Mr. Simpkinson from Bath," a pedantic scholar whose overzealous interpretations of history and heraldry are lampooned for their absurdity.[16] This device underscores Barham's critique of antiquarian excesses while adding layers of wit to the legends.[16]Complete List of Legends
The Ingoldsby Legends consists of three series published between 1840 and 1847, encompassing a total of 60 legends, stories, lays, and poems that blend folklore, parody, and humor. The First Series appeared in 1840, the Second in 1842, and the Third posthumously in 1847 following the author's death in 1845.[17] The pieces are grouped below by series for reference, with some drawing from Kentish origins (e.g., local tales of smugglers and ghosts) and others from foreign traditions (e.g., French or Spanish legends).[10] First Series (1840)- The Spectre of Tappington
- The Nurse's Story: The Hand of Glory
- Patty Morgan the Milkmaid's Story: "Look at the Clock!"
- Grey Dolphin
- The Ghost
- The Cynotaph
- Mrs. Botherby's Story: The Leech of Folkestone
- Legend of Hamilton Tighe
- The Witches' Frolic
- Singular Passage in the Life of the Late Henry Harris, D.D.
- The Jackdaw of Rheims
- A Lay of St. Dunstan
- A Lay of St. Gengulphus
- A Lay of St. Odille
- A Lay of St. Nicholas
- The Lady Rohesia
- The Tragedy
- Mr. Barney Maguire's Account of the Coronation
- The "Monstre" Balloon
- Hon. Mr. Sucklethumbkin's Story: The Execution
- Some Account of a New Play
- Mr. Peters's Story: The Bagman's Dog
- The Black Mousquetaire
- Sir Rupert the Fearless
- The Merchant of Venice
- The Auto-da-Fé
- The Ingoldsby Penance
- Netley Abbey
- Fragment
- Nell Cook
- Nursery Reminiscences
- Aunt Fanny
- Misadventures at Margate
- The Smuggler's Leap
- Bloudie Jacke of Shrewsberrie
- The Babes in the Wood
- The Dead Drummer
- A Row in an Omnibus (Box)
- The Lay of St. Cuthbert
- The Lay of St. Aloys
- The Lay of the Old Woman Clothed in Grey
- Raising the Devil
- The Lay of St. Medard
- The Lord of Thoulouse
- The Wedding-Day; or, The Buccaneer's Curse
- The Blasphemer's Warning
- The Brothers of Birchington
- The Knight and the Lady
- The House-Warming
- The Forlorn One
- Jerry Jarvis's Wig
- Unsophisticated Wishes
- Hermann; or, The Broken Spear
- Hints for an Historical Play
- Marie Mignot
- The Truants
- The Poplar
- My Letters
- New-Made Honour
- The Confession