In 2003, shortly after returning to live in the Peak District, Mark Henderson began to collect traditional folktales from the area. The Peak District has a rich tradition of folktales passed down orally from one generation to the next – through many centuries in some cases. Such tales are meant for telling aloud.

Mark attended storytelling workshops so he could learn to perform them effectively to a wide range of audiences. He also researched the provenance of each tale.

His desire to preserve these stories has led to two published collections (see the Book page) plus several journal papers and a monograph.

In the introduction to Folktales of the Peak District (see the Book page), Mark said: “A written anthology is like a butterfly collection: each specimen retains much of its beauty but lacks the vitality of flight. Unless they’re recited to an audience, folktales don’t fly…” 

In 2018, Mark and his colleague Tim Knebel of Peak in the Past were awarded a grant from the South West Peak Community Grants Scheme for a project “Illuminating the History and Folktale Traditions of the South West Peak”. Thanks to the grant, Mark was filmed and audio-recorded reciting folktales from around the South West Peak, in the landscape that shaped each story.

The films illustrate the richness and variety of this region’s folktales in an accessible and strikingly visual way. Mark’s aim is to help preserve and promote the folklore traditions of the locality as well as enhancing everyone’s appreciation of the landscape that forged them.

To see the films and listen to the audio recordings, go to www.peakinthepast.com/films and scroll down down to “Folktales”.

Mark is available for storytelling gigs, which he usually delivers free of charge except for travelling expenses, to any group or organisation in or around the Peak District. To submit a request, please use the Contact page.