Federation of Old Cornwall Societies has a good selection of source texts online
Old Cornish Story Collections
- Dr Johnathan Couch, 'The History of Polperro' (1871) 1965 Dyllanstow Truran
- W Bottrell - 'Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall Vol 1', 1870 originally contributed to the Cornish telegraph, Penzance in 1860's and 70's, then reprinted in book form
- W. Bottrell, 'Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall', 1989 Llanerch Enterprises
- W Bottrell, 'Stories and Folk-Lore of West Cornwall', Vol3 1880
- Mrs Anna Elizabeth Bray, A Peep at the Pixies, or Legends of the West (1854)
- Mrs Anna Elizabeth Bray, The Borders of the Tamar and the Tavy 1836, 3 Volumes, W Kent and co, London
- Robert Hunt, 'Popular Romances of the West of England', 1865 London Chatto and Windus
- Robert Hunt, 'Cornish Legends', 2010 Tor Mark Publications, booklet of selections of Hunt's tales.
- R S Hawker 'Footprints of Former Men in Far Cornwall' 1903 J Lane
- J Henry Harris 'Cornish Saints and Sinners', 1906 Bodley Head
- S Baring-Gould 'A Book of Cornwall' 1899 Menthuen
- Barbara Spooner, 'Jan Tregagel, Man and Ghost' 1935
- Enys Tregarthen 'Legends and Tales of North Cornwall' 1906, London, Wells, Gardners, Darton and colltd.
- E Tregarthen 'The Piskey Purse' 1905
- E Tregarthen House of the Sleeping Winds' 1911 Redman Ltd
- E Tregarthen ed E Yates 'Piskey Folk', 1942 John Day
- Joseph Henry Pearce, 'Cornish Drolls', 1893 LLanerch Publishers
Saints
- William Borlaise. 'The Age of the Saints', 1893 Joseph Pollard
- M. and L. Quiller Couch, 'Ancient and Holy Wells of Cornwall,' 1894, 1994 Tamara Publications
- G.H Doble, 'The Saints of Cornwall, 1964 The Holywell Press, Oxford
Caradoc
- 'Three Aurthurian Romances - Poems for Medieval France' translated by Ross G. Arthur. 1996 Dent
Cornish Story Retellings
- Margaret Balfour 'The Vanishing Mayor of Padstow' 1938
- Shirley Climo 'Piskies, SprIggans and other Magical Beings' 1981 Thomas Crowell, New York
- Sarah L Enys 'Cornsih Drolls' 1931 Mayflower, Plymouth
- Ruth Manning Saunders 'Peter and the Piskies' 1958 OUP
- Anna Chorlton 'Cornish Folk Tales of Place' 2019 The History Press
- Mike O'Connor 'Cornish Folk Tales', 2013 The History Press
- Mike O'Connor 'Cornish Folk Tales for Children' 2018 The History Press
- Mike O'Connor ' Isles of Scilly Folk Tales ' 2020 The History Press
- Mike O'Connor ' Fools and Wise Men' 2022 The History Press contains many Cornsh tales
- Eric Quale and Micheal Foreman, 'The Magic Ointment and other Cornish legends', 1988 Picturemac Macmillan reissued as Cornish Tales in 2012
- Donald R. Rawe ed. 'Traditional Cornish Stories and Rhymes', 1992 Lodenek Press
- Margaret Caine and Alan Gorton 'Footloose in Cornish Folklore', 2005 Cotswold(Quality)Leisure ltd.
STORIES WOVEN WITH CORNISH FOLKTALES
- Lucy Wood 'Diving Belles' 2012 Bloomsbury
- Jodie Matthews 'Meet Me at the Surface' 2024 Fourth Estate
- Sam K Horton 'Gorse' 2024 Solaris
Local Interest
- 'A Looe Ditty-Box', London and Scarborough 1924
- Wilson MacArthur, 'The River Fowey', 1948 Cassel
- Peter Moor and Martin Lister, 'Liskeard Town and About', 1988 Tamara Publications
- Mike Dunn, 'The Looe Island Story', 2005 Polperro Heritage Press
- Peter Moore and Martin Lister, 'The Good Looe Story', 1997 Peter Moore Publications
- Charles Causley, 'Collected Poems 1951-1975', 1983 Papermac, Macmillan
- Jason Higgs, 'Haunted Bodmin Moor', 2012 The History Press
Cornish Folklore
- Ronald M James 'The Folklore of Cornwall' 2018 University of Exeter Press
- K Jones , 'Folklore of a Cornish Village', 2004 Oakmagic
M.A Courtney, 'Folklore - Legends of Cornwall', first pub 1890, reprinted 1989 Cornwall Books - M A Courtney Cornish Folklore in the FolkLore Journal Vol 5 1887
- Tony Deane and Tony Shaw Folklore of Cornwall 2003 The History Press
- Lien Gwerin, Journal of Cornish Folklore
- Alex Langstone 'From Granite to Sea, the Folklore of Bodmin Moor' 2018 Troy Books
- Helen E Manley ' The Revival of Folk Tradition' St Germans May Tree Fair ' Millbrook 2019
Podcasts
The Piskey Trap https://shows.acast.com/the-piskie-trap Articles on aspects of folklore from Devon and Cornwall
The Silver Ball https://www.buzzsprout.com/411730/8643724-the-silver-ball-an-audio-drama Audio drama about. T the Hurlers and Merry Maidens stone circles, written by Anna Chorlton.
Cornish Folk Tales for Kids Cornish Tales for Kids | Podcast on Spotify Mazed podcast of stories told by children for children
Cornish Folklorists
- Simon Young 'Her Room Was her World' : Nellie Sloggett and North Cornish Folklore.' Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics volume 11 no 2 2017
- Simon Young 'Enys Tregarthen of Padstow, A Neglected Cornsih Folklorist and Fairyist' 2023 Pwca Books
- Charlotte MacKenzie 'Cornish Legends' 2022 Lulu.com (Hunt and Bottrell)
- H Lewis 'In the footsteps of Robert Stephen Hawker' 2009 Cornwall Council
Storytellers
- Mike O'Connor 'Traditional Storytelling in Cornwall' Kernow Goth Vol 16,2, autumn 2022
- William Collier 'Tales and Sayings of William Robert Hicks of Bodmin' 1893 William Brendon and Son, Plymouth
- P A S Poole ' The Life and Progress of Henry Quick of Zennor' 1963 Penzance
History and Culture
- Garry Tregidga ed. 'Memory, Place and Identity ', 2012 Frances Boutle Publishers
Children's Books
- Will Coleman 'Tom and the Giant, Lutey and the Mermaid, Madgy Figgy's Pig', 2005 Brave Tales
- Alan M. Kent 'The Beast of Bodmin Moor ', 2011 evertype
- Mike O'Connor 'The Moon Over Pennycomequick' 2022 Lyngham House
- Mike O'Connor 'Seal Song' 2022 Lyngham House
- Mike O'Connor 'Firecrow' 2023 Lyngham House
- Simon Parker ' Beast ' 2014 Scryfa
- Jill Paton Walsh 'Thomas and the Tinners' 2001
Music
- Three Daft Monkeys 'Of Stones and Bones'
- The Changing Room 'Seaton Mermaid'
CORNISHIBIAI DOWNLOADS
Cornishibai is a cross between Kamishibai' a Japanese storytelling technique, and Cornish droll telling. Each story is shown in a set of story sheets, and a set of words, each picture a step in the story. Word and Pictures from 6 stories from North Cornwall can be downloaded here.The full stories are on the website.
CORNISHIBAI print off the word and pictures, then stick the words on the back of the corresponding picture. Start by reading the stories with the pictures a few times, then leave the text and tell the tales in your own words.(picture1, words1..)
KAMISHIBAI print off the words and pictures. Stick the words on the back of the next picture in the set eg in a 6 picture story. Picture 1 words 2 ; picture 2, words 3; picture3,words 4; picture 5, words 6; picture 6 words1. The pictures can then be slipped in a Kamishibai box.instructions coming soon-and the pictures can be moved from the front to the back of the pile while reading the story.