Project
Lincolnshire Folk Tales Project
Unit(s) of assessment: English Language and Literature
School: School of Arts and Humanities
Overview
Lincolnshire Folk Tales: Origins, Legacies, Connections, Futures is an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project, based in the School of Arts and Humanities at Nottingham Trent University. It is led by Principal Investigator Dr Rory Waterman and Research Fellow Dr Anna Milon.
The project explores, preserves and celebrates the rich, yet often overlooked, oral storytelling traditions of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands. Through collecting, recording, presenting, and reinterpreting folk tales, legends and myths passed down through generations, the Lincolnshire Folk Tales Project aims to uncover the cultural legacies of the region and consider their place in contemporary literature and society.
The project's key questions
The Lincolnshire Folk Tales Project seeks to explore how regional folk narratives can be understood as creative responses to the cultural, social and historical contexts that shaped them. It asks how we might analyse these stories not only in terms of their origins and transmission, but also by tracing their lineages, reading them intertextually, and considering their place within wider literary traditions.
Key questions include:
- How do folk tales reflect the specific circumstances of the communities that produced them?
- What can the recovery and reinterpretation of ‘lost’ folk tales contribute to literary scholarship and contemporary creative practice?
- In what ways can the writing, reading and performance of folk tales engage wider audiences and speak meaningfully to life in the present day?
- How might contemporary writers and poets draw on regionally-rooted folk narratives to respond to current social concerns in ways that are both culturally and artistically resonant?
- How have migration and cultural exchange—both within the UK and internationally—enriched the folk tale traditions of Lincolnshire, and how might they continue to do so?
- What kinds of networks and frameworks are needed to support the ongoing reinterpretation, performance and sharing of these narratives?
The project is committed not only to the preservation of Lincolnshire’s folk storytelling heritage, but to demonstrating its continued relevance. It creates opportunities for communities to engage with the region’s rich narrative traditions and to contribute to their future.
Activities include:
- Gathering and recording folk tales from across Lincolnshire, many of which have survived through oral transmission but remain undocumented or at risk of being forgotten.
- Hosting public events, including storytelling performances and creative workshops, to bring these tales to life and inspire new interpretations.
- Collaborating with schools, libraries, and community organisations to ensure broad access to the stories and their histories.
- Working in partnership with local historians, folklorists, and professional storytellers to ensure authenticity and depth of insight.
- Archiving the stories digitally through an interactive folk tale map available on this website.
- Publishing both scholarly research and creative writing inspired by folk tales, highlighting their ongoing significance in both academic and artistic contexts.
Through this work, the Lincolnshire Folk Tales Project connects past and present, offering new ways to understand the cultural fabric of the region and the power of storytelling in shaping identity and community.
Researchers
Rory Waterman
Dr Waterman is Associate Professor of Creative Writing and Modern & Contemporary Literature, and has been at NTU since 2012. He lectures on the BA Creative Writing, BA English, the MA Creative Writing, and supervises PhD students working in and on modern and contemporary literature and/or creative writing.
Anna Milon
Dr Milon is a postdoctoral research fellow on the project, having recently obtained her PhD from the University of Exeter. Before joining this project, she participated in a range of public outreach events, notably loaning items and developing a series of seminars for the ‘Fantasy: Realms of Imagination’ exhibition at the British Library.
Partners
Visit the Lincolnshire Folk Tales Website
Visit the Lincolnshire Folk Tales website to explore the tales, meet the team, access the interactive folk tale map, and find out how you can get involved.