A 'Domestic' Boggart
A boggart is a supernatural creature, deeply ingrained in and exclusive to British folklore. The specific word ‘boggart’, however, is very much limited to the north west of England; Lancashire, Cheshire, the West Riding of Yorkshire and Derbyshire (mainly the Peak), with outliers in Nottinghamshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire and quite widespread across Lincolnshire.
There are at least ten variations on the term ‘boggart’, depending on area and dialect. These include: boggard, baggard, bogerd, boggat, bogard, boggerd, boggert, bugart, buggard and buggart. Outside of its northwestern homeland, you could also add the terms boggle, bogle, bogie and bogeyman! All of these variations appear to derive from the Middle English word ‘bugge’, which means a spirit or monster. The term Boggart also used to be used in Derbyshire to refer to a naughty or mischievous child and is almost certainly the derivation of the term bogger, as in “You little bogger!” - a name which I am sure all of us natives, of a certain age, have been called by our parents, in days gone by. To add to this extensive list, we should also include the term ‘hob’. This name is common in the English midlands and the north and is used specifically for a kind of household spirit, which we shall learn more of later.
When you hear the term ‘boggart’ today, though, your thoughts may well turn to JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books or perhaps the Spiderwick Chronicles. The entities portrayed here are archetypal goblin-like creatures, from the realm of fairy. Typically, they are short (around three feet tall), shaggy, rough-skinned, with pointy noses and ears, and beady eyes; as if emerging straight from the pen of the Victorian/Edwardian illustrator, Arthur Rackham. However, this image was very much the product of the Victorian era.
So what is a boggart? Essentially, it can be any kind of supernatural and generally, malevolent entity. In all the myriad mentions of this creature, there is little or no consistency or commonality in what might be termed a boggart. It can, in some cases, be a goblin-like creature, as described above, but, just as easily, it can appear as a ghost; a headless apparition; the undead; a floating light; take the form of any number of natural or unnatural creatures or even be totally invisible. Essentially, we can say that a boggart is any kind of apparition that comes with ill intent. However, in his seminal work on Derbyshire folklore, Victorian author Sidney Oldall Addy, cited that boggarts in this region were considered to be …
"... the spirit of a dead man which cannot rest, and it often haunts the place where a murder has been committed"
To address this problem of what a boggart actually is, author and UK boggart supremo, Simon Young, has suggested a taxonomy for boggarts, which categorises the main manifestations of these strange entities. It includes: ‘Feorin’ (solitary fairies); ghosts; shape shifters; household spirits; demons and devils; Will o’ the Wisps (floating lights) and undines (water spirits), all of which occur somewhere in Derbyshire and the Peak District. So let’s have a look at some candidates …
The Domestic & The Wild
In Derbyshire and the Peak District, in common with other areas, there often appears a difference between domestic and wild boggarts, that is to say, boggarts that dwell in people’s houses and those that inhabit wild and wooly moorlands, forests and caves.
Often, domestic boggarts are referred to as Hobs. It seems that some Hobs may be helpful, if treated well, such as by leaving out a saucer of milk for them, whereas boggarts seem irredeemably wicked in their intentions. In domestic folklore, we also have the fairy spirit known as a ‘Brownie’, which is largely analogous to a Hob and would perform household tasks if - like the Hob - was treated correctly; traditionally with some kind of food offering. However, if the proper etiquette was not followed, then the brownie could ‘turn boggart’.
The domestic boggart would often inhabit liminal spaces within the home. Much is made of liminal spaces, with regard to many supernatural entities and events, so it is probably worth providing a brief explanation. A liminal space is a transitional area, between one place and another, so, in a sense, neither here nor there. Such spaces have long been considered as magical, both to attract magical creatures and, in Celtic legend, as places to perform magic. In the case of the domestic boggart; stairs, corridors, wardrobes and, specifically, behind grandfather clocks, were all the abodes of this malevolent entity.
Whilst we do have records of domestic boggarts, who were known for such household antics as curdling milk, historically, most boggarts inhabited places such as caves, forests, mines, bleak moors, burial mounds and under bridges; much like the trolls of Norse legend. The most infamous of the Derbyshire boggarts is one that is said to haunt Arbor Low, the county’s largest henge, though, again, this entity doesn’t seem to actually ‘appear’.
There are at least ten variations on the term ‘boggart’, depending on area and dialect. These include: boggard, baggard, bogerd, boggat, bogard, boggerd, boggert, bugart, buggard and buggart. Outside of its northwestern homeland, you could also add the terms boggle, bogle, bogie and bogeyman! All of these variations appear to derive from the Middle English word ‘bugge’, which means a spirit or monster. The term Boggart also used to be used in Derbyshire to refer to a naughty or mischievous child and is almost certainly the derivation of the term bogger, as in “You little bogger!” - a name which I am sure all of us natives, of a certain age, have been called by our parents, in days gone by. To add to this extensive list, we should also include the term ‘hob’. This name is common in the English midlands and the north and is used specifically for a kind of household spirit, which we shall learn more of later.
When you hear the term ‘boggart’ today, though, your thoughts may well turn to JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books or perhaps the Spiderwick Chronicles. The entities portrayed here are archetypal goblin-like creatures, from the realm of fairy. Typically, they are short (around three feet tall), shaggy, rough-skinned, with pointy noses and ears, and beady eyes; as if emerging straight from the pen of the Victorian/Edwardian illustrator, Arthur Rackham. However, this image was very much the product of the Victorian era.
So what is a boggart? Essentially, it can be any kind of supernatural and generally, malevolent entity. In all the myriad mentions of this creature, there is little or no consistency or commonality in what might be termed a boggart. It can, in some cases, be a goblin-like creature, as described above, but, just as easily, it can appear as a ghost; a headless apparition; the undead; a floating light; take the form of any number of natural or unnatural creatures or even be totally invisible. Essentially, we can say that a boggart is any kind of apparition that comes with ill intent. However, in his seminal work on Derbyshire folklore, Victorian author Sidney Oldall Addy, cited that boggarts in this region were considered to be …
"... the spirit of a dead man which cannot rest, and it often haunts the place where a murder has been committed"
To address this problem of what a boggart actually is, author and UK boggart supremo, Simon Young, has suggested a taxonomy for boggarts, which categorises the main manifestations of these strange entities. It includes: ‘Feorin’ (solitary fairies); ghosts; shape shifters; household spirits; demons and devils; Will o’ the Wisps (floating lights) and undines (water spirits), all of which occur somewhere in Derbyshire and the Peak District. So let’s have a look at some candidates …
The Domestic & The Wild
In Derbyshire and the Peak District, in common with other areas, there often appears a difference between domestic and wild boggarts, that is to say, boggarts that dwell in people’s houses and those that inhabit wild and wooly moorlands, forests and caves.
Often, domestic boggarts are referred to as Hobs. It seems that some Hobs may be helpful, if treated well, such as by leaving out a saucer of milk for them, whereas boggarts seem irredeemably wicked in their intentions. In domestic folklore, we also have the fairy spirit known as a ‘Brownie’, which is largely analogous to a Hob and would perform household tasks if - like the Hob - was treated correctly; traditionally with some kind of food offering. However, if the proper etiquette was not followed, then the brownie could ‘turn boggart’.
The domestic boggart would often inhabit liminal spaces within the home. Much is made of liminal spaces, with regard to many supernatural entities and events, so it is probably worth providing a brief explanation. A liminal space is a transitional area, between one place and another, so, in a sense, neither here nor there. Such spaces have long been considered as magical, both to attract magical creatures and, in Celtic legend, as places to perform magic. In the case of the domestic boggart; stairs, corridors, wardrobes and, specifically, behind grandfather clocks, were all the abodes of this malevolent entity.
Whilst we do have records of domestic boggarts, who were known for such household antics as curdling milk, historically, most boggarts inhabited places such as caves, forests, mines, bleak moors, burial mounds and under bridges; much like the trolls of Norse legend. The most infamous of the Derbyshire boggarts is one that is said to haunt Arbor Low, the county’s largest henge, though, again, this entity doesn’t seem to actually ‘appear’.
A Boggart drives a family from their home.
The Boggarts of Derbyshire and the Peak District
Our first boggart appears in a story called ‘Cockeye and the Boggart’ as retold by Mark P Henderson, in his excellent book, Folktales of the Peak District. This tale takes place between Eyam and Middleton Dale. In this tale, the boggart in question is the ghost of an old woman, who infests her old cottage, under the crags of the local hillside. Terrifyingly, she is able to pass through keyholes and small holes in walls. She also had a reputation for entering houses and ripping bedclothes off the beds! One drunken night, Cockeye, having drunk a great deal of beer, approaches the haunted cottage on a dare, with beer-fueled bravado. He encounters the boggart, who grasps his ankles and drags him away with her. Her deathly grasp was so cold that Cockeye eventually fell unconscious, due to the supernatural chill. Luckily for him, he was found the following morning, lying by the banks of a stream, by the landlady of the Ball Inn and was duly revived. Neither the Ball Inn or the haunted cottage remain today.
The village of Winster, just a few short miles from Matlock, has two boggarts: the Chaddock Boggart, at the west end of the village, towards Elton and the Gurda Boggart, at the eastern end, towards Wensley. The Chaddock Boggart is said to follow travellers up the hill. Its footsteps can be heard behind them, but, according to tradition, if one were to turn around, you would see nothing and hear only a chilling laugh. The Gurda Boggart, however, is reputed to be the ghost of an individual who used to prevent children from wandering away from the village.
The slopes of Mam Tor, near Castleton, are said to be home to a truly powerful boggart. The impressive hill of Mam Tor is also known as the Shivering Mountain. This is because of the frequent landslips that occur along its sides, due to the numerous unstable layers of shale and gritstone, which comprise its eastern side. That’s the scientific explanation anyway, but maybe the locals know better, as they ascribe these regular falls to the antics of a resident boggart, who delights in causing rockslides, with the intention of endangering travellers who walk the paths below Mam Tor.
As mentioned on our page devoted to the charming village of Birchover, is the Shale Hill Boggart. This boggart is said to reside within a stone wall, on the B5056, between Eagle Tor (at the turning for Birchover) and Stoney Ley Lodge, just a few hundred yards up the road. It is said to give out a fearsome gulping and gurgling sound.
Derbyshire’s highest peak, Kinder Scout, is haunted by a boggart too. Once again, reports are varied, but, interestingly, this boggart is often reported as a black dog manifestation. In this guise, the boggart may be seen as a guardian of this vast and perilous moorland landscape. This is not the only occurrence of a boggart taking the form of a black dog. Across the Peak, not far from Ashbourne is the village of Swinscoe. Here a black dog boggart was set to guard the graves of three Jacobite soldiers, who were slain here, during the rebellion of 1745. This reinforces the idea that boggarts in the form of black dogs are guardian spirits.
Boggart Place Names
As we are learning, Derbyshire and the Peak District is rife with boggarts; at least if place names are to be trusted. Throughout the region there are a myriad different landmarks that have their roots in the names of boggarts and hobs. Perhaps one may be near you?
- Hob Hurst’s House. This is a rare rectangular Bronze Age burial mound, found on Beeley Moor, at the edge of the Chatsworth Estate. It is common to have boggarts/hobs associated with such monuments. Close by, you will also find Hob Hurst Plantation and Hob Hurst Gate.
- Hob’s House. This is a rock shelter, to be found on Gardom’s Edge, near Baslow. Again, caves are commonly associated with boggarts.
- Hob’s House or Hob’s Hurst House. A recurrence of this name is a famous cave/rock shelter, above Monsal Dale and below the almost legendary Fin Cop. It is rich with its own folkloric connections, which will be dealt with in a later article.
- Hob’s Foot Road. This is a path that runs from Stoney Middleton to Calver.
- Hob Lane. This name appears in Dronfield, Horsley Woodhouse / Coxbench and Aston-on-Trent.
- Boggart Lane. This lane, near Buxton, appeared in 19th century papers, but is no longer signed.
- Boggart Hole. This is a deep peat hollow on Kinder Scout that has now disappeared from the records and exists only in oral tradition.
- Boggle Hole. This was recorded by Victorian ramblers as being on the moors above Hayfield.
- Boggarts House; Boggarts Inn Farm; Hob Hall and Hob Hill. All of these are found in and around the Wirksworth area.
As this short article demonstrates, boggarts are definitely supernatural natives of Derbyshire and the Peak District and their presence is both felt and named in numerous locations, across the region. However, as to what a boggart is remains a mystery. This place is inhabited by every kind of boggart: from the classic ghost boggarts; the fearsome mermaids on the Roaches; the unseen menace of the Crooker and even the more benign-seeming spirits of T’Owd Man and the Little Red hairy Man. As always, the boggart remains a mysterious, frightening and elusive figure, but, make no mistake, there is almost certainly one living near you!