Markby Widdershins

St Peter's, Markby is the only thatched church in Lincolnshire. It occupies part of the site of - and is partially built from - Markby Priory, which fell during the Dissolution. Low, shielded by trees, and set back from the road, and on the edge of a tiny village, it is hard to spot, and tends to go unnoticed. But it also provides very unusual physical evidence of a tradition that stretches back many centuries, is connected to almost every religion in the northern hemisphere, and which has given birth to a considerable legacy in folk tales. In this talk, Rory will discuss Markby St Peter's church, its history, the folklore associated with it, and the local and international context of that folklore, in an engaging blend of travel writing, memoir, and scholarship.

Rory Waterman was born in Belfast, grew up in Nocton, Lincolnshire, and is Professor of Modern Literature and Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University. He is the author of four poetry collections published by Carcanet Press, and has edited several anthologies and written several books about twentieth-century and contemporary literature, as well as editing the work of Welsh 'supertramp' poet W. H. Davies (1871-1940). In 2024-25, he led the AHRC-funded project Lincolnshire Folk Tales: Origins, Legacies, Connections, Futures, which won an award for excellence from the SLHA in 2025. His new book is Devils in the Details: On Location with Folk Tales in England's Forgotten County (Five Leaves Publications, 2026). In this talk, Rory will discuss Markby St Peter's church, its history, the folklore associated with it, and the local and international context of that folklore, in an engaging blend of travel writing, memoir, and scholarship. There will be lots of room for questions and open conversation.