The Brigstock Fox

Our story for "Birth Week" is a retelling from Martin of recently rediscovered Northamptonshire legend The Brigstock Fox. A tale of Medieval changelings, magic, princes and parenthood, it begins as the folktale does, with a strange, seemingly uncatchable creature stalking the forests around Fotheringhay Castle. Richard of York, away in Ireland, offers a bag of gold to whoever can catch the beast and prevent the savaging of the ducks, geese, hogs and lambs that belong to his vassals. Only when hunting dogs catch not a monstrous fox but a man in their snapping jaws, and he claims to know 'Proud Cis' - Richard's wife - events are set in motion that reveal hidden secrets, true characters, and prophecies that will shape British life for generations to come... Plus, because we thought it would be fun, we have also recorded a version of the classic folk song "The Fox" and given it some special Three Ravens, Brigstock-specific twists... Martin's telling is inspired by the research of folklorist and Northamptonshire Heritage Forum regular Steve Dimmer as part of his project Tales & Legends of Northamptonshire, through which Steve has also uncovered obscure, largely forgotten stories including The Witch of Benfield, The Daughter of the Earl of Corby, The Ringstead Round, and more. We really hope you enjoy the telling, song, and chat that follows, and you can find Icy Sedgwick's episode of Fabulous Folklore that we mention, "Foxes in Folk Tales: From Aesop to Reynard" and the associated blog post here. About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.