Christmas Eve
The Norfolk Dumpling’s original Christmas tale
Three Ungrateful Sons
A story of family and money.
This morality tale concerns an old man called Mr Lacy. Lacy leaves all his possessions to his three sons, on condition that they each take care of him, for one week at a time. The sons, thus rewarded, regard caring for their father as an unfortunate chore and mistreat him, so the old man goes to see a friend who was a lawyer. The friend tells Lacy that unfortunately he can suggest no legal solution, but he lends Lacy a box containing £1000, and advises him to count it in front of his sons. This changes the old man’s treatment considerably. Before he dies, he returns the box of money to his friends, tells his sons, and forgives them.
Enjoy The Norfolk Dumpling’s version of the Three Ungrateful Sons
The Silly Saints
The Norfolk Dumpling crossed the border for this folk tale…
There is an ancient proverb that tells of a simpleton who, seeing the Moon’s reflection in a pond and thinking it was a floating cheese, reached for it and fell into the water.
Enjoy The Norfolk Dumpling’s version of the The Silly Saints
Jack Valentine
The Norfolk Dumpling’s version of Norfolk’s valentine history.
There are two things that are particularly strange about Jack Valentine. Firstly, he’s not that predictable with his gift giving. His more affectionate offerings have included vases, shawls, jewellery boxes… even a writing desk or two. On the other hand, he’s been known to leave not such nice gifts: coal, or just a small, meaningless scribble in an extravagant box. Sometimes he’ll simply knock on the door and run away. Other times he’s attached a string to a gift, pulling the present away as the grateful recipient reaches for it!
The second thing that’s strange about Jack Valentine is that he is unique to Norfolk, and Norwich in particular. The tradition of gift giving on Valentine’s Eve has been around for years, too, and was big business in Norwich in the 19th and early 20th century. Accounts at the time talk about thousands of pounds being spent on the occasion, and shops here even took on extra staff to help cope with the demand.
Enjoy The Norfolk Dumpling’s tale of Jack Valentine
The Shrieking Monk
Legend has it that if you visit St Benet’s Abbey at night, you’ll hear The Shrieking Monk.
The ghost of a traitorous monk haunts St Benets Abbey, on the 25th May each year. Believed to be Essric the bailiff monk, who in the days following the Norman Conquest, betrayed his brethren to William the Conqueror’s soldiers by allowing them access to the Abbey. In return he made the soldiers promise that once they had taken over he would be made Abbot, true to their word, the Normans appointed him Abbot. However, the Normans had little time for traitors and as such Essric, dressed in full regalia, was nailed to the Abbey doors and skinned alive.
His fateful screams can still be heard on the night of 25th May and shortly afterwards the form of a monk can be seen writhing in agony from the former bell tower.
Enjoy The Norfolk Dumpling’s version of The Shrieking Monk
The Tower that Flew
A tale about a corner cutting builder.
The traditional tale is that the tower was once attached to the church, but the builder forgot to use the proper mortar and it was never watertight. The parson ordered the tower to be pitched all over, but while it was still hot and sticky, all the birds of Dereham (some say a flock of starlings) flew over to see what the fuss was. They landed on the tower, but on finding their feet stuck, kicked up a commotion and fluttered their wings so hard that they flew away with the tower. But before they’d flown far, their feet came unstuck and the tower fell where it stands.
Enjoy the Norfolk Dumpling’s version of The Tower that Flew
The Legend of Erpingham’s Gate
Legend has it that Sir Thomas Erpingham paid for the Erpingham Gate to be built at Norwich Cathedral as payback for killing a monk…
It seems likely the gate would have been given at a time when Erpingham’s thoughts were turning to his death and afterlife – by this time he would have been in his sixties (he was born in 1357). There are stories that he built the gate as a penance for a sin he had committed – different versions suggest a homicide, his role in the disgrace of Bishop Despenser, or support of heretics – or in gratitude for surviving Agincourt, but there is no real foundation for any of these (although his opposition to the bishop was real enough).
Enjoy The Norfolk Dumpling’s version of The Legend of Erpingham’s Gate
The Norfolk Dumpling 