Strange tale of the Marden Bell - St Mary - Marden, Herefordshire - Weird Story Locations on Waymarking.com

This folktale from Herefordshire in England, describes how villagers take on a mermaid to recover their church bell. What makes this tale unusual is that the mermaid lives not in the sea, but in the River Lugg!

"This concern's a mermaid who found the churches bell after it fell into the River Lugg. She decided not to return it to the locals who tried to force it from her and instead she hid it in a nearby pool, where it is said you can hear its ghostly chimes.

Such an idea is not original, for there are some locals who still say that the sight of a mermaid in Herefordshire is very far from fantasy.

Back in 1848, when the river Lugg near Marden Church was being dredged of mud and sludge the workmen discovered an ancient bell - the sort of bell that was often used when a church was connected with a saint, used to call the villagers to church, or to ring at the time of funerals. According to Celtic tradition, such bells were called by their saints' names and were thought to be especially sacred.

The Marden bell can now be seen in the Hereford museum. It is thought to be Welsh in origin and dating from between AD 600-1100. It is not of a circular construction, but created by attaching two sections of metal together - to look almost like a cow or sheep bell."

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Type: Local Legend or Lore Referenced in (list books, websites and other media): https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/14234305.of-mermaids-and-a-herefordshire-bell/ https://virtualvictorian.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-mermaid-and-marden-bell.html Additional Coordinates: Not Listed Website Reference: Not listed

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