14/08/2026
Where these creatures real?
While they may not be, the fear of them definitely was.
Across the North West, there are hundreds of accounts of families terrified of these creatures. Priests would patrol on guard duty through the night just to ward them off.
Throughout the 1800s, countless newspaper articles detail families fleeing their homes as a result of their torment.
And that is what’s so fascinating about Boggarts.
It’s not about whether the stories were fact or fiction - in my view, that was never the point.
These tales offer a unique window into a specific point in time and show us how our ancestors actually viewed the world.
People believed in Boggarts. To them, they were as real as any living being. They spoke about them the way we might speak about bad luck, mold, or a pest infestation.
The supernatural was simply a regular, accepted part of daily life.
Here in Saddleworth, Boggarts remain woven into the land’s history and identity. The "Boggart Stones" stand as a striking reminder of that past, and were very likely a place locals used to actively avoid.
But like so much of our local folklore, these stories are at risk of being forgotten.
This is perhaps one of the strongest examples of why folklore matters - these weren't just bedtime stories told to entertain children. They shaped human belief, behavior, and daily survival. They are as much a part of this landscape as the soil itself.
Should we really just let these stories vanish?
