The gulf between "town" and "country" fascinated and baffled the "educated" Victorian. Educated Victorians thought of themselves as advanced, scientific, and modern. "Superstition" - a term that might apply to any sort of old custom or folklore - was considered to be a thing of the past, or at least something that ought to be a thing of the past. Yet step into the British countryside and one would find customs, beliefs and superstitions that were still as much a part of daily life in the 19th century as they might have been hundreds of years earlier. This section looks at some of the country lore, customs and superstitions of Britain.

Seasonal Folklore (Illustrated London Almanack, 1846)

A roundup of seasonal folklore topics, feasts, saints' days, etc. for each month of the year.

Country Scenes,by Thomas Miller (Illustrated London Almanack, 1848)

Nature and farm notes for each month of the year.

The Description of the Twelve Months, by Thomas Miller (Illustrated London Almanack, 1849)

A monthly look at country customs, festivals, folklore, farm customs and natural history.

January: Plough Monday

February: Valentine Day

March: Primrose & Palm Gathering

April: Angling

May: May-Day Games

June: Whitsuntide Processions

July: Sheep-Shearing Feast

August: Harvest Home

September: A Country Fair

October: Nutting in the Woods

November: Guy Fawkes Day

December: Christmas Waits

Country Notes, by Thomas Miller (Illustrated London Almanack, 1851)

Country customs, farm practices and rural entertainments for each month of the year.

Chats About the Calendar (Girl's Own Paper, 1883)

A brief summary of folklore and country customs for each month of the year (excluding November).

Notes for April (Girl's Own Paper, 1887)