Medieval Ghost Tales of Byland Abbey

Show on semibegun (tape label and radio show on Repeater Radio)

Copied down in a manuscript by the hand of a monk around the turn of the 15th century, the Byland Abbey Ghost Stories depict encounters between medieval residents of Yorkshire, both from this life and the next. In most of the tales, the ghosts appear to the living as shapeshifters seeking absolution to escape from purgatory, ending with the ghost resting in peace after a bit of dialogue with the one doing the conjuring. In this rendition of tales I, III, V, and IX, James Joyce provides a spectacular performance as narrator and electronic accompaniment is provided by Kittie Cooper, Alex Christie, and Heather Mease. Narrated by James C. Joyce.

Story selection, curation, mastering, and more by the one and only Heather Mease.

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