Trail of ‘hobsession’ at Ryedale Museum
Ryedale Folk Museum is going all out sharing the exciting moorland folk stories of ‘hobs’ this season.
As part of their Season of Magic at the Hutton-le-Hole museum, a new trail opens in time for the May halfterm holiday.
Hobs are the tiny moorland fairy folk and the equivalent of hobgoblins or elves.
They were widely believed in across the North York Moors, a late as the 18th Century and in some cases even beyond.
For the adults, there will also be a talk by writer and broadcaster Bob Fischer on Saturday, May 25.
Bob said: “The landscape is riddled with tales of ‘hobs’.
“These mystical little beasties were once believed to have helped out on local
farms, or, indeed, to have caused havoc on them!
"But what are we to make of the stories now?”
Bob’s own ‘hobsession’ started when he discovered the intriguing Hob On The Hill moorland marker stone near Commondale.
He is a regular writer about folklore and his popular Haunted Generation website chronicles the stranger corners of pop culture.
Rosie Barrett, events coordinator at Ryedale Folk Museum, said: “We’re delighted to have the hobs on our programme this season. “It’s such a fun topic. "For the next few months, the hobs really are going to be taking over the museum in our Hobtastic trail.
"They’ll be hiding in the Victorian crockery, setting up shop in the 1950s village store and posing for holiday photos in the Edwardian studio.”
Visitors will be able to explore a range of miniature scenes across the site and enter a prize drawer for if they successfully count the number of hobs.
The hobs will be coming and going across the site, so during the summer holidays there’ll be a separate count each week.
Bob Fischer’s folklore talk Hobnobbing with the Hobs, aimed at an adult audience, will be taking place on Saturday, May 25 at 2pm and again on Saturday, September 14.
Tickets cost £5 and can be purchased via the website.
The Hobtastic Trail is suitable for all ages and is free to enter, included within the normal ticket price or on production of a valid annual pass.