Yorkshire's Onward Christian Soldiers writer celebrated in incredible life-story show

His incredible life was filled with other amazing achievements but he has been largely forgotten, until now.

A new touring show, about to get its official world premier in his former Wakefield parish of Horbury - buy tickets here - will reveal how he was a top five best-selling novelist; the writer of what is still the go-to book on werewolves and inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula. He was also a storyteller of the Norse Myths of Iceland and even featured in a Sherlock Holmes novel as the detective’s godfather.

In real life he married Horbury mill worker Grace Taylor, after educating her in society etiquette - their story was used by George Bernard Shaw as the basis for his bestseller Pygmalion, which was made into the Hollywood musical My Fair Lady.

But the curate said the most important thing he ever did was to save a huge collection of folk songs from Devon and Cornwall, where he was originally from.

Some of those songs, interweaved with anecdotes from his own astonishing life and stories from his books will mark the centenary of his death in a new touring show called Ghosts, Werewolves and Countryfolk.

It stars six-time BBC Folk Awards nominee Jim Causley and Miranda Sykes, of award-winning Show of Hands and Yorkshire-based Daphne’s Flight, and is narrated by John Palmer, director of the critically-acclaimed Vaughan Williams anniversary From Pub to Pulpit Cathedral tour,

The premier will be at Horbury Working Members Club on Friday, May 17, before it goes on a 25-date national tour.

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It will launch Whit Weekend long events - May 17 to 19 - including celebratory exhibitions and activities, plus a church parade on the Sunday, with hopes of 1,000 people turning up to sing Onward Christian Soldiers, re-enacting the first time it was sung on WhitSunday 1865. He wrote it for the annual school procession. For more information about 2024 Whit Weekend events in Horbury visit horburychurch.com/activities/whitwalk.

Father Christopher Johnson, vicar of St Peter’s Horbury, said: “The whole town has come together to honour this remarkable man and there are activities involving schoolchildren and families alongside the set piece events. It will be a very exciting weekend”.

Baring Gould died in January 1924, the son of the Lord of the Manor of Lew Trenchard near Okehampton. He became a vicar in Yorkshire, Essex and Devon and devoted his time to his love of folk music, country traditions and the macabre.

Folk star Jim Causley has been a long-term admirer of Baring-Gould and includes many of his songs in his popular shows based on songs of Dartmoor. 

“It’s fascinating to see how many songs he collected found their way into his Dartmoor books.  It’s also quite eerie to see how many other songs fit the mood of his books on ghosts, werewolves, myths and his classic Gothic novels”, he said.

Miranda added: “We’re really excited about having found a unique and enjoyable way of bringing all of his work together in a show which we think will engage audiences and leave them fascinated and entertained.”

John Palmer said: “It’s surprising that someone who was such a prominent public figure in his day has almost disappeared today. We hope that this show will introduce many more people to Sabine and restore some of the credit he deserves”.

TOUR DATES:

Sat 11 May: Newton St Cyres: Church of St Cyr and Julitta, Devon

Fri 17 May: Horbury Working Members Club. Yorkshire

Wed 3 July: Penzance Literary Festival, Cornwall

Sun 7 July: Lichfield Arts Festival, Staffordshire

Sat 20 July: The Davids Hall, South Petherton, Somerset

Sat 3 Aug: Sidmouth Folk Week, Devon

Mon 13 Aug: Broadstairs Folk Week, Kent

Fri 16 Aug: Beautiful Days Festival, Devon

Sun 18 Aug: Beautiful Days Festival, Devon

Wed 21 Aug: Whitby Folk Week, Yorkshire

Sun 26 Aug: Lyme Regis Folk Weekend, Dorset

Thurs 26 Sept: The Plough Arts Centre, Torrington, Devon

Fri 27 Sept: Devoran, Truro, Cornwall

Sat 28 Sept: Pound Arts, Corsham, Wiltshire

Sun 29 Sept: St Saviour’s Church, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Sun 6 Oct: Hartlepool Folk Festival, County Durham

Sun 20 Oct Folk House, Bristol

Mon 21 Oct: Colchester Arts Centre, Essex

Tues 22 Oct: Swanton Novers, Norfolk

Thurs 24 Oct: Calstock Arts, Cornwall

Fri 25 Oct: Heath Street Baptist Church, Hampstead, London

Sat 26 Oct: Under the Edge Arts, Wootton under Edge, Gloucestershire

Sun 27 Oct: Phoenix Arts Centre, Exeter, Devon

Sat 2 Nov: The Ropewalk, Barton under Humber, Lincolnshire

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:  [email protected]  07881 73802