Balfour, Marie Clothilde

   A collector of folklore in Northumberland and Lincolnshire, the most interesting items being eleven folktales from the latter, published in Folk-Lore 2 (1891), 145-70, 257-83, 401-18. Most have no parallels elsewhere, and are tragic and macabre; their supernatural beings (*bogles, *Tiddy Men, *Yallery Brown) are grim, and have to be propitiated with offerings. Mrs Balfour claimed to tell the tales 'exactly as told' to her, but her reliability has been queried (Philip 1992: 156).

   ■ Philip, 1992: 150-7, 409-15; Jacobs, 1890/1968: 163-7, 178-80, 185-7, 193-7, 211-14, 224-8; Briggs, 1970-1: A. i. 310-12, 502-5, 577-9; ii. 41-2, 238-40.