Mark Norman: founding curator

Mark is a folklorist and author living in Devon, in the South West of the UK. He is a council member of The Folklore Society, Recorder of Folklore for the Devonshire Association and the creator and host of award-winning show The Folklore Podcast, enjoyed worldwide and with over 2 million downloads. He is the author of several books on folklore and adjacent topics including Britain's Folklore Year (Harper Collins / The National Trust), Black Dog Folklore (Troy Books), The Folklore of Devon (Exeter Press) and the co-authored Dark Folklore (The History Press)

IZZY FITZGERALD: PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR

Izzy FitzGerald is a project manager based in Exeter working on heritage and arts projects. Recent projects include Crediton Library’s National Lottery Heritage Funded Reminiscence Project, which collected memories of people living in Mid Devon in audio form, Running Dog Theatre’s The Goat Show, a family show that toured to rural areas. Izzy also facilitates Cognitive Stimulation Therapy sessions for people with dementia. 

tracey norman: project manager

Tracey is an author and historian living in Devon, in the south-west of England. Her stage play WITCH, a historical drama based on original English witch trial documents, premiered in 2016, with over 80 performances in the following four years. It has been used as Theatre In Education for Years 8 and 9 and for Exeter University undergrads and has been included as a formal seminar in two Bristol University undergrad degree courses. Its 75th performance was also its London premiere.
Recent publications are ‘Dark Folklore’ (2021) and ‘Devon’s Forgotten Witches 1860-1910’ (2025), both co-written with her husband Mark, and ‘Who Is Anna Stenberg?’ (2023), her first full-length novel. Her next book, ‘In the Footsteps of the Invisible Witch’, will be published by Crossed Crow Books in Chicago, and tells the story of the woman whose trial inspired WITCH. Tracey tutors the course Introduction to British Witchcraft for the education website Learn for Pleasure.
Tracey is part of Devon-based indie audio production house/theatre company Circle of Spears Productions. She is a freelance narrator on Audible with a sizeable list of stage, TV and film credits. She gives talks to a variety of groups on historical subjects, and is a Trustee of the Devonshire Association.
The Governance of the Folklore Library and Archive is overseen by a Board of Trustees. The present Board consists of:

dr. paul cowdell

Paul Cowdell serves on the Council of the Folklore Society, and is Associate Editor of its journal Folklore. He is also on the Editorial Board of the Folk Music Journal, and has served in an advisory capacity for several other journals. Variously described as an ‘expert in morbid eschatology’ and ‘a cannibalism celebrity’, his primary interests are folk belief and folk song but his fieldwork has covered a broader range of topics. As a fieldworker for the Smithsonian Institution’s 2007 Folklife Festival, for example, he researched wood working, apple cultivation and tile-making as well as farming and folk singing. Alongside his work on ghostlore, ballads about cannibalism, and folklore about rats, his recent consideration of representations of folklore and folklorists in popular culture covers a similarly sensationalist range of subjects, from horror films to crime novels and Doctor Who. Having previously listed and digitised holdings in the Folklore Society’s library and archives, he has been researching and writing on the history of folklore studies in Britain more generally.
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Image Credit: Gordon Rutter

dr. peter hewitt

Peter is the founder of the Folklore Museums Network, a subject specialist network for the museum sector focused upon folklore collections. In addition, Peter is Intangible Cultural Heritage Officer for the museum development body in Scotland, and a Collections Officer for five museums in Dumfries and Galloway (including Nationally Recognised Collections). He has co-managed the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic in Boscastle, and worked in museum curatorial roles in Warwickshire and Northumberland. Research interests include holy wells (see the Lost Wells of Galloway project 2021-23), 'cursed places', and promoting folklore in heritage management.

AMY BOUCHER

Amy Boucher is a writer and folklorist, who focuses on her native Shropshire. Her emphasis is primarily on the interplay between folklore, history and the paranormal, and perceptions of the past through the lens of folk beliefs.
The core team also relies on volunteer assistance for key tasks. Current volunteers on the core team are:

rhianna wynter: dESIGNER

Rhianna grew up in the Blue Mountains, just outside of Sydney, Australia. Following her passion for drawing and traditional animation overseas, she moved to British Columbia, Canada, where she now lives with her husband Daniel and daughter Evelyn (plus pets!), while working as a storyboard artist for animated television and feature film.
Rhi's interest in folklore began at a young age after being gifted a collection of books from her grandparents, including the Reader's Digest "Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain". The stories and illustrations within became a mainstay in her reading as well as constant inspiration for creative projects, and folklore continues to feature heavily in her current personal and professional illustration work. She also has experience in museum work as a volunteer guide and shipkeeper for the Australian National Maritime Museum, and maritime folklore is a particular area of crossover interest which she continues to study further. 
Her involvement in the Folklore Library and Archive project allows her to further explore countless amazing stories and traditions, as well as connect with others who share a love of all things folklore!