Acre Fen, Chatteris

History of Acre Fen

The Toad-Man Tradition
Letter dated 28 January 1998

“I was very much impressed by his account of the initiation ceremony of the ‘Toad-Man’ who could bestow the magical powers needed by a farm horse-man to have complete control of his farm horses.”

Commentary
This is a rare reference to one of East Anglia’s most famous folk traditions. Mentions of the Toad-Man survive in folklore collections but are unusual in personal correspondence.

Folklorist Maureen James recounts a tale of ‘The Toadmen of Acre Fen’ set on the fenland between Chatteris and Somersham. In the story a farm labourer named Elijah uses his powers over horses to challenge and exploitative farmer.