A local historian has told the local legend of Saracen prisoners settling on land at Biddulph Moor.

The tale dates back to the thirteenth century, revolving around the Crusades and the dark history of the Medieval slave trade.

The story was researched and written by Eli Lycett, who goes by the name 'The Local Mythstorian".

On his website, he explains how he became so interested in local myths and legends.

He said: "Of particular impact on me in this regard was my time living up in the Staffordshire Moorlands. I was reading books by local authors like Doug Pickford and Jeff Kent and picking up all manner of information from the older generations around me that still treated local folklore (rather appropriately) as a form of social currency. Yet all the while, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was a whole lot more information concerning the provenance of these stories just waiting to be found, out there somewhere...if only I knew where to look.

"In short, the search for that provenance has driven me on ever since - and The Local Mythstorian is my project dedicated to that campaign of exploration.

"Our local legends rarely turn out to be pure fantasy, but many have been embellished across the years to the point of appearing fantastical. Many more, by simple virtue of the naturally occurring restrictions imposed upon writers when first committing the tales to record, are found to have been long since dismissed as "real history" purely due to the inaccuracies contained within their accompanying contemporary research.

"All of this, to my mind, creates a wealth of opportunity. Legends and lore ripe for reappraisal; the results of which - along with some brand new tales I uncover along the way - from the basis of the pieces I write.

"That this endeavour might, in some small way, make some positive difference to the wider understanding and preservation of our local folklore and history, is a goal to which I think I will be humbly (and happily) working towards for the rest of my life."

Introducing the story of the Biddulph Moor Saracens, he said: "There are few more curious associations in local legend than that of Saracen prisoners being settled on the land that is now known as the Staffordshire Moorlands village of Biddulph Moor. In The Local Crusader we journey back to the thirteenth century to discover the untold story behind the legend.

"A story where the adventures of the Crusades meet with the dark realities of the medieval slave trade under the patronage of the most powerful local figure of the period."

If you would like to read the story in full, visit the Local Mythstorian website here.