7 forgotten West Midlands myths that once shaped local imagination including the Wump-Tay and Jenny Greenteeth

Before the factories, the Black Country and wider West Midlands were home to strange legends and half-whispered warnings.

These weren’t just spooky tales - they were how people made sense of danger, death, and the unknown.

1. The Wump-Tay – Birmingham’s ghost bus

Said to appear at quiet bus stops on foggy nights, the Wump-Tay is a phantom double-decker that vanishes before you can board. Some believe it’s the spirit of an old Daimler bus taken out of service in the 1960s, cursed to wander the city’s roads forever. A rare example of modern urban folklore in the region.

2. The chained oak of Alton – a curse in the branches

This centuries-old oak tree near Alton is wrapped in iron chains. Local legend claims it was cursed by a beggar, and that every time a branch falls, a member of the Earl of Shrewsbury’s family dies. Whether true or not, the chains remain - an enduring symbol of superstition tied to land and legacy.

3. Jenny Greenteeth – the river hag

Described as a green-skinned, sharp-toothed woman lurking beneath still water, Jenny Greenteeth has been blamed for unexplained drownings across Shropshire and Staffordshire. Likely rooted in oral warnings to keep children away from ponds, she remains one of the region’s most unsettling cautionary figures.

4. The headless horseman – spirit of the moors

Staffordshire’s moorland roads have long carried tales of a ghostly rider seen galloping without a head. Often considered an omen of death or misfortune, the figure may reflect older anxieties about battlefields, betrayal, or souls that never found rest.

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5. Ghost-laying bottles – bottled spirits in Shropshire

In rural parts of the Midlands, it was once believed that malicious spirits could be trapped in glass bottles and buried to keep them from causing harm. These folk-magic rituals - known as ghost-laying - were often carried out by local charmers or wise women. Occasionally, such bottles are still unearthed by archaeologists.

6. The Dudley Devil – myth or man?

Theophilus Dunn, dubbed “The Dudley Devil” in the early 19th century, was a real astrologer and folk healer. Known for his prophecies and charms, Dunn became the subject of wild rumours about sorcery and black magic—blurring the line between eccentric medicine and myth-making.

7. Brownies and hobs – the unseen helpers

In old Black Country households, small unseen creatures—known as brownies or hobs—were said to help with domestic chores. But if disrespected or ignored, they’d cause mischief or vanish entirely. Though often dismissed as superstition, these figures reflect a deeper cultural belief in reciprocity, respect, and unseen labour.

Watch our full video feature with Midlands-based author Dale Chatwin, whose new novel draws on forgotten regional myths to explore grief, place, and the stories we leave behind.