Pickering historian and former teacher publishes stories of medieval toothless hero Albert Snodgrass his pupils loved

The Chronicles of Albert Snodgrass are stories of an ancient world.

"Many of these stories will be remembered by my former pupils, who heard them for the first time, and, indeed, the publication came about when a ex-pupil reminded me of them,” said Mr Smith.

They were written over many years and were initially inspired by his many school visits to Pickering and Helmsley castles.

They have now been dug out of a sheaf of manuscripts at Mr Smith’s home and are gathered together for the first time in one volume.

The stories tell of an ancient castle, populated by a multitude of very old and quite small castle-dwellers.

There is a King Ethelbert, a Queen and a wise old advisor called Hedgebert, pronounced ‘Merlin’ for some reason.

There is a white-haired, white-bearded, almost toothless hero. He is called Albert Snodgrass.

He is given many Quests by the King and invariable fails every one of them. He is ordered to visit a golden rainbow, a frozen rainbow, to plant an Oak Wood, and even to catch the spring.

He also has much more mundane tasks, such as cutting down a forest of thistles and finding a turquoise juniper tree.

He fails every task, but thanks to the ever-present gaze of the old magician, he does learn on the way.