Lazy Laurence
A New Forest pixie who brings laziness and indigestion.
Lazy Laurence is a pixie and nature spirit from English folklore, most closely tied to the New Forest region spanning Hampshire and Dorset. His traditional role involves guarding orchards and cider, though his methods are far from benevolent: he is known for making people fall asleep under fruit trees, inducing laziness and indecision, or giving them stomach cramps.
In local tradition, Laurence is especially active in the New Forest, where he regularly gives indigestion to apple scrumpers and rude tourists, and casts a dreamy, dithering fog over people. Writing in 1862, John Wise noted that fairies still dwell in the Forest, and that the mischievous sprite Laurence continues to cast a spell of idleness over men. If a peasant is lazy, the saying goes, "Laurence has got upon him," or "He has got a touch of Laurence." He is still regarded with awe, and certain barrows are named after him.
Laurence was once known in neighbouring counties like Sussex and Somerset, where he served as a bogeyman to frighten children. In Devon and Cornwall, his laziness was the main trait emphasised. An early literary mention appears in a small pamphlet from the 1770s titled *The Pleasant History of Lazy Laurence*. According to *Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable*, one theory links him to the heat around the feast of St Lawrence (10 August); another suggests a joke that the martyr St Lawrence, when telling his torturers to turn him on his gridiron, was simply too lazy to move himself.
The earthwork believed to be his home, Laurence’s Barrow, is a small bell barrow on Beaulieu Heath. It sits near two other barrows—Watt’s Parlour and Cold Pixies’ Cave—both of which also have pixie associations in local folklore.
- Field
- Folklore
- Nationality
- English
- Known for
- Protecting orchards and cider; causing laziness, dithering, stomach cramps, and sleep under fruit trees
Lore & Background
Lazy Laurence is most prominently associated with the New Forest, where he regularly gives apple scrumpers and rude tourists indigestion, and sends people into a dreaming, dithery state. According to John Wise, writing in 1862, 'Here in the Forest still dwell fairies. The mischievous sprite, Laurence, still holds men by his spell and makes them idle. If a peasant is lazy, it is proverbially said, "Laurence has got upon him," or, "He has got a touch of Laurence." He is still regarded with awe, and barrows are called after him.'
Laurence was once also known of in the neighbouring counties of Sussex and Somerset, where he was used as a bogeyman to scare children, as well as in the dialects of Devon and Cornwall, where his laziness was emphasised. An early literary reference to the figure is in a small pamphlet from the 1770s titled 'The Pleasant history of lazy Laurence.' According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 'it has been suggested that there is an allusion to the heat prevalent around the time of the feast of St Lawrence (10 August). Another conjecture is that there was a joke to the effect that when the martyr St Lawrence told his torturers to turn him round on his gridiron, it was because he was too lazy to move by himself.'
Reader's Guide
Lazy Laurence occupies a distinct niche in English folklore as a localized nature spirit whose influence is both protective and mischievous. His association with orchards and cider ties him to agricultural cycles and rural life, while his ability to induce laziness, dithering, and stomach cramps reflects a folk explanation for common human failings and ailments. The proverbial phrases 'Laurence has got upon him' and 'He has got a touch of Laurence' show how the figure was integrated into everyday speech to explain idleness. The mention of barrows named after him, including Laurence's Barrow on Beaulieu Heath, anchors his legend to specific topography, linking folklore to landscape. The suggested connection to the feast of St Lawrence (10 August) and the joke about the martyr's laziness indicate possible origins in calendar customs or wordplay, though these remain conjectural. His use as a bogeyman in Sussex and Somerset and his mention in Devon and Cornwall dialects demonstrate a wider regional awareness, even if his primary home is the New Forest. The 1770s pamphlet 'The Pleasant history of lazy Laurence' marks an early literary record, showing that the figure was already established in print by that time. Overall, Lazy Laurence exemplifies how folklore can blend supernatural agency with moral commentary, local identity, and natural phenomena.
Did You Know?
- Lazy Laurence is traditionally associated with the protection of orchards and of cider.
- He is known to send people to sleep beneath fruit trees, make them lazy, dither, or give them stomach cramps.
- The earthwork where he is believed to reside, Laurence's Barrow, is a small bell barrow on Beaulieu Heath, near two other pixie-associated barrows.
- An early literary reference to Lazy Laurence is in a pamphlet from the 1770s titled 'The Pleasant history of lazy Laurence'.
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