Historical Ghosts and Hauntings of England

26/09/2012 15:24

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• My various articles are chapters in my future book  called: "An Englishmans Favourite Bits of England" containing my Articles on English Hauntings, English Icons, English Sports, English History, English Discoveries and English Inventors. We British are inquisitive and competitive and are always looking over the horizon to the next adventure and discovery. by Paul A. Hussey Esq. **Please Scroll Down Page to read my Ghostly articles".

• As so many Famous Hauntings happened over the centuries I thought it would be a good idea to tell the story of England and the supernatural and some of its ghostly and famous history.
  
  Contents

• Mrs Duncan – The Last Witch to be Tried as a Witch

• Wymering Manor House – The Most Haunted House in England

• Hauntings and History of Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, England

• Hauntings of Ye Olde London – Part 1

• Hauntings of Ye Olde London – Part 2

• Hauntings of Ye Olde London – Part 3

• Hauntings of Ye Olde London – Part 4

• Witches of Leicester – England from 1420 AD

• The Ghostly Hauntings of the City of Chester

• Ghostly Haunting of Derby Hospital's

• The Ghostly Hauntings of the City of Exeter

• York England the Most Haunted City in the World

• English Crop Circles – The History From 1115 AD

• My Supernatural Experiences

• The Brown Dressed Lady Ghost of Raynham Hall – England

• Windsor Castle – It's Royal Hauntings

• Famous Haunted Villages and RAF Stations

• Stonehenge and It's Eerie Past

Hauntings and History of English Hospitals

 Ghosts of RN Hospital Haslar

A  lot of poltergeist activity has been reported in the galley. According  to a clairvoyant who worked in the hospital there are three ghosts  occupying the kitchen area and many more around the hospital.

1)  Michael Connelly, an Irishman who apparently likes the cooking.   'Michael' apparently like to let the galley workers know that they are  there. It has been reported that all the files in the office have been  tipped on the floor several times by unexplained means and witnesses  have claimed that the taps have turned on by themselves. The radio has  apparently turned itself down.

2)  An angry  man called Derek who appears to have died from stab wounds.  'Derek' and The evening supervisor has reported that cutlery has been  thrown around and it has also been claimed by witnesses that the kettle  has switched itself on and that  doors have opened by themselves

3) A  woman called Margaret who haunts the spiral staircase. She is believed  to have tripped over something before the stairs were built and died as a  result. One of the Wardroom stewards claimed to have met 'Margaret' a  few years ago walking up the spiral staircase. She said she met an  elderly woman coming down and, thinking
she was lost the steward asked  her if she needed some help. However, the woman had vanished.

4) There  is also a spirit who inhabits the old Senior Rates Mess. Several people  have claimed that some parts of the galley are bitterly cold where the  rest of it is warm; another favourite trick of all the ghosts is leaving  puddles of water on the floor. Many members of the galley staff have  claimed to have heard tapping on the window of the chef's office, which  has encouraged them to leave for the public restaurant in a hurry.

5)  Several members of staff have reported seeing the figure of a man in  the corridor outside the galley. One claims to have seen a man look in  the door (she went to ask if he was lost but when she got there there  was nobody in sight).

6) Another  reports having seen the reflection of an older man in the window (he  turned around to ask if  the man was looking for something, again nobody  could be seen). Many people have complained that this corridor gets  bitterly cold even when all the windows are shut and the heaters are on.

7)  In F Block which used to be the lunatic asylum - the galley, which is  opposite, used to be the yard where those in the asylum had their  exercise and this area is claimed to be a 'psychic hotspot.

8) Outside  the Operating Theatre's Staff have claimed to experience a sensation of  being followed and most have reported a feeling of fear while being in  this area. Staff members have claimed to hear footsteps as they have  walked down the corridor and have admitted that they have quickened  their pace while walking alone along it. Most members of the nursing  staff choose to take the long route from B block to E Block in order to  avoid it.

A  clairvoyant has claimed that the spirit  residing in the corridor died  because of a botched operation - an emergency  procedure (as he was in  immense pain), probably to save him from a blood clot.

A hole was  drilled in his left temple to relieve the pressure but he died in  the  corridor. It is claimed that he can only rest once the operation is  repeated and the new patient dies. The original spirit is attempting to  guide
the other man's spirit back to his body. This is supposedly  because there was  nobody around to help him when he died.

9)  In the  Children's Ward A member of staff claims to have seen the ghost  of a little girl who runs around the top floor of D Block. A large  number of children were  killed in a fire in this part of the building,  but nothing specific is known about this tragedy. The area is now closed  as the paediatric department has  moved to another hospital.

10)  In the Cellar's where I  used to use to cut across the hospital (which  are now closed), but before that,  they were used as a short cut to the  X-Ray department. In the days before anaesthetic the cellars  accommodated the operating theatres and housed the  insane; it has been  reported that you can still hear screams and the rattling of chains.  During the Second World War the cellars were once again used as  operating theatres and as wards during the height of air raids. 

11)  In the Canada Block the money used to build this accommodation block  was raised by the 'Women of Canada' during the Great War. It has been  claimed that many spirits supposedly inhabit Canada Block along with  unexplained noises and lights turning on and off. The ghost that most have reported seeing is that of a nurse who hanged herself during the  First  World War. Just to add to this, Canada Block is also built in the  site of the original hospital graveyard.

12)  Near St. Lukes Church an MoD Police officer described a ghost he'd  witnessed while on a night patrol at St. Luke's church at Haslar  Hospital. He'd seen an elderly woman walking towards the church, but  when he returned less than a minute later, she had  disappeared. An hour  later, the hospital mortician told him about the body he'd  dealt with  earlier that day. The description matched that of the woman the  police  officer had seen.

With its history of pain and distress its not surprising that Haslar is haunted by distressed spirits.

Interesting Facts about RNH Haslar

a) In 1902 the hospital became known as the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar (abbreviated to RNH Haslar).

b) In the 1940s, RNH Haslar set up the  country’s first ’blood bank’ to help treat wounded soldiers from the Second
World War.

c) In 1966 the remit of the hospital expanded to serve all three services - the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force.

d) In 1996 the hospital again became known as the Royal Hospital Haslar.

e)  In 2001 the provision of acute healthcare within Royal Hospital Haslar  was transferred from the Defence
Secondary Care Agency to the NHS Trust.  The Royal Hospital was the last MOD-owned acute hospital in the UK. The  change from military control to the NHS, and the complete closure of  the hospital have been the subject of
considerable local controversy.

f) The  last military-run ward was ward E5, a planned orthopaedic surgery ward.  The ward encompasses 21 beds in small ’rooms’, and is run by the  military staff with some NHS colleagues; the ward manager is a serving  military officer. The ward is served by both military and NHS doctors;  the ancillary staff are non-military.

g) The ward E5  closed in 2009 along with the rest of the site and military staff will  move to new posts within MDHU Portsmouth or other units around the  country.


h)  To mark the handover of control to the civilian NHS trust, the military medical staff marched out of RH Haslar in 2007, exercising the unit’s  rights of the freedom of Gosport.

I) The staff consisted  of Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Army led by a band of the Royal  Marines. The Gosport citizens are said to deeply saddened by the closure  of Haslar and there are campaigns to keep the hospital open. Gosport  politicians cite that that the UK is the only country in the Western  world not to have a dedicated Military hospital, run by and for its  military staff - who understand the needs and ideology of the service  person. At present, most casualties from conflicts return to Selly Oak  Hospital, Birmingham.

J) The grounds are said to contain the bodies of at least 20,000 service personnel.

In 2001 Haslar was designated a Grade II listed historic park.
Several of the buildings are listed.

Wymering Manor House – The Most Haunted House in England.

As I am from Portsmouth, England I thought it may be of interest to write about the oldest house in Portsmouth and the most haunted house in England, called “Wymering Manor House” and dated from 1042 AD.

Although most of the current structure dates back to the 16th century, the manor goes back much further. Records show the first owner of Wymering Manor was King Edward the Confessor in 1042 and then after the Battle of Hastings it fell into the hands of King William the Conqueror until 1084. The house has been altered and renovated continually over the centuries, yet remarkably it has retained materials dating back to medieval and even ancient Roman times.

Having changed ownership many times over these hundreds of years, the property was eventually adopted by the Portsmouth City Council, then sold for a short time to a private organization for development into a hotel. When the development fell though, the property reverted to the council, which has again put it up for auction.

Once a country manor, the structure is now surrounded by modern houses. And when it was saved from demolition and used as a youth hostel, many areas of the building were "modernized" and have an unfortunate, institutional feel.

With this rich history it's no surprise perhaps that Wymering Manor should be haunted.

Below are some of the Ghosts that haunt Wymering Manor:

The Lady in the Violet Dress. When Mr. Thomas Parr lived at Wymering Manor, he awoke one night to the sight of an apparition standing at the foot of his bed. It was his cousin, who had died in 1917. Dressed in a full-length violet-coloured dress, the spirit spoke to him in a friendly and matter-of-fact manner, telling him of her recent religious experiences and about other deceased family members. Suddenly the ghost said, "Well, Tommy dear, I must leave you now as we are waiting to receive Aunt Em." In the morning, Parr received a telegram with the news that his Aunt Em had died during the night.

The Blue Room. An elderly relative of Thomas Parr, who was staying in the "Blue Room," was careful always to lock her door at night, as she feared break-ins by burglars. One morning she was surprised to find her door unlocked and open.

The Choir of Nuns. Mr. Leonard Metcalf, an occupant of the house who died in 1958, said he occasionally saw a choir of nuns crossing the manor's hall at midnight. They were chanting, he claimed, to the clear sound of music. His family never believed his story as they didn't know - and neither did Mr. Metcalf - that nuns from the Sisterhood of Saint Mary the Virgin visited the house in the mid-1800s.

The Panelled Room. The so-called "Panelled Room" may be the manor's most dreaded. The Panelled Room served as a bedroom in the manor's south east corner, and as Metcalf was using the washbasin one day, he was startled by the distinct feeling of a hand on his shoulder. He turned quickly to find no one there. Others have felt an oppressive air in this room, instilling a strong feeling to flee. When the building served as the youth hostel, its warden and wife expressed an unexplained fear of the room.

Other Paranormal occurrences reported at the manor include visitors who claim to have heard the whispers of children, spotted strange apparitions and seen items in the manor move of their own accord. Dramatic drops in temperature and accounts of unusual or intimidating 'spirit energies' have also been reported. Film and video footage has captured both orbs and other strange light anomalies.

Hauntings of Ye Olde London – Part 1

London is famous for it's history, designers, inventors, fashion and music. Ghosts and Ghoulies are also endemic across London which not a lot of people know about and which I have decided to write about in this article. London is said to be the most haunted City in the world. Below I have listed just some of the spooky hauntings of London.

The Tower of London is haunted by many ghosts and one recorded haunting from the 19th century was from a Crown Jewel keeper E. L. Swifte. He and his family were having dinner in the Martin Tower when his alarmed wife spotted a moving object. Both he and his wife witnessed what looked to be a cylindrical object, resembling that of a lab tube, filled with blue bubbling fluid. Tube or not, the wife claimed it tried to grab her (not sure how a tube with no hands would do that but it gave the wife that impression). The tube seemed to be an apparition as Swifte tried to throw a chair at it but it went straight through it. it then vanished into thin air.

Other famous ghosts are Thomas A. Becket who struck down the Traitor's Gate with a crucifix, witnessed by a priest. People have also seen 12-year-old King Edward V and his 9-year-old brother Richard Duke of York in the Bloody Tower still wearing the white gowns they were imprisoned in. Foggy figures, soldiers, and 16-year-old Lady Jane Grey haunt the battlements of the Tower of London. Whole squads of soldiers have been seen marching the grounds.

Hampton Court is haunted by many ghosts including:

Catherine Howard The best known haunting at Hampton Court is by Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife. Charged with adultery in 1541 and placed under house arrest, she broke free from her guards and ran to her husband to plead for her life. The guards dragged her back and she was executed. To this day, it is claimed, a woman in white can be seen floating down the Haunted Gallery.

• JANE SEYMOUR Henry VIII's third wife, who died in childbirth in 1537, is said to walk through the cobbled courtyard carrying a lighted taper.

• LADY IN GREY Sybil Penn was nurse to Prince Edward, Henry's only son. She died in 1562 and was buried in Hampton Church. When the church was pulled down in 1829 her remains were disturbed and it is said she returned to the rooms she once lived in.

• THE WOLSEY CLOSET The room has a 'strange atmosphere'. A phantom dog has been seen and heard here on more than one occasion.

The Spooky Hauntings of London Underground


 

• Anne Naylor haunts Farringdon Underground Station. The odd screams that have been heard in this area are attributed to Anne Naylor a thirteen year old girl who was murdered on this site in 1758. She is now referred to as 'the Screaming Spectre'.

• Tapping sounds at the Elephant & Castle Station, Northern Line. Footfalls and rapping have been often heard in the station when it is closed - on investigation, no source can be found. Another story says the last train of the night is haunted by a lone girl who walks from the last carriage to the tip of the train, vanishing as she reaches the engine.

• A Faceless Woman at the Beacontree Station. A station employee working alone heard the door to his office rattle several times. Unnerved, the man began to climb upstairs to find a colleague but felt he was being watched. Turning around, he saw a woman standing there with long blond hair but no face - her features were completely smooth. Talking to his colleague a short time later, the employee discovered that he was not the only person to have seen her.

• Sarah Blackhead haunts Bank Station, Central Line. Possibly the same figure that haunts the Bank of England; in life this poor girl couldn't handle news that her brother had died, and returned daily to his office to meet him. Dressed in black clothing, she is affectionately called 'the Black Nun'. A worker once chased what he thought was an old lady locked in the station during the early hours of the morning, but she vanished down a corridor with no possible exit. In addition, at least one employee has reported something knocking on an empty lift door from the inside, way after normal closing time.

• Rebecca Griffith haunts Liverpool Street Station. Once the site of the first Hospital of the Star of Bethlehem, an asylum for the insane, the area was haunted by the screams of Griffith who was buried without a coin she compulsively held on to when locked away here. She also had the habit of exciting other inmates by peering through their cell windows. More recently there have been reports by underground staff of a man in white overalls on the platforms that can only be seen on CCTV.

• Cries and Screams haunts Bethnal Green Station. A station master working alone in the station office late at night heard the soft sounds of children crying. As time went by, the cries grew louder and were joined by the screams of women. He ran from the office. One hundred and seventy-three people died in the station in a single accident during World War 2, the vast majority being women and children.

• Grinning Man haunts Channel sea Depot, Stratford. A former British Rail employee reported seeing a tall man wearing a cape and top hat standing by a hanger. He had a terrible grin and a mouth full of white teeth, and immediately vanished, leaving the witness very cold and apprehensive. A few months later, in the same area, the witness felt a strong tug at her bag that almost pulled her over; she spun around expecting to see a colleague, but no one was in sight.

• Silhouette haunts King William Tunnel, Under London Bridge (disused underground tunnel). An image taken by a photographer shows what appears to be a silhouetted figure along this tunnel, though no one else was there at the time. A medium called to the location claimed that the ghost was that of a man who died while breaking up a fight.

• Old Woman haunts Aldgate Underground Station. This old woman was seen by an engineer as it stroked his friend's hair, seconds before the co-worker touched a live wire which sent 20,000 volts through his body. Remarkably, he survived. Phantom footfalls have also been reported coming from down the tunnel, abruptly finishing.

• A Distressed Woman haunts King's Cross underground station. A witness spotted a woman in her twenties with long brown hair, wearing jeans and t-shirt. The figure was kneeling at the side of the corridor with her arms outstretched, and appeared distressed and crying. Someone walking in the opposite direction then walked through the woman. The witness said that upon reflection, it was like watching a repeating piece of film.

• Sir Winston Churchill haunts Queensway Station, Northern Line. Witnessed waiting on the platform, Sir Winston Churchill once lived quite close to the station.

• A Steam Train haunts East Finchley to Wellington Sidings underground. This stretch of the Northern Line is reputed to be haunted by a spectral steam engine.

• Boadicea's haunts King's Cross Station, Platform 10 which is the final resting ground of the warrior queen which is reported to be under this busy platform.

• A Rail Worker haunts Tulse Hill Station, platform one. Killed as he walked on the tracks, the worker's footfalls are sometimes heard echoing through the station late at night.

• A Nun haunts London Road Depot (Bakerloo Line). This area is thought to be haunted by a nun who is connected to a nearby Roman Catholic school.

• Many Monks haunt the Jubilee Line, from Westminster to Stratford. Since the construction of the Jubilee Line, reports of phantom monks walking the tracks have begun to emerge. The sightings may be connected to the large number of graves which were disturbed while work was commencing.

• A Woman with a Red Scarf haunts Uxbridge (Greater London) - Ickenham Station. This ghostly figure stands at the end of the platform, close to where she fell and was electrocuted. She sometimes waves to attract attention before vanishing.

• A Tube Traveller haunts the Elephant and Castle Underground Station, Bakerloo line. Seen by both staff and commuters, this young woman enters the trains carriages, but is never seen leaving. Some also allocate the blame on the same entity when invisible footfalls create loud echoing around the station after hours.

• The Sounds of a Steam Train haunts Highgate High Level Station. Started during the Second World War, the station was never finished, though locals sometimes reported the sound of a steam train along where the track was supposed to have been laid. One rational explanation put forward is that the sounds of the trains came from nearby stations which were active until the 1970.

• The Cries of the Trapped haunts Lewisham Station. A crash in 1957, caused partly by fog, killed ninety people and injured over one hundred. It is their cries which can be heard on the anniversary on the accident.

• A Tall Man haunts Vauxhall Underground Line. This seven foot tall man was seen underground several times by diggers working on the line - he wore brown overalls and a cap.

• A Bricked Up Train haunts an Area below Crystal Palace Park. A local legend states that there is a train bricked up under the park, complete with dead passengers and crew - sometimes the hands of the dead reach up from the ground and try to grab the living

• A Reflection haunts the Bakerloo line, Elephant & Castle and other stations along the line. It is reported that occasionally, while travelling northbound, some passengers can see the reflection of someone sitting next to them, even though there is no one in the seat.

• The sound of Slamming Doors haunts Kennington Loop. All passengers disembark at Kennington and the carriages are checked just prior to trains turning in the loop. However, as the train drivers sit waiting in the dark loop tunnel, at least two have reported hearing the connecting carriage doors open and close as if someone is moving from the rear of the train towards the driving compartment.

• A Workman haunts West Brompton tube station. A man dressed in dark, old looking workman's clothing has been spotted early in the morning and late at night. He walks to the end of the platform before disappearing.

• Man with a Tilly Lamp haunts South Island Place, Northern Line, near Stockwell Station. A trainee manager sent to walk the line by himself as part of his training encountered an old man with a Tilly lamp working at South Island Place. They exchanged a couple of words in passing. When the trainee reached Stockwell Station and commented that he had seen someone else along the line, a search party was dispatched to find the worker as no maintenance work was scheduled. No one could be found, and the trainee later discovered that the old man had been seen dozens of times over the years, and was believed to be the ghost of a worker killed on the spot during the 1950s.

• An Oppressive Feeling is felt along the Embankment Station - Page's Walk. Staff who walk along the long dark tunnel known as Page's Walk complain of cold winds, doors which open and slam shut, and an oppressive feeling.

• The sound of Footprints haunts Baker's Street to St John's Wood, northbound tunnel. Bill, an underground track walker, sat down for a break while patrolling the line. He reported disembodied footprints which crunched down in the ballast and appeared before him. The footsteps went straight past him and stopped ten metres from his position. When he finished his rounds, one of his colleagues said that other people had also encountered the footsteps, and they belonged to a workman killed in the area.

• A Striding Grey Man haunts Acton Green common, near Turnham Green tube station. This semi transparent entity was observed walking parallel to the railway line, wearing a knee length cape. The dark grey figure vanished when the witness momentarily looked away.

• An Egyptian Princess haunts British Museum Station (which closed 1933). Connected to the 'curse' of the Amen-Ra's tomb, this Egyptian Princess would return from the grave late at night and would wail and scream in the tunnels. A more recent report states that these sounds can now be heard further down the track, in Holborn station.

• William Terriss haunts Covent Garden Station, on the Piccadilly Line. The actor, Mr Terriss was stabbed to death in December 1897 at a nearby theatre. His ghost, tall in stature, has been seen dressed in a grey suit with white gloves, standing on the platform late at night.

• A Displaced Actress haunts Aldwych Underground Station (no longer operational). Built where the Royal Strand Theatre once stood, it is thought the female ghost seen standing on the tracks migrated from the original building to the station shortly after it became operational. She is normally reported by cleaning staff working the night shift.

I hope the reader has enjoyed the ghostly and spooky tales. Please visit my Article website where I have listed many articles about many more haunting stories.

Hauntings of Ye Olde London – Part 2

London theatres are famous for the ghosts and spirits with many famous actors experiencing the ghosts for themselves. So widespread is the belief in Britain that many theatres in Britain have what is called a 'ghost light' burning on the stage all through the night. In Shakespeare's time it would have been a candle. Now it is a single bare light-bulb and its intended purpose is to keep the ghosts at bay. Below is listed just some of the most haunted Theatres.

The Adelphi Theatre, is haunted by the shade of the great actor William Teriss. He was stabbed to death at the Stage Door in 1897 by a fellow actor. Terriss is supposed to haunt not only the backstage areas of the Adelphi Theatre but also the Lyceum Theatre and Covent Garden Tube Station. Terriss is described as an imposing figure, being tall and wearing a grey suit with white gloves. His murderer was found to be 'insane' and spent the remainder of his life in a mental institution. It is interesting to note that on the day before Terriss was murdered, his understudy related a disturbing dream he had had in which he had seen Terriss lying on the dressing room steps with blood flowing from a gaping wound in his chest.

The Dominion Theatre was built in 1930 on the site of Meux's House Shore Brewery. Over the years, many audience members have reported seeing a brewery worker in the Dominion Theatre. There has also been heard the sound of a child giggling. And as with so many other haunted theatres in London, there is reported poltergeist activity. At least one book suggests that the spirit of Freddie Mercury haunts the Dominion Theatre allegedly because the theatre is the home to the musical,'We Will Rock You'.

The Fortune Theatre is haunted by a woman dressed in black, who is often seen in the hospitality bar and in one of the boxes from where she appears to be watching the play. During the performance of the play,'Woman in Black', one of the actors, Sebastian Harcombe, saw two women to the right of the stage where no living person was in fact standing. At the same time, the leading lady mentioned that she felt that she had been followed onto the stage by someone she couldn't see.

Her Majesty's Theatre was the venue that saw the first performance of 'The Phantom of the Opera' should also be a haunted theatre in its own right. Her Majesty's Theatre was built in 1897 for actor-manager Sir Beerbohm Tree and he made several appearances on its stage. His favourite place in the house from which to watch performances was the top box, stage right and it appears that this is the centre for the manifestations. Occupants of the box complain of cold spots and of the door to the box suddenly opening of its own accord.
If it is Sir Beerbohm who is responsible then he does not seem to restrict his activities to this area. In the 1970's, during a performance of, 'Cause Celebre', the entire cast of the play, which included the actress Glynis Johns, watched as the ghost walked across the theatre at the back of the stalls.

Lyceum Theatre is a haunted theatre with a unique ghost. For sitting in the cheaper seats in the Lyceum Theatre has been seen an elderly woman cradling what appears to be a severed head in her lap. No-one knows the identity of the ghost or indeed the owner of the cranium (if this what it is). It has been suggested that woman might be Madame Marie Tussaud who, in 1802, showed her waxworks in the theatre for the first time, with one of her exhibits. However, why anyone would want to 'stroke' a wax head is beyond me!

The Noel Coward Theatre is one of the more modern haunted theatres, the New Theatre as it was originally called was built in 1903 a few years after the Wyndham Theatre which stands behind it. Sir Charles Wyndham is believed to have been seen walking in the corridors and appearing in the dressing rooms.

The Piccadilly Theatre is haunted by a minor actress called Evelyn Lane, who worked at the Piccadilly Theatre when it first opened. She may not have made much of an impression when alive but she is making up for it now. For it is she who is blamed for the poltergeist activity for which the theatre is known. Her photograph hangs in the theatre offices and when the picture was removed some years ago, the poltergeist became especially violent. Fortunately, someone realised the cause of the problem and when the picture was returned to its accustomed place, everything became quiet again.

The Queen's Theatre is the only one of the haunted theatres to have a gay ghost! Male staff report feeling that they are being watched as they change into their uniforms before a performance. There have also been reports that some of them have felt their bottom pinched by an invisible presence.




The Theatre Royal is haunted by the Man In Grey that ensures the Theatre Royal a place in the list of haunted theatres The Theatre is the oldest in London and is home to an absolute gaggle of ghosts. There is actor Charles Macklin perhaps he feels remorse for 'accidentally' killing another actor in 1735 during an argument over a wig by stabbing him in the eye with his cane. The clown Joe Grimaldi has also been seen and it is he who it is thought helpfully guides nervous actors to their correct position on the stage. The music hall entertainer and clog-dancer Dan Leno haunts the building. The sound of clog dancing has been heard coming from empty dressing rooms and actors have felt his presence on stage and smelt the distinctive scent of lavender which Dan Leno always wore.

The friendly phantom of actor-manager John Buckstone has been seen many times in the Theatre Royal Haymarket. When shown a picture of John Buskstone witnesses always confirm that that is he whom they saw. As indeed did Dame Judi Dench and Donald Sinden.
Apparently, John Buckstone is still very much attached to his old Dressing Room 1 as that is where he usually manifests. However, he has been observed in other places in the building as well, including the stairwells and once on the stage. Staff backstage have heard him rehearsing his lines although he has not seen there.

Visiting haunted theatres can certainly be a 'hair-raising' experience. At least it be if you go to the Victoria Palace Theatre For there have been many numerous reports of poltergeist activity involving, of all things, wigs. They have been observed flying through the air unaided. The door to the room in which the hair-pieces are kept, opens and closes by itself And it is no use locking it as it unlocks and locks itself apparently without any human assistance. No-one seems to have an explanation for this bizarre paranormal activity.

Hauntings of Ye Olde London – Part 3

London is famous for it's history, designers, inventors, fashion and music. Ghosts and Ghoulies are also endemic across London which not a lot of people know about and which I have decided to write about in this article. London is said to be the most haunted City in the world. Below I have listed Part 3 of just some of the spooky hauntings of London.
The Old Bailey is London's main criminal court. A figure supposedly appears in the building during important trials. These appearances have been allegedly witnessed by judges, barristers and policemen.

Bruce Castle in Tottenham, North London is haunted by the ghost of a woman who allegedly appears every 3 November. The ghost is thought to be Lady Coleraine, who was kept locked up in a chamber within the castle by her husband .

50, Berkeley Square is a four-storey brick town house was constructed in 1740. From 1770 to 1827 it was the home of British Prime Minister George Canning commemorated by a plaque on the house today. During the subsequent Victorian era, it was the location of reported apparitions, screams and noises. After the death of its ninety-year-old occupant in 1859, the house was unoccupied until 1880. "It is quite true that there is a house in Berkeley Square (No. 50), said to be haunted, and long unoccupied on that account. There are strange stories about it, into which this deponent cannot enter." - George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton in Notes and Queries – 1872.

In 1873, the local council sued a new tenant of 50, Berkeley Square called Myers for not paying taxed or rates. He didn't appear in court, but the judge summed up "the house in question is known as a 'haunted house' and has occasioned a good deal of speculation amongst the neighbours."

A writer in 1880 said that Myers had leased the house for his impending marriage and began to furnish the house, when his wife-to-be left him.

"This disappointment is said to have broken his heart and turned his brain. He became morose and solitary, and would never allow a woman to come near him" said the writer.

Myers, to escape society lived in the famous top room of the house and would often walk around the house at night to see what should have been the scene of his happiness bathed in candlelight. His midnight wanderings could have laid the foundations for ghost story.

Hallam also writes that in 1907, ghost author Charles Harper revealed "The secret of the house, according to Mr Stuart Wortley, was that it belonged to Mr Du Pre, of Wilton Park, who shut his lunatic brother in one of attics. The captive was so violent he could only be fed through a hole. His groans and cries could be distinctly heard in the neighbouring houses."

So could it be the nocturnal wanders of a jilted recluse or the insane cries of violent lunatic spurned the stories of a lurking murderous ghost? Or may be the house was damned, haunted by angry ghosts, hell bent on revenge on the living.

Hauntings of Ye Olde London – Part 4

London is famous for it's history, designers, inventors, fashion and music. Ghosts and Ghoulies are also endemic across London which not a lot of people know about and which I have decided to write about in this article. London is said to be the most haunted City in the world. Below I have listed part 4 of just some of the spooky hauntings of London.

Haunted Hotels and Pubs of London

CROOKED BILLET
14-15 Crooked Billet, Wimbledon Village, London.
This property can date back to the early 16th century and is of course reputed to be haunted. It is an Irish ghost that haunts here, a female with most of the activity being limited to the area of the cellar.

THE FLASK
14 Flask Walk, London.
This is supposedly the haunt of a former landlord who can become more fluid in his haunting if changes are made.

THE GATEHOUSE
1 North Road, Highgate, London.
The ghost here is thought to be a woman who was a guest at the old pub called 'Mother Marnes.'

THE GEORGE & VULTURE
63 Pitfield Street, London.
Established in 1600, there are claims that the upstairs is the haunt of a female.

GEORGIAN HOUSE HOTEL
35-39 St. George's Drive, Westminster, London.
Since being extended it is now a much larger property. Several spirits are said to reside here, including those of children.

GORDON'S WINE BAR
47 Villiers Street, Strand, London.
A delivery boy is said to have fallen to his death and still haunts the place.

THE GRANGE BLOOMS HOTEL
7 Montague Street, London.
Haunted by a ghostly chambermaid.

THE GRENADIER
18 Wilton Row, London.
Wisps of smoke have been recorded and photographed.

THE JOHN SNOW
39 Broadwick Street, London.
Apparently the ghostly male spirit with glowing red eyes sits in a corner. It is thought to be a victim of a cholera epidemic. The pub is named after Dr John Snow who discovered that cholera is water-borne, tracing the outbreak to a local water pump.

THE LANGHAM
1c Portland Place, Regent Street, London.
A Victorian gentleman with grey hair, another gentleman in Victorian dress who is said to be more active during the month of October, a German in military uniform, and even Napoleon Bonaparte are said to haunt here. There is one spirit that tips people out of bed.

THE MORPETH ARMS
58 Millbank, London.
The cellar is said to be haunted by a convict who died there. He was probably an escapee hiding out to evade capture, but the reason for his death differs from suicide to natural causes. There are also a couple of animal manifestations in the form of a squirrel and a hare.

OLD BULL & BUSH
North End Way, London.
When renovations took place a skeleton was found behind a bricked up wall. It is now the haunt of a Victorian gentleman. It is also interesting to note that medical implements were found bricked up with the body. This is only speculations but worth thinking about as Victorian London was in the grip of terror by Jack the Ripper. Did the unsuspecting doctor go out on a call, only to be waylaid thinking he was the Ripper! Or is it that the reason why the murders stopped so abruptly!

OLD QUEEN'S HEAD
44 Essex Road, London.
The haunt of a woman and a young girl from the Tudor period, the child often looking sad. Footsteps have been heard and doors frequently open and close of their own accord.

THE OPERA TAVERN
23 Catherine Street, Covent Garden, London.
An actor from the 18th century named Robert Baddely is said to haunt the inn.

ROSE & CROWN
185 Clay Hill, Enfield, Middlesex.
This claims to be one of the many haunts of Dick Turpin. He is said to have used the inn as a place to lie low as his grandfather, Mr Mott was at one time a proprietor.

THE SPANIARDS
Spaniard Road, London.
This is one of the haunts of Dick Turpin and the hoof beats of Black Bess are often said to be heard.

THE VIADUCT TAVERN
126 Newgate Street, Blackfriars & St. Paul's, London.
The cellar is reputed to be haunted. There are two ghosts, one a prostitute and the other named Fred who is blamed for the poltergeist type activity.

THE VOLUNTEER
245-247 Baker Street, London.
The ghost said to be haunting this place is that of Robert Neville. The Neville family home stood on this spot until it was burned down in 1654.

Be warned if you decide to stay at any of these hauntings you may wake up with your hair turned white!!!

Witches of Leicester – England from 1420AD

I thought as Halloween is the time for ghostly stories I thought it would be fun to write about the Witches of Leicestershire, England.

Abbot William Sadyngton, OnychomancerWilliam Sadyngton was made Abbot of Leister Abbey on 26th October 1420 and he died in 1442. The Abbot is probably best known for using the occult power of Onychomancy to catch the thief of a silver plate and some coinage. William did not by all accounts have a good relationship with the fourteen Canons he worked with and he accused one of them, Canon Thomas Asty of the theft. Asty refused to confess, so Sadyngton turned to occult means to prove his guilt. In September 1439, whilst at Ingarsby, he polished the thumb nail of a boy called Maurice and whilst he recited a magical incantation the boy stared at the nails surface and told the Abbot what he saw. The boy named Thomas Asty as the culprit, though it is feasible that William had told Maurice what he expected the answer to be.  Upon his return to Leicester he accused Asty again, who then sought absolution from the Abbot in the confessional, which Sadyngton refused to give.

The Bilson Boy

In 1620, another English boy, William Perry, accused an old woman, Jane Clark, of bewitching him and causing fits. This time, during the trial, the court was sceptical, most likely because of the results of the Leicester cases. The boy eventually confessed that he, like Smith, faked the fits because he also enjoyed the attention.

Perry didn’t let matters be. Not much later, he repeated the same fraudulent behaviour The Bishop of Lichfield, Thomas Morton, investigated. He saw the boy regurgitate different objects and was ready to concede witchcraft was involved when he saw Perry pass blue urine, but decided that there had to be further tests. A spy was stationed to secretly watch Perry when he was alone in his room. The boy put blue ink in his chamber pot to change the colour of his urine.

Perry claimed that the devil caused him to have fits whenever the first words of the Gospel of Saint John were read. The boy didn’t have hysteria when the words were read in Greek, a language he didn’t understand. According to beliefs at that time, if this was the work of the devil via witchcraft, Perry would have comprehended the foreign tongue and acted accordingly.

What caused the phenomena was that a priest taught the boy how to vomit strange objects and other chicanery in order to pretend to be possessed. The priest hoped that by “exorcising” the boy, who was in cahoots with him, he would impress his superiors.

King James I of England held much legal influence of the witch-hunts of the late 1500's. He greatly feared the power of witches. He believed wholly that a storm which threatened to sink his ship and drown both him and his 15-year-old wife, Queen Anne, was summoned by witches. As a result of this belief, the two women 'responsible' were burned at the stake (one still alive at the time).

Although James believed witches were to be destroyed, he did find some court procedures to be conscientiously objectionable. "He ended one of the most dubious forms of condemnation, that of denunciation by children at a time when the courts were prepared to accept any flight of fancy by impressionable children as evidence." This injunction occurred after James took time to investigate two cases involving children. In the first, nine-year-old Jennet Device testified against her eleven-year-old sister and against her mother who were both then hanged in 1582. The second case regarded the young John Smith of Leicester. Smith "feigned fits and the vomiting of pins to frame old women for casting a spell on him. Nine were already hanged on his evidence when James I intervened. At the King's behest, the boy was dispatched to the care of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Within weeks he broke down and confessed." Denunciation by children would no longer be accepted in court.

In his later years, James came to realize that many witchcraft accusations were maliciously falsified.

Regardless, it was James I who authorized the translation of the King James Bible. Under his control, the soon to be oft-quoted Exodus 22:18 was changed from "Thou must not suffer a poisoner to live" to "Thou must not suffer a witch to live."

The Ghostly Hauntings of the City of Chester

As a fan of ghost stories and the supernatural I thought I would write about some of the more well known ghost stories from the city of Chester, England. There are stories of the George and Dungeon Pub in Chester being haunted by the spirits of Roman soldiers. A French restaurant occupying the Old Fire Station is also haunted by the spirit of an old fireman and many visitors claim to have seen it. Below is a list of other Hauntings:

St John's Church

The site of a haunting by a ghostly monk. This spectre only started appearing following the partial collapse of the great tower in 1881. He has been heard praying, and appears so real, it was only realised that he was not a real monk when he vanished into thin air in front of startled witnesses. A monk, quite possibly the same one, goes to and from the church by the old passage that runs by the side of the west tower and down to the river. This ghost has also been described as following another route, up from the river bank, through the railings of the present Hermitage, and along a secret underground passage that connects the Anchorite Cell with the church. It has also been described as crossing the bowling green to the Anchorite Cell.

The East Glory - Northgate Street.

In 1642 the English Civil war started between the forces loyal to King Charles and Parliament. At that time Chester was a very important sea port and was a royalist city.

In 1645 the army of Parliament attacked the city to take the sea port facilities away from the King.

Many soldiers were in Chester to defend the city and houses were used to billet the officers. One such officer was billeted at the Blue Bell and had fallen in love with the owner’s daughter. One day he left the house to take up his post on the city walls but never returned; he was killed during an attack... His loved one could not face life without him so she killed herself in the cellar of the East Glory. To this day her ghost walks from the cellar to the upstairs window where she used to look for his return

The Boot Inn - Eastgate Street

Built in 1643 the landlord practised as a barber surgeon and his wife as a “madam”, with her troupe of “ladies of the night”. Sometimes, at night, when all is quiet, the faint sounds of laughter and the subdued hubbub of conversation in empty rooms can be heard. From time to time even the front door is found to be locked

The Falcon Inn - Bridge Street.

Built in the 17th century as the town house of the Baronet of Grosvenor, it was later sold to a gentleman. This new owner employed an angry maidservant who soon found herself dismissed and thrown out of the house. Homeless on the streets of Chester she died. Her ghost has now returned to the place of employment and haunts the house which was converted to an inn only a few years ago.

A building has stood on this site for at least 700 years, the Falcon is a traditional “Chester building” with a black & white timbered frontage inside the original 13th century stone piers which once formed the front of the building can still be seen.

The building was the home to the Grosvenor family during the time of the Civil War, during this time they had a maid called Molly. It is alleged that she was dismissed and thrown out of the house during a bad snow storm, she had no where to go and was found dead the next morning in the snow.

Staff at The Falcon say that they can feel a presence but that it is a nice feeling and quite often find themselves talking to it. Things quite often move or go missing. Staff quite often say that they feel someone touching them on their shoulders.

There has only been one sighting in recent years but there is also a photograph a member of staff took at a wedding reception held in the pub, the figure of a lady appears at the back of the photograph whom nobody recognises.

The Old Kings Head - Bridge Street

Built in 1622 for a gentleman by the name of Randal Holume the house was sold on and became the present inn.

The story is of a lovely maiden who lived in the house. Her bedroom is now room 4 of the inn. Two young men had fallen in love with this beautiful sylph but knew that only one could have her. A dual was arranged, the one who survived would take the hand of this fair maiden. Alas, both were killed and today any young maiden asleep in room 4 is awakened by the presence of two slender handsome young ghosts.

The Marlborough Arms - St John Street

Black and white timbered building with a strange name. About 100 years ago, the licensee became very depressed about his worsening financial situation and an unsympathetic wife. He took himself down to the cellar and cut his own throat. Strange footsteps are heard in the upper floors and there are reports of his ghost walking the cellar.

A painter and sign writer is said to have seen the ghost prior to completing the sign outside. In such a state of shock he completed the sign but had not noticed that he had already completed the first “OR” in Marlborough.

The Bear and Billet - Lower Bridge Street.

Once the town house of the Earl of Shrewsbury who was the tax collector of the south gate during the 17th century. Now the house is an inn and is haunted by a ghost of a maid who worked in the house when owned by the Earl. The earl’s bailiff, who was a mean and deceitful man decided that she did work as hard as he felt she should. In spite, he locked the girl in the upstairs room thinking he would leave her there for a day without food and water.

By an urgent summons ,from the Earl, he was called away to Shrewsbury which was a distance of 40 miles. Away for many days he forgot all about the young maid who died alone in the room. At night sobs are heard from the room she was locked and died in.

This seems to be one of the most haunted of all of the places. Strange occurrences happen on almost a daily basis, the gas in the cellar is often turned off and barrels move. The kitchen is upstairs and figures are seen moving past the doorway but nobody is there when staff check.

There also seems to be a lot of activity in the managers flat where windows open by themselves and strange messages are left on the answer machine.

The Golden Eagle - Castle Street

Chester was the Roman fortress of Deva built in 79 AD and was the largest of the three military fortresses in Britain. The Golden Eagle is on the direct line the Romans would have marched from the fortress to the River Dee.

Reports that staff and visitors have seen a patrol of Roman soldiers marching through the cellar wall, across the cellar, and out through the other wall.

The Liverpool Arms - Northgate Street.

Site of the old Chester prison known as the dungeon of little ease. Prisoners were kept in the dungeon, which could only hold two people , waiting execution. Many have heard the moans of those who were kept in the dungeon of little ease. Some, however, were lucky and were deported to Australia.

George & Dragon – Liverpool Road

The Romans buried their dead outside of the City walls and the site of the George and Dragon today stands on one of these burial sites.

This building has many stories associated with it and has previously been investigated by a number of paranormal groups.

Although there have been no sightings footsteps are frequently heard marching through the pub. Orbs have been captured on camera in the cellar area and this and one guest room in particular seem to have the most activity.

Former Brannigans Nightclub – Foregate Street

Built in the 1920/30’s this used to be, until recently (early 1990’s), a cinema. Although downstairs has been converted the upper level remains almost untouched.

Figures of two ghosts here, the first is that of a little girl who is seen on the ground floor level occasionally by the cleaner in a morning.

The second is the figure of a man seen in the projection room, upstairs. The story surrounding this ghost is that the man was a projectionist, he found out that his wife was having an affair and committed suicide.

Thornton’s – Foregate Street

This was, at one time, thought to be Chester’s most haunted building although in recent years there has not been much activity.

The building is said to be haunted by 3 spirits one of which is said to be a man in an apron and one the spirit of a girl called Sarah.

Sarah has never been seen but is thought to be responsible for activity in the building. There was a lot of activity up until 1965 when the building was exorcised. Her story is that she was jilted by her lover and could not bear life without him so went into the cellar and hung herself.

It seems that the thought of love upsets Sarah as when the shop is filled with heart shaped boxes for Valentines day these boxes are often found on the floor. A few years ago one of our City Guides was leading a Ghost Tour around the City, he was stood with his back to the window of Thornton’s telling the story of Sarah, the group were enthralled and said what fantastic special effects we had on our ghost tour, when he turned around boxes of chocolates were lying on the floor, they had been ‘flung’ off the shelf.

14 Dee Hills Park, Chester Haunting.

Ghostly monk wakes sleepers in large Victorian Gothic mansion overlooking the River Dee.

40 Bridge Street, Chester Ghost.

Active ghost nicknamed 'George' in cellar area, reported by staff in travel agency; formerly a wine merchant's shop.

Bear and Billet, Lower Bridge Street, Chester Ghost.

Kindly old lady often greets men on the stairs with a smile. Bingo Hall, Brook Street, Chester Ghost. 'Old George' widely held to haunt the premises. Unexplained thumps and crashes in the attic; figure in tweed jacket regularly seen on balcony but vanishes when challenged.

Boot Inn, Eastgate Row North, Chester Haunting.

Once Chester's most notorious brothel, present pub still occasionally rings with female moans and laughter.

Boughton Heath (several streets), Chester Haunting.

Running man crosses roads in front of speeding cars only to vanish on far side. Bridge of Sighs,

Northgate Street, Chester Haunting.

Condemned criminals once led across 'Bridge of Sighs' from Northgate gaol to last rites in Blue coat chapel; their sighs are sometimes heard today.

Brown Heath, Christleton, near Chester Haunting.

Two ghostly figures in Civil War dress with buff greatcoats and broad-brimmed hats occasionally seen at the Brown Heath crossroads.

Castle Street, Chester Poltergeist.

Electrician working in Georgian house spooked by objects being moved, and by owner's apparently calm acceptance of supernatural events.

Cestrian pub, City Road, Chester Haunting.

Loud thumping heard on upstairs floor whenever a previous landlord was angry; emphatically not his wife!

Chester Cathedral Devil's Mark

Record of 1906 tells of flagstone in cloisters bearing 'devil's footprint; when replaced, mark reappears next morning.

Coach and Horses, Northgate Street, Chester Ghost.

Modern ghost of a sad old man orders pint, books room, then vanishes; his reasons later become alarmingly clear.

Curzon Park, Chester Haunting.

Sobbing woman in Elizabethan dress seen beneath a large tree with a hanged man swinging from its branches.

Dee House, Dee Banks, Chester Ghost.

Apparition of old woman sometimes seen prowling top floor of this old telephone exchange and onetime convent. Deva Psychiatric Hospital (now disused)Hauntings. Staff tell of dark forms seen on the wards and strange footsteps.

Deva Pub, Watergate Rows North, Chester Haunting.

Horrific scene of a Victorian boy who fell into fire occasionally replayed in this pub.

Haunted Alley, near St Johns Church, Chester Ghost.

Monk in dark habit occasionally accosts witnesses in 'Haunted Alley' beside St John's Church, speaking a guttural Saxon-like language.

King's Buildings, Chester Ghost.

Sick woman experienced a phantom physician in old-fashioned hat and neck ruff sitting at her bedside. When he reached out and touched her forehead, she recovered shortly afterwards.

Leche House, Watergate Street, Chester Haunting.

Face of an old-fashioned sailor sometimes seen at 1st floor window. Marlbororough Arms. St John's Street, Chester Haunting.

Phantom gurgles sometimes heard from beer cellar where depressed Victorian landlord slit his own throat.

Morgan's Mount, City Walls, Chester Haunting.

Apparitions of Cavalier soldiers appear at this medieval tower named after a Royalist gun captain during the Civil War siege of Chester.

Nicholas Street, Chester Haunting.

Ghostly coachman in carriage coat, tricorn hat, riding boots and breeches occasionally seen descending steps to Georgian terrace's old carriage house.

Northgate arch, Chester Haunting.

Spectral sound of hanged men buffeted against the city walls by strong winds still heard on site of the old city gaol at the Northgate.

Old City Hospital, Hoole, Chester Haunting.

Apparition of 'man in a brown suit' visiting his sick mother seen by several nurses in 1976; woman later tells nurses her son was killed in Second World War.

Old Dee Bridge, Chester Ghost.

In 1986, ghost of dead neighbour spoke to a Handbridge woman on bridge, then vanished.

Ghostly Haunting of Derby Hospital's

As a fan of ghost stories and the supernatural I thought I would write about some of the more well known ghost stories from the city of Derby, England. These stories concerns 2 hospitals in Derby where there have been various hauntings and spookiness.

The Pastures Hospital, now demolished, was built during the 19th century and served as the County Asylum. There have been many reports concerning poltergeist activity at the hospital over the years. What follows is a first-hand account of strange occurrences within the hospital itself. "I would have been around 21 years old at the time and had taken a keen interest in the various ghost stories involving Derby. One particular story that had intrigued myself and my friend was all about ghostly events at the Pastures Hospital and in particular the Wessington Ward of the hospital."

"Having some spare time on our hands we decided to take a walk up there and investigate for ourselves. The hospital was no longer in use at this point but the building remained. There were builders around who were more than prepared to talk to us about the many stories and happenings that had taken place, some of them personnel accounts."

"It was at this point that the manager of operations arrived and kindly agreed to our request to be allowed inside the building to examine the interior of the Wessington Ward."

"After entering the hospital we began to walk along a corridor to the ward in question. The inside of the building was complete and intact, albeit with the windows boarded up, but all of the furniture and fittings had been removed."

"By this point my friend was around 10 metres ahead of me as we explored. As I looked up he stopped and began to peer around the ward. Thinking he was simply being curious I thought nothing of it until I reached the point where he had been standing previously."

"Suddenly I heard voices. None of them spoke with any clarity, it sounded like tens or even hundreds of voices all battling for attention. As soon as I had passed that particular spot the voices ceased only to begin again at a later point in the ward."

"Strange as it sounds this didn't scare me too much. However about five minutes later the mood began to change. A feeling that I can only describe as an oppressive darkness began to envelope me and I realised in a way that I cannot describe that I was no longer welcome - I was in some way trespassing."

"I looked at my friend and asked him if he was ready to leave. With a relieved look on his face he agreed he was. Without further ado we left the building."

"On the way out we spoke to a security guard for the hospital grounds who told me that amongst their number no-one would patrol that area alone."

"He pointed to a light outside the ward that was on even though it was a bright afternoon."

"We always leave that light on" he said. "Otherwise she gets really angry".

Hauntings at the Derby City General hospital

Where managers spoke of a ghostly goings on in an email to employees after clerical staff claimed they saw a cloaked figure dressed in black. A senior manager sent an email to staff, informing them of a plan to bring in a priest to rid the hospital of paranormal activity. She wrote: "I'm not sure how many of you are aware that some members of staff have reported seeing a ghost. "I'm taking it seriously as it is affecting some members of staff and the last thing I want is staff feeling uneasy at work."I don't want to scare anyone any more than necessary, but felt it was best I made you all aware of the situation and what we are doing about it. "I've spoken to the trust's chaplain and she is going to arrange for someone from the cathedral to exorcise the department.

"I understand that some of you will probably be worried or scared about this. If any of you wish to discuss this, feel free to contact me at any time."

The hospital is located on the site of the old Derby city general hospital, which was built in the 1920s over part of a Roman road. Anglican priests usually need to seek permission from a bishop before performing an exorcism.

The Ghostly Hauntings of the City of Exeter

As a fan of ghost stories and the supernatural I thought I would write about some of the more well known ghost stories from the city of Exeter, England. The city of Exeter is well known for its shipping and its spooks.

The Black Shadow

Location: Exeter - Alleyway that runs from the top of South Street to the Cathedral Green
As this witness walked down the alleyway they became aware of a dark shadow looming over them and felt a presence over their right shoulder. The man turned and saw a black mass which seemed to dissipate upwards into the night.

Queen Henrietta Maria

Location: Exeter - Barnfield House
This Queen stayed here to give birth before escaping to France, though she also appears to continue to remain here today.

The Haunted Three Headed Entity

Location: Exeter - Cathedral Green
Seen moving silently across the Green, this strange apparition is reported to possess three heads.

The Fishy Men

Location:Exeter - Coastline
Further Comments: Fishermen on the shore caught a four foot tall humanoid, with duck-like feet and a tail protruding from its back. It tried to escape, but was killed when the fishermen beat it with sticks. Another fish-man was caught a few months later in the same area, though this one was described with more seal-like qualities.

Haunting Plague Victims

Location: Exeter - Devon Air Radio Studios, St David's Hill
Built on an old plague pit, the ghosts of the inhabitants are blamed for the sounds of closing doors (in places the doors are already closed) and other unexplained events.

The Vanishing Woman

Location: Exeter - Ernest Jones, next to the Guildhall
A female ghost is said to vanish as quickly as she appears, and is blamed for knocking over displays and setting off the fire alarm.

The Ghostly Nun and Monk

Location: Exeter - Exeter Cathedral
Seen only around this time, the nun quickly disappears once spotted. A monk has also been reported in the area surrounding the cathedral, while a small group of witnesses heard music coming from within the building although it was dark and empty at the time.

Ghost of The Last Executed Prisoner in Exeter Prison

Location: Exeter - Exeter prison
Two prisoners reported seeing a middle-aged man walking along the upper gallery, vanishing as he reached a cell door. After staff carried out a little research, they discovered the man was the last person to be executed in the prison.

Ghostly Workman

Location: Exeter - Exeter University
A phantom man dressed in painter's overalls has been seen walking down the corridors of Exeter University.

The Cycling Ghost

Location: Exeter - Exeter's Underground Passages
The guides of the underground passages, normally open to the public, tell of a phantom cyclist who passes through the area. There is also rumoured to be hidden treasure somewhere in the tunnels.

The Haunting Sound of Silk

Location: Exeter - Globe Hotel
An American guest at the hotel reported waking several times during the night to the sound of swirling, as if someone was waving armfuls of silk scarves through the air. The woman in the room next door also reported hearing the sounds.

The Sweet Smelling Rose Lady

Location: Exeter - Guildhall Shopping Centre basement
A shadowy form of a woman has been reported as haunting this area, the smell of roses accompanying her presence.

The Ghostly Victorian Nurse

Location: Exeter - Hospital
A ghostly nurse occasionally appears by the bed of anyone close to death and rearranges any nearby flowers so that they form a cross.

The Wet Murdered Maid

Location: Exeter - Lord Haldon Hotel
This tragic figure fell pregnant after having an affair with a local landowner - he killed the maid to cover the relationship up, and now she returns to the top of the building, dripping wet.

The Supernatural Giant Bat

Location: Exeter - Magdalene Road
A witness walking down the road late at night stated he watched a giant bat, with a wingspan of 1.2 metres, swoop around the churchyard along this road.

Heavy Breathing Poltergeist

Location: Exeter - Marks & Spencer store
Said to be built on an old Roman burial ground, phantom heavy breathing has been reported from staff, as have light poltergeist-like behaviour.

The Crying Waiting Mother

Location: Exeter - Martin's Lane, general area
A weeping woman waits along this lane at night - her daughter ran away to follow Sir Francis Drake on his last voyage, and never returned.

The Ghostly Little Girl with her toy Rag Doll

Location: Exeter - Prospect Inn
This young child only appears once a year in the upper part of the building. She is said to smile sweetly at any witnesses, before quickly fading away.

The Ghostly Viking Ship

Location: Exeter - River Exe
A local legend has it that a ghostly Viking long ship complete with an angry fighter passes up the river.

The Spectral Coughing Fit

Location: Exeter - Royal Clarence Hotel
Built on the site of Walter Raleigh's fathers' house, some attribute the coughing sounds to Walter himself.

The Ghostly Return of Sir Francis Drake

Location: Exeter - Ship Inn, Martin's Lane
The inn claims to have once banned Drake from coming in, as his behaviour once drunk was intolerable - maybe this is the reason he returns here.

The Ghostly Red Light

Location: Exeter - St Layes, ruins of church
A red light would appear to anyone who was due a tragedy in their lives - it was commonly seen during the blitz of World War Two by those who would be killed by bombs or the resulting fires.
The Ghostly Woman's Heels

Location: Exeter - St Thomas railway station
Sitting on the platform with her dog, this women heard the sound of heels walk past her twice, although no one could be seen. The dog circled and barked before rolling over and acted as if being stroked.

The Wandering Monk

Location: Exeter - The Cowick Barton Inn, Cowick Lane
This holy man has been seen walking around outside the pub, as well as inside two local houses and in a nearby field.

The Ghostly Tall Glowing Figure

Location: Exeter - Unnamed building near the Cathedral
Two men trying to steal lead from a roof screamed in horror as they realised a gaunt ghostly figure stood by their sides, pointing accusingly at them. Their cries alarmed the neighbourhood, but they escaped never to be seen again.

Judge Jeffreys Ghost

Location: Exeter - White Hart Inn
A popular haunting figure down in the south west, the Judge's shade has been reported in this public house. A woman in a long black cape, said to resemble the lady from the 'Scottish Widows' advert, has been seen in the courtyard.

York England the Most Haunted City in the World

As a fan of ghost stories and the supernatural I thought I would write about some of the more well known ghost stories from the city of York, England. York is famous for its Roman Heritage and is famous for its cathedral. York - with its history of conflict and many tragic events - boasts more than its fair share of ghoulies, ghosties and things that go bump in the night. In fact, in 2002 the International Ghost Research Foundation declared York to be ‘Europe's most haunted city', and sometimes it seems as though a ghostly figure with a score to settle is in residence is just about every street or ginnel in town. Here are just a few...

The Ghostly Roman Legionnaires
One morning in 1953 apprentice plumber Harry Martindale was installing a new central heating system in the cellars of the Treasurer's House in the shadow of the Minster. Suddenly he heard the distant sound of a horn, which became gradually louder. Then a great carthorse emerged through the brick wall, ridden by a dishevelled Roman soldier. He was followed by several more soldiers, dressed in green tunics and plumed helmets. It looked as though they were walking on their knees - their lower legs and feet were nowhere to be seen. Then the ghostly crew moved into a recently excavated area, and it became clear that they were walking on an old Roman road, the Via Decumana, which had been buried 15 inches below the surface. 

When a bewildered Harry scrambled upstairs to safety, the Treasurer's House curator reportedly said to him, "You've seen the Roman soldiers, haven't you?" It seems the ghoulish visitors had been spotted on several previous occasions. Working in the cellar of the building,

The building also claims to be home to several other ghosts, including a dog, a black cat, George Aislaby (killed in a duel), and Frank Green, who converted the interior into what it is today. The Tapestry Room has an oppressive atmosphere, and is where the wife of a former owner murdered him after he conducted one extra-marital affair too many.

The Haunting by Mad Alice
Lund's Court (linking Swine gate and Low Peter gate) was formerly known as Mad Alice Lane, in honour of Alice Smith who lived in the lane until 1825, the year she was hanged at York Castle for the perceived crime of insanity and apparently only guilty of being 'mad', Alice drifts along the lane that now holds her name.

The Theatrical Grey Lady Ghost
A theatrical ghost, the Grey Lady haunts a room behind the dress circle of the Georgian Theatre Royal. In medieval times, as the story goes, this was part of the old Hospital of St Leonard, which was run by an order of nuns. One young nun fell in love with a nobleman and the pair became lovers, but when her scandalous behaviour became known she was thrown into a windowless room - now part of the theatre - which was bricked up to become her living tomb. A gruesome tale, but apparently if the nun in her grey habit is spotted in the dress circle it's a good omen for that night's production!

The Ghostly Funeral Guest
Once known as the most beautiful of York's many ghosts, this long-haired, elegant apparition has frequently appeared at All Saints Church, Pavement, one of the city's most striking churches, and is in the habit of welcoming funeral processions at the door. Perhaps, a turbulent spirit who was herself denied a Christian burial?

The Unhappy Ghostly Brothers
St William's College, the beautiful medieval building behind York Minster, which is today a much sought-after conference venue and popular eatery, harbours a ghost with a very guilty conscience. Apparently in 16th century York, two brothers were lodging at the College and, desperate for money, hatched a plan to rob a wealthy priest from the Minster. They mugged him, stole his jewellery and purse - and slit his throat. The younger brother was overcome with remorse, and the older sibling feared he would give the game away. He reported his brother to the authorities, and stood by while he was tried and hanged for murder. The elder brother died soon after, racked with guilt. But his unhappy spirit paces the floors of St William's College to this day.

The Ghostly Tudor Lady
Could the finely dressed Tudor lady who walks through walls at the King's Manor be the ghost of Queen Catherine Howard, who was King Henry VIII's guest here in 1541? The lady carries roses in her hands, and the part of the building where she has been spied was once the Rose Garden. Catherine, the fourth of Henry's six wives, was executed shortly after her stay, and possibly the fact that she entertained her lover Thomas Culpeper in the Manor didn't help her chances of a long and happy marriage to the fickle Henry.

The Headless Earl Percy and his Hauntings
Thomas Percy, the Seventh Earl of Northumberland, has been seen decapitated in the churchyard, searching for his severed head. He lost it after upsetting Elizabeth I by attempting to raise an army to fight her, and she vented her anger thus.

A ghostly nun has also been reported on the site. Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, was executed for treason in York: as a staunch Catholic. He was beheaded in 1572, and his head stuck on a large spike on Mick legate Bar as a warning to anyone else with similar ideas. There it remained for many years until eventually recovered and buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity church in Goodhearted. The body of the Earl has been seen on many a night staggering between the graves, searching for his mislaid head.

The Ghostly Young Girl

Location: York - 41 Stone gate
A six year old Victorian girl who fell to her death on the staircase now haunts this building. She can be heard walking the stairs, and has also been seen sitting on top of a shop counter.

The Haunting Crying Girl

Location: York - 5 College Street
Both seen and heard, this ghostly child starved to death after her parents died from plague. She only appears to haunt the upper parts of the house.

The Ghostly Glowing Girl

Location: York - All Saint's Church, Pathment
This pale young lass with long curly hair was seen a number of times, always observing funerals from the church door. She vanished suddenly if anyone approached.

The Ghostly Baker and Soldiers

Location: York - Former toy shop just inside Roman Gate
Late at night one female witness approached the toy shop window to look at a teddy bear. At the window she entered a dream-like state - she 'became' a large male baker covered in flour working within the shop, and looking out from the shop she could see Roman soldiers walking past.

The Haunting Funeral

An on-duty policeman passing the church late at night heard funeral music playing within the church. As he approached to investigate, the doors of the building opened and the sound of people leaving could be heard, but nothing could be seen. The church was said to have a more frequent phantom visitor - a tall man who would stare out of the windows in the early hours of the morning.

The Ghostly Drunken Airman

Location: York - The Golden Fleece public house, Pavement Street
Towards the end of World War 2, a drunken Canadian pilot fell from an upstairs window in the building, and broke his neck on the pavement below. Since then, this ghost has reportedly haunted the bedroom from which he fell.
The Haunting Screams

Location: York - The Olde Starr Inn, Stone gate
Another building used to house injured Civil War troops, the basement is said to be the place where amputations occurred, which explains the sound of cries and screams. Two black cats are also reported to haunt the pub, and an old woman has been seen on the stairs.

English Crop Circles – The History From 1115 AD

As a fan of English History I thought readers may be interested in the history of English Crop Circles. Excluding some of the Modern day hoaxes many of the modern day Crop Circles have been seen to form below a bright light. One of the earliest writings on Crop Circles was In 1115 A.D., the Bishop of Winchester wrote of corn flattened by 'magical storms'.

One late summer's day in 1678, an English farmer and a poor mower were arguing over the cost of harvesting the farmer's oat field. Incensed at the mower's proposed price, the farmer swore that the Devil himself should harvest the crop and stomped off. That night, a strange, bright glow lit up the field and, the next morning, the farmer returned to find round circles where the crop had been 'neatly mowed by the Devil, or some infernal spirit'. Each crop stalk had apparently been placed with such 'exactness that it would have taken above an age for any man to perform what he did in that one night'. The event frightened the farmer enough that he subsequently decided to abandon any attempt at harvesting the strange circle.

This description from a woodcut known as the "Mowing Devil or 'Strange News out of Hartford-shire'" is now widely regarding as the first explicit report of a crop circle. Similar accounts have 'cropped up' throughout history leading credence to theories that the crop circle phenomenon is much more than a modern-day fad. While crop circles can occur in any weather, original theories on crop circle formation relate to swirling vortices of ionised air or some other type of natural process similar to ball lighting. Several scientific journals of the nineteenth-century also include references to storms and flattened circles. Another account from 1871 near Plummer's Hill, in High Wycombe, Bucks, describes two disc-shaped objects with flashing lights hovering over a site where the very next day a circle of bent, flattened grasses was discovered.

Tales of unusual light beams, even UFOs, are commonplace around crop circles. While some of these strange lights have been captured on film, perhaps more intriguing are the many oral accounts of crop circle activity from the days before air planes or secret military technology. Between 1900 and 1910, one woman recalled having seen circles on her grandfather's land near Tilshead, Salisbury Plain. The wheat was apparently 'flattened so firmly that it could not lifted without springing back down.' Some crop circle researchers (know as 'cereologists' after the Roman goddess of agriculture, Ceres) have even wondered if the famous Salisbury Plain megalith, Stonehenge, was itself built to commemorate the spot where a crop circle once formed.

The area certainly has had its fair share of crop circles in recent years. In 1996, the 'Julia Set', a staggering 915 foot long formation with 151 circles, appeared near Stonehenge in broad daylight and within a forty-five minute period. No one had noticed a thing but when news of the miraculous crop circle broke, it attracted over ten thousand visitors within the following weeks.

So what exactly are these crop circles and why are they now such a prominent feature of the English countryside? No one really knows but enough research, however, has been carried out over the last two decades to establish these enigmatic patterns as one of the most awesome and tangible mysteries of our time. Crop circles, also know as agriglyphs and pictogram s, have been reported in virtually every country around the globe and in all types of fields, in fact, similar, unexplained patterns have occurred in snow, ice, gravel and even Japanese rice paddies. Since the early 1980's over ten thousand crop circles have been documented with the vast majority appearing in England. The 'hot spot' of crop circle activity happens to be Wiltshire, perhaps because it is the home of ancient sacred sites and mystical monuments such as Stonehenge and Avebury. During the warm summer months, researchers, enthusiasts, even the military, have gathered in the fields of this southern English county to study the intricate and mesmerizing designs of the crop circles. The formations now happen so frequently that special tour buses headed towards the latest crop circle have become a regular sight on the narrow, winding roads of Wiltshire hills.

Researchers are still baffled by what causes crop circle formations. While sceptics try to dismiss them as elaborate hoaxes, crop circles do exhibit a number of unusual characteristics. For one, they are often not simple circles but beautiful geometric patterns. These include crescent shapes, abstract designs, insect forms, vortex swirls like those in seashells or galaxies. Some represent complex examples of fractals, even mathematical theorems. In 1994, a 'Mayan lunar calendar design' appeared near the ancient Avebury stone circle. Its gradually changing circles were eerily reminiscent of the phases of our moon. In July of 2004, an exquisite 'Chakra' formation occurred in the Vale of Pewsey directly beneath one of the area's chalk White Horses.

Dowsers, and people particularly sensitive to the earth's energy levels, often detect unusual readings within crop circles. The patterns seem to fall on or near invisible energy pathways, or known 'ley lines' across the country. Interestingly, animals will sometimes avoid crop circles while flocks of birds purposely split up rather than fly directly over a formation. The plants stalks within crop circles are not trampled or crushed, a tell-tale characteristic of many man-made glyphs, but simply bent, leaving the plant undamaged. Microscopic analysis reveals that the plant's crystalline structure has been altered. One possible explanation seems to be some sort of intense burst of heat. What causes it, and whether the source is terrestrial or extra-terrestrial remains to be seen. Coincidentally, the few eyewitness accounts of crop circle formations that do exist describe a large 'ball of fire' lasting for only a few minutes. By morning, a crop circle has occurred in the exact same location. Shades of the 'Mowing Devil' brought up to the present day? Perhaps. One thing is certain... the mystery of the crop circles continues.

I believe that Crop Circles are 80% fraud and 20% real unknown natural causes – unless the reader knows differently.

Halloween – It's English Celtic History As a fan of English Traditions has made me a great fan of English Traditions and British history and the English Celtic story of Halloween.

The festival of "All Hallows Eve" or the more ancient named "Samhain" celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half", and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic Briton's New Year". Halloween and other pagan festivals were celebrated by the Celtic Briton and Irish Tribes 2,000 years ago and over the centuries the festivals were renamed by the Catholic Church.

The ancient Celtic Britons believed that the border between this world and the Other world became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home while harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces. Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames. Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.

Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The old year has passed, the harvest has been gathered, cattle and sheep have been brought in from the fields, and the leaves have fallen from the trees. The earth slowly begins to die around us.

This is a good time for us to look at wrapping up the old and preparing for the new in our lives. Think about the things you did in the last twelve months. Have you left anything unresolved? If so, now is the time to wrap things up. Once you've gotten all that unfinished stuff cleared away, and out of your life, then you can begin looking towards the next year.

Another common practice was divination, which often involved the use of food and drink.

The name 'Halloween' and many of its present-day traditions derive from the Old English mists of time.

Halloween is not celebrated in all countries and regions of the world, and among those that do the traditions and importance of the celebration vary significantly. When the English first arrived in Colonial America and the many other countries of the Commonwealth they brought with them the "All Hallows Eve" Celebration with the associated traditions ( Like Apple Dipping and Pumpkins ). During the following centuries we English had started to lose the traditions of Halloween ( Except by the Traditional Pagan followers ) until wartime Britain, when many American G I's based in England re-introduced the Halloween Celebrations to us British.

Halloween in the United States has had a significant impact on how the holiday is observed in other nations. This larger American influence, particularly in iconic and commercial elements, has extended to places such as South America, Europe, to Japan under the auspices of the Japanese Biscuit Association, and other parts of East Asia.

 

As so many Famous events happened and were created in England and the rest of the British Isles over the centuries, I thought it would be a good idea to tell the various stories in my various articles of the many English and British historical Icons from the Anglo Saxon times to present day England's current history.

My Supernatural Experiences Durin my life here in England I have had various supernatural experiences which may be of interest to readers. I believe I am slightly psychic and below are just some of my supernatural experiences.

The first story I would like to tell concerns my early life in Portsmouth in 1966 when I was suffering from German Measles. At one stage during my suffering I remember floating above my bed and looking down on my fevered body. At the time, I thought this was normal and when I mentioned it to my parents I was told not to be silly.

The second story concerns my reincarnation experience. Up to the age of 5 years I used to get cramps in my back. I had flashbacks every time I got a back twinge, that I was fighting in the first world war and went over the trenches and was in no-mans land when I was shot in the back. I believe in the heat of battle many soldiers were shot by mistake by there own side and I believe I was one of them. The strange thing about this story, even at my very young age, I new and assumed that I had been born before and I just took it as normal that I was shot in the first world war.

The third story concerns my life in Gosport when I was 13 years old. One day my step mother and her friend went to a house contents sale where my step mother brought a silver covered bible. About a week later our TV went on the blink and a repairman was called in to sort out the problem.

The doorbell rang and at the door stood the TV repairman. He refused to enter the house because he felt an evil presence and he described and asked if there was a bible with silver cross on the cover.

When he was told that, yes it was a recent acquisition, the repairman told my step mother to burn the bible to cleanse the evil presence. This she did and when the TV repairman returned he told her the evil had gone. Months later she read in the paper that the TV repairman had been sacked for scaring customers with his psychic abilities.

The fourth story concerns my Motorbike accident, in North End, Portsmouth on Boxing Day 1979.

It was a cold frosty morning when I entered Portsmouth from the motorway at Hilsea, Portsmouth.

I was riding along at 30 miles per hour with the roads crisp and clear when from a side road this woman car driver just zoomed out without looking. I pulled on the brakes and the the bike skidded on some black ice. It was like slow motion, as the bike went down on to the tarmac and skidded towards a parked car. I had the time to decide when to push the bike away and dive to miss the lamppost. Luckily, I was well protected by my leathers and only had slight scratches. The police and ambulance arrived and gave blood and found to be in shock. When my dad collected me from hospital I mentioned how like slow motion the accident was. Alas, dad didn't want to know about the weird slow- mo.

The fifth story I have had includes the strange experience I had when I lived in southsea, England in 1981 when I went out to buy a paper. I was walking along the road, daydreaming, when for no reason I stopped, turned round and found a lass of about 16 years, with her grandmother, on the other side of the road, looking at me as if she knew me and as our eyes met it was like I had known her all my life. Her mother looked at her and then at me. This all lasted about 5 seconds but seemed minutes. I shook my head and realised I had never met the lass before and carried on walking. I believe in my passed life I knew her and she knew me and our subconscious knew each other. I have also been walking along when I have felt an itch in my back and looked up at a window and seen someone staring down at me. This has happened numerous times, sometimes so high up it was impossible for me to see subconsciously.

The sixth story concerns my sponsored sleepover at Portchester Castle. The Castle started to be built in 500 AD. It is a well-preserved example of a mainly Roman fortification, which lies on the northern shore of Portsmouth Harbour, approximately 6 miles north west of Portsmouth city itself on the southern English coast. Though in modern times this is a relatively urban area, the fortification is the oldest building in the region, and formed the traditional hub around which the village of Portchester and surrounding area were built.

Nick, Richard and I decided to join a sponsored sleepover for the Young Conservatives and we joined about a dozen members of the young conservatives outside Portchester Castle at 10-30pm on Hallows Eve in 1994. The Castle Caretaker met us outside the gate with the keys to lock the castle after we entered. The caretaker warned us to beware of the ghosts of Roman Soldiers that sometimes appear near the moat walkover. Some of the lasses had brought tents which we helped to set up prior to our evening vigil. It was a cold crisp winter's night and we were able to use the church to warm ourselves during the course of the night. At midnight Richard, Nick and I decided to take a tour around the castle. I led from the front as I was the only person who had remembered to bring torch ( newly brought for the occasion ). Imagine the scene, it was a cold crisp winter's night, pitch dark, with the three of us trying to find our way round the keep. Finally we arrived at the Moat Walkover. I invited Richard and Nick to go fist over the walkover but alas, they were slightly nervous and consequently yours truly had to go across first. As I walked over the walkway with my arm outstretched and the torch lighting the way, Nick and Richard decided to join me. The strange thing was that as we reached the end of the moat walkover my torch went out. Both Nick and Richard shouted for me to stop playing about. I tried to explain that it wasn't me. We decided to hurry away as quickly as possible and rushed back to the church.

Suffice to say I changed the batteries and the torch still didn't work. It later transpired that the bulb had blown. Talking to other people about the blown bulb it transpires that where there is a haunting, for some reason, bulbs explode for no apparent reason.

The seventh story concerns my late grandmother's death. One night in 1999 I was in bed, sleeping heavily, when for some reason I awoke at 3-10 am. I tried to get back to sleep but with no joy. I must admit I felt there was something wrong but I couldn't put my finger on the wrongness. At around 4 am my mother rang to let me know that NAN had died in the night. The really spooky thing is my NAN was estimated to have died at around 3 am. I believe when people die they visit family and friends to say goodbye and some people are psychic enough when asleep to talk to them. When awake any memory of this event is forgotten except by a few who have inklings that something had happened. I believe I had that experience and I was visited by my NAN.

The Brown Dressed Lady Ghost of Raynham Hall – England

The Brown Dressed Lady of Raynham Hall has been sighted quite a few times over the years. She is so called because of the brown brocade dress she is supposedly seen wearing while wandering the halls and staircase.

According to legend, the Brown Dressed Lady of Raynham is the ghost of Lady Townsend who was married to Charles Townsend, a man known for his fiery temper. When Charles learned of his wife's infidelity, he punished her by imprisoning her in the family estate at Raynham Hall, located in Norfolk, England. He never allowed her to leave its premises, not even to see her children. She remained there until her death, when she was an old woman.

Over the next two centuries Lady Townsend's ghost was repeatedly sighted wandering through Raynham Hall, suggesting that she never left its premises even after her death.

For instance, in the early nineteenth century King George IV saw her while he was staying at the hall. He said that she stood beside his bed wearing a brown dress, and that her face was pale and her hair dishevelled.

In 1835 Colonel Loftus sighted her. He was visiting the house for the Christmas holidays and was walking to his room late one night when he saw a figure standing in the hall in front of him. The figure was wearing a brown dress. He tried to see who the woman was, but she mysteriously disappeared.

The next week Colonel Loftus again saw the figure. This time, however, he got a better look at her. He said she was an aristocratic looking woman. She was wearing the same brown satin dress, and her skin glowed with a pale luminescence, but, to his horror, her eyes had been gouged out and he took note of her empty eye-sockets. The incident resulted in several members of staff resigning and a full investigation of Raynham Hall involving local detectives.

Colonel Loftus told others of his experience, and more people then came forward to say that they too had seen a strange figure. An artist drew a painting of the 'brown lady' (as she was now known), and this picture was then hung in the room where she was most frequently seen.

A few years later the novelist Captain Frederick Marryat was staying at Raynham Hall. He decided to spend the night in the room in which she was most frequently seen. He studied the painting of her and waited to see her, but she never appeared that night.

However, a few days later he was walking down an upstairs hallway with two friends when they suddenly saw the brown lady. She was carrying a lantern and glided past them as they cowered behind a door. According to Marryat she grinned at them in a 'diabolical manner'. Before she disappeared, Marryat leapt out from behind the door and fired at her with a pistol that he happened to be carrying. The bullet passed through her and lodged in a wall. In 1936 a photogra was taken of the ghost and the image is widely believed to be one of the best and most convincing of all the known photographs of ghosts. In many publications it is presented as actual photographic proof of the existence of ghosts.

Windsor Castle – It's Royal Hauntings

Windsor Castle in England is famous for it's many hauntings seen over the centuries by many famous kings and queens of kings and queens. I thought it would be of interest to write this article about the various hauntings of Windsor Castle.

William the Conqueror began the building of Windsor Castle in 1075 after the Norman Conquest. The castle is almost one mile in circumference and is the largest in Britain. Since it was built, the Castle has been embroiled in legends of suicide, witchcraft and demonic ghosts. The list of ghostly sightings reported at the Castle is huge.

The castle was nearly destroyed during the civil war of the 1600s. While the castle served as a prison, it was also a safe haven for the Royal family for a long time.

Queen Elizabeth I haunts the Royal Library and is said to have been seen by several members of the Royal family. The sounds of her high heels are heard on bare floorboards, before her imposing figure appears and passes through the library and into an inner room. She has also been seen standing at the window in the Dean's Cloister. She is always dressed in a black gown with a black lace shawl draped over her shoulders.

King Charles I has often been seen in the library and the Canon's house. Although he was beheaded during the English Revolution, his ghost is seen as a whole. It is reported that he looks exactly like his portraits.

A young guard shot and killed himself and another guard on duty saw him afterwards.

The most frequently seen spectre is Herne the Hunter whose ghost has been seen by hundreds of people in Great Windsor Park. According to legend, he was a royal huntsman who was framed by those who were jealous of his relationship with the king. He felt disgraced and hanged himself. His ghost is seen astride a phantom black steed, often accompanied by spectral baying hounds.

Both Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn haunt the Tower of London.

Henry VIII haunts the Deanery Cloisters. People heard his footsteps and groans.

One of the most famous ghosts reported at the Castle is that of King Henry VIII, while various guests staying at the castle have reported hearing the king's footsteps along the long hallways of the Castle. Some have even claimed to hear moans and groans coming from the hallway.

Anne Boleyn, one of his wives, whom he had executed, has been sighted and seen standing at the window in the Dean's Cloister.

In the last 250 years, hundreds of people have claimed to have seen the spirit of Herne the Hunter, who was the favourite huntsman of King Richard II. He is often seen accompanied by his pack of hounds, careering across the Great Park searching for lost souls.

The story is that Herne was one of the Royal keepers in the time of King Richard II (1367-1400). Herne had two large black hounds and was hated by the other keepers because of his great skill. One evening King Richard was hunting a stag in the grounds of Windsor Park, but the stag turned on him and he would have been killed if Herne hadn't stood between the enraged animal and Richard.

However, Herne was fatally wounded and fell to the ground. At this point a strange dark man appeared and said he could cure Herne. Richard asked him to go ahead and the dark man cut the stag's head off and put it on Herne's body. The Dark Man then took Herne away to his hut on Bagshot Heath some miles away, to complete the cure. The King was so grateful to Herne that he swore that if Herne recovered he would make him his chief keeper.

The other keepers disliked Herne so much that they wished that he would die. The Dark Man overheard them and offered them a bargain - if they would grant him the first request he made, he would ensure that, though Herne would recover, he would lose all his hunting skills. They agreed and everything happened as the Dark Man said. Herne was so distraught at the loss of his skill that he found a mighty oak in Windsor Park and hanged himself from it. Instantly, his body disappeared.

The other keepers weren't happy for long though, because they too lost all their hunting abilities. They found the Dark Man and asked him to help them. He said that if they went to the oak the following night, they would have a solution to their problem. When they went to the Oak, the spirit of Herne appeared to them. He told them to go and fetch his hounds and horses for a chase.

This they did and when they returned, Herne took them to a Beech tree. There he invoked the Dark Man who burst from the tree in a shower of sparks and flame. His first request of the unfortunate keepers was that they form a band for Herne the Hunter. Bound by their oath, they had to swear allegiance to Herne. After that, night after night, they hunted through the forests.

The ghostly haunts is presaged by flashes of lightning, wind in the tree tops, the rattling of chains and tolling of bells and the terrible din of a pack of dogs in mad pursuit. As the legend goes, if you hear the baying of the ghostly hounds in the sky, run away, because if they catch you, you too will be forced to follow Herne and his Wild Hunt, ranging across the night skies for eternity.

In the early 1860's the tree from which Herne was found hanging, was cut down, and Queen Victoria kept the oak logs for her fire "To help kill the ghost". Her plan didn't work however.

King George III had his moments of insanity and was detained in a room. People have seen his sad face looking out of the window I that room. King George III had many bouts with mental deterioration. During these times he was kept out of the public's eye. He has been seen looking out the windows located below the Royal Library, where he was confined during the recurrence of his illness.

William of Wykeham and Sir George Villiers, the First Duke of Buckingham, are also haunters. Sir George Villiers, The first Duke of Buckingham, is said to haunt one of the bedrooms of Windsor castle.

The 'Prison Room' in the Norman Tower is haunted, possibly by a former Royalist prisoner from Civil War times. Children playing there have seen him and adults have felt him brush past.

The Deanery is haunted by a boy who yells that he doesn’t want to go riding. Footsteps are also heard there and many believe they are his. Children playing in the Norman Tower’s Prison Room have seen the ghost of a man. Adults felt him brush by them.

A kitchen in the castle is home to a spectral man and a horse. The room was once part of the cavalry stable. The ghost of a young girl standing by an evergreen tree has been sighted here.

Ghostly footsteps are often heard on the staircase in the Curfew Tower. On one occasion, the bells began to swing on their own while the temperature became distinctly chilly.

A visitor saw a new group of statues near St. George’s Chapel one night. They were dressed in black. One was crouched and the others stood. One of statues was wielding a sword. When asked about the tableau, a sentry replied he knew nothing about the new statues. When the visitor returned to the scene, the statues were gone.

Many spirits haunt the Long Walk, one of whom is a young Grenadier Guard who shot himself while on duty there in the 1920s. During his guard watch, he saw marble statues moving "of their own accord." He was seen by at least two of his colleagues, immediately after his death. Two Grenadier Guards saw his ghost while on duty on the Long Walk.

In 1873, a night-time visitor to the castle noticed an interesting new statuary group had been erected near St. George's Chapel: three standing figures, all in black, and a fourth crouching down. The central standing character was in the act of striking with a large sword. The sentry knew nothing of this artwork and when the visitor returned to re-examine it, it had gone!

There is a demonic horned being said to bring death and disease to those who are unfortunate enough to see it, especially the Royal family. Other legends tell of witchcraft, murder and suicide.

During the reign of King George IV in the nineteenth century, it was transformed into a palace. In 1917, King George V adopted the castle’s name as the Royal family’s, replacing the old one, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

From that time, the name of the monarchy would be the House of Windsor. Windsor Castle survived the bombs of two world wars. Today, Queen Elizabeth II goes to church in its St. George Chapel.

Hauntings and History of Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, England
Many years ago I worked at RN Hospital Haslar, England and as its history is very interesting I thought I would write about it's fun history. The Royal Hospital Haslar began as a Royal Navy hospital in 1753. It has a long and distinguished history in the medical care of service personnel in peacetime and in war. The buildings were designed by Theodore Jacobsen and built from 1746 and completed in 1762. St Luke's Chapel was added in 1762 and later still, a landing stage was added so troops could reach the hospital directly from ships.

Haslar was the biggest hospital and the largest brick building in England when it was built. The hospital included an asylum for sailors with psychiatric disorders and an early superintending psychiatrist was the phrenologist, William Scott, a member of the influential Edinburgh Phrenological Society. James Lind at Haslar Hospital 1758-1774 played a large part in discovering a cure for scurvy, not least through his pioneering use of a double blind trial of vitamin C supplements.

Famous Villages and RAF Stations Hauntings

During my life here in England I have had various supernatural experiences which has led me to list just some of the many famous hauntings which may be of interest to readers.

This is a list of the most famous haunted locations in England, there are likely to be hundreds of thousands more that are only locally known.

Airfields around the country are said to have paranormal activity arising from the spirits of airmen who died in World War II. Airfields include:

the former RAF Bircham Newton in Norfolk.

the former RAF East Kirkby in east Lincolnshire. The control tower is haunted by a 'malign' presence

the former RAF Elsham Wolds, near the A15 just north of Barnetby in North Lincolnshire. The control tower was reportedly haunted by a friendly ghost of an airman, reported in the 1950s. Phantom Lancaster's have reportedly been seen taking off at night over the A15.

Arundel Castle in Sussex is often said to be home to just four ghosts but there are more ghostly goings on between its ancient walls than first meets the visitor. The spirit of the first Earl of Arundel, who originally built the castle, is said to still haunt the Castle's Keep. Another spirit is said to be of a young woman who, stricken with grief from a tragic love affair, took her own life by jumping to her death from one of the towers. Seen by some, she is said to still haunt the castle on moonlit nights dressed in white. Another spirit is that of a 'Blue Man' who has been seen within the library since the 1630s and it is thought that he could be a Cavalier due to his time period seeming to be from King Charles I's reign. Another notable 'spirit' is that strangely of a white owl like bird. Legend tells that if the white bird is seen fluttering in one of the windows, it is an imminent warning of a death of a Castle resident or someone closely associated. It's interesting to note here that Dukes used to keep a colony of white American Owls here at the castle before its restoration. There is also mention of a servant lad who once lived at the castle who was treated very badly until beaten to his death. He is said to now haunt the kitchen area and has been seen scrubbing pots and pans. Another strange sighting was more recent in 1958 by a footman. Working late one night on the ground floor the footman was walking near the servant's quarters and saw what he thought to be a man walking in front of him when he thought he had been alone. As he got closer to the apparition the man faded and then was gone.

Bochym Manor is residence to two ghosts, the short pink lady, and an unnamed ghost who stands at one of the bedroom windows.

Belgrave Hall in Leicester, attracted attention in 1999 when a white figure was captured on CCTV. One theory is it is the daughter of a former owner.

50 Berkeley Square is reputed to be the most haunted house in London.

Blue Bell Hill in Kent, specifically the A229. This has been the site of a female phantom hitch-hiker Cars have stopped to pick up a female hitch-hike, only for her to vanish to the drivers' disbelief.

Borley Rectory in the village of Borley, Essex, England. Many sightings have been reported since 1885. The house burned down in 1939, and remains a huge source of controversy.

Brislington, once an attractive Somerset village but now a neighbourhood in Bristol, has many ghosts in pubs and hotels, houses old and new, and public spaces.

Bruce Castle in Tottenham, North London is haunted by the ghost of a woman who allegedly appears every 3 November. The ghost is thought to be Lady Coleraine, who was kept locked in a chamber within the castle by her husband.

Castle Lodge, Ludlow in Ludlow, Shropshire, is believed by many to be haunted by a young girl in Tudor dress. Some say this is Catherine of Aragon, who lived in Castle Lodge during her marriage to Prince Arthur.

Chingle Hall in the village of Goosnargh, near Preston, England. Chingle Hall, previously known as Singleton Hall, was built in 1260 by Sir Adam de Singleton. It is reputably haunted by more than one spirit.

Crowley Hall in the north of England, is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Dr. Bernard Leys. Leys ran the hall for a number of years before dying under mysterious circumstances in 1952. Sightings of ghosts have been reported since the 1970s.

Dartmouth, Devon, ancient maritime town has many modern and traditional ghost stories including (in its hinterland) some recently discovered spirits from the Bronze Age.

In Dorset an axe wielding ghost riding a horse, bareback is described by witnesses as looking like a stone age warrior.

Hampton Court Palace, home of King Henry VIII of England, whose fifth wife, Catherine Howard, is supposed to be heard screaming in the "Haunted Gallery". On December 21, 2003, CCTV footage allegedly showed someone in 16th century clothes and no face closing a fire door that, though locked, was constantly being opened without anyone near it.

Minsden Chapel in Hertfordshire is reported to be haunted by a monk climbing stairs which no longer exist.

The Old Bailey, London's main criminal court. A figure (of unclear sex) supposedly appears in the building during important trials. These appearances have been allegedly witnessed by judges, barristers and policemen.

Pluckley in Kent is listed in the 1998 edition of the Guinness Book of Records as the most haunted village in England. Ghosts include a phantom coach and horses, a colonel and a highwayman.

The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall has been sighted quite a few times over the years. She is so called because of the brown brocade dress she is supposedly seen wearing while wandering the halls and staircase. In 1849 a Major Loftus and a friend named Hawkins claimed to see the ghost one night after retiring to bed, saying they were amazed by the old-fashioned clothing she wore. The next night Loftus claimed to see the figure once again, saying he took note of her empty eye-sockets. The incident resulted in several members of staff resigning and a full investigation of Raynham Hall involving local detectives.

There have been a number of reported sightings at the Royal Albert Hall, including the ghost of Father Willis, walking around inside the organ and two ladies wandering the corridors.

Samlesbury Hall in Preston, Lancashire, is supposedly haunted by Lady Dorothy Southworth, known as the "White Lady". Weeping is often heard, and her ghost has been seen wandering near where her lover was buried.

Temple Newsam is reported to be the most haunted house in Yorkshire, with the most famous ghost being Mary Ingram, commonly known as "the Blue lady", who in her life became deranged after an attack by highwaymen. Ghosts linked with the more famous residents of Temple Newsam include "the White lady": this is said to be the ghost of the "nine days queen", the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey. She was executed by Mary I.

Windsor Castle — home of English and British royalty for 1,000 years. Numerous ghosts are supposed to have been seen, including Queen Elizabeth I. Her mother, Anne Boleyn, is also said to haunt Windsor castle and supposedly runs down a corridor screaming. Among those who claimed to have seen the ghost, who sometimes is said to be carrying her head, are King George VI, William Ewart Gladstone and Andrew, Duke of York.

Muncaster Castle in the Lake District National Park, Ravenglass.

Pendle Hill, near Clitheroe, Lancashire
Pendle Hill is one of the scariest places. Injuries, strange sightings, uncanny feelings of dread, and even ‘possessions', abounded.

Halloween at Pendle Hill – an appropriate time, as this beautiful area experienced English history's most famous witchcraft trials. Ten witches were hanged, accused of putting curses on locals using clay effigies.


Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
If you settle down to watch a performance at this grand old theatre, the seat next to you might not be as empty as you think…

Actors have reported weird tobacco smells, and theatre-goers sitting with no one beside them have reported feeling a hand on their shoulder.

The spirit is thought to be that of a theatre manager who hung himself from the fly floor when the theatre got into financial difficulties. Sightings of a ‘distinguished woman in white' and the sound of a piano coming from the deserted pit add to the eerie atmosphere.

1)    Macbeth's castle
Glamis Castle, Angus, Scotland
The setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth (a play that's not short on its own ghosts and superstitions), Glamis is regarded by paranormal-investigator types as the most haunted castle in Britain.

Among the many alleged ghostly goings-on over the centuries have been a card game between the Earl and the devil (they are said to still play every Sunday, in a secret room within the crypt walls) and an incident a few years ago, when an Edinburgh lawyer visiting for dinner saw a lady in white float beside his car, all the way to the door. And he hadn't even had an aperitif.

1.    Country house haunting
Levens Hall, near Kendal, Lake District, Cumbria
Imposing old country houses were just made to be haunted, and Levens Hall, an Elizabethan manor house with a creepy 12th-century tower, fits the bill nicely.

Once again there's a lady involved, though here it's the Grey Lady, who was, so legend tells, a gypsy who was refused food and shelter during a harsh 17th-century winter. Sometimes a black dog accompanies her, so at least she's not lonely.

There's also a lesser-spotted Pink Lady, and a phantom harpsichord player, though he or she hasn't been heard since the 1950s.

Lord Byron's ruined country pile
Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire
As well as yet another White Lady (frankly, White Ladies are ten-a-penny in the world of British hauntings), the ancestral home of Lord Byron (he of "mad, bad and dangerous to know" fame) positively throngs with phantasms.

The Goblin Friar was said to appear to the head of the Byron family before an unhappy event (such as the arrival of the gas bill).

Also, look out for the Black Friar who, in the 1930s, pointed a lost doctor to the bedroom of a lady who was about to give birth. Nice to know that ghosts aren't always moody and unhelpful.

·       A visitation in the pews
St Mary's Church, Beaminster, Dorset
In the spring of 1728 a boy from the school within the church, John Daniel, was found dead near his home. As he was known to suffer from fits, he was buried without an inquest.

A few days later, some schoolboys found a coffin in the church, with John Daniel sitting next to it. Presently, the apparition and coffin disappeared.

The magistrate was believed the boys, and had the body exhumed. John Daniel was found to have been strangled. No one was apprehended for the crime.

So it's more of an historical haunting, but would you spend a night in St Mary's?

·       Yorkshire's most haunted inn
The Busby Stoop Inn, Thirsk, North Yorkshire
At this windswept Yorkshire pub, you can't move at the bar for parapsychologists, such is the place's renown.

The murderer Thomas Busby's remains were hanged outside the pub after his execution in 1702. He had been the landlord, a boozy thief who killed his father-in-law with a hammer.

Busby cursed the chair he was dragged from by the cops, and anyone who sat in it afterward was said to have died soon afterwards The chair is now in a local museum, but Busby's ghost is still spotted, his head drooping and a rope around his neck.

·       Celebrity ghosts: The Tower of London
As it was the location of violent, bloody tortures and executions for hundreds of years, it's little wonder the Tower of London is London's ghost-central.

And because of the erstwhile English penchant for beheading, it's home to some classic headless spectres, many of them veritable celebrities.

Anne Boleyn is said to walk the corridors in a headless state, and also to promenade on Tower Green with her head intact. Sir Walter Raleigh has been spotted, too.

Dogs, it's said, will not enter the spooky Salt Tower. There are also two anonymous ghosts known, not very originally, as the Grey Lady and the White Lady.

·       Pagan burial site
The Ram Inn, Wooton under Edge, Gloucestershire
Lots of inns in the UK claim to be the ‘most haunted', but by general consensus, The 12th-century Ram Inn is the daddy.

It was converted into a private residence in 1968, but that hasn't affected its legendary status in the annals of the paranormal. Child sacrifice and black magic practices are alleged to have taken place here.

The Bishop's Room is the hotspot: visitors have reported apparitions, unexplained noises, ghostly orbs and even a spectral cat. To cap it all, the Ram is supposed to have been built on an old pagan burial site.

True Spooky Stories – Called Fate, Bibles, Witches and Castles

During my lifetime I have had many various supernatural experiences including hearing of stories that brings a chill to the back of the neck. Please don't start reading these stories after dark - you have been warned. The first of four stories concerns Fate.

The sport of Cricket has been played in one form or another for over 1,000 years in England. The game consists of 11 players per side and the object of the game is to bowl out the batsman who is defending a set of wickets.

Fate – Gods Revenge

Many years ago in a Hampshire Village in England there was a Cricket Match being played. Going into bat was Jack Smith aged 28 years of age, who had played for his team for many years. During the course of his innings he hit many runs and reached 55 when the weather changed and started to get grey and overcast.

Just as he was about to make a run, after hitting the ball,  Lightening appeared from nowhere and struck him on the foot and knocked him a distance of many metres.

Suffice to say, he was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital where he was treated for slight burns and nerve damage.

Over the next twelve months he recuperated and finally recovered from his shocking experience.

One day he was sitting watching TV when he received a visit from his old cricketing pal, Bill. It transpired that the cricket team were short of players and Jack was asked if he would like to play a match the following Sunday. After much persuasion, he agreed to play for the village team the following Sunday.

The sun was bright and hot that Sunday with lots of spectators watching including his parents. The game progressed with the opposition making 158 runs all out. Then Jacks team went into bat with the hot sun still shining and just before Tea Jacks team were on 76 for 4 wickets when a team mate was bowled. It was Jack's turn to bat, so on he walked to the crease and waited with bated breath for the first ball. All of a sudden the weather changed and it became very dark and cloudy and before he could hit the first ball an almighty bang and lightening strike hit Jack on the head and he was thrown over 100 Metres, dead as a dodo.

I was told this true story by one of the Cricket Players who happened to also be a good friend. In truth, he asked me to play that same match but I was too busy to play (thank god) I believe in fate and God and I believe that when your time is up your time is up.

The Haunted Bible

The second story concerns my life in Gosport when I was 13 years old. One day my step mother and her friend went to a house contents sale where my step mother brought a silver covered bible.  About a week later our TV went on the blink and a repairman was called in to sort out the problem.

The doorbell rang and at the door stood the TV repairman. He refused to enter the house because he felt an evil presence and he described and asked if there was a bible with a silver cross on the cover. When he was told that, yes it was a recent acquisition, the repairman told my step mother to burn the bible to cleanse the evil presence. This she did and when the TV repairman returned he told her the evil had gone. Months later she read in the paper that the TV repairman had been sacked for scaring customers with his psychic abilities.

The Hauntings at Arundel Castle

·       The third story concerns Arundel Castle in Sussex is often said to be home to just four ghosts but there are more ghostly goings on between its ancient walls than first meets the visitor. The spirit of the first Earl of Arundel, who originally built the castle, is said to still haunt the Castle's Keep. Another spirit is said to be of a young woman who, stricken with grief from a tragic love affair, took her own life by jumping to her death from one of the towers. Seen by some, she is said to still haunt the castle on moonlit nights dressed in white. Another spirit is that of a 'Blue Man' who has been seen within the library since the 1630s and it is thought that he could be a Cavalier due to his time period seeming to be from King Charles I's reign. Another notable 'spirit' is that strangely of a white owl like bird. Legend tells that if the white bird is seen fluttering in one of the windows, it is an imminent warning of a death of a Castle resident or someone closely associated. It's interesting to note here that Dukes used to keep a colony of white American Owls here at the castle before its restoration. There is also mention of a servant lad who once lived at the castle who was treated very badly until beaten to his death. He is said to now haunt the kitchen area and has been seen scrubbing pots and pans. Another strange sighting was more recent in 1958 by a footman. Working late one night on the ground floor the footman was walking near the servant's quarters and saw what he thought to be a man walking in front of him when he thought he had been alone. As he got closer to the apparition the man faded and then was gone.

Stonehenge and It's Eerie Past

One of the most spooky experiences I have ever had was driving past Stonehenge, during a cold misty winter's night, with the light of a full moon reflecting of the stone's. As this is one of the most English iconic sights in the world I thought I would write about it's history. For 5000 years, the structure on Salisbury Plain has continued to baffle and intrigue all those who have considered it and it seems it will continue to do so for many more years to come.  Stonehenge is a World heritage site which is older than the Pyramids.

Criss Crossing the English countryside are Leylines which are Psychic lines of force that surround Stonehenge and where the Leylines cross forces of Psychic energy is released. This could explain why the area surrounding Salisbury and Stonehenge is famous for the appearance of a number of “Crop Circles”.

The mystery of the Stone Circles lies more in their ancient majesty than in the enigma of when they were built, or by whom—more in their magic than their history. Of course, interest in the origin of, say, Stonehenge, is as sizeable as the monument itself, and the debate as to how it was built by cavemen — or indeed, a lost civilization of some scientific and cultural achievement — rages on.

But whatever your take, the fact remains that if you’ve ever spent the night at Stonehenge, or any other stone circle for that matter, you will likely have experienced something really quite special—something that embodies in a very real way what could never be experienced simply by crunching the numbers.

Without question something tangible occurs when you enter the inner circle of Stonehenge at midnight. The air stills. The giants come alive. Magic happens.

And it’s that magic more than any facts or figures that informs you of what Stonehenge is all about. If you’ve never done it, I recommend you do. Permission needs to be gained from the relevant authorities and a small fee is required. But it’s worth it.

Stonehenge can be referred to as a monument of the prehistoric times located in Wiltshire (an English country) at around 3.2 kilometres to the west of ‘Amesbury’ and thirteen kilometres to the north of ‘Salisbury’. It is considered to be amongst the most amazing prehistoric sites of the world. A round setting of huge standing stones with earthworks in the centre- comprises the Stonehenge. As per the archaeological survey, the erection of standing stones can be traced back to 2200 BC. The survey also states that the ditch and round earth bank surrounding the monument trace back to 3100 BC.

The Time line in the Building of Stonehenge

1) Pre-Construction

Four huge Mesolithic post holes have been found by certain archaeologists. They trace back to 8000 BC. They are said to lie underneath the modern tourist car park. Neolithic sites such as tombs having long barrows and causewayed enclosure were constructed in the landscape.

2) Stonehenge (3100 BC)

The 1st monument comprised of a round bank and enclosure of ditch made up of Seaford chalk belonging to Santonian Age. It had a diameter of approximately 110 metres. Bones of oxen and deer were placed at the ditch’s bottom.

3) Stonehenge (3000 BC)

The second phase has not left much evidence. From the appearance of some of the postholes, one can have a guess that timber structure had been built after the first phase. ‘Grooved ware’ pottery was the speciality of this phase.

4) Stonehenge (2600 BC)

This phase suggests that timber was replaced by stone. The site’s centre had two concentric holes (R and Q holes) dug. Widening of north easter entrance had taken place.

5) Stonehenge  (2450 BC-2100 BC)

This phase marked the buying of thirty ‘Oligocene-Miocene’ sarsen stones from quarry on Marlboroug Downs.

6) Stonehenge BlueStones

By this time, bronze era had already dawned. Bluestones had been re-erected. This was the first ever event of that time.

7) Stonehenge (2280 BC-1930 BC)

The bluestones were further rearranged by placing them in circle. Altar stone was made to stand vertically. A horseshoe-shaped setting was created thereafter.

8) After the Construction (1600 BC)

During this Iron Age, Vespasian’s Camp, a hill fort was built near Avon.

City of Bath, England – History and Ghosts

Bath is one of my favourite English City's full of history and Ghosts. It is one of the most attractive city's in layout and history and is famous for it's Spa and Baths. The archaeological evidence shows that the site of the Roman Baths main spring was treated as a shrine by the Celts, and dedicated to the goddess Sulis. There is a legend that Bath was founded in 860 BC when Prince Bladud, father of King Lear, caught leprosy. He was banned from the court and was forced to look after pigs. The pigs also had a skin disease but after they wallowed in hot mud they were cured. Prince Bladud followed their example and was also cured. Later he became king and founded the city of Bath.

The Romans probably occupied Bath shortly after the Roman Invasion of Britain in 43AD. They knew it as Aqua Sulis ('the waters of Sul'), identifying the goddess with Minerva.

In Roman times the worship of Sulis Minerva continued and messages to her scratched onto metal have been recovered from the Sacred Spring by archaeologists. These are known as curse tablets. Written in Latin, and usually laid curses on other people, whom they feel had done them wrong. For example, if a citizen had his clothes stolen at the Baths, he would write a curse on a tablet, to be read by the Goddess Sulis Minerva, and also, the "suspected" names would be mentioned. The collection from Bath is the most important found in Britain.

It has been suggested that Bath may have been the site of the Battle of Mons Badonicus (circa 500 AD), where King Arthur is said to have defeated the Saxons, but this is disputed. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions Bath falling to the West Saxons in 577 after the Battle of Deorham.

The Anglo-Saxons called the town Baðum, Baðan or Baðon, meaning "at the baths," and this was the source of the present name. In 675, Osric, King of the Hwicce, set up a monastic house at Bath, probably using the walled area as its precinct. King Offa of Mercia gained control of this monastery in 781 and rebuilt the church, which was dedicated to St. Peter. Bath had become a royal possession. The old Roman street pattern was by now lost, and King Alfred laid out the town afresh, leaving its south-eastern quadrant as the abbey precinct. Edgar of England was crowned king of England in Bath Abbey in 973.

King William Rufus granted the city to a royal physician, John of Tours, who became Bishop of Wells and Abbot of Bath in 1088. It was papal policy for bishops to move to more urban seats, and he translated his own from Wells to Bath. He planned and began a much larger church as his cathedral, to which was attached a priory, with the bishop's palace beside it. New baths were built around the three springs. Later bishops, however, returned the episcopal seat to Wells, while retaining the name of Bath in their title.

By the 15th century, Bath's abbey church was badly dilapidated and in need of repairs. Oliver King, Bishop of Bath and Wells, decided in 1500 to rebuild it on a smaller scale. The new church was completed just a few years before Bath Priory was dissolved in 1539 by Henry VIII. The abbey church was allowed to become derelict before being restored as the city's parish church in the Elizabethan period, when the city revived as a spa. The baths were improved and the city began to attract the aristocracy. Bath was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth 1 and a Royal Charter in 1590. From then on Bath had a mayor and aldermen. There were some improvements in the little town. Bellots almshouses were built in 1609. In 1615 a 'scavenger' was appointed to clean the streets of Bath. In 1633 thatched roofs were banned because of the risk of fire.

However like all towns Bath suffered from outbreaks of the plague. It struck in 1604, 1625, 1636 and 1643.

There had been much rebuilding in the Stuart period, but this was eclipsed by the massive expansion of Bath in Georgian times. The old town within the walls was also largely rebuilt. This was a response to the continuing demand for elegant accommodation for the city's fashionable visitors, for whom Bath had become a pleasure resort as well as a spa. The architects John Wood the elder and his son John Wood the younger laid out the new quarters in streets and squares, the identical facades of which gave an impression of palatial scale and classical decorum. The creamy gold of Bath stone further unified the city, much of it obtained from the limestone Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, which were owned by Ralph Allen (1694–1764). The latter, in order to advertise the quality of his quarried limestone, commissioned the elder John Wood to build him a country house on his Prior Park estate. A shrewd politician, he dominated civic affairs and became mayor several times.

The early 18th century saw Bath acquire its first purpose-built theatre, pump room and Assembly Rooms. Master of Ceremonies Beau Nash, who presided over the city's social life from 1705 until his death in 1761, drew up a code of behaviour for public entertainments.

By the 1801 census the population of Bath had reached 40020 making it amongst the largest cities in Britain.

William Thomas Beckford bought a house in Lansdown Crescent in 1822, eventually buying a further two houses in the Crescent to form his residence. Having acquired all the land between his home and the top of Lansdown Hill, he created a garden over half a mile in length and built Beckford's Tower at the top.

Bath Spa Rail Station was built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by Brunel and is a grade II listed building.

Between the evening of 25th  April and the early morning of 27th  April 1942 Bath suffered three air raids in reprisal for RAF raids on the German cities of Lübeck & Rostock. The three raids formed part of the Luftwaffe campaign popularly known as the Baedeker Blitz: they damaged or destroyed more than 19,000 buildings, and killed more than 400 people. Much damage was done to noteworthy buildings. Houses in the Royal Crescent, Circus and Paragon were burnt out along with the Assembly Rooms, while the south side of Queen Square was destroyed. All have since been reconstructed.

Bath is a very haunted city and below is a list of the more famous ghosts:

            The man in the black hat

Easily Bath's most famous and most-seen ghost, the man in the black hat is dressed in late 18th-century attire and sometimes wears a billowing black cloak. He's regularly seen around the Assembly Rooms. For the best results, look for him at Saville Row and Bennett Street.

            Freezing Hill

Several ghosts have appeared in the vicinity of Freezing Hill, just outside Bath. Most of these phantoms are from the 17th century, when this hill was the site of the bloody Battle of Lansdown.

The best opportunity to see these ghosts is from The Park, a 240 acre estate featuring a Jacobean mansion that is now an hotel. You can also enjoy a fine meal at The Oakwood Restaurant, and play golf at their Crown and Cromwell courses.

            The Royal Crescent

It's not a movie that's being filmed at the Royal Crescent when you see an elegant coach drawn by four horses. Instead, you're witnessing a residual haunting, repeating the elopement of Elizabeth Linley of No. 11, with Irish playwright and politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

Sheridan was not Miss Linley's only suitor. Captain Thomas Mathews (a married man) and Lord Sheridan fought two duels--with swords--over the lovely Miss Linley.

Sheridan may have won her hand in marriage, but he later proved unfaithful. Elizabeth contracted tuberculosis and died at age 38. A bronze plaque at number 11 Royal Crescent marks the address from which she eloped.

The Theatre Royal the Garrick's Head pub

The Theatre Royal and Garrick's Head are next door to each other. Their ghost stories seem to be interwoven, and the ghosts congenially wander from one building to the other.

At least two ghosts appear in this area. One is an unfaithful wife and the other is her lover, from the 18th century. The lover was killed by the husband, and the wife committed suicide. Look for a woman (some say there are at least two) in a grey dress. The lover is handsome and well-dressed.

A second anomaly is noted at the Theatre Royal: A tortoiseshell butterfly appears there during the pantomime run each year, which is not butterfly season.

            Popjoy's Restaurant

Many visit this former home of Richard "Beau" Nash for the fine food. However, the restaurant hosts at least two ghosts, both of them women. One is Juliana Popjoy, the 18th-century mistress of Beau Nash.

The other ghost is Janice (or perhaps Janet). She is more modern, dressed in attire best suited to the 1960's. She dines alone and looks perfectly normal until she vanishes.

            The Beehive Public House

'Bunty', a serving girl from the Victorian Era or slightly earlier, appears in the kitchen of The Beehive, a popular Bath public house.

            Crystal Palace Tavern

A hooded figure--perhaps a monk--appears at this tavern when he is concerned that the structure may change, such as during repairs or redecorating. He usually appears briefly and is fairly transparent.

            Julia, of Queens Square

This jilted bride has been seen strolling around the Square in her white gown.

Today Bath continues to thrive on tourism. Moreover in 2006 a new spa opened in Bath so perhaps the old glory days will return! Today the population of Bath is 85,000.

Famous Hauntings of The Isle Of Wight, England

The Isle of Wight is one of my favourite places to visit and stay. In the late 1970's we had a family holiday on the Isle of Wight and stayed in a Holiday Caravan. The island is famous for its Hauntings of places and houses and I thought it would be interesting to write about these spooky going – ons. The first Ghost Story concerns Dimbola Lodge which was the home of the famous 19th century photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. It is said her ghost haunts the museum and the visitors have reported the smell of photographic chemicals.

This small island is home to hundreds of ghosts and spooky happenings. There are all sorts of Isle of Wight ghosts - from phantom monks, grey ladies and poltergeists - to the shades of smugglers, soldiers, Royalty and Romans. There are ghostly murderers and their victims, ghost-ships out at sea, and even a ghost-train still running on long vanished rails.

With the Island´s rich historical heritage, its violent and colourful past, it´s not surprising that ghostly goings-on and haunting echoes of those turbulent times continue to reverberate through 21st century. Hundreds of unquiet and restless Isle of Wight ghosts have been reported here in Hotels, Hospitals, manor houses, Pubs, Shops and offices, while the spirits of smugglers and shipwrecked seamen walk lonely West Wight beaches.

List of Spooky and Ghostly IOW Hauntings

As a visitor to the IOW I thought I would list some spooky stories.

APPULDURCOMBE HOUSE, Wroxall. This handsome haunted mansion with its 365 windows and 52 rooms is now a shell of its former self. The ghosts however, remain. They include a phantom carriage, brown-clad monks, dark shapes glimpsed flitting through the grounds. A baby´s cry is heard, and unseen hands regularly leaf through pages of the visitors´ book. KNIGHTON GORGES, Newchurch. Known as the Island´s most haunted place, every New Year´s Eve, people gather to wait for the ghostly house to re-appear. A pair of weathered stone gateposts are all that remain of the manor house of Knighton Gorges, yet it lives on, its blood-red history a testament to murder, suicide, insanity, malice, and a gallery of ghosts. A coach and horses, poltergeist lights, phantom revels and tales of stone creatures seen upon the gate pillars are just a few of the spooky happenings in this strange place. A brutal family murder and a young girl pushed from a window to her death are at the heart of the hauntings here. A little child in a blue dress is regularly seen and heard, crying "Mama Mama". Other regular visitors are ghostly monks, whose grave chanting is heard, while the figure of a woman wearing a cherry-red gown has also been seen.

Carisbrook Castle For more than nine centuries it has stood firm against attack, but within its walls, ghosts roam. In the famous well house where donkeys work the wooden tread wheel, the face of a dead girl who drowned in the160ft deep well, has been seen. A mysterious cloaked figure, with four dainty lap dogs, walks the castle grounds. Other phantoms include a Victorian lady in grey and tragic Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King Charles I, who died a prisoner here.

HARE AND HOUNDS
Arreton Murderous woodcutter Micah Morey who killed his young grandson in cold blood in 1737, was tried and hanged, and his corpse left rotting on the gibbet at Gallows Hill, near the Hare and Hounds, until it became ´an offence to eye and nostril´. The gibbet crossbeam, complete with a notch cut in it beside the date of his execution can be seen in the pub. Morey´s restless spirit can also be seen, roaming Gallows Hill, carrying a large axe.

VENTNOR BOTANIC GARDENS
For almost a century, the world-renowned chest hospital Royal National Hospital specialised in treating the killer disease, tuberculosis. When the half-mile long building was demolished in 1969, the site was transformed into gardens. The hospital was haunted long before this, and even today long-dead patients are still seen and heard. Ghostly weeping, groaning, and smells of ether are reported. A sickly, consumptive-looking ghost, and phantom nurses in old-fashioned uniforms walk the gardens.

THE PUB THAT VANISHED
You may never find this one, but have fun trying! One dark November night, two Island men set out from Newtown, on what became the strangest night of their lives. They came upon a pub - the Falcon or the Vulcan - where they shared a drink with some unsociable spirits. The drab bar felt unwelcoming and cold. Hostile eyes turned towards the two strangers and all conversation ceased. They drank up quickly and left. The strange old-fashioned pub, which was along a narrow lane somewhere between Newtown and Calbourne, has never been seen again. Despite repeated attempts, neither the lane nor ghostly pub has ever been found.

Northwood House, Cowes Old Town. Northwood House is a Grade II listed Victorian residence built by the Ward family in 1837. It was donated under Trust to the town in 1929, the grounds becoming Northwood Park. Between 1902 and 1906, it was occupied by French Benedictine nuns, and the ghost of one of these sisters can be seen flitting through the park at night. Old stone tunnels under the park were once used by smugglers and, in cellars under the house, the ghost of a grinning pirate appears. On a still night, the sound of boxes and kegs being moved around in the empty cellars can sometimes be heard!

Ghosts of Godshill Church. The Norman church at Godshill is associated with a legend that is common throughout Britain with slight variations. Tradition tells that the original site of the church was towards the Southwest, but each night the stones of the church were moved by an unknown agency on to the hill where the church now stands. The builders of the church wanted to discover who was moving the stones and posted a watch of two guards during the night. While keeping vigil they were astonished to see the stones move up the hill of their own volition. This was taken to be a sign from God that the church should be built of the hill, and the site was named Godshill afterwards. In other traditions it was actually the fairies who moved the stones. The meaning of this folklore motif is obscure, but it has been suggested that it has its roots in the fact that many churches were built on top of older places of worship.

Haunting of St Catherine Lighthouse in Niton Village. St Catherine's Lighthouse is situated in Niton Undercliffe, 5 miles from Ventnor and was built in 1838 following the loss of the ship called The Clarendon on rocks near to the present location. It's Lighthouse haunted by a dark burley man.

The Ghosts of  Osborne House Osborne House is haunted by many Spirits in the rooms and hallways. One of the ghosts is supposed to be that of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow.

Is This Proof of Reincarnation?

As an Englishman from a country that has many stories of the supernatural I thought I would write about a story that links America with 12th Century York, England.

Many years ago I was reading about this lady American Doctor Wambach. who had spent many years and hypnotised many thousands of volunteer patients, investigating Past Live regression during the 1960's -1970's. Past Life Regression is when a person is hypnotised back before they are born into a past life.

One day she was hypnotising one of her patients who was regressed back to a past life.

The story concerns a period in the 1190's of upheaval in the English City of York during a pogrom against the Jews. This lady believed she was called Susanne de Blouir and she was being chased by a riotus crowd because of her jewness. At the time of her fleeing she had her baby in her arms, which made it difficult to run and escape.

Finally she arrived outside the entrance to York Minster Cathedral and ran through the front doors seeking sanctuary. Finding no one around, she flees to the back of the Cathedral and runs down some steps that led into some rooms. One of the rooms had a door slightly ajar, and she runs through the door and then down some more steps. While running down the steps the woman here's the front doors of the Cathedral open and the noise of the screaming mob come pouring in. Terrified and clutching her baby the woman arrives at a long passage which ends at a door which leads into a Crypt. The woman enters the Crypt and sees various tombs includin a stone carved black knight lieing on top of a tomb. She puts the baby down and tries to barr the door with any furniture she could find.

After a period of moments, the door is banged upon and the mob tries to get into the crypt.

Because of the emotion and fear by the woman under hypnosis the doctor decides to bring the woman out of hypnosis.

Suffice to say, the woman believed her today's lifetime fear of confined spaces could be explained by this past life in 12th century York.

The Doctor decided to investigate this story by contacting the dean at York Minster in England and asking if they had such a thing as a Crypt with a black knight's tomb. After many weeks the dean contacted the doctor and explained York Minster had no record of any Crypt. This seems to confirm the doctors fears that this patient was dreaming and imagining the story.  The strange thing was the woman had never travelled outside the state of Kansas, yet she knew so many things about the dress code of York etc. ( Remember this was in the 1960's-1970's before the Internet)

Forward ten years and outside York Minster the road was being dug up by some workman when all of a sudden the road collapses into a dark abyss. The Fire brigade is called and they lowered some fire fighters down into the deep hole. The hole ended in a stone floor after clearing away some of the rubble he realised he was in a Crypt. In a far corner was the skeleton of a trapped and tied up woman and next to her was a baby skeleton.

It seems that the mob had finally got through the door and tied the woman up and then sealed and bricked up the door while she was still alive.

The spooky thing about this story is that Doctor W. 's book was printed ten years before they found the Crypt and skeleton's.

I believe this story proves Reincarnation – what does the reader think?

Please scroll down the page and vote for this story by clicking on the Stars.

Wymering Manor House – The Most Haunted House in England.

As I am from Portsmouth, England I thought it may be of interest to write about the oldest house in Portsmouth dated from 1042 AD which is also the most haunted house in England called Wymering Manor House.

Although most of the current structure dates back to the 16th century, the manor goes back much further. Records show the first owner of Wymering Manor was King Edward the Confessor in 1042 and then after the Battle of Hastings it fell into the hands of King William the Conqueror until 1084. The house has been altered and renovated continually over the centuries, yet remarkably it has retained materials dating back to medieval and even ancient Roman times.

Having changed ownership many times over these hundreds of years, the property was eventually adopted by the Portsmouth City Council, then sold for a short time to a private organization for development into a hotel. When the development fell though, the property reverted to the council, which has again put it up for auction.

Once a country manor, the structure is now surrounded by modern houses. And when it was saved from demolition and used as a youth hostel, many areas of the building were "modernized" and have an unfortunate, institutional feel.

With this rich history it's no surprise perhaps that Wymering Manor should be haunted.

Below are some of the Ghosts that haunt Wymering Manor:

The Lady in the Violet Dress. When Mr. Thomas Parr lived at Wymering Manor, he awoke one night to the sight of an apparition standing at the foot of his bed. It was his cousin, who had died in 1917. Dressed in a full-length violet-coloured dress, the spirit spoke to him in a friendly and matter-of-fact manner, telling him of her recent religious experiences and about other deceased family members. Suddenly the ghost said, "Well, Tommy dear, I must leave you now as we are waiting to receive Aunt Em." In the morning, Parr received a telegram with the news that his Aunt Em had died during the night.

The Blue Room. An elderly relative of Thomas Parr, who was staying in the "Blue Room," was careful always to lock her door at night, as she feared break-ins by burglars. One morning she was surprised to find her door unlocked and open.

The Choir of Nuns. Mr. Leonard Metcalf, an occupant of the house who died in 1958, said he occasionally saw a choir of nuns crossing the manor's hall at midnight. They were chanting, he claimed, to the clear sound of music. His family never believed his story as they didn't know - and neither did Mr. Metcalf - that nuns from the Sisterhood of Saint Mary the Virgin visited the house in the mid-1800s.

The Panelled Room. The so-called "Panelled Room" may be the manor's most dreaded. The Panelled Room served as a bedroom in the manor's south east corner, and as Metcalf was using the washbasin one day, he was startled by the distinct feeling of a hand on his shoulder. He turned quickly to find no one there. Others have felt an oppressive air in this room, instilling a strong feeling to flee. When the building served as the youth hostel, its warden and wife expressed an unexplained fear of the room.

Other Paranormal occurrences reported at the manor include visitors who claim to have heard the whispers of children, spotted strange apparitions and seen items in the manor move of their own accord. Dramatic drops in temperature and accounts of unusual or intimidating 'spirit energies' have also been reported. Film and video footage has captured both orbs and other strange light anomalies.

English Witch Trials from 995 AD to 1701 AD and 1944My name is Paul Hussey and I was born in Portsmouth, England in 1961, the same day as my older brother but a year later. As a fan of Portsmouth History I thought readers

y be interested in the story of Helen Duncan who became the last convicted witch in England and was arrested in Portsmouth in 1944 and the many other Witch Trials from our English History.

Mrs Duncan, a Scotswoman who travelled the country holding seances, was one of Britain's best-known mediums, reputedly numbering Winston Churchill and George VI among her clients, when she was arrested in January 1944 by two naval officers at a seance in Portsmouth. The military authorities, secretly preparing for the D-day landings and then in a heightened state of paranoia, were alarmed by reports that she had disclosed - allegedly via contacts with the spirit world - the sinking of two British battleships long before they became public. The most serious disclosure came when she told the parents of a missing sailor that his ship, HMS Barham, had sunk. It was true, but news of the tragedy had been suppressed to preserve morale. 

Desperate to silence the apparent leak of state secrets, the authorities charged Mrs Duncan with conspiracy, fraud, and with witchcraft under an act dating back to 1735 - the first such charge in over a century. At the trial, only the "black magic" allegations stuck, and she was jailed for nine months at Holloway women's prison in north London. Churchill, then prime minister, visited her in prison and denounced her conviction as "tomfoolery". In 1951, he repealed the 200-year-old act, but her conviction stood.

As an addendum to this story I thought it would be interesting to list some of the witch trial stories  from 995 AD to 1701.

• 995 AD  London, A woman and her son were tried for driving stakes into an image of a man. She was taken and drowned at London Bridge, while the son escaped and became outlawed.

• 1177  Eleanor of Aquitaine  Queen of England. Duchess of Aquitaine. Eleanor and four witches purportedly poisoned Rosamond Clifford.

• 1222 England, Oxford A young man and two women were brought before the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton for crucifying the boy and displaying the stigmata.

• 1222 England  A Jewish Necromancer was accused of wrapping a boy in the skin of a dead man for divination.

• 1279 England, York  John de Kerneslawe killed a witch that had entered his house.  The local clergy had her body burned.

• 1286 England, York Darel, Godfrey m A Cistercian monk of Rievaulx was reported to the Archbishop of York as a practitioner of Witchcraft.

• 1289-90 England de Stratton, Adam m Chancellor of the Exchequer. Arrested and tried for embezzling, extortion, and sorcery.

• 1301-3 England  Langton, Walter m Bishop of Coventry. Tried by ecclesiastical court for diabolism and acquitted.

• 1302 England, Exeter 1 Mody, John m Trial for defamation; Mody had called Reginald Kene's wife a 'wicked witch and thief'.

• 1311 England, London  Investigation by Bishop Baldock of sorcery, enchantment, magic, divination, and invocation.

• 1314/15 England Tannere, John m (Aka John Canne) Claimed to be the son of Edward I. Hanged for attempt to gain crown through diabolical aid; had served devil more than three years.

• 1324 England, Coventry Nottingham, John of m (aka Master John) Died in custody of witchcraft.

• 1325 English, Coventry Robert le Mareschal m He and his lodger Master John of Nottingham and 27 clients (The Burghers of Coventry) were charged before a secular court with employing him and another "necromancer" to use sorcery in an attempt on life of King Edward II, the Despensers, and several other officials.

• 1325 England, Coventry Acquitted. Charged before a secular court with employing him and another "necromancer" to use sorcery in an attempt on life of King Edward II, the Despensers, and several other officials.

• 1330 England Edmund Earl of Kent. Edward was condemned for obtaining important information from demon, through mediation of friar.

• 1331 England, Southwark  A man tried by royal court for sorcery. along with with a client and his associate. The subjects claimed to have used image magic only to obtain friendship but the jury determined that intent was murder.

• 1336 England Altefax, William m Pope Benedict XII wrote to the Bishop of Paris to have William Altefax, nigromanticus de Anglia and with him, his plates (Laminas) that he used in his magical operations.

• 1337 England, Hatfield Man tried by manorial court for failure to deliver devil as arranged in commercial transaction; case dismissed.

• 1366 England A certain carpenter died after final reconciliation to the Church, having lived for 15 years with a pact with the devil; There were no recorded judicial proceedings.

• 1371 England, Southwark, Man tried by royal court for invocation; possessed book for experimenta and Saracen's head for enclosure of demon; disclaimed use of head; He was arrested for possessing a Grimoire, a skull and the head of a corpse, and was released on a promise to never again perform magical rituals.

• 1376 England A Friar of St. Albans associated with Alice Perrers tried by ecclesiastical court for love magic and image magic directed at king Edward III. (n.b. Although Kieckhefer identifies the friar as Dominican, the monastary at St. Albans was Benedictine.)

• 1382 England, London 1 Berewold, Robert m Pilloried for pretending to practice the "Art Magic".

• 1382 England, London 1 Northamptone, William m Pilloried for pretending to practice the "Art Magic".

• 1385 England, London 1 Brugges, John m Chaplain. One of 2 men tried by ecclesiastical court for magic. They were imprisoned by the Bishop of London "until the church was satisfied".

• 1388 England, London 1 Tresilian, Sir Robert m Condemned by the Merciless Parliament for other reasons. He was also found to have been practicing invocation.

• 1390 England, London 1 Berking, John m Arrested for soothsaying, he was sentenced to an hour in the pillory, two weeks' imprisonment, and banishment from the city.

• 1401 England Lincolnshire 1 Smith, John m Tried for using divination to track a thief.

• 1419 England 1 Joan of Navarre  The dowager Queen of England. Joan was accused by Henry V of attempting to kill him by sorcery. Joan, and a clerical accomplice are imprisoned.

• 1419 England 1 Friar Randolph m Imprisoned.(Joan's Cleric).

• 1426 England Plus unspecified number of associates accused of sorcery (illness and attempt at death), thus provoking inquiry at royal direction.

• 1430 England, London Imprisoned for attempt on king's life through sorcery.

• 1432 England, London 1 Jordemaine, Margery  "The Witch of Eye", a noted diviner. Arrested with two priests. Released on bail, and the charges dropped.

• 1432-43 England A priest accused before the Court of Chancery that he had injured a man's body with sorcery.

• 1435 England, Durham 1 ??? f Trial for defamation before ecclesiastical court; 3 men had accused woman of causing impotence through sorcery; woman absolved in an ecclesiastical court.

• 1441 England  Cobham, Eleanor  (Duchess of Gloucester, Wife of Humphrey) Given penance by secular authorities for sorcery in seeking the death of Henry VI. She had the help of Margery Jourdemaine, and two noted Oxford Scholars, one an astrologer, and the other a physician. They also wanted to ensure an heir. According to Wedek, a Treasury of Witchcraft, she was banished for life to the Isle of Man.

• 1441 England 1 Southwell, Thomas m Tried for Treason, using sorcery in seeking the death of Henry VI.

• 1441  England, Smithfield 1 Jordemaine, Margery  "The Witch of Eye", a noted diviner. Burned by secular authorities for Treason.

• 1441 England, London 1 Bolingbroke, Roger m Aka Roger Whiche.  A Clerk. Hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn by secular authorities for Treason, using sorcery in seeking the death of Henry VI.

• 1444 England, London Man placed on pillory by secular court for invocation, dealing with a 'wycckyd spyryte'.

• 1446 England, Durham Tried as sorceresses; had allegedly obtained husbands for widows; allowed purgation.

• 1447 or 1448 England, Durham Woman tried by ecclesiastical court as enchanter (incantatrix).

• 1450 England, Durham Woman tried by ecclesiastical court for sorcery.

• 1451 or 1452 England, Durham Tried by ecclesiastical court for magic.

• 1452 England, Durham Trial in ecclesiastical court for defamation; one woman had accused another of sortilegium, and had spoken of a certain chaplain's profligate infatuation with her (suggestion of love magic?).

• 1457 England, Hertford Man abjured of necromancy and heresy.

• 1465 England, Norfolk Tried by royal court for invocation to find treasure.

• 1466 England, Ely Man given public and private penance by bishop for invocation.

• 1467 England Byg, William m Convicted of crystal gazing to locate thieves had to appear in public with a scroll on his head.

• 1470 England Trial for defamation before royal court; a man had accused the Duchess of Bedford of image magic.

• 1476 England, London  Trial for defamation in secular court; man had defamed neighbors in matters of sorcery.

• 1480-1515c England Woman tried by Court of Chancery for sorcery.

• 1480-1515c England, St David's 3 women (Tanglost and 2 others) tried by Court of Chancery for image magic.

• 1480-1515c England, Southwark  Woman tried by Court of Chancery for image magic.

• 1481 England, London Woman tried by commissary's court for love magic.

• 1481 England, York Man tried by ecclesiastical court for incantation.

• 1483, June England  Woodville, Elizabeth f Dowager Queen of England. Tried by ecclesiastical court for sorcery (alleged harm to Richard III).

• 1483, June England 1 Beaufort, Margaret Countess of Richmond, Henry VII's mother. Tried by ecclesiastical court for sorcery (alleged harm to Richard III).

• 1483, June England 1 Morton, Dr. John m Bishop of Ely. Tried by ecclesiastical court for sorcery (alleged harm to Richard III).

• 1490 England, London  Woman tried by commissary for image magic.

• 1492 England, London Trial for fraudulent love magic; client sentenced to public penance by ecclesiastical court, and man claiming to serve as agent for magician ordered by court to restore goods given in payment.

• 1493 England, London Woman tried by ecclesiastical court for weather magic, killing by incantation, divination, and other offenses.

• 1496 (6/19) England, London Kendal, John m Pardoned. Grand Prior of the Order of St. John of Rhodes is one of three men accused of conspiracy by their French agent, Bernard de Vignolles, of attempt (framed at Rome) on lives of King Henry VII, his children, his mother, and certain of his agents and followers, through use of magical substances.

• 1496 England, London Thonge, Sir John m Knight of the Order of St. John of Rhodes (and John Kendal's nephew) is one of three men accused of conspiracy by their French agent, Bernard de Vignolles.

• 1496 England, London Horsey, William m Archdeacon of London is one of three men accused of conspiracy by their French agent, Bernard de Vignolles.

• 1499 England, 'Belynges Parva' Woman tried by ecclesiastical court for sorcery (killing); allowed purgation.

• 1499 England, 'Rushbrok' Man tried by ecclesiastical court for pact with devil.

• 1499 England, Winchester Man tried by ecclesiastical court for invocation.

• 1521 England  Duke of Buckingham m Tried for attempting to learn the king's lifespan by divination.

• 1525 England  Acquitted for murder by use of a waxen figure.

• 1532 England 1 Neville, Sir William m Tried for attempting to learn the king's lifespan by divination.

• 1522 England, Kent Barton, Elizabeth  Hanged? "The Maid of Kent" was tried for seeing The Virgin Mary at a Shrine, who purportedly cured her, and later visions that opposed the Marriage of Henry VIII. Barton had been put up to it by priests who wanted to build a shrine.

• 1541 England  Lord Hungerford Beheaded for attempting to learn the king's lifespan by divination.

• 1544 England Cross, Elizabeth?  "The Girl in the hole in the wall"? Claimed clairvoyance.

• 1546 England  Neville, Henry m Tried for attempting to learn the king's lifespan by divination.

• 1560 England 8 Men, including 2 in orders confessed to conjuration, and were released after swearing to abstain from such acts in the future.

• 1562 England Douglas, Lady Margaret Countess of Lennox Tried for attempting to learn the Queen's lifespan by divination.

• 1564 England, Essex, Clch Lowys, Elizabeth Assizes 7/21 (aka Howes), Elizabeth Convicted and sentenced to hang. She pleaded Pregnancy. In March 1565, she was found to be not pregnant, and the final disposition is unknown.

• 1565 England, York More, Edward m Given Penance. Grandson of Thomas More.

• 1565 England, Kent Byden, Joan f Hanged 1566 England, Chelmsford 1 Waterhouse, Agnes Hanged. She comes from Hatfield Peverell, Essex. A 63 year old widow, charged with witching William Fynee  First use of Spectral evidence?

• 1566  England, Chelmsford Waterhouse, Joanf Acquitted. She comes from Hatfield Peverell, Essex. Aged 18, she was accused of witching 12 year old Agnes Brown.

• 1566 England, Chelmsford Francis, Elizabeth Jailed. She comes from Hatfield Peverell, Essex. Wife of Chistopher Francis, charged with witching the infant child of William Auger. She was sentenced to one year's imprisonment.

• 1566 England, Dorset, Walsh, John – Hanged.

• 1566  England, York Stabler, Richard m Dismissed on Bond. Physician.

• 1566 England Chelmsford Francis Elizabeth f Jailed. She comes from Hatfield Peverell, Essex. Wife of Chistopher Francis, charged with witching Mary Cocke. She was sentenced to one year's inprisonment, and four appearances in the Pillory.

• 1571 England, York  Carter, Peter  Dismissed on Bond.

• 1571 England, York  More, Edward  Given Penance.  Grandson of Thomas More.

• 1572 England, York, Wyerhorne, Roger – Hanged.

• 1574 England, Barking  Arnold (fnu)  Hanged.

• 1574 England, Agnes Bridges  and Rachael Pindar  counterfeited possession to accusse.

• 1574 England  Chaundeler, Alice  Hanged.

• 1579  Mother of Ellen Smith, Hanged  at Chelmsford.

• 1575 England, Kent Mildred Nerrington accused an old woman of Witchcraft.

• 1578 England, Dorset, Woman Hanged.

• 1578 England, Essex Stanton, Margery  Found Guilty of bewitching a gelding 1578 England, York 1 Milner, Janet f Accused by Robert Singleton, he was made to apologize.

• 1578 England, York  Webster, Margaret  - Hanged.

• 1579  England, Abington  Stiles, Elizabeth  Hanged.

• 1579  England, Abington  Dutten, Mother (fnu)  Hanged.

• 1579 England, Abington  Devell, Mother (fnu)  Hanged.

• 1579  England, Abington  Margaret, Mother (fnu)  Hanged.

• 1579  England, Smith, Ellen  Hanged.

• 1579  England, Nokes, Alice Hanged.

• 1579  England, Stanton, Margery  Aquitted.

• 1579  England, Chelmsford  Francis, Elizabeth  Hanged. She comes from Hatfield Peverell, Essex. Wife of Chistopher Francis, charged with witching Alice Poole.

• 1579 England, Flintshire Elizabeth Orton counterfeited possession to accusse.

• 1582 England, Kings Lynn  Gabley,  Executed.

• 1582 England, Durham  Laws, Allison Sentenced to do penance.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth  Kempe, Ursula  Hanged after a trial held at Chelmsford. St. Osyth is sometimes referred to as St. Osees.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth  Bennet, Elizabeth, Hanged for Bewitching to Death. Betrayed by Ursula Kempe.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth  Newman, Alice Betrayed by Ursula Kempe. Convicted but reprieved.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth  Glascock, Alice Convicted but reprieved.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth  Turner, Joan  Convicted but reprieved. Returned to Prison for a year.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth 1 Hunt, Alice f Betrayed by Ursula Kempe and Margery Sammon. Acquitted.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth  Sammon, Margery  Betrayed by Ursula Kempe and Alice Hunt. She was the daughter of a confirmed witch.  Acquitted.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth  Pechey, Joan  Betrayed by Alice Hunt and confirmed by Margery Sammon.  Acquitted.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth  Heard, Agnes  Acquitted.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth Grevell, Margaret Acquitted.

• 1582 England, St. Osyth  Ewstace, Elizabeth  Acquitted.

• 1582 England, Essex, Walton  Robinson, Joan – Hanged.

• 1583 England, Kent  Symons, Margaret – Hanged.

• 1585 England, London  Hacket, Margaret  Hanged at Tyburn.

• 1589  England, Chelmsford  Cony, Joan  Hanged within two hours after her sentencing. (aka Cunny) Unwed mother of Avice, and grandmother of her accuser.

• 1592 England, Middlesex  Atkins, Mother.

• 1593  England, Warboys, The three members of the Samuels family (Father, Mother, and Daughter) are Hanged based on the word of 5 hysterical girls. This may have helped provide some impetus on the passage of the 1604 Anti-Witchcraft Bill.  N.b. One of the accusations was that Lady Cromwell, grandmother of Oliver Cromwell was killed by witchcraft.

• 1595  England, Brayneford  Calles, Helen, Executed.

• 1595 England, Barnett  Newell, John  Executed.

• 1596 England  Cockie, Isabel  Burnt at a cost of 105 s. 4 p.

• 1597 England, Derby  Wright, Elizabeth  Alice Goodridge's mother. She was convicted, and her disposition is not known.

• 1597 England, Derby 1 Goodridge, Alice  Aged 60, Convicted on the testimony of Thomas Darling "The Burton Boy" of Burton-upon-Trent. She was sentenced to a years imprisonment, and died in jail. Thomas Darling later retracted his evidence.

• 1579 England, Nottingham William Somers, The Nottingham Boy, counterfeited possession to accuse various people at the insistence of John Darrell. Apparently in all cases, Darrell confessed the deception during the trials.

• 1599 England, London Kerke, Anne  Hanged at Tyburn England.

• 1599 England, Lancashire,  Johnson, Margaret  Charged with conversing with the Devil.

• 1600 England, York  Cleane, Agnes.

• 1603 England, Yorkshire  Pannel, Mary,Executed.

• 1604 England, Berkshire  Pepwell, Agnes  Pepwell - Acquitted. Anne Gunter, a 14 year old girl, countefeiting a demonic possession. N.b. that this was also about the time that the harsher laws of James I against witchcraft were being enacted.

• 1604 England, Berkshire  Pepwell, Mary  Acquitted. (See Agnes Pepwell).

• 1604 England, Berkshire Gregory, Elizabeth  Acquitted. (See Agnes Pepwell).

• 1606 England, Hertford  Harrisson, Joanna  Hanged.

• 1606 England, Hertford  Harrison Daughter of Joanna Harrison. Hanged.

• 1607 England, Derbyshire  "Several" Hanged.

• 1612 England, York  Preston, Jennet  Acquitted.

• 1612  England, Northampton  Barber, Mary  Hanged.

• 1612  England, Northampton  Browne, Agnes  Hanged.

• 1612 England, Northampton  Vaughan, Joan  Hanged.

• 1612 England, Northampton  Bill, Arthur m Hanged.

• 1612 England, Northampton  Jenkinson, Helen Hanged.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Bierley, Ellen Accused by Grace Sowerbutts, age 14. Case dismissed.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Bierley, Jennet  Accused by Grace Sowerbutts, age 14. Case dismissed.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Southworth, Jane  Accused by Grace Sowerbutts, age 14. Case dismissed.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Bullock, Jane  "Of Mossend Farm, Newchurch" – Hanged.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Bullock, John m Son of Jane Bullock. Hanged.

• 1612  England, Lancaster  Device, Alison Daughter of Elizabeth Device. Tried.  Hanged.

• 1612  England, Lancaster  Device, Elizabeth  "Squintin' Lizzie". Daughter of "Mother Demdike". Tried. Hanged.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Device, James m Son of Elizabeth Device. Dimwitted. Tried. Hanged.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Device, Jennet Daughter of Elizabeth Device. 9 years old. Tried. Released.

• 1612 England, Lancaster Grey, Alice f"Of Colne" Tried. Acquitted.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Hewitt, Katherine "Old Mouldheels". Hanged.

• 1612  England, Lancaster 1 Howgate, Christopher m Son of "Mother Demdike".
  Tried. Released.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Nutter, Alice f "Of Roughlee" Hanged. She may have been simply a Catholic caught in the net.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Preston, Jennet  Hanged for causing the death of Thomas Lister of Westby Hall.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Pearson, Margaret Pilloried for a year.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Redfearne, Anne  Daughter of Anne Whittle. Interrogated & Confessed  Tried Hanged.

• 1612  England, Lancaster  Robey, Isobel  "Of Widness" Hanged.

• 1612  England, Lancaster  Southernes, Elizabeth  "Mother Demdike" "Of Malkin Tower". Interrogated, confessed. died in Prison.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Whittle, Anne  "Old Chattox" Interrogated on 2 Apr, Tried. Hanged.

• 1612 England, Lancaster  Whittle, Bessie  "Old Chattox" Daughter of Anne Whittle. Tried, released.

• 1613 England, Bedford  Sutton (mother)  Hanged. Beaten senseless and "Floated".

• 1613 England, Bedford  Sutton, Mary (daughter)  Hanged.

• 1614 England  Ellson, Richard m Richard Moore is tried for accusing Richard Ellson of Witchcraft.

• 1615 England, Middlesex  Hunt, Joan  Hanged.

• 1616 England, Kings Lynn  Smith, Mary  Hanged.

• 1616 England, Middlesex Rutter, Elizabeth  Hanged.

• 1616 England, Leicester Accused by John Smith, the Leicester Boy. Hanged.

• 1616 England, Leicester  released,  died in jail. Accused by John Smith, the Leicester Boy.

• 1616 England, Enfield  Berrye, Agnes  Hanged.

• 1618 England, Lincoln  Flower, Joan  Died before trial.

• 1618-9 England, Lincoln  Flower, Phillippa  Hanged.

• 1618-9 England, Lincoln  Flower, Margaret  Hanged.

• 1619 England, Leicester  Green, Ellen  Hanged

• 1619 England, Leicester  Baker, Anne  Hanged.

• 1619 England, Leicester  Willimot, Joan  Hanged.

• 1620 England, Stafford  Clark, Jane Accused by "The Bilson Boy", William Perry. The charges were eventually dropped.

• 1621 England, S. Perrot  Guppy, Joan Accused by Edmond Fairfax for bewitching his children. The evidence was insufficient, and they were released.

• 1621 England, Yorkshire Fletcher, Elizabeth Accused with five others by Edmond Fairfax for bewitching his children. The evidence was insufficient, and they were released. Elizabeth Fletcher was the daughter of Mother Foster.

• 1626 England  Bull, Edward  Denounced by Edward Dinham.

• 1626 England Greedy, Joan denounced by Edward Dinham.

• 1628 England, London  Lambe, Dr. John  Not Tried, but beaten to death by a mob at St. Paul's Cross after he fell from the Duke of Buckingham's favour.

• 1630 England, Lancaster Utley, Hanged.

• 1630 England, Sandwich, Hanged.

• 1631 England, Taunton, Edward Bull, Hanged.

• 1633 England, Lancaster, 17 convicted, but all later reprieved by the King (including Mary Spencer and Jennet Device).

• 1634 England Three of the accused (by Edmund Robinson) died in prison before the swindle was revealed.

• 1640 England, London, Dr  Lamb,  Stoned to death by a mob at St. Paul's Cross (and probably confused with 1628, although the date *is* given several times in Robbins).

• 1643 England, Newbury Shot by parliamentary forces as she was walking along the surface of a river.

• 1644  England  Wanderson, (wife 1)  Executed.

• 1644  England  Wanderson, (wife 2)  Executed.

• 1645  England, Chelmsford  19 were Hanged on evidence of  by the Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins (including the Manningtree Witches).

• 1645 England, Chelmsford Clarke, Elizabeth a one legged old woman. Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins' 1st "Witch". Hanged, but not before betraying five others.

• 1645 England, Chelmsford  West, Rebecca  Native of Colchester and daughter of an accused witch. She confessed to having married the Devil.

• 1645  England, Chelmsford West, Anne  Native of Colchester and daughter of an accused witch.

• 1645 England, Chelmsford  Mayers, Bridget  Wife of a Seaman, plead Not Guilty.

• 1645 England, Chelmsford  5 were found Guilty, but reprieved.

• 1645 England, Chelmsford 8 were remanded to the next session of the Assizes (4 were still in jail three years later, 4 (aged 88, 65, 60 and 40) died in prison before the sessions opened).

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds,  Lowes, John  "of Branson". Hanged. A 70 year old parson.  Tried by Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645  England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, Cooper, Thomas Edward m Hanged. Tried by Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds,  Cooper, Mary  Hanged.Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds,  Bacon, Mary  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds,  Alderman, Anne  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds,  Morris, Rebecca  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds,  Fuller, Mary  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, Clowes, Mary  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds,  Sparham, Margery  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, Fooley, Katherine  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, Spinlow, Sarah  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, Limstead, Jane Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, Wright, Anne  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, Smith, Mary  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, Rivers, Jane  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, manners, Susan  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, Skinner, Mary Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmonds, Leech, Anne  Hanged. Tried by Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Kent, Faversham, Williford, Joan Hanged. By Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins.

• 1645 England, Kent, Faversham,  Cariden, Joan  Hanged.

• 1645 England, Kent, Faversham, Holt, Jane Hanged.

• 1646 England, Norfolk, Woman Accused by Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins & Co.

• 1646 England, Suffolk, It is estimated that there were 124 people accused by Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins & Co., of whom 68 were hanged.

• 1646 England, Bedford, Woman Accused by Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins & Co.

• 1646 England, Cambridge Woman Accused by Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins.

• 1646 England, Northampton Woman Accused by Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins.

• 1646 England, Huntingdon Woman Accused by Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins.

• 1648 England, Norwich, 2 Women Executed.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Palmer, John  Hanged. He named 14 accomplices.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Bychance, Mary Hanged.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Widow Palmer Hanged.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Norton. Hanged.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Salmon, John (Sr) Hanged.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Salmon, Joseph d.1684.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Salmon, Judith d.1692 .

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Salmon, John d.1688.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Lamen, Mary  d.1706.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Lamen, John (jr) – hanged.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Lamen, Mary  – hanged.

• 1649 England, St. Albans,  Lamen, Joan – hanged.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Weston, Mrs Mayer – hanged.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Smith, Sarah – hanged.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Smith, Anne – hanged.

• 1649 England, St. Albans, Knott, Elizabeth – hanged.

• 1649 England, Newcastle 14  Hanged.

• 1649 England, Newcastle Bulmer, Matthew Hanged.

• 1649-1658 England, 3-4000 Purportedly killed during Cromwell's tenure.

• 1650 England, London Allen, Joan Hanged.

• 1651 England, London  Bodenham, Anne Hanged. "Dr. Lamb's Darling".

• 1652 England, Kent, Maidstone, Wright, Mildred Hanged.

• 1652 England, Kent, Maidstone,  Wilson, Anne Hanged.

• 1652 England, Kent, Maidstone, Reade, Mary Hanged.

• 1652 England, Kent, Maidstone, Ashby, Anne Hanged

• 1652 England, Kent, Maidstone,  Martyn, Anne Hanged.

• 1652 England, Kent, Maidstone,  Browne, Mary Hanged.

• 1652 England, Kent, Maidstone,  Hynes, Elizabeth Hanged.

• 1652 England, Durham, Adamson, Francis Executed.

• 1652 England, Durham,  Powle,  Executed.

• 1652 England, Worcester,  Huxley, Catherine Hanged.

• 1652 England, London Peterson, Joan Hanged at Tyburn "The Witch of Wapping".

• 1652 England, London Sawyer, Elizabeth  Hanged at Tyburn.

• 1653 England, London  Newman, Elizabeth Executed at Whitechapel.

• 1654 England, Ipswich Lakeland, Mother Burned (for the minor treason of murdering her husband).

• 1655 England, Bury St Edmonds Boram, Hanged. Mother.

• 1655 England, Bury St Edmonds, Boram,Hanged. Daughter.

• 1658 England  Brooks, Jane  Hanged.

• 1658-9 England, Norwich Oliver, Mary  Burned (for the minor treason of murdering her husband).

• 1658 England, Salisbury, Orchard, Executed.

• 1660 England, Cambridge, Young girl interrograted by the scholar Henry More. Outcome unknown, date unknown.

• 1660 England, Home Circuit Neville, Joan Hanged.

• 1663 England, Taunton Cox, Julian  Hanged.

• 1664 England, Bury St Edmonds,  Cullender, Rose  Hanged. From Lowestoft, Suffolk.

• 1664 England, Bury St Edmonds, Duny, Amy  Hanged. From Lowestoft, Suffolk.

• 1664 England, Taunton  Style, Elizabeth  died in prison.

• 1668 England, Norfolk Banister, Mary  Charges dropped.

• 1674 England, Northhampton,  Foster, Anne  Hanged (For burning barns).

• 1675 England, Chester, Baguley, Mary  Hanged.

• 1682 England, Exeter,  Lloyd, Temperance Hanged. Modern Bideford is in Devonshire.

• 1682 England, Exeter,  Edwards, Susanna Hanged. Modern Bideford is in Devonshire.

• 1682 England, Exeter  Trembles, Mary  Hanged. Modern Bideford is in Devonshire.

• 1684 England, Exeter Molland, Alice  Hanged.

• 1691 England, Frome, Somerset, Acquitted by Justice Sir John Holt, on charges of bewitching Mary Hill, a young girl.Died before her trial.

• 1693 England 1 Chambers,  "Widow"  Died in prison as a result of torture by "walking".

• 1694 England, Ipswich,  Elnore, Margaret  Acquitted by Justice Sir John Holt for having accepted familiars from her grandmother, herself hanged for witchcraft; having witch's marks on her body, and giving lice to her neighbors.

• 1694 England, Bury St Edmonds, Munnings, "Mother"  Acquitted by Justice Sir John Holt on charges of prognostication causing a death; or for casting a spell to cause the death of her landlord. She was also accused of having a familiar imp in the shape of a pole cat, and two black and white imps in the shape of balls of wool.

• 1695 England, Launceston, Cornwall,  Guy, Mary Acquitted by Justice Holt on charges of prognostication causing a death.

• 1696 England, Exeter, Horner, Elizabeth  Acquitted by Justice Holt on charges of prognostication causing a death.

• 1701 England, Southwark  Moredike, Sarah Acquitted by Justice Holt, her accuser, Richard Hathaway, was jailed.

Mrs Duncan – The Last Witch to be Tried as a Witch

The last person to be tried as a witch was a Mrs Helen Duncan, a Scotswoman who travelled the country holding seances, was one of Britain's best-known mediums, reputedly numbering Winston Churchill and George VI among her clients, when she was arrested in January 1944 by two naval officers at a seance in Portsmouth. The military authorities, secretly preparing for the D-day landings and then in a heightened state of paranoia, were alarmed by reports that she had disclosed - allegedly via contacts with the spirit world - the sinking of two British battleships long before they became public. The most serious disclosure came when she told the parents of a missing sailor that his ship, HMS Barham, had sunk. It was true, but news of the tragedy had been suppressed to preserve morale.

Desperate to silence the apparent leak of state secrets, the authorities charged Mrs Duncan with conspiracy, fraud, and with witchcraft under an act dating back to 1735 - the first such charge in over a century. At the trial, only the "black magic" allegations stuck, and she was jailed for nine months at Holloway women's prison in north London. Churchill, then prime minister, visited her in prison and denounced her conviction as "tomfoolery". In 1951, he repealed the 200-year-old act, but her conviction stood.

My other articles are called "An Englishmans Favourite Bits of England" containing articles on  English Hauntings, English Icons, English Sports, English History, English Discoveries and English Inventors and

can be found at my website: https://Bloggs.resourcez.com

 

The Chinese call Britain 'The Island of Hero's' which I think sums up what we British are all about. We British are inquisitive and competitive and are always looking over the horizon to the next adventure and discovery.

 

Copyright © 2012 Paul Hussey. All Rights Reserved.