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Pirates, Witches and Ghostly Knights: Exploring Great Yarmouth’s Darker Side

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(Image: Haunted Seaside Resort. Source: WordPress 2025)

Great Yarmouth isn’t just a seaside town of sugar donuts and amusement arcades; it’s a place rich in weird tales, ghostly sightings, and strange histories. From pirates to witches, from mystics to mummies, the town bubbles with secrets that float through its streets and graveyards. Join me as we walk through Great Yarmouth’s darker side, exploring haunted corners, overlooked tragedies, and uncanny stories.

Our journey begins in the heart of Great Yarmouth, where the imposing St Nicholas’ Church stares out over the town like a sentinel. Its stones have witnessed hundreds of years of worship, but it has also seen scenes of witchcraft, piracy, and ghostly happenings.

Stop 1: St Nicholas Church, Great Yarmouth

(Image: St Nicholas Church, Gt Yarmouth. Source: E.Holohan 2023)

This church is said to be the biggest parish church in the United Kingdom. Once belonging to a Benedictine priory, its construction of was completed in 1119. Although very little of the original Benedictine church now stands, the base of the current tower is Norman. Expansions and changes were made during the Middle Ages. In the 13th century, the aisles were widened. In the 14th century, the south porch was constructed. In the 15th century, the north wall was equipped with additional windows.

In the 16th century, the church was split into three sections, each of which was used by a different denomination. When the church was renovated in the 19th century, these sections were once again connected. However, a large portion of this work is no longer visible because the majority was completely destroyed by bombing and fire in 1942. Reconstruction of the inside took place from 1957 to 1960.

In the graveyard: English Pirate Attack

(Image: Headstone of David Bartleman. Image: E.Holohan 2023)

In the graveyard here, we find a gravestone that has a rare inscription that refers to an English pirate attack:

“To the memory of David Bartleman, Master of the Brig Alexander and Margaret of North Shields, who on the 31st of Jan 1781 on the Norfolk Coast with only three 3 pounders and ten men and boys nobly defended himself against a cutter carrying eighteen 4 pounders and upwards of a hundred men commanded by the notorious English pirate Fall and fairly beat him off. Two hours after the enemy came down upon him again, when totally disabled, his mate Daniel MacAuley, expiring with the loss of blood and himself dangerously wounded, he was obliged to strike and ransome. He brought his shattered vessel into Yarmouth with more than the honour of a conqueror and died here in consequence of his wounds.  On the 14th of February following in the 25th year of his age”.

This stone, dedicated to the remembrance of David Bartleman, Master of the brig Alexander & Margaret of North Shields, is tucked away in the old church graveyard. On 31st January, 1781, Bartleman bravely defended himself against a cutter with eighteen four-pounder cannons and a crew of up to 100 men while sailing the Norfolk coast with a crew of ten men and boys and only light armament of three-pounders. Fall, an infamous English pirate, commanded the Cutter attacking.

This triumph was fleeting, though, as two hours later Fall’s Cutter struck the unfortunate Brig once more. The battle raged on until the Alexander & Margaret was fully incapacitated. Captain Bartleman found himself in a desperate situation; he had no choice but to surrender and pay a ransom to ensure the safety of his ship and crew. His first mate, Daniel MacAulay, was seriously injured and rapidly losing blood, leaving the captain with little choice to make the difficult decision to pay to secure their release. Then, on 14th February 1781, at the age of 25, he brought his proud but broken vessel into Yarmouth, where he passed away from his wounds.

A stone was placed above the tomb by his father, Alexander Bartleman, to honour the bravery of his son’s death, the courage of his loyal mate, and the notoriety of Fall the Pirate.

Daniel Fall, also known as Fall the Pirate or John Fall, first gained fame in November 1780 when he captured two colliers from Lowestoft South Roads. At that time, he was known as “the noted Daniel Fall, a smuggler and captain of a large privateer.” The frigate Pegasus set sail from Yarmouth in pursuit but failed to locate him. An article in the Ipswich Journal reported that a 20-gun American cutter privateer had seized two large merchant ships off Pakefield, but the man-of-war ‘Fly’ from Hollesley Bay intercepted and took back the stolen goods.

(Image: Pirate Ships Battle. Source: WordPress 2025)

Fall was known to sail under American colours, suggesting that the privateer mentioned might have been his ship. By February 1781, around the time of the attack on the brig Alexander & Margaret and death of David Bartleman, he was spotted on one of the Harwich packet ships, where he raised the American flag and displayed letters of marque from America, France, and Holland. Shortly after, it was reported that Fall, now known as the ‘rebel commodore’, was operating off Orford Ness with a squadron of Dunkirk-based privateers.

In early June 1781, Fall captured the Prince of Wales using two cutters: the Liberty, which he had recently stolen from a Scottish port, and the Fearnought, which he commanded.

By April 1782, Fall was reported to be heading into the Irish Sea, but after that, he seemed to disappear from the pages of history. No further sightings or reports of his activities surfaced along the East Coast. What happened to the notorious pirate Fall after his last raid: did he perish in battle like his poor opponent David Bartleman, or vanish into obscurity?

Witches Memorialised

Also in the churchyard we find the memorial plaque commemorating the five women hanged at North Denes during the Matthew Hopkins Witch Trials who were buried here; Bridget Howard, Margaret Blackbourne, Alice Clisswell, Elizabeth Bradwell, and Elizabeth Dudgeon. They are located in the churchyard’s north side. Why were the supposed witches buried here, in consecrated ground, when most others accused of such crimes were cast out to the crossroads?

(Image: Witches Memorial plaque. Source: E.Holohan 2023)

The history of Great Yarmouth is associated with the 17th-century witch hunts, especially in 1645 when Matthew Hopkins, the so-called Witchfinder General, paid the town a visit. Many people, both men and women, were tried for witchcraft at this time, and some of them were found guilty and put to death. The five women were hanged at nearby North Denes during these Witch Trials. Many of the accused in Great Yarmouth, according to historians, were simply social misfits or victims of unrelated disputes, not actual practitioners of witchcraft.

It has never been explained why the supposed witches were buried in the churchyard. According to a long-standing custom, people who are found guilty of crimes, including witchcraft, are typically buried in unconsecrated ground or at a crossroads, where their spirits would be flummoxed and unable to return and cause trouble in a society that values godliness.

In reality, according to Christian tradition, outcasts and suicides were the only people buried on the north side of a churchyard. The unbaptised, excommunicated, strangers, vagrants, executed criminals, and people suspected of practicing witchcraft were all included in this proclamation. This was frequently called “lying out of the sanctuary” or “burial without the sanctuary.” The saying “the devil walks in dark places” stems from ancient times, and was initially used to describe the darker parts of a churchyard, particularly the north side of a building.

Thomas Vaughn: Body Snatcher

Also at the graveyard we can see the plaque remembering local body snatcher, Thomas Vaughn. Ten remains were taken from Great Yarmouth’s St. Nicholas Churchyard in 1827 by Thomas Vaughn and his two accomplices. In the end, he was imprisoned, but only for half a year! For more on this, read on for Body Snatchers Row 6.

(Image: Thomas Vaughn plaque. Source: E.Holohan 2023)

Oliver Tomkins: Cannibal Victim

Situated in the graveyard you can see the grave marker of Oliver Tomkins. There is likely no body buried under the marker, as this Great Yarmouth citizen, about 120 years ago, was rewarded by cannibals for his attempts to spread the word of God by being killed, dismembered, cooked, and eaten. This was all within hours of Oliver Tomkins’ final diary entry following his arrival on a Papua New Guinean island inhabited by cannibals: “they tried hard to persuade us to come ashore…we promised we would visit their village in the morning.”  The reward for his visit to the village was to be his host’s dinner!

(Image: grave marker of Oliver Tomkins. Source: E.Holohan 2023)

Mystic: Margery Kempe

(Image: Marjory Kempe plaque. Source: E.Holohan 2023)

Next up at St Nicholas’ Churche we find Margery Kempe’s blue plaque.

Many believe that “The Book of Margery Kempe,” written by the English Christian mystic Margery Kempe (c. 1373–after 1438), is the first autobiography in the English language. Kempe’s domestic struggles, her extensive pilgrimages to holy sites in Europe and the Holy Land, and her mystical interactions with God are all chronicled in her book.

Margery Kempe was considered a mystic due to her profound and personal relationship with God. This was marked by visions, conversations with Jesus, Mary, and other religious figures, and via active participation in biblical events through these visions. She also embraced a highly devotional and pious lifestyle, which included prolonged weeping, fasting, and pilgrimages, which were all seen as evidence of her spiritual connection

Kempe prayed in St Nicholas church before leaving on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and a blue plaque now commemorates this.

Churchyard Hauntings

As well as being a place of rest, the church graveyard is also known for its unquiet residents. According to legend, at the height of “Egyptomania,” in the 1900s, a well-wisher donated the coffin of an ancient Egyptian princess to the Priory school next door to Great Yarmouth Minster. People were fascinated by mummies in this period because they believed that the ancient bodies had supernatural abilities. Some mummies were even ground into a dust for use as medicine or shown at gruesome “unwrapping parties.” Mummies were the height of fashion at this time!

Unfortunately, many mummies suffered in Europe’s humid environment after being removed from their natural hot, dry resting places. The princess mummy was kept in its case on display in a classroom, but it was eventually agreed that the only sensible thing to do when the mummy inside started to smell was to bury it in the church graveyard.

(Photo by antonio filigno on Pexels.com)

The Vicarage and St. Nicholas’ Church started to experience after dark knocking noises on their doors shortly after the burial; an investigation into the tapping noises revealed no reason.

The vicar was frequently confused and anxious when he answered the vicarage door to no one after hearing loud bangs. A decision was made to return the mummy to its casket since the noises were becoming unbearable and seemed to be coming from nowhere.

A mummified arm that had been mistakenly left behind when the body was hurriedly buried in the middle of the night was discovered when the box was opened. It seems, it had been begging to be freed and reunited with its body! The noises stopped and there was finally peace once the arm was interred with the rest of the body. The arm left behind; was it an accident, or something more sinister keeping the dead from their rest?

(Image: Ghostly knights. Source: WordPress 2025)

Along with tales of unquiet mummies, the churchyard also has takes of spectral horsemen. Ghostly apparitions were allegedly wreaking havoc in the graveyard in October 1922. A woman reported to the local police that she had witnessed three ghosts in shining armour riding horses across the churchyard.

As word spread, hundreds of people returned night after night to catch a glimpse through the railings, wanting to see these spirits for themselves. However, no further apparitions were seen. A bet was made to anyone who would camp out in the churchyard and to keep watch for the knights, but it was never taken up and the town’s citizens ultimately lost interest.

From the graveyard’s shadowy corners, we make our way down to Row Six. At first glance, it’s just another of Great Yarmouth’s narrow passageways, but this one earned a gruesome reputation as ‘Body Snatcher’s Row’.

Stop 2: Row Six- Body Snatcher’s Row

(Image: Body Snatchers Row sign. Source: E.Holohan 2023)

Row six, Body Snatchers’ Row, leads from St Nicholas’ churchyard to Northgate Street and is a reminder of when human bodies were stolen to order for anatomical dissection in London. In 1827, Thomas Vaughn, a resident of Row six, and his two henchmen, stole ten bodies from the churchyard. Vaughan was employed by Sir Astley Cooper, a surgeon to Queen Victoria. Vaughan used sawdust to conceal the bodies and transported them to London, where they were used for medical training purposes.  Vaughan was tried at the Norwich assizes and received only 6 months imprisonment for this offence. He was later transported to Australia having been caught in possession of clothing he had taken from a corpse. In those days, sadly, theft of property was seen as a far more serious offence than stealing dead bodies.

Leaving behind the grisly world of stolen corpses, we come to a calmer, more literary stop. At 37–39 King Street, we arrive the birthplace of Anna Sewell, the author of Black Beauty. This is a house where tales of compassion for animals meet stories of ghostly presences

Stop 3: Anna Sewell House and The Man in the Window

The author of Black Beauty was born at Anna Sewell House on Church Plain, in Great Yarmouth. In 2021, Redwings Horse Sanctuary purchased the house, which dates to the 16th or 17th century. The property is now used by Redwings to highlight Anna Sewell’s renowned novel and her influence in animal protection.

(Image: Anna Sewell’s birthplace in Church Plain. Source: E.Holohan 2023)

On 24 November 1877, for just £40 and without a royalty condition, Anna Sewell sold Jarrold & Sons the entire rights to her book “Black Beauty”. “Black Beauty: his grooms and Companions, the autobiography of a horse” was the title under which the book was published. Since then, the book has sold about 30 million copies worldwide, making it the sixth best-selling book in the English language.

The adventures and misfortunes of a horse named Beauty are the subject of Anna’s tale, which was penned at the White House on Spixworth Road in Old Catton. The story was written in the first person from Beauty’s point of view. Anna survived long enough to learn of its success, but she was never able to witness the book’s eventual bestseller status. In April 1878, she passed away in Old Catton, Norwich, and was buried at the Quaker Chapel in nearby Buxton Lamas, where Anna had family.

In Great Yarmouth, a woman once reported that she saw a strange apparition in the window of the birthplace of the Black Beauty author. According to the eyewitness, Professional psychic medium Freda Joy, a man with “period features” who may have been the sibling of author Anna Sewell can be seen in photos shot seconds apart. Joy stated: “I couldn’t believe what I saw.  I took the pictures within seconds apart and saw what looked like an image of man in the window.”

From this modest town house to a building spectacle, our path now takes us to the Hippodrome, Britain’s only surviving purpose-built circus, where sounds of joyful laughter mingle with shadows of the ghost of its flamboyant creator

Stop 4: The Hippodrome Circus, Where the Showman Goes On

The Great Yarmouth area has a long history of circuses, with travelling circuses appearing as early as 1815 and resident circuses from 1845.

(Image: Hippodrome Circus, Great Yarmouth. Souce: E.Holohan 2023)

The Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, built in 1903, is a landmark and Britain’s only surviving purpose-built circus building that still regularly hosts circus performances. Designed by Ralph Scott Cockrill, it features a unique, sinking ring that can be transformed into a pool for water spectacles. The Hippodrome was the inspiration of George Gilbert, a former circus performer who became a successful showman. The building’s facade features Art Nouveau details, including terracotta and brickwork.

The Hippodrome has hosted a variety of entertainment, including water shows, stage plays, cinema, and cine variety. During wartime, the Hippodrome was even used as a military practice shooting range.  The ghost of showman George Gilbert is also said to walk the upper balcony of the Hippodrome.

Peter Jay bought the building in 1979, restoring the circus floor that sinks into a water feature in 1981 when he presented his first show.  The Jay family continue to produce Circus Spectaculars four times a year, with Jack Jay as ringmaster and producer and Ben Jay as manager. The Hippodrome houses a collection of historical artifacts, props, and other circus memorabilia, curated by Peter Jay.

From the Hippodrome Circus, we make our way walking south on St George’s Road, turn left onto South Quay. Here we enjoy the scenic views along the quay.

Stop 5: A Stroll Along the South Quay

Take a stroll down the historic South Quay. It has been said that there were so many boats leaving Yarmouth in 1913 that you could cross the river from by leaping from one boat to another. The magnificent buildings along the river are a reminder of this port’s history. The Old Merchant’s House and the Great Yarmouth Row Houses are located just off South Quay.

The Rows were a network of winding alleyways where port workers lived.

(Image: The South Quay, circa 18th or 19th Century. Source: getarchive.net 2025)

The South Quay Elizabethan House has a reputation for being haunted. Some have called it a “hotbed of paranormal activity”. The Elizabethan House Museum is a historic 16th-century house, which showcases Elizabethan domestic life. It was constructed by affluent trader Benjamin Cowper in 1596, and when Cowper’s fortune grew, it was expanded in the early 1600s. In 1635, the mansion was bought by the town bailiff and local businessman, John Carter. Shortly before the Civil War, it developed as a meeting spot for Parliamentarians, most famously hosting a meeting in 1648 to discuss the future of King Charles I. John Carter’s sons, John and Nathaniel, inherited the house after his death in 1667 and remained there until their deaths in the early 1700s.

The house is said to have a history of paranormal events, including sightings of a ghostly woman, and reports of disembodied voices and unexplained noises The Elizabethan House is a popular location for ghost hunts and paranormal investigations due to its reputation as a haunted location.

As we continue west along the South Quay and head a little deeper through the side streets, we now encounter the Time and Tide Museum, located at 5 South Quay.

Stop 6: Time and Tide Museum

(Image: Reconstructed Victorian Row. Source: E.Holohan 2023)

The Time and Tide Museum is housed in one of the best-preserved Victorian herring curing facilities in the United Kingdom.

The Tower Fish Curing Works, which was first constructed in the mid 1800s and expanded in 1880, is now home to the Time and Tide Museum. The works finally closed their doors in 1988 and The Tower Fish Curing Works was acquired in 1998 with the goal of turning it into a museum. This museum now showcases the history of Great Yarmouth, its herring business and social history.

At this museum you can discover Great Yarmouth’s varied history, its rich maritime and fishing heritage and some of the fascinating characters who made their living from the sea. You can even wander through a reconstructed Victorian ‘Row’ and see inside a fisherman’s home. You can soak in the atmosphere of the 1950s quayside, and hear exciting tales of shipwrecks and gripping rescues.  The museum also contains some items of Fortean interest, such as the walking cane of Robert Hales, the East Somerton Giant.

Finally, we retrace our steps by walking north along South Quay, turning right onto St Nicholas Road and then heading back to the church.

And so, our walk comes full circle, to St Nicholas’ Church. In just a short wander through Great Yarmouth’s streets, we’ve uncovered tales of pirates and body snatchers, witches and mystics, circus ghosts and cannibal victims. This is a town where history and folklore blur, where the past is never quite at rest. Next time you stroll along these cobbles or pause by the quay, perhaps you’ll sense it too: the unseen layers of Great Yarmouth’s darker side.

(Image: The Spook Express, Joyland. Source: E.Holohan 2023)

Reference List

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My First Podcast Experience: Ghosts & Stories

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(Time Between Times. Image Credit: O.Staton and Spotify)

I’m thrilled to share that I recently had the incredible opportunity to join the captivating storyteller Owen Staton on his podcast, The Time Between Times. It was my first podcast interview, and we had a wonderful conversation about my writing, my obsession with the paranormal, and, of course, my all-time favourite Norfolk ghost story; the eerie tale of the Phantom Drummer Boy of Hickling Broad. Owen asked me why I chose this particular tale to be retold by the firepit. It’s more than just a ghost story to me; listen to the episode to find out why this eerie legend resonates so deeply.

Owen Staton is a master storyteller, so I couldn’t have asked for a better host to guide me through this fascinating chat. We covered everything from the origins of my interest in all things spooky and Fortean to my adventures around the UK and the Republic of Ireland in search of haunted places. I even had the chance to discuss my blog, Ghost Catcher Isles, which has been steadily growing in 2024, and my exciting plans for its future. I even shared a personal story about an unforgettable encounter that still gives me chills. You won’t want to miss this!

It was such a fun and thought-provoking conversation, and if you’re into ghost stories, the paranormal, or just love a good tale, this episode is one you won’t want to miss.

You can catch the full interview on Spotify or wherever you prefer to get your podcasts. Come listen, and let me know what you think—maybe we’ll share our own ghostly experiences together next time!

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Read All About It: Ghost Catcher Isles debut in Haunted Magazine, UK.

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I’m proud to see my debut article in Haunted Magazine, sharing the front cover with stars of Uncanny, Danny Robins and Chris French too. Exciting!

This article is also very special to me as it recounts one of my final excursions with my late mother Susan. My mum was very creative and loved to write fantasy fiction, but was still building up her confidence around her craft. She loved all things spooky, was a ‘believer’ and had had many an unexplained creepy encounter. I get my love of the paranormal from her. Sadly she passed away far too soon and unexpectedly last year. I wish she were here to read my debut article and I hope I’ve done her proud.

Please pick up a copy soon to read all about my adventures in search of witches and giants.

You can order your copy from

https://www.hauntedmagazineprintshop.com/

Drumbeats of the Past: Uncle Gerald’s Fateful Meeting with the Hickling Drummer Boy

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(Phantom Drummer. Image Source: Bing Image Creator)

My step-uncle Gerald lived in the village of Hickling, nestled in the heart of the Norfolk Broadlands. He was one of the few remaining reed cutters, a job with a long, proud tradition in the area but sadly dying out as fewer people needed thatch for their homes.

(Gerald Nudd 1940-1999. Artist unknown. Image Source: ©E.Holohan)

It was back in the mid-1990s that my step-uncle spent his day on Hickling Broad, the local body of water, slicing through reeds as the sun dipped below the horizon. One evening, the air grew cold and he witnessed a spectral figure gliding across the Broad.

(Hicking Broad, Norfolk. Image Source: John Fielding)

Now, being Hickling born and bred and from a family whose ancestry here stretched back as far as the Norse settlers, Gerald realised in horror that he was witnessing a local legend recreating its ethereal journey across the Broad.

Local folklore has it that during the winter of 1815, shortly before the battle of Waterloo, a local drummer boy from Potter Heigham returned home on leave. While back he fell passionately in love with a local girl from a wealthy and influential family. The girl’s father, knowing the drummer boy was poor, refused to allow the relationship and any thought of marriage.

Undeterred by this, the star-crossed lovers continued to meet in secret every night in a little hut at Swim Coots on the edge of Hickling Broad. When the winter turned icy and the Broad froze over, the drummer boy skated over the ice, wearing his bright yellow scarlet trimmed coat, and would beat his kettle drum to signal his approach.

(The view from Swim Coots Mill. Image Source: Bart Horeman cc-by-sa/2.0)

One frozen February evening the girl waited at Swim Coots as usual and listened out for the drum beat of her paramour. But this time the drum beat suddenly stopped and there was an eerie silence. The ice had cracked and the drummer boy had plunged through and drowned in the freezing waters of the Broad.

It is said that the girl rushed to the edge of the frozen Broad to find her lover and was relieved to see the shivering boy skating towards her. As she held out her hands to help him ashore, she felt his icy touch and the drummer boy disappeared.

The unfortunate drummer boy was not found for several days when a lifeless body was pulled from the Broad clad in a yellow coat with scarlet trim.

(Hickling Broad with Swim Coots marked. Image Source: Google Maps 2023)

Since then, it is said that on some cold winter nights in February, the eerie sound of a rhythmic drum tattoo and the swishing of skates can be heard, as the ghostly drummer boy tries to keep his date with his sweetheart.

After observing in shock the gliding figure, Gerald quickly downed his tools and fled back to the village where he decided to visit the Greyhound Inn for a stiff, nerve-settling drink. As Gerald recounted the haunting sight of the ghostly drummer boy to the sceptical pub patrons, the line between reality and spirits blurred. Was it the ethereal presence of the supernatural he witnessed, or a distorted vision fuelled by the spirits from his glass?

The locals in the pub dismissed his tale, attributing it to his well-known predilection for whisky. However, Gerald couldn’t shake the chilling memory, leaving him wondering if the haunting beats of the drummer boy would forever echo in his consciousness or fade away like the dissipating spirits in his empty whisky glass.

References

The Care Home Entity

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Photo by Pedro Figueras on Pexels.com

I’ve been interested in the paranormal since I was a child, even joining an amateur paranormal investigation team in Ireland for a year when I lived in Dublin, though remaining firmly in the ‘sceptic’ camp. The experiences I want to describe to you happened to my mother when I was around 13 years old and it is where my interest in the paranormal began.

My mum has worked as a care assistant and later in managerial roles in elderly people’s residential care homes in Norfolk for most of her adult life. She has had several unusual, creepy and unexplained experiences in several places, but the one that left its mark on her and me the most was in a care home in a busy touristic town on the Norfolk Broads. This care home was in a very old building that had once been part of a landed estate, and it comprised of gardens, a large house with multiple rooms and converted stables/sheds.

My mum worked as a relief assistant manager there for a period and part of the job required that she sleep over night. She had slept in different rooms in the main building before and had odd experiences; she had had her things moved and nightclothes folded and put on the bed on occasion and upon asking no staff had admitted to moving them. She said this room felt safe and friendly, like there was a friendly poltergeist there who wanted to be helpful. In one certain room, she had woken in the night to hear crying from the room above. Upon investigation, she was told that there was nobody in the room above. Although creepy, her experiences in these rooms did not leave her shaken and she was generally happy to sleep in them.

It was however, when my mum was required to sleep in the rooms in the converted stables/sheds that she had the experiences that left her shaken and scared. I remember seeing my mum when she returned from work the afternoon after her first night in that room and she looked awful. She looked exhausted and shaken up but would not tell me what had happened to her. It took her around 3 days for her to finally gain the strength to speak about it as she felt she would not be believed. I believe she experienced something in that room that she could not explain.

My mum told me that she had felt uncomfortable in that room from the first time she went in. She said it felt cold and unfriendly. On that first night she had finished up her tasks for the night and had gone to her room to settle in for the night. She said she had the bedside lamp on and was propped up in bed reading, which is her custom to help her relax before sleep. She said it felt cold in the room and she noticed something odd from over the top of her book. She said she saw a grey mist coalescing near the window and between the end of the bed. She felt frozen with fear and watched the mist grow until around 5ft in height, like figure. The mist seemed to shuffle towards her and this was more than enough for my mum and she told me she shot out of the bed and out of the room. She refused to return that night and slept as best she could in a chair in one of the lounges. She spoke to the night staff and they disclosed that other people had had strange experiences in that room.

Sadly, my mum had to return to that room as part of her job, so she decided she had to live with whatever was in the room. She said following that first incident she experienced knocking and banging on the door, but nobody there and staff confirming nobody had been to her room. She heard knocking and banging inside the room too, sometimes waking her up. She was so frightened she spoke to a local vicar about what to do and began sleeping with a Bible next to the bed and a glass of water to represent life.

Other relief assistant managers also had to slept in that room and at least 2 others disclosed that they had had experiences in there. One lady had felt what felt like someone get in bed beside her and somehow pass through her. Another had felt something pulling the duvet from the end of the bed.

My mum spoke to some locals who said that they believed an Italian prisoner of war had worked on the estate and had died in the stables. Could he still be there trying to get attention?

My mum said throughout the time she worked there she continued to experience things in that room, but they did calm after she spoke to it. She became so fed up with her sleep being disturbed and feeling afraid that she literally spoke to it, or at least to the room, telling it that she wasn’t there to harm it, she had to stay there for her job and if it ceased bothering her, she would not bother it. This seemed to calm things in there somewhat from then on and she was able to sleep with less disturbance.

The building there is no longer a care home for the elderly, but has a similar use, so she prefers to keep the place anonymous as she doesn’t want to cause alarm to anyone who stays there now. I wonder if the entity in that room and the spirits in the other rooms are still active?

Ghosts of the Roadside

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In many parts of the world people report encounters with the spirits and ghosts who roam motorways and lonely back-roads. These spirits seem to be looking for a way home or appear to be hitchhiking to the destination they were heading for when death cleaved them from this mortal coil. Other people claim to have seen ghostly cars that disappear as they reach a certain bend or area of a road. Some people even report phantom carriages being pulled by ghoulish horses and driven by spirits dressed in period clothing.

One such report is located in Wroxham in Norfolk, England. Here is the story of the witness:

“It was about 11.30pm and my friend and I were coming home from an evening out. We had not been drinking that night and my friend was driving. We had travelled down that road many times before and the traffic was light. As we drove down the road towards Wroxham we came through an area that had tall trees on each side. We were not driving very fast; about 30 -40 mph. It was then that we both saw two red tail lights up ahead of us on the side of the road. As we neared them we realised it was a van parked half on and half off the road. There was no traffic behind us, only a couple of cars coming towards us. They were at enough distance to pass the van safely.  My friend indicated and we pulled out to pass the van. The car coming towards us flashed its lights , which was silly because there was plenty of room, so we just dismissed it.

As we passed the van, we realised it was on the bank and the passenger side had hit a tree. The van doors were open and there was a man standing at the open drivers side door. The van was lit up inside and as we passed I noticed there was a big gouge in the hedge and a tree branch sticking out; its bark shaved off. One of the headlights of the van was broken too. There was no one else, there was nothing in the road or anything so we drove on.

We had not gone far, about 100- 150 yards, when we thought we had better go back and see if we could help. We pulled in and turned the car round and went back. When we arrived at the area we saw nothing. There was nothing there; no gouges in the bank, no van, no tree branch, nothing ! We drove on until we could turn round. We were both rather scared. We went back the way we had come, but at the spot where we saw the van crashed there was nothing. We drove home rather fast after that.

The next morning my friend went back with her husband and myself and there was nothing to be seen; no marks on the road or hedge, no broken branches, no pieces of broken headlight. Nothing. Later on when we discussed it thoroughly and concluded that the car that flashed its lights at us was doing so because, although my friend and I definitely saw the van, maybe he did not, which caused him to react as he thought we were overtaking nothing ! I have travelled that road over a hundred times since then, probably more, at all times of the night and day and I have never ever seen anything since.

My friend and I share the same birthday and the same year, so maybe that was why we both saw the same thing or maybe this caused us both to hallucinate the same thing at the same time…….but I dont think so.”

There are many other such tales from all across the world and it seems such places have often been the site for traumatic unexpected deaths, such as by car crash.  Perhaps one day these lost spirits will find their way to their destinations, or perhaps they will forever dwell along the lonely roads where they met their death.

Ouija Boards

/ ghostcatcherireland / 8 Comments

ouija

Ouija boards as we know them came into existence as a game in the mid-1800’s, when spiritualism and channeling were fashionable. Previous to this the first historical mention of something similar to a Ouija board is found in China at around 1100 B.C.[The word “Ouija” is a mix of the French and German words for “yes.” Adolphus Theodore Wagner first patented Ouija boards, or “talking boards,” in England in1854. In the patent, Wagner called his invention a “psychograph” and it was supposed to read people’s minds. By 1861, Frenchman, Allan Kardac, was describing the Ouija board as a tool with which to open communications with the spirit world.

Modern Ouija boards were then developed by inventor William Fuld, who sold his patent to Parker Brothers in 1966.  The Ouija boards sold by Parker Brothers consist of a rectangular game board that is covered with a woodcut-style alphabet, the words yes, no, and good-bye, and the numbers 0-9. Also included is a heart-shaped plastic planchette. The planchette is the ‘pointer’ that glides over the board under the direction of supernatural forces and form comments and questions by pointing them out.

Although marketted as a toy, there are people who believe they can be harmful. Some people believe that “evil demons” pretend to be cooperative ghosts in order to trick players into becoming spiritually possessed. Some Ouija board users claim to have had bad experiences related to their by being haunted by “demons,” seeing apparitions of spirits or hearing voices after using them. Some paranormal researchers claim that the majority of the worst cases of demon  harassment and possession are caused by the use of Ouija boards.

How does a Ouija Board work? Believers claim that humans are a channel through which the spirit can alter the world. Sceptics believe that it is all down to small and subconscious movements of the hand. This is known as the ‘ideomotor effect’. Some would also argue that mediums communicate on a deep near unconscious level so it is also likely that a spirit could direct the users of a Ouija Board in a similar manner.

Although I have never used a Ouija Board myself, my mother dabbled with them as a teenager. I would probably try using one once, but having been strongly warned off them by my mother, I would not want to make a habit of it. Here is an experience my mother once had with a Ouija Board:

“Many years ago when I was about 13, I used to go out with a lad from a local town. One evening we were in his bedroom with four other friends, and we decided to play with the Ouija Board. One of the other lads was against it and refused to take part, so he sat on a chair by the wardrobe and as we asked the spirits questions he took the mickey, saying we were pushing the glass etc.
We contacted a spirit whose name was Jack and he had been a sailor. The lad by the wardobe laughed and took the mickey again, saying he knew what sailors were like and making bad comments. My boyfriend and I were amazed by the contact and asked lots of questions of this Jack, but it became difficult because of my boyfriend’s mate taking the mickey. We began to lose track of what we had said and started to ask silly things. I think the spirit became annoyed because a moment later there was a loud bang and the lad by the wardrobe had blood trickling from the side of his mouth. Well, we got out of the room and ran downstairs like hell. Once we had calmed down in the kitchen the lad told us what had happened: the bang we had heard was his head going back and hitting the wardrobe. He said that something or someone had hit him in the face, hence the blood and the cut lip. Well it was not any of us that did it! To this day I will never forget it and the look on the lad’s face. We never played with the Ouija Board again in that house and my boyfriend burnt all the letters and the board. Very strange indeed.”

Ouija – By Sylvia Plath
It is a chilly god, a god of shades,
Rises to the glass from his black fathoms.
At the window, those unborn, those undone
Assemble with the frail paleness of moths,
An envious phosphorescence in their wings.
Vermillions, bronzes, colors of the sun
In the coal fire will not wholly console them.
Imagine their deep hunger, deep as the dark
For the blood-heat that would ruddlr or reclaim.
The glass mouth sucks blooh-heat from my forefinger.
The old god dribbles, in return, his words.

The old god, too, write aureate poetry
In tarnished modes, maundering among the wastes,
Fair chronicler of every foul declension.
Age, and ages of prose, have uncoiled
His talking whirlwind, abated his excessive temper
When words, like locusts, drummed the darkening air
And left the cobs to rattle, bitten clean.
Skies once wearing a blue, divine hauteur
Ravel above us, mistily descend,
Thickening with motes, to a marriage with the mire.

He hymns the rotten queen with saffron hair
Who has saltier aphrodisiacs
Than virgins’ tears. That bawdy queen of death,
Her wormy couriers aer at his bones.
Still he hymns juice of her, hot nectarine.
I see him, horny-skinned and tough, construe
What flinty pebbles and ploughable upturns
As ponderable tokens of her love.
He, godly, doddering, spells
No succinct Gabriel from the letters here
But floridly, his amorous nostalgias.