Haunted Isles -in the company of spirits

On 1st October, 2001 Barry Cooke and a friend were driving from Audlem, Cheshire, along  the Audlem Road towards Corbrook Court near Hankelow when they saw what they later believed to be a road ghost. It was at around 12.30am that Barry and his friend saw a man standing in the road who they thought was "a bit strange looking", the man bent down and stared into the car as they went past then vanished from sight. He didn't show up in the car mirrors and subsequent investigation by Barry led him to believe that they may have witnessed a haunting as there didn't seem to be anywhere the man could have gone so quickly. The really strange think about this suspected haunting is that exactly one year later on October 1st 2002 Barry Cooke was once again travelling along the Audlem Road when he saw the "strange looking" man.  Barry did make an appeal via a Warrington website to try and find out more about this apparition  but whether or not anyone else had ...

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! Just do the following: • Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! " He said, "Sometimes the barrier between the physical and non-physical worlds break down. When this occurs we are able to see what is going on on the other side." Mr. Dale Keeps Ghosts by  Athalstan Jones from  True Ghost Stories of The British Isles ISBN 13: 978-0-753711-17-0  PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT  with the link to your own  Teaser Tuesdays  post

On September 30th the body of the fourth victim of Jack the Ripper, Catherine Eddowes, was discovered at 1.45am on the corner of Mitre Square by PC Watkins. Catherine had only been released from Bishopsgate Police Station at 1am that night having been held for being drunk and disorderly, had the police kept her until morning she probably wouldn't have met such a grisly end. It's said that the ghost of Catherine Eddowes body can be seen lying in Mitre Square on the anniversary of her death. With her throat cut, her face mutilated and her intestines pulled out and placed over her shoulder the ghost of Catherine Eddowes must be a horrific sight. Image: Via Wikimedia Commons   This image (or other media file) is in the  public domain  because its copyright has  expired .

The official start to Autumn is 23rd September and it is during the Autumn season that the ghostly goings on at Hinxworth Place, Herftfordshire are most prevalent. This medieval manor house dates from 1390 so the fact that it is haunted should come as no surprise. At one time in its' long history it was home to Cistercian monks from the Northampton monastery of Pipewell and it may well be one of these monks who was unfortunate enough to be bricked up in the walls of the house. In the 1800's Robert Clutterbuck, author of  "The History and Antiquities of  the County of Hertford" reported seeing the ghost of a monk at Hinxworth Place. Apparently there used to be a plaque dating from 1770 which said "This is the place where a monk was buried alive in the wall. His cries can sometimes be heard at midnight." Sadly the plaque couldn't be found in the 1940's when major renovation work took place on Hinxworth Place. Hinxworth's most famous ...

On the 24th August 1669 Janet Dalrymple, daughter of Sir James Dalrymple, married David Dunbar, heir of Sir David Dunbar of Baldoon. The events that followed were later to inspire Sir Walter Scott when he wrote The Bride of Lammermoor . Janet and David's marriage wasn't a love match but an arranged marriage and Janet, being in love with Archibald , third Lord Rutherford, had told her brothers that she didn't want to be with David. No one is actually sure what happened on the wedding night as neither party ever spoke about it but as Sir Walter Scott describes in his Bride of Lammermoor book:   “The door of the bridal chamber was broken down after hideous shrieks were heard from within and the bridegroom was found lying across the threshold, dreadfully wounded and streaming with blood. The bride crouched in a chimney corner, her white nightgown splashed with blood, grinning and muttering and quite insane.” Some say that the devil had entered the bridal chamber...

On the 13th September 1645, following the aftermath of the Battle of Philiphaugh , over 100 Irish foot soldiers, who had surrendered on the promise of quarter, and some 300 of the Marquis of Montrose 's army camp followers, mainly women and children, were massacred by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie. Once a year, on the 13th September the cries of the men, women and children who were slaughtered can be heard about 3 miles from Selkirk at the ruined tower house known as Newark Castle. It was in a field known as Slain Mens Lea that human remains, believed to be the victims of the massacre, were found in 1810. Image:  © Copyright  Walter Baxter  and licensed for  reuse  under this  Creative Commons Licence . Other September hauntings: Ghost of King Edward II Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire The Grenadier Pub, Wilton Row, London The Ghost of Annie Chapman, a September Haunting The ghost of Amy Robsart wife of Sir Robert Dudley, a Septem...

The ghosts of the Lost Legion, the Roman Ninth Hispana Legion have been heard marching through Dunblane, Perthshire during the month of September. Author A.C. McKerracher tells how in 1974 he heard voices, the jingle of weapons and armour, what he believed to be the sound of thousands of marching men on a September night in Dunblane. He later learned that a neighbour's dog and cat had awakened with raised hackles a the same time as he was hearing the marching army. Research led McKerracher to the conclusion that he had heard the ghosts of the Ninth Legion marching North to subdue the Caledonian tribes. Legend tells the the IX Hispana Legion marched into Scotland around 117A.D. and were never heard of again, the Lost Legion. Dunblane certainly has a Roman history, the remains of three Roman camps, a signal station and traces of the Roman North Road can all be found in the parish and the remains of one of the best preserved Roman military earthworks can be found just a fe...

The ghost of Sarah Preston, who was blamed for spreading the plague that resulted in over 400 deaths in Boston, is a recurring ghost that is said to be more active during the month of September. Sarah lived in a cottage in the shadow of St Botolphs church in the Lincolnshire town of Boston, the principal port of England in medieval times, and it here, in her husband's absence, that she entertained a sailor  who, unbeknown to Sarah, was carrying the plague. Guilt stricken, Sarah Preston climbed the 365 steps to the top of St Botolph's tower, known as Boston Stump, and committed suicide by leaping from the top. Sarah's ghost has been seen to jump from the top of the tower only to disappear before touching the ground. Image: Immanuel Giel via Wikimedia Commons Other September hauntings: Ghost of King Edward II Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire The Grenadier Pub, Wilton Row, London The Ghost of Annie Chapman, a September Haunting The ghost of Amy Robsart wife of Sir...

The death of Amy Robsart on the 8th September 1560 is an Elizabethan mystery that has caused controversy and speculation for over 450 years with historians still debating whether it was accident, suicide or murder. And if it was murder who ordered the deed? Amy was the wife of Robert Dudley, Master of the Queen's Horse, the future Earl of Leicester. As the favourite of Queen Elizabeth I Dudley spent most of his time at court, he hadn't seen his wife, who may have been suffering from breast cancer, for sometime when she met her demise. On 8th September Amy insisted that her servants attended Abingdon Fair leaving her alone at Cumnor Place, they returned to find her dead from head injuries and a broken neck. She appeared to have fallen down the stairs. The inquest at the time ruled the death as accidental but suspicion remained that she may have been killed on the orders of her husband who many believed  hoped to marry Queen Elizabeth. Amy Robsart 's ghost is reput...

Annie Chapman was the second victim of Jack the Ripper. Last seen alive in Hanbury Street talking to a man at around 5.30am on the morning of 8th September 1888 her mutilated body was found at 6am. Number 29 Hanbury Street, where the body was found, no longer exists and the Old Trueman Brewery occupies the site. There have been old reports of dropping temperatures and cold spots in the brewery boardroom at 6am on the 8th Septemeber and apparently the headless ghost of  Annie Chapman was occasionally seen standing in the storeroom built on the site where her body was found. Image:this image (or other media file) is in the  public domain  because its copyright has  expired . Other September hauntings: Ghost of King Edward II Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire The Grenadier Pub, Wilton Row, London The ghost of Amy Robsart wife of Sir Robert Dudley, a September Haunting

"Ghost hunting is not an easy job. It calls for a thorough grounding in both normal and abnormal psychology. The principles of physics, chemistry, photography and sleight of hand must all be known to the researcher. He must be free from superstition and a good judge of human nature. Perhaps most important of all, he must be as eager to disprove as he is to prove the existence of the supernatural; and wherever he encounters charlatanism he must be prepared to denounce it." Athalstan Jones from Mr. Dale Keeps Ghosts

If you're interested in the supernatural September is the time to visit The Grenadier Pub, 18 Wilton Row, Belgrave Square, London. It was once an officer's mess said to have been frequented by the Duke of Wellington and even George V and it's during the month of September that the paranormal activity increases. Items are moved, chairs and tables rattled, footsteps and voices heard, cold spots develop, people are pushed and a ghostly figure which vanishes suddenly has been observed. Cedric, as bar staff and customers have named the ghost, is believed to be the ghost of a soldier caught cheating at cards, beaten by his fellow card players as punishment who subsequently died as a result of his injuries. Due to the increase in ghostly activities during the month if September it is assumed that this is the month he died in. It's said that a film crew once captured a photograph of a ghostly soldier looking into The Grenadier and that one unfortunate customer, a Chief...

King Edward II died on this day, 21st September 1327 at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire. Edward II had been imprisoned in Berkeley Castle having been forced to abdicate the throne in favour of his son Edward III following a rebellion led by his wife Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer. It is unclear as to what sort of conditions Edward II was kept in, written records from the time show luxury goods having been purchased for him. But, legend suggests that he was kept in a windowless cell in Berkeley Castle next to a dungeon where the rotting carcasses of animals, and people, were thrown.  Legend also states that he was murdered in the most horrific manner "a red-hot spit was run up his bowels" Edward II's screams are said to still be heard at Berkeley Castle each year on the anniversary of his death. Image: i n the  public domain  because its copyright has  expired . via Wikimedia Commons Other September hauntings: The Grenadier Pub, Wilton Row, Lond...

Castle Lodge Ludlow is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of Catherine of Aragon who lived in Ludlow briefly following her marriage to Arthur Prince of Wales until shortly after his death in 1502. The Queen's House, Tower of London is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of Anne Boleyn who stayed in the Tower's Queen's House prior to her coronation in 1533 and prior to her execution in 1536. Yet neither building existed during the lifetime of Catherine or Anne as it does in the present day. Castle Lodge was actually built sometime after 1571 when it was leased to Thomas Sackford, it was described in 1587 as "a fayre house of Maister Sackford which he did bylde" it does however have a stone doorway and medieval moudings that may be from an earlier house on the site. The Tower of London's Queen's House isn't even on the same site as the Queen's House that Anne Boleyn stayed in, that was demolished in the eighteenth century. The current...

The Feathers Hotel is one of some 500 listed buildings in Ludlow Shropshire according to the www it is one of the best known. It's also one of the most haunted! If you're female and don't want to be disturbed in the night make sure you're not in room 211 or you might find yourself dragged out of bed. One young woman reported being dragged out of bed by the hair and having water poured over her. Meanwhile her male partner was only subjected to having his face gently stroked. What do you think? A jealous ghost? Rooms 232 and 233 are also said to be haunted, a Victorian gentleman walks his dog through room 232 to room 233 where he then disappears. There's also a very unusual "living ghost" that appears in the street outside The Feathers, a young lady is seen walking through the parked cars before vanishing, she is only seen by men! A local researcher actually thinks that they have tracked down the source of this "living ghost", a woman who...