M.J. Wayland's Blog, page 6

Frightened to Death – by Ghosts

Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Mitchell may seem fairly unremarkable names, however both of them died of fright after encounters with ghosts. In my book “Real Christmas Ghost Stories” I researched not traditional stories of Christmas hauntings but stories that took place around Christmas time. One of the real stories in my book took place just a few days before Christmas 1856, when Robert Mitchell (aged 15) visited two friends at a farmhouse near Alfreton, Derbyshire. As the night became late the discussion turned to ghosts and particularly the hauntings of the farm. Quite scared of the stories, Mitchell unknowing that his two friends were about to play a trick that would cost him his life, left the house to walk home in the winter’s dark. After leaving the farmhouse, one of Mitchell’s friend dressed in a white cloth “appeared” in the lane ahead. As Mitchell approached the ‘ghost’ his friend gave out a groan and then ran off. The inquest reported, “He (Mitchell) was all of a tremble, looked white, and stared wildly and on being interrogated by his father related what had occurred, though he did not believe it to be Percival (his friend) and he could not remember […]

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Portrait of a Spring Heeled Jack Hoaxer

Much has been written about the exploits of Spring Heeled Jack’s attacks in England. Each time an article appears regarding Jack, the author will always try to conclude with the identity of the hoaxer, but I believe there were many hoaxers inspired by the London appearances from 1838 onwards. My investigations have delivered to me not just one hoaxer, but maybe ten or even twenty, each hoaxing their local areas. One man though has carried the stigma of the Spring Heeled Jack hoax since 1837, Henry de la Poer Beresford, 2nd Marquess of Waterford. Throughout his days through Eton and Oxford, he was known as a notorious prankster as well as a keen boxer and oarsmen. Legend claims that Henry asked a local railway company if he could watch to locomotives crash – at his own expense! In 1837, after a winning day at the races he literally painted a town red including windows, doors and a hapless watchman. Henry and his associates were duly find £100 for his activities. The Marquess continued his japes until the end of life even though they could be cruel and offensive. One serious encounter occurred when Waterford visited the Blackheath Fair in 1837. […]

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Loxley Moorland Mystery

An article found in Sheffield Central Library from 1912 details a mystery that is now two hundred years old. It held a number of tiny Sheffield hamlets spellbound with a tale of mysterious footprints, a murdered wife and a haunted cottage. Here is a reprint of the article, in its original format and grammar. “The sun had set full early that day, and storm clouds lowered. At the lonely cottage on Loxley Common on the outskirts of Sheffield, a young mother watched over her sleeping child while listening eagerly for the footsteps of her husband, who ought to have been home long before that. It was a weary vigil, the monotony of which was only relieved by a caller from the hillside. The Loxley Moorland Mystery Struggling fitfully, the moon endeavoured to pierce the heavy snow laden clouds, but the storm king prevailed. A wanderer from Worral to Loxley casually sought shelter from the wintry blast, and here the storm was at it height, the two visitors left the mother alone with her child, while the wind bowled more furiously than ever outside. It was on the eve of New Year’s Day, just over a century ago. (1812) When morning […]

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The Ice Saints

“The Others are as dead as the children of the forest , gone eight thousand years. Maester Luwin will tell you they never lived at all. No living man has ever seen one.” Eddard Stark, Game of Thrones From an early age I have been interested in the “Ice Saints” – several canonized folk across Europe.  As a young child I read that the “Ice Saints” included St Matthias (celebration day 24th February), St Prisca and St Agnes (18th and 21st January).  My interest is the Ice Saints relates to some of the weather lore attached to them, the most well known being “What Agnes and Paul don’t bring, (21st and 25th Jan), Mildred and Matthias (20th and 24th February) will.” This year, with its coldest March in fifty years seems to back up this quaint weather saying, on the 25th January we had a very warm day (and weekend) and for the last three weeks we have had unusually single figure temperatures. Maybe the Ice Saints are correct! The Ice Saints on the European continent relate to a different set of saints mainly St. Mamertus, St. Pancras, and St. Servatius, they are named “Ice Saints” as their days fall […]

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Warwick Castle Ghosts – A Re-evaluation

Year One continues to provide an insight into Britain’s hauntings, and ultimately raises questions about the origins of many of our best loved ghosts. Recently I have turned my focus on to Warwick Castle Ghosts, ‘famously’ haunted and the scene of many contemporary ghost hunts.  Warwick Castle is quite unique in that its oldest ghost story is a remnant of Warwickshire folklore, the story concerns the slaughtering of a gigantic cow called the “Dun Cow” by Guy of Warwick.  Undoubtedly Guy didn’t exist and was probably an enhancement of a previous Saint legend for the thirteen hundreds. This didn’t stop a character from folklore haunting this prestigious castle. In 1926, the Nottingham Evening Post investigated Warwick Castle and its claims that it was haunted by three ghosts.  After interviewing the family of the Earl of Warwick, they detailed some of its incredible hauntings. Warwick Castle which at one time claimed the title of being the oldest inhabited castle in England, had been let to an American, Henry Marsh from 1914 to 1926 after the Earl experienced money troubles.  Interestingly Henry also leased another paranormally linked house – Knebworth House. The Evening Post describes Warwick Castle’s hauntings, “The most famous that […]

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Relics of Mary, Queen of Scots

In 1869 Queen Victoria accepted a bequest from the 8th Lord Belhaven which contained various items belonging to Mary Queen of Scots. Using the Caledonian Railway, the Queen asked for the item to be sent direct to her at Windsor Castle. The list of relics shipped to her by Mr Matheson, from the “Board of Works” include: A cabinet made of ebony, richly ornamented in front with designs in tortoiseshell, height 5ft 2in, width 4ft 2in, depth 1ft 9in. The front opens with folding doors, in the centre there are two small folding doors, which on being opened reveal a small recess, with tessellated pavement and roof with side mirrors. This cabinet was brought this cabinet with her from France on her return to Scotland after being made a widow when her husband King Frances II of France died. The cabinet was presented to the Earl of Mar, afterwards the Earl made a gift of it to his favourite granddaughter, who married on of the ancestors of Lord Belhaven. The item can now be found in the Royal Collection – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/col... The next relic was a purse made with Queen Mary’s own hands. Beautifully wrought with a crown, sceptre and […]

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Fields of Whitechapel

There are indications that from it's early establishment Whitechapel was always going to be the place where Jack the Ripper would strike and weirdness would ensue.

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Miners refuse to work in haunted mine

In 1902 the Yorkshire Evening Post reported from Glyncorrwg Colliery near Port Talbot in Glamorganshire after miners went on strike due to the appearance of a ghost. In July 1902 over three hundred miners refused to descend the mine after some of the miners reported the extraordinary story of witnessing the ghostly figure of a woman waving a lighted lamp in the tunnels.  Some of the miners claimed to have heard a woman’s screams and others heard blood-curdling cries for help and sounds of a rock fall, and seen flashes of light. The Yorkshire Evening Post published, “They are convinced that the mine is haunted, and nothing will at present induce them to go down.  At the least the strange sights and sounds said to have been heard are believed to presage some impending disaster..The danger of an inrush of water from an abandoned mine adjoining is hinted at.” As of yet I cannot find if the miners returned (which is likely) and what encouraged them to return. Keep posted!

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A Braybrooke Ghost Story

A tiny village near Market Harborough was the focus of many ghost hunters in 1933 after a series of sightings hit the local and national headlines. Reputedly haunted by three ghosts, a knight in armour, a grey lady and a black dog, Braybrooke was the focus of spiritualists and ghost hunters after the appearance of a figure in white in the churchyard of All Saints church.  Over the weekend of 16/17th September large groups of people gathered with the hope of witnessing the ghost, however they were met with disappointment as well as unexpected diversion. At midnight forty people gathered in the small churchyard waiting for the ghost, however most of them bolted when a figure in white appeared behind a gravestone.   As the scared ghost hunters ran for their lives, the ghost gave its identity away when peals of laughter were heard and it shouted, “come back!” Within minutes the hoaxer was unmasked and severely admonished, and I am sure like many ghost hoaxers of the time, narrowly missed a beating from the mob.

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The Ghost Plane of Wetwang

For years, the mystery of the ghost bomber has been part of the folklore of the district. On starless nights, sightings of the fuzzy image of a World War II Halifax aeroplane would frequently be reported in the skies above the remote East Yorkshire village of Wetwang. With no other explanation to hand, locals speculated that the area might be haunted by some tragic pilot who perished in an act of wartime heroism. The legend of the ghost bomber spread, until an aviation buff in the neighbouring village of Fridaythorpe admitted: ‘Er, sorry – but it’s probably all my fault.’ Richard Triner’s hobby is sketching. His favourite subjects are old airplanes and occasionally, to give inspiration, he projects a picture of an old bomber on to the night sky. The 52-year-old former RAF personnel officer began his night-time projections when he moved to the area seven years ago. It was at that time that the first sightings of a mystery four engined wartime bomber in RAF colours were reported. He carried on, unaware of the stir he was creating five miles away in Wetwang. ‘All the local newspapers carried stories but for some reason I didn’t see them,’ a sheepish […]

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