Boggart Hole Clough

The clough was in former times, said to be haunted by a boggart, and there are a number of stories attached to it. Some of these tales probably became attached to the area after they had been written about other similar boggart infested places.

The tale that is most often told about it mentions a Boggart infested farm, which became so haunted that the farmer and his family were forced to leave. As he was passing his neighbours house with a loaded cart his neighbour asked if they were leaving, the farmer replied "Aye we're flitting" only to have the words repeated out of thin air. The farmer, realising that the boggart was following them had no choice but to return to the house.

Jennifer Westwood in her book Albion suggests that the story originated in a book by Croften Croker (Fairy legends) who tells the same story about an Irish Leprechaun. Croker gave the story to J. Roby who included it about Boggart Hole Clough in his book Lancashire Traditions, probably to have a good story to go with the name of Boggart Hole.