Spittal Hill, Freiston

Thought to be the site of monks hospital, Spittal Hill can be found at the end of Fox Hole Lane on the A52 and it has a repution of being the haunt of a shag-foal.

The following is taken from County Folk-Lore by Gutch and Peacock (1908), who stated their source was The History and Antiquities of Boston in the County of Lincoln, by Pishey Thompson(1856).’There is a curious superstition relative to a place in the parish of Freiston called Spittal Hill (from a hospital which was formerly there), that a hobgoblin or sprite frequents the spot at midnight in the shape of a small rough horse. This sprite has been named the ‘ Spittal Hill tut ‘ and sometimes the shag-foal. It is said to have frequently followed a traveller, mounted his horse behind him, and almost hugged him to death with its forelegs. It accompanies him to a certain distance and then vanishes. Different causes are assigned for this appearance by those who believe in it. One is, that a murder was committed near the spot where the ‘shag-foal’ appears, another, that a treasure is secreted there, and that this hobgoblin is appointed to watch over and protect it.’