Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Monthly Archive: September 2012

Hauntings

Shorth Heath

Roy Palmer in his ‘The Folklore Of Warwickshire (1976)’ refers to the following haunting case in he West Midlands, though I have not been able to discover any further details. ‘People living in a house at Short Heath, Birmingham, have heard a noisy ghost, thought to be female, banging about and leaving the smell of perfume behind her.’

Anniversary Ghosts / Apparitions / Folklore / Hauntings

Ilmington Hunter

In ‘The Folklore Of Warwickshire’ (1976) Roy Palmer mentions the following tale of an Ilmington man, who, ‘with a pack of harriers became obsessed with hunting to the exclusion of everything else, including attendance at church. One night he went out to his hounds when they were howling, but they did not recognise him, and tore him to pieces.

Other Mysteries

Ambrose Bierce Disappearance

I love reading horror stories and one of my favourite writers was Ambrose Bierce. As a Mexican-American I’ve always been very intrigued by him because Bierce (an American writer) disappeared mysteriously in Mexico in 1913. I have written a little about his disappearance below.

Apparitions / Hauntings

Lawford Hall, Little Lawford

Lawford Hall near Long Lawford no longer exists and on the site of this building can now be found Hall Farm. Lawford Hall had a reputation of being haunted and the following account of this ghost appeared in ‘The Folklore Of Warwickshire’ (1976) by Roy Palmer. ‘The Boughton family lived at Lawford Hall, which stood not far from the Avon at Little Lawford, near Rugby.

Apparitions / Hauntings

A428 Ghost

According to ‘The Folklore Of Warwickshire’ (1976) by Roy Palmer, ‘Drivers on the Coventry-Rugby road have been terrified at the approach of a lorry on the wrong side of the road. At the last spit-second, when a head-on collision seems inevitable, the lorry proves to be a phantom, and vanishes.’ 

I am unsure where exactly on the A428 the phantom lorry has been seen.

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Folklore / Hauntings

Old Flam

Any unexplained noise was supposed to be caused by ‘the ghost of old Flam’ — apparently a harmless spectre, but no one seems to know who he was.
[The Folklore Of Warwickshire (1976) by Roy Palmer]

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English Fairies / Fairies / Folklore

Dobbin

Dobbin were lazy creatures who would attach themselves to a particular farm. In times of trouble they sometimes exerted themselves on behalf of the family.
[The Folklore Of Warwickshire (1976) by Roy Palmer]

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English Fairies / Fairies / Folklore

Flibbertigibbet

The flibbertigibbet was a night demon who ‘mopped and mowed’ between the ringing of the curfew bell and the crowing of the first cock, with the object of terrifying young women.
[The Folklore Of Warwickshire (1976) by Roy Palmer]

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English Fairies / Fairies / Festivals / Folklore / November

Cobs And Knops

Cobs and knops were hobgoblins, much feared. They were originally demon horses, and it is clear that belief in them remained strong in Warwickshire, for in parts of the county on All Souls’ Day (2nd November) those brave enough went out carrying a simulated horse’s head covered with a sheet to frighten the timid.
[The Folklore Of Warwickshire (1976) by Roy Palmer]