Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Ancient Sites / Vampire

Berwick upon Tweed Vampire

This account of a haunting is considered to be one of the earliest possible accounts of a vampire in Britain. It was written by William Parvus, also known as William of Newburgh (or Newbury) (Born 1136 – Died 1198), an Augustinian Canon who wrote several accounts of haunting/potential vampire cases.

Haunted Pubs / Hauntings

George Inn, Newington

The George public house at 49 High Street is now closed and the building is now a private residence. This old 17th century inn is Grade II listed and had a reputation of being haunted by the ghost of a monk that was blamed for smashing glasses.

Devil / Legends

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Newington

The Grade I listed Church of St Mary the Virgin in Newington possibly dates from as early as 1163 and was built by Richard de Lucy. There is a Devil legend attached to the church relating to a stone that once stood on the corner of Church Lane but was moved to the church entrance in 1936.

Cryptozoology

The Beast Of Tunbridge Wells

The following article by Anthony Bond and entitled ‘The Beast of Tunbridge Wells: Terrified walker claims 8ft-tall creature with demonic red eyes and long arms roared at him in historic town’s woods’ appeared in the

Folklore

El Pipila

A poor Nahuatl Indian boy was born in the countryside near the city of San Luis Potosi in Guanjuato state sometime around the year 1790. The unfortunate child was born with hideous deformities which gave him a peculiar walk and ensured he was picked on by others in the community.

Folklore

Nun Pit, Newington

Many years ago a nunnery in Newington was the scene of a murder. The abbess was the victim and her staff were to blame. ‘About the end of the eleventh century, it is said, there were certain nuns at the manor of Newington, whose prioress was strangled in bed at night by her cook, and in consequence the King took the manor into his own hands and removed them to Sheppey.

Folklore

Nunfield Farm, Old House Lane

There is a story attached to Nunfield Farm that it is built on the site of an old nunnery/monastery and that a nun was bricked up alive there. This is mentioned as follows in ‘Some Notes on the Road from London to Canterbury in the Middle Ages’ (1898) Edited by Henry Littlehales.

Black Dogs / Folklore

The Black Dog, Little Eaton

Little Eaton in Derbyshire has a black dog legend. It is said that the large black animal was a working, hunting hound owned by the last squire of the village, which howled constantly for three days and nights as its master was dying. When the dog ceased howling, the household staff and the villagers knew that the squire had died.

Folklore

Drum Hill, Fuzhou

Drum Hill can be found on the northern bank of the Minjiang River, in the eastern suburbs of Fuzhou, Fujian Province. It is thought that it gets its name from a huge boulder, shaped like a drum that sits on the summit of the hill.