Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Whiteleaf Hill Burial Mound

An oval neolithic burial mound dating from 3,750-3,100 B.C. can be foun don Whiteleaf Hill. Within the mound was buried a single male. Animal bones and pottery shards found within indicate evidence of ceremonial feasting when the mound was constructed. It was first excavated by Sir Lindsay Scott in the 1930’s and the again by Oxford Archaeology between 2002 and 2006.

The Parish of St Andrew, Leyland

The Parish of St Andrew in Leyland dates from 1220, though it is thought a church has been on this site since the 12th Century. The church has had several alterations over the centuries, but what I want to concentrate on is the initial construction of the first church and the siting legends associated with it.

The Unbidden Guest

The following folktale entitled ‘The Unbidden Guest’ was published in ‘Goblin Tales of Lancashire’ by James Bowker (1878). ‘On a little lane leading from the town of Clitheroe there once lived a noted ‘cunning man,’ to whom all sorts of applications were made, not only by the residents, but also by people from distant places, for the fame of the wizard had spread over the whole country side.

Goring-by-Sea Dancing Ghost

The following article entitled ‘Ghostly Goring scared out of its wits’ was published in the Worthing Herald, on Tuesday 30 October 2007. It concerns a spree of ghost sightings in Goring-by-Sea at the end of the 1920’s. The article mentions that sightings took place around Goring Hall.

Th’ Skriker (Shrieker)

The following story entitled "Th’ Skriker (Shrieker)" was published in ‘Goblin Tales of Lancashire’ by James Bowker (1878).  ‘On a fine night, about the middle of December, many years ago, a sturdy-looking young fellow left Chipping for his cottage, three or four miles away, upon the banks of the Hodder.

Nogworth Cross

Only the base remains of The Nogworth Cross (aka Northwood Cross) which can be found beside a lane near Shay Lane and the Todmorden Road.  According to ‘A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6’ (1911), ‘In the Extwistle part, on the high moorland, are some tumuli and the sites of supposed British and Roman camps; there is another camp above Thursden.