Mysterious Britain & Ireland

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Oilliphéist

In ‘Irish Myths and Legends’ by Ronan Coghlan, we are told that Oilliphéist, is an Irish word meaning ‘dragon’ or ‘great worm’, and that ‘a creature of this sort, hearing that Saint Patrick was coming to drive out its kind, cuts its way through the land, thus forming the River Shannon.’ The Shannon is 224 miles long and the is Ireland’s longe

The Abbey Inn, Newlay

The Abbey Inn at 99 Pollard Lane has been described as one of Leeds most Haunted pubs. Dating from the mid 19th century, the Inn was also been used as a mortuary until the 1950s, which may explain to some why it seems to have numerous ghosts.

A38 Big Cat (2001)

On Wednesday, 22 August, 2001 the BBC News website published the following article entitled ‘Lioness’ spotted by motorists’

Motorists at a Somerset petrol station raised the alarm when they spotted a "big cat" in an adjoining field.

The New Inn, Gloucester

Dating from the mid 15th century, The New Inn is a Grade I listed building that originally served as hostelry for St Peter’s Abbey. In 1553 Lady Jane Grey (Born 1536 – Died 12 February 1554) was staying here when King Edward VI died. It was here that she was proclaimed Queen, a reign that lasted 9 days.

Mr William’s Experience (1812), Scorrier House

On 11th May 1812, Spencer Perceval (Born 1 November 1762) was shot and killed by John Bellingham, making him the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated in office. There is a story that this assassination was foreseen in a dream by Mr Williams of Scorrier House in Redruth, Cornwall.

Guy Fawkes Night Tar Barrels, Ottery St Mary

There is a tradition dating back to the 17th century in Ottery St Mary, where tar soaked barrels lighted and carried through the Devonshire town. Only those who are born and lived within the town are eligible to carry one of the seventeen barrels which begin their journey from outside the local pubs.

Rev Joseph Wilkins Experience

The following account of a strange experience by a young Joseph Wilkins in 1754 is taken from ‘The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain’ (1897) by John Ingram though the case has also been mentioned in several books including ‘Phantasms of the Living’ edited by Edmund Gurney, Frederic William Henry Myers and Frank Podmore.