The Paranormal Database

Young Woman

Location: Burton upon Trent - Stapenhill Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 09 January 2016
Further Comments: Two witnesses walked past a pale young woman dressed in black. They turned to see if she was okay, but she had vanished.

Footsteps

Location: Burton upon Trent - Station Street, on the pavement outside the former Bass site (currently Coors)
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Late 1990s
Further Comments: This witness heard footsteps behind them, like someone walking in high heels. When they halted and turned around to see who was following them, the footsteps ceased, and no one could be seen.

Gorilla?

Location: Cannock - Cannock Chase Park
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Circa July 2008
Further Comments: A group of friends walking through the area in the early hours of the morning spotted a tall dark figure which quickly ducked down - one of the group approached the figure, only to hear it run off. Walking back towards their car, two of the group heard a roar which they believed sounded like a silver backed gorilla. One person also reported red eyes glaring at them from the bushes.

Shamblers

Location: Cannock - Castle Ring (Iron Age Hill Fort)
Type: Other
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: Strange dark figures that shamble across the mound have been sighted, as has at least one large black cat.

Charlie the Drunkard

Location: Cannock - Four Crosses Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2005
Further Comments: Local psychic Mystic Ed was called to the inn after several strange events, including the smashing of glasses and the fireplace igniting itself. Ed claimed that several spirits were at work; a nineteenth century drunk named Charlie, a middle-aged woman, a soldier, and the ghost of a young boy called Scotty.

Sir Hugh de Hatherton

Location: Cannock - Hatherton Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: This former lord of the manor has been named as the tall man dressed in a cloak that has been seen wandering the building, though never by a member of the family. A much older story alleges he once appeared at midnight in full armour, returning to take his skull which, at the time, was being used as a beer mug at a party.

Man with Greasy Black Hair

Location: Cannock - Private house along Laburnam Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: The ghost of a thirty year old man appeared dozens of times over a thirty year period, trying to climb into the beds of the teenagers in this house.

Wellington

Location: Cannock - Skies over private area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000, 22:00h
Further Comments: A man sitting in his living room at home heard an old fashioned aircraft approaching. The sound grew louder and louder, finally deafening and items within the house began to shake. The man went out to investigate, and found other people outside trying to spot the aircraft. Despite the weather being clear, no one could see the aircraft, although one old man was convinced that the sound was of a wellington bomber.

Lady Harriet

Location: Cannock Chase - Shugborough Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1980s
Further Comments: The former lady of the house, while never seen, makes her presence known by gently knocking on doors, and rustling her silken dress.

Fairies dance to the fiddle.

Dancing Folk

Location: Cauldon Low - Ribden Lowe (round barrow on top of a hill)
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Nineteenth century?
Further Comments: The round barrow on this site was home to a hundred or so dancing fairies (according to Mary Howitt), with nine harp players to provide music.

White Cattle with Red Ears

Location: Chartley - Chartley Castle
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Nineteenth century?
Further Comments: A legend says that the Ferrers family that lived here bred white cattle that had red ears - many thought they were fairy in nature. However, whenever one of the cows gave birth to a black calf, it heralded a death in the family.

A sketch of a phantom cowled figure by Wayne Lowden.

Abbot of Croxden

Location: Checkley - Checkley Church and churchyard
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1930s
Further Comments: A cowled figure that was seen standing at the altar of the church was also thought to haunt the churchyard, though he was felt and not seen whilst outside. The vicar, after observing the entity, thought it could be the Abbot of Croxden who was buried within the building.

Mrs Hutchinson

Location: Checkley - Checkley Rectory (New building), and the Hutchinson school
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1966 onwards
Further Comments: Mrs Hutchinson, former wife of a Vicar who she outlived by twenty years, has been seen walking the building where she once lived accompanied by her dog. Dressed in an old black dress, the ghost has also been heard to call people's names and knock on the front door. The school that was named after her husband also reportedly harbours the entity.

Horse and Cart

Location: Clayton - Aynsley Avenue
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: August 2009
Further Comments: Walking his dog one early morning, a man watched a horse and cart appear from nowhere. The man was frozen to the spot. The cart was driven by a weathered man, and appeared quite solid, although old fashioned. After the cart had passed the witness, he composed himself and turned to follow the vehicle, but it had vanished.

Raining Shells

Location: Dilhorne - All over village
Type: Other
Date / Time: 22 March 1983
Further Comments: A freak storm rained down a barrage of tiny shells on this village.

Man in Grey

Location: Drayton Bassett - Drayton Manor
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1999
Further Comments: Former security guard Richard Kingstone claimed that he and another guard encountered a man in a long grey coat while patrolling the park. As they approached the figure, they realised that it was not human - it was brown and hairy with no face and leapt at the two men. One tried to hit it with a torch, but the object passed straight through the figure. Kingstone also reported that guards could also hear footsteps running around and the noise of horses.

Red Socks

Location: Eccleshall - Broughton Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The nickname given to the ghost of a young boy, Red Socks was killed by parliamentarian troops during the Civil War. He has been seen standing in the Long Gallery and has been mistaken for a real person.

A man in Tudor dress passes along the road.

Tudor Man

Location: Eccleshall - 'Ghost Mile' Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A piece of road near Eccleshall is so named by locals as several paranormal events have occurred there. This includes a man dressed in Tudor clothing being seen walking along it, and another figure that stepped out in front of an incoming car - the driver swore that he'd hit someone, but the figure vanished. A phantom coach may also haunt the area.

Suicidal Lycanthrope

Location: Eccleshall - Village crossroads
Type: Werewolf
Date / Time: April 1975
Further Comments: Andrew, a teenager from the village, was found dead at the crossroads having killed himself with a penknife. One of his friends reported that Andrew had called him just before midnight, saying that his skin was changing and that he was turning into a wolf.

Sword Play

Location: Eccleshall - Ye Olde London House, High Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1993 / 1994
Further Comments: A former occupier of this establishment reported a couple of strange events which occurs during his 18 months here. He and his wife were awoken by the sounds of two armoured men having a sword fight - the skirmish occurred for around thirty five seconds before ceasing. The couple's son and a friend were scared after they felt the building shake and the sound of a canon being fired, although others in the location heard nothing.

Metamorphic Mist

Location: Elford - Elford Rectory (currently a private house)
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1877
Further Comments: A friend of the Rector reported watching a patch of mist gather in a corridor, which then formed into a figure. The misty head turned and faced the witness before dissipating.

Misty Figure

Location: Elford - Local church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 20 January 2006
Further Comments: A misty figure appeared in front of two witnesses out walking a dog. The misty dissipated as they approached but reformed a few minutes later further down the lane.

Dick the Devil

Location: Ettingshall - Mine (exact location not known)
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Circa 1800
Further Comments: Dick the Devil was the nickname given to a miner who worked alone at night, capable of digging up more coal than any other man. When a curious miner looked to see how Dick could work so hard, he observed the man smoking a pipe while several knockers (mine spirits) worked away around him. The observing man gasped and ran off; the knockers enraged at being seen turned on Dick and killed him.

Headless Horseman

Location: Farley - Road between Farley and Alton
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Riding a white horse and donned in a full suit of armour, his knight can also be recognised by his lack of head.

Tail End Charlie

Location: Fradley - Former RAF Lichfield
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: The headless rear gunner that haunts this area accidently walked into the propellers of a Lancaster.