The Paranormal Database

Mary Hollingworth

Location: Mottram - Roe Cross Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: Seen near the four hundred year old fireplace, the ghost of old Mary wearing a long dress is reportedly quite harmless.

Not a Horse

Location: Mugginton - The Halter Devil Chapel
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Chapel still stands
Further Comments: A drunken farmer told his wife he intended to ride to nearby Derby, even if he had to ride on the Devil's back to do it. He then tried to place a saddle on his horse's back, only to find the creature had horns. The farmer ran back to his wife, gave up drinking, and soon built the chapel to thank the Lord for his lucky escape. No one ever had the heart to tell him he had tried to saddle a bull.

Icy Hand

Location: Nether Padley - Private residence near Grindleford Station
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1985
Further Comments: A visitor to this property felt an icy hand grab their arm. The family dog would not go near the room where it occurred.

Large White Face

Location: Newbold - Highfield Park
Type: Other
Date / Time: Summer 2014
Further Comments: A dog walker in this park became aware of something the size of a beach ball growing a few dozen metres away. The ball continued to grow before it dashed forwards and expanded into a large white face with wide mouth and eyes which then vanished. Both walker and dog refused to return to the park for several months after the event.

Footsteps

Location: Newbold - Nag's Head public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1960
Further Comments: Heard by the landlord and his family, these phantom footsteps were described as quick and heavy.

Lady

Location: Ockbrook - Churchyard and surrounding area
Type: Other
Date / Time: October / November 1889
Further Comments: A female figure would pop up on lonely spots, upsetting some of the locals. She appeared in the churchyard before running off; a villager and a policeman gave chase, catching up with the 'ghost' who was revealed to be a local woman who claimed she had been searching for her father's grave.

Road Block

Location: Offerton - Road to village from Shatton
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre-twentieth century
Further Comments: A traveller along this road reported that his path was blocked by a Boggart, which refused to allow him to pass. Frightened, the man returned the way he came.

Grey Lady

Location: Old Glossop - All Saint's Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This tall, slim female figure is thought to be the wife of a former vicar based here.

Wallabies

Location: Peak District - General area
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: A small colony of Red Neck wallabies exists in the Peak District, after escaping their private zoo after the Second World War.

Sister

Location: Peak Forest - Unnamed farmhouse
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Two sisters once lived here and fell in love with the same man. One sister murdered the other, but before dying, she said that she would never rest in any grave. The dead sister's bones were stored in a container on the property and if moved, strange noises could be heard at night and the farm's cattle would die.

Small Child

Location: Pikehall - Private residence, The Green Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1999
Further Comments: A visitor to this house, together with two others, witnessed a phantom small child on a landing. Their visit was also disturbed by banging emerging from doors and floors.

Kisser

Location: Renishaw - Renishaw House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1885, and September 1909
Further Comments: In 1885, this spook woke a female guest to the house by kissing her in bed three times - the lady jumped up and turned on the light, only to find her locked bed chamber empty. Another guest a few years later watched a woman dressed in blue and white dart down a corridor, her arms outstretched, promptly vanishing as she reached the staircase. Later the same night, another guest spotted a lady with dark hair and dress who cast no shadow, glide into the shadows and melt away near a bricked-up doorway. An empty coffin was later found concealed under the staircase.

Man in Green

Location: Ripley - Butterley Station railway museum
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 6 May 1991
Further Comments: A visitor to the museum reported seeing a dark-haired man dressed in green clothing that looked like it was from the First World War. The entity sat in an old box coach, used mainly for storage because of bad condition. Other people have complained of a strange atmosphere in the car.

Young Boy

Location: Ripley - Cock Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: Strange sounds have been heard coming from empty parts of the hotel, and several staff have reported seeing a young lad with cigarette burns who quickly vanishes in the blink of an eye.

The Lawyer

Location: Rowarth - Aspinshaw Hall
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Seventeenth century
Further Comments: New tenants moved into the property after the death of the former occupier, a well-liked local lawyer. However, when the new residents started removing the lawyer's belongings, they found themselves subjected to poltergeist attack; bed sheets were pulled from the beds, and loud banging at night would prevent the new occupants from sleeping.

Pale Lady

Location: Rowarth - Long Lee Farm
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This phantom woman in white who once frequently walked through walls and closed doors may be connected to the 'Boggart Room', where an infant's coffin was stored to avoid paying Shroud Tax.

Soldier

Location: Rowsley - Rail station
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2004
Further Comments: Members of the Society for Paranormal Research claimed to have seen a man dressed in soldier's uniform walking along the track, only to vanish when they went to investigate.

Lancaster Bomber

Location: Rowsley - Road by an unnamed retail outlet
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 03 August 2015
Further Comments: Richard and Helen Jephson were reported in local news as having witnessed a Lancaster bomber which flew low and silent above them. They expected the aircraft to crash into a nearby wooded area, but it did not happen.

Entity

Location: Sandiacre - Screw company
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early November 1966
Further Comments: When the story of the haunted Sandiacre foundry broke (see other entry), a rumour started that a spooky entity had also been seen here. A spokesperson for the company said they had not heard the rumour.

White Triangle

Location: Sandiacre - Taylor Bros foundry
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: First full week of November 1966
Further Comments: Two foundry workers spotted a ghostly figure as they prepared to leave for the evening. One described it as a triangular shape about five feet (152 centimetres) tall and with no real substance. The shape floated to the ceiling before descending and vanishing. Another employee said they had spotted something two years previous but did not dare report it. When the local press contacted management for comment, they were told it was likely moonlight shining through a window.

Kettle Boiler

Location: Sandiacre - Unnamed cottage
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: January 1964
Further Comments: The poltergeist in this home would knock tins off the shelves, move socks, and in one incident, plugged in and turned on the kettle after filling it with just enough water to make a pot of tea.

Victorian Woman

Location: Sandiacre - Victorian House (demolished 1980), near Blue Bell Pub
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1920s - 1980
Further Comments: This former home contained three ghosts. An older woman in Victorian clothing would be seen at the attic stairs, bedrooms, and the living room where she would knock things over. An older Victorian man in working clothes would be in the attic bedrooms and walk around the landing and stairs, while finally a poltergeist would make mischief in the cellar and throw items around.

Lady in Victorian Clothes

Location: Shardlow - The Lady in Grey public house, Wilne Lane
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Mid 1960s
Further Comments: Rumoured to haunt the pub, the lady in the pub's name has been seen or felt as she pushes past those in her way. One businessman staying on the site said he had watched a phantom lady enter his room just before dawn. When he mentioned it to the landlord, he was told, 'Why do you think this place is called The Lady in Grey?!'.

Invisible Pusher

Location: Shardlow - The Malt Shovel, The Wharf
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: During renovation work on the property, workers reported being pushed, nipped and poked by an invisible entity.

A phantom farmer along a lane.

Farmer with Lantern

Location: Shatton - Area near the Noe Bridge, and other general areas
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early twentieth century
Further Comments: Wearing a long smock and carrying a lantern, this bearded farmer once put in fleeting appearances around the hamlet.