The Paranormal Database is regularly updated. New and revised records may be stories from yesterday, last week or may date back hundreds of years...
Devil's Cheese
Location: Linkinhorne (Devon) - Cheesewring (granite tor)
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Still standing
Further Comments: An old piece of folklore says the Devil would make his cheese using this stack of stones. The tor was created when Saint Tue engaged in a stone tossing contest with Uther, one of the local giants. One of Uther's stones missed the target; Saint Tue picked the rock up and an angel carried it to the top of the tor. Most of the giants promptly converted to Christianity.
Dancer
Location: Lynton (Devon) - Ragged Jack (rock)
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: For the heinous crime of leading a troupe of dancers on the Sabbath, Jack was turned to stone by the Devil.
Church Dog
Location: Northorpe (Lincolnshire) - Churchyard
Type: Werewolf
Date / Time: Circa early to mid nineteenth century
Further Comments: This churchyard is rumoured to be the haunt of the black shuck, which may have been a shape-changing local wizard. Another tale says the dog's remains were bricked up in the church walls and he is nothing more than a folk memory of the interment.
Riot
Location: Sheffield (Yorkshire) - Cholera Monument Grounds
Type: Other
Date / Time: May 1873
Further Comments: Around two thousand men and young boys gathered at this site after a rumour started a ghost had been seen (although the local press declared the entity was really a 'young fellow of weak intellect'). Neighbours complained, the police arrived, scuffles occurred, no ghost appeared, and people went home. Rumours of a ghostly figure in the area continued throughout the rest of the month.
Tall Figure in Black Shroud
Location: Harthill (Yorkshire) - Road between village and Kiveton Park
Type: Other
Date / Time: 1912
Further Comments: A ghostly tall figure in flowing black clothing that had taken to haunting this road was found to be a woman out for night-time walks. Police reported the woman to her parents.
Apprentice
Location: Sheffield (Yorkshire) - Barker's Pool
Type: Other
Date / Time: 1875
Further Comments: Around a thousand people assembled on the street to watch a glowing figure, named as the ghost of an apprentice, in the window of a building. A police officer pointed out that the 'entity' resembled a light being reflected in a window moving in the wind. Once the window had been secured, the ghost could no longer be seen.
White Thing
Location: Todwick (Yorkshire) - Todwick Road / Kiveton Hall area
Type: Other
Date / Time: 1920
Further Comments: A white entity was said to haunt this area after dark, although a large white owl was identified as a possible culprit.
Postman
Location: Consett (Durham) - Wooded area, Consett Lane / Pemberton Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1950s onwards
Further Comments: A phantom postman in 1950s clothing was said to wander this area.
Monk
Location: Brentwood (Essex) - Shop in Chapel High Shopping Centre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1986/7
Further Comments: While in the shop stacking shelves, a worker visited the upstairs storeroom and spotted a semi-transparent, hooded monk floating a couple of feet above the ground. Not feeling threatened or scared, the worker approached the monk and came within a metre of the entity before it vanished. The worker later discovered a monastery once stood on the site.
Accidental Discharge
Location: Gosport (Hampshire) - Barracks (no longer standing)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1899
Further Comments: After a 'ghost scare' at this barracks, a marine was found guilty of unlawfully shooting another man. The marine claimed to have been 'unnerved' by the ghostly report, and accidently opened fire at his relief. The 'ghost' incident which preceded the shooting was said to have been reported by another guard who had watched a dog leap over a wall. When the guard tried to follow the dog, he discovered that the dog's footprints turned into human prints which led into a creek.
Large Dog
Location: Swindon (Wiltshire) - Old canal bridge between Shrivenham Road and Drakes Way
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: 1988
Further Comments: It was reported that a large dog with red eyes was seen by three people over a two day period. The hound appeared unable to cross an old metal bridge.
Young Lad
Location: Swindon (Wiltshire) - Private residence, Old Town
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1991
Further Comments: A child aged around ten years old dressed in an Edwardian school uniform was spotted by several people walking around this property.
Tiny Alien
Location: St Helens (Lancashire) - Balker Drive
Type: Other
Date / Time: 26 February 2021
Further Comments: A local woman took several photographs to test the camera on her new phone. The photographer later realised one of the images showed a tiny, 'grey' alien-like figure apparently walking along the road.
Headless Woman
Location: Bowshaw (Derbyshire) - Unknown road (led to Hullat Hall (likely no longer exists))
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A second headless woman was said to haunt another road in this area.
Dancing
Location: Calver (Derbyshire) - Stocking Field
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: People once believed the fairies came out at dusk and celebrated by dancing around a blindfolded midwife (also a fairy) in this field.
Three Women and Their Friends
Location: Coal Ashon (Derbyshire) - Common
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Nineteenth century
Further Comments: A piece of folklore says that a man once spotted a series of entities on this common land. Three tall, thin women each held an hourglass, a tall man stood carrying an oak tree, and another man stood holding a scythe. The sighting was a potent that someone would die within three hours, with the age of the oak tree denoting the age of the deceased.
Multi-Winged Bird
Location: Coal Ashon (Derbyshire) - Exact area not known
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Nineteenth century?
Further Comments: More paranormal than a physical cryptid, a large white bird the size of a goose but with multiple wings appeared before a girl in the village. She circled the creature nine times and it vanished.
Older Woman
Location: Coal Ashon (Derbyshire) - Unidentified wall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Nineteenth century?
Further Comments: A small, older woman was seen sitting against a wall. When engaged in conversation, she vanished.
Headless Woman
Location: Dronfield (Derbyshire) - Place 'where three roads meet' between village and Coal Ashon
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Not much more is known about the phantom headless woman who haunts the junction.
White Rider
Location: Eckington (Derbyshire) - Moss valley, between town and Ridgeway
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 24 August 2002
Further Comments: Two women out walking their dogs reportedly watched a white female figure on horseback in the woods. The entity vanished as it rounded a non-existent corner. A local piece of folklore says the area is haunted by a white horse, although traditionally riderless.
Invisible to Some
Location: Holmesfield (Derbyshire) - Bury Hill ('three lane ends'), although cannot find on modern maps
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The barghast, a demonic dog with saucer-sized eyes, was considered a death omen. The creature which lurked here was spotted by a woman, but remained invisible to her sister who walked besides her. The sister died a month later.
Kindly Fairies
Location: Holmesfield (Derbyshire) - Moorwood's Farm (aka Morewood's Farm)
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown, possibly pre-nineteenth century
Further Comments: A woman who lived at the farm returned from her daughter's funeral to find her home had been tidied and a fire burning in the hearth. The woman believed that the little folk had been at work.
Peggy Whooper
Location: Kneesall (Derbyshire) - Common on the road between village and Ossington
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The road was said to be home to a phantom woman who would make her presence known after sunset.
Holes
Location: Stoney Middleton (Derbyshire) - Isolated house outside of village
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A story told claimed the ghost of a murdered woman would appear in the house and poke holes in bread. The couple living here stayed up to witness the phantom, and even though they did not see her, large holes appeared in their loaves.
Rings
Location: Sheffield (Yorkshire) - Dead Man's Lane (aka Dead Lane), Ecclesall (lane may have been renamed, but in Greystones area)
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Nineteenth century?
Further Comments: An overgrown lane in the village (now a Sheffield suburb) was said to be home to fairies, with distinct fairy circles spotted in the grass. A headless woman also haunted the lane.
Black Bird
Location: Whirlow (Yorkshire) - Lane close to Whirlow Hall (no longer standing)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A member of the family which owned Whirlow Hall was said to haunt the lane, taking the form for a black bird with a white tail (or wings). It was capable of paralysing people; in one instance the entity froze the rider of a mule in the air as his mount continued walking along oblivious to its master's predicament.
Pins
Location: Bradwell (Derbyshire) - Wells in the village
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Easter Sunday (tradition died out nineteenth century?)
Further Comments: Children in the area would drop pins in the village wells for luck. Each well had a fairy protector who would know whether a child had not performed the ritual. The following day, children had glass bottles tied around their necks on string; if a child had not dropped a pin, the fairies would break their bottle.
Different Gates
Location: Kneesall (Derbyshire) - Churchyard
Type: Other
Date / Time: Nineteenth century
Further Comments: The church was said to have two gates. One was the lychgate (or corpse gate), the other being the bride gate. The bride would never enter via the lychgate.
Monk
Location: Great Gaddesden (Hertfordshire) - Roman Road and Devil's Bridge
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This old road is reputed to be haunted by a monk who once resided at a nearby Benedictine monastery. The bridge along the road has gained an 'occult' reputation, although there does not appear to be any older folklore attached to the location.
Best at the Bottom
Location: Austwick (Yorkshire) - Unidentified deep pool
Type: Other
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A man with a group of friends either jumped or fell into a deep pool in the village. The man did not return to the surface, but a series of bubbles emerged from the water, the popping forming the words 'It's best at the bottom'. The man's friends all jumped in to see whether the words spoke the truth. None returned from the pool.
Sunken Village
Location: Baslow (Derbyshire) - Road from village heading towards Sheffield, was fenland known as Leachfield
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A village which once stood here was said to have quickly sunk into swamp while watched by an occupant who stood on a nearby hill.
The Fish
Location: Bradwell (Derbyshire) - Lumley Pool and nearby wells
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 25 December (reoccurring)
Further Comments: A local wiseman by the name of Master John transformed the spirit of a murdered girl who had taken to haunting the neighbourhood into a fish. This ghostly fish would appear in nearby waters on Christmas Day.
Bend by the Devil
Location: Chesterfield (Derbyshire) - Church - Crooked Spire
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The Devil, resting against the church, was so taken by the beauty of a bride that he spun around to have a better view, warping the spire in the process. Another story says the first couple to be married in the church were so innocent that they caused the spire to warp. This will not be undone until another innocent couple are wed on the site.
Moved Building
Location: Clowne (Derbyshire) - Church
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The church was said to have once been located on the opposite side of the road, but unseen hands moved a few dozen metres.
Turning Stone
Location: Curbar (Derbyshire) - Eagle Stone
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: When the cockerel crows, this stone was said to rotate. A local custom says that men must climb to the top of the rock before being married.
Thyme
Location: Drunfield (Derbyshire) - Footpath between Stubley and Drunfield
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Nineteenth century?
Further Comments: A woman who was murdered by her partner along the path was carrying a bunch of thyme. The smell of the herb was said to denote her presence.
Wish
Location: Farhill (Derbyshire) - Wishing Stone (aka Ashover Rock, aka Faybrick)
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Stone still present
Further Comments: Anyone who sat upon this rock and made wished three times would have that wish fulfilled.
Secret Passage
Location: Holmesfield (Derbyshire) - Holmesfield Castle
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A piece of local folklore said the castle and Holmesfield Hall were connected by a secret passage. Contained within the passage sat an iron box filled with treasure, but it was protected by a cockerel which would crow if approached.
Sister
Location: Peak Forest (Derbyshire) - 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.
Woman and Small Boy
Location: EC4 (Greater London) - Private residence, Primrose Hill
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2020s
Further Comments: Sharleen Spiteri, vocalist in the group Texas, claimed her home was haunted by a woman and a little boy. Spiteri would often see the female entity sitting at the end of her kitchen table, occasionally joined by the child.
Scotsman
Location: Poulton le Fylde (Lancashire) - Staining Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Nineteenth century
Further Comments: A ghostly Scot took to haunting tis site after being murdered. A tree close to the crime scene developed the smell of thyme, said to be a phantom reminder of the murder.
Green Lady
Location: Dalkeith (Lothian) - Country Park
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown (although 'photographed' early 2021)
Further Comments: A green lady is said to haunt the park, although others believe the entity is a younger girl who fell from a window. A photograph taken in 2021 of the entity is more likely to be an image of a snowman.
Something Frightening
Location: Dore (Yorkshire) - Sparken Well (may now be lost)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Nineteenth century?
Further Comments: A piece of folklore said that children avoided fetching water from this well as it was considered home to a spirit.
Don't Upset the Tramp
Location: Semerwater (aka Simmer Water, aka Simmerwater) (Yorkshire) - Lake
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A tramp (or angel or witch, depending on the source) looking for a place to rest was turned away from every house in the neighbourhood, until he came to a farm on the hillside where the occupants of which gave him food and shelter. He thanked his guests and punished the other households by flooding the valley. The lake also once had two large rocks on its banks which were known as the Mermaid Stones, said to have been thrown there by the Devil and a giant.
Tunnel
Location: Sheffield (Yorkshire) - Norton Church
Type: Other
Date / Time: Treasure unknown, woman in 1840
Further Comments: A secret tunnel containing a box of treasure was said to connect the church to Beauchief Abbey. The box could only be removed by a white horse wearing shoes which faced the wrong way. The horse would have to approach the treasure tail first and could only drag the box out using rope tied around its head. In 1840 a ghostly woman was spotted watching the parish clerk play the organ at dusk - the clerk and his apprentice fled and vowed never to play the organ in the evening again.
Lady Rolle
Location: Bicton (Devon) - Gate of the Dutch garden
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa nineteenth century
Further Comments: A gardener reported seeing Lady Rolle after her death by a gate.
Mr Jones
Location: Exeter (Devon) - Fore Street
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Early nineteenth century?
Further Comments: Mrs Burrow spotted Mr Jones, a retired silversmith a little way ahead of her along this street. Burrow walked faster to catch up, but Jones vanished as she reached him. The following day Burrow received a message that Jones had died at the moment she had seen his ghost.
Gardener's Father
Location: Exeter (Devon) - Franklyn Mansion gardens
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa nineteenth century
Further Comments: While working in one of the gardens, the gardener claimed to have spotted his father's ghost.
Fontelautus
Location: Exmouth (Devon) - Belmont House (no longer present), Bicton Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre 1820
Further Comments: Two weeks prior to the death of Fontelautus, the two year old son of the Rev Jonas, the cook claimed to have observed a headless child drift through the kitchen before vanishing. After Fontelautus died, his nurse, sister, and others heard his calls emerging from the nursery. Such was the alarm, Fontelautus's grave was dug up to check that the boy was really dead.
Three Dreams
Location: Teignmouth (Devon) - Dawlish Road
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: November 1810
Further Comments: During a storm, a servant of Colonel Templer was awoken three times in succession from a dream in which someone was close to death and calling out for help along Dawlish Road. The servant took a horse and rode out, discovering a woman who had been swept into a flooded ditch. He managed to save her.
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