“Old Calverley, Old Calverley, I have thee by th’ ears I’ll cut thee in collops unless thou appears…” (Chant to raise the spirit of executed child killer, Walter Calverley) The West Yorkshire village of Calverley became the centre of public attention at Christmas 1904 after reports of a mysterious phantom were widely published. However, theContinue reading “The Calverley Ghost ~ A Yorkshire Tragedy”
Category Archives: Ghost Hoaxes
A Titanic Christmas Coincidence?
It’s Christmas 1892, and controversial newspaper editor W.T. Stead has just published a short story titled ‘From the Old World to the New’. The story involves a massive ocean-going liner called the Majestic and a tragedy at sea. As the Majestic sails through dense fog crossing the Atlantic, a psychic passenger has a dream aboutContinue reading “A Titanic Christmas Coincidence?”
Stoned Spooks and Other Ghosts That Time Forgot…
As Halloween approaches, our thoughts often turn to ghostly matters. I’ve long been fascinated by the forgotten phenomenon of ‘playing the ghost’ – dressing as a ghost and hanging out in spooky locations to scare the wits out of passersby. Sometimes the pranksters wore just a white sheet over their heads, though some would useContinue reading “Stoned Spooks and Other Ghosts That Time Forgot…”
Playing the Ghost
Imagine walking alone late at night along a lonesome dark avenue with a church yard full of teetering gravestones on one side of you and the jagged remains of a crumbling church on the other. Ahead of you in the gloom, you see a white figure glowing eerily, cavorting and striking dramatic poses while emittingContinue reading “Playing the Ghost”
A Yorkshire Ghost: The Poltergeist of Storrs Hall
Christmas 1877 at Storrs Hall was not a merry one at all. The gloomy house, which stood in the hamlet of Storrs on the moors between South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, was tormented by a restless and destructive presence. The Storrs Ghost, as it was dubbed by the press, became a sensation as hundreds came toContinue reading “A Yorkshire Ghost: The Poltergeist of Storrs Hall”
New Book Announcement! “Phantoms of Christmas Past: Festive Ghost Hoaxes, Ghost Hunts and Ghost Panics”
My new book is available for pre-order wherever you get your books from and will be out at the end of August. More details and reviews below… Some advanced reviews: Folklore, spooky legends, weird experiences, ghost hoaxes, and riotous drunken ghost hunts all collide in a unique darkly comic book of true Christmas ghost stories…Continue reading “New Book Announcement! “Phantoms of Christmas Past: Festive Ghost Hoaxes, Ghost Hunts and Ghost Panics””
A Lancashire Ghost Riot: The Up Holland Poltergeist
In the summer of 1904, the village of Up Holland in Lancashire was in the grip of a ghost fever. A destructive poltergeist hurled lumps of mortar, stones and weighty tomes around a haunted bed chamber, and adventurous local councillors, police and spiritualists tried to solve the mystery, as did thousands of drunken ghost huntersContinue reading “A Lancashire Ghost Riot: The Up Holland Poltergeist”
The Headless Bear from Hell: England’s Forgotten Phantom
You’ve heard of phantom black dogs haunting the moors. You’ve heard tales of grey ladies, howling werewolves, wailing banshees and headless horsemen. Perhaps you’ve read about fairies, elves and boggarts. But surely the strangest entity ever to haunt this land was the demonic headless bear from hell. This strange monster is nowadays forgotten, but heContinue reading “The Headless Bear from Hell: England’s Forgotten Phantom”
Ghost Versus Demon!
In late August 1884, two pale and trembling strangers entered the White Lion Inn in the Midlands village of Ivy Church Green. They both sank a pint of ale to steady their clearly frayed nerves, and the landlord and the regulars looked on with interest. What had terrified the two men so? Eventually, one ofContinue reading “Ghost Versus Demon!”
Skeleton Catches Burglar… and the Viking hoaxes of Frank Cowan
In 1874, a macabre and bizarre criminal fail was widely reported in the UK press – a burglar was captured by a skeleton. In January 1874, so the story goes, two unnamed burglars broke into a doctor’s surgery in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. While one of the men explored one part of the room with the lanternContinue reading “Skeleton Catches Burglar… and the Viking hoaxes of Frank Cowan”
Paul Weatherhead 