“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: Yorkshire mysteries
The Pudsey Bitch Daughter
The West Yorkshire town of Pudsey, about halfway between Leeds and Bradford, famously gave its name to Pudsey the Bear in the BBC Children in Need charity campaigns. But it also gave its name to a far more sinister figure that haunted the nightmares of many: the Pudsey Bitch Daughter… You find yourself suddenly awakeContinue reading “The Pudsey Bitch Daughter”
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”
Halifax Death Flu Mystery
In 1918, Dr Andrew Garvie arrived at a one room cottage in Halifax to treat a woman suffering from the potentially deadly Spanish flu. The room was stiflingly hot and stuffy as he tended his patient. She had severe bronchial symptoms, and one of her two children was also ill. The room was so stuffyContinue reading “Halifax Death Flu Mystery”
The First UFOs over Todmorden
Todmorden has a reputation as a UFO hotspot largely due to the UFO sighting of PC Alan Godfrey in November 1980. The story has everything – a mysterious death, teleporting cows, a flying saucer, a scoundrel hypnotist, alien abduction and a space dog. For the full story, see my book Weird Calderdale. However, I thinkContinue reading “The First UFOs over Todmorden”
Old Leathery Coit Rides Again… in the 1970s
Delivering newspapers on a dark winter morning in Elland in the late 1970s, a young lad had a terrifying encounter with one of Calderdale’s best known spooks – Old Leathery Coit. This forgotten ghostly adventure only came to light after I discussed Leathery Coit on BBC Radio Leeds in August. Listen to the interview here.Continue reading “Old Leathery Coit Rides Again… in the 1970s”
Churn Milk Joan: Lonely Stone Tells her tales
Secret lovers’ trysts, a deal with the devil, a vengeful ghost, pennies from heaven, the plague and killer foxes… all have been associated with one of my favourite standing stones – Churn Milk Joan. The stone stands around 7 feet tall on the outskirts of Midgely Moor overlooking the Calder Valley, and although it probablyContinue reading “Churn Milk Joan: Lonely Stone Tells her tales”
The Bradford Ghost 1868
“For the first time he then looked back and stopped. I felt the effect of that look creep over me like the feeling must be that comes over the prey of the boa-constrictor when it first knows its doom. I trembled…” (Mr Chester, 1868) In the spring of 1868, Bradford was in the grip ofContinue reading “The Bradford Ghost 1868”
Hooded Giant Terrorises Yorkshire City! The Bradford Ghost
In September 1926, fear, panic and hysteria haunted the West Yorkshire city of Bradford. A giant ghostly figure in a hooded white cloak stalked the night streets terrorising the locals and then vanishing into the labyrinthine ginnels or over the rooftops. Armed mobs of vigilantes roamed the streets hunting for the Bradford Ghost, who wasContinue reading “Hooded Giant Terrorises Yorkshire City! The Bradford Ghost”
Yorkshire Serial Killer Witch’s Chicken Lays Doomsday Egg
In 1806, the good people of Leeds were preparing for the end of the world. Millenarian sects warned of the coming apocalypse and many were convinced they were living through the Last Days before the second coming of Jesus Christ. There were strange signs and wonders that portended End Times, and one of these cameContinue reading “Yorkshire Serial Killer Witch’s Chicken Lays Doomsday Egg”
Paul Weatherhead 