The Paranormal Database

Examining folkloric, paranormal & cryptozoological locations in the UK and beyond

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Berkshire Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana

Butt

Location: Ginge - Manor House
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Unknown (possibly never)
Further Comments: Fondly called Butt or Tubb by the first Lord Ernle, legend said the resident ghost to be a brother killed in a fight with his sibling. Lord Ernle had a dream about two men fighting but never encountered the ghost.


The ghost of Wild William Darrell.

Darrell

Location: Great Shefford - Road passing Shefford Forest
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The phantom of Wild Darrell will never be at peace - here he is said to lurk with his neck grotesquely twisted.

Old Tanner

Location: Hampstead Norreys - Churchyard
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This figure has been observed drifting amongst the gravestones.

Craven's Curse

Location: Hamstead Marshall - Morewood House
Type: Curse
Date / Time: Still active in twentieth century
Further Comments: A curse placed on the Craven family by a pregnant servant girl kicked out of the household states that no earl will survive beyond their fifty-eighth year. The family sold the house to try to rid them of the ill fortune during the late twentieth century.

Edwardian Dance

Location: Hare Hatch - Unnamed Georgian House
Type: Environmental Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A woman staying at in a spare room on the ground floor walked into the room and found herself looking upon a dinner party, the attendees wearing Edwardian attire. The diners looked at the woman in surprise, and then vanished. She was later told that the spare room was once part of the dining room. A phantom man in riding gear has also been observe din the same room.


An old woodcut of a rather fat pig.

White Pig

Location: Hoe Benham - General area of village
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre-1908
Further Comments: This village was the haunt for several years of a large phantom pig, said to contain the spirit of a local farmer who took his own life. A handful of people have also reported other ghostly creatures, including a sheep and a flying 'white thing'.

Grey Woman

Location: Holyport - White Hart public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Mid twentieth century
Further Comments: Seen carrying a small baby, this woman dressed in grey was often heard walking about just prior to manifesting. The sounds of a horse passing outside have also been reported.

Lady on White Stallion

Location: Hungerford - A338, south of town
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1957 (white horse)
Further Comments: Appearing during the day, this female rider has been observed galloping across the road only to disappear once reaching the other side. The same area is haunted by a spectral coach being pulled at breakneck speed by four horses, and by a hooded man riding a bicycle.

Excavation Assistance

Location: Hurley - Hurley Priory
Type: Other
Date / Time: 1930s
Further Comments: During his excavation of the ruined priory, the site's owner Colonel Rivers-Moore engaged in seances on site to guide his work.

Disturbed Monks

Location: Hurley - Ladye Place, once one building, but now several homes and zoned areas
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early twentieth century
Further Comments: These monks were said to appear if too many people trample over their former lands - it is unclear if they are still protesting.

Molly Tape

Location: Hurst - Road between village and Hinton, Tape Lane
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Easter (reoccurring?)
Further Comments: This shade made local news in 1971 when she appeared drifting down the road wearing very little in the way of clothing. It is thought that the woman hanged herself from a tree in the lane following a disastrous romantic engagement with a farmer.

John Head

Location: Ilsley - Area around the church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: After upsetting the Duke of Cumberland, John mysteriously vanished. His decapitated body was discovered many years later. His funeral match is still reported to occur in the village, four tall men carrying his headless corpse.

Headless Figure

Location: Inkpen - Barrow located on Sadler's Farm
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The barrow is said to be either haunted or protected (or both?) by a headless figure. At least one barrow in the village is said to contain a solid gold (or silver) coffin, though when the barrow was dug up in the early twentieth century, nothing was found.


An old postcard showing Kintbury Church.

Cloaked Man

Location: Kintbury - Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Wearing a dark cloak and wide brimmed hat, this figure will fade away to nothing if approached.

Woman with Dog

Location: Knowl Hill - Seven Stars Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A woman dressed in white escorted by a ghostly dog are said to haunt this inn. Other spectres reported here include a headless lady and a man dressed in black.

The Man in the Coat

Location: Lambourn - Park Farm
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1951
Further Comments: Disembodied footsteps and other strange noises were noticed by members of staff and the family at this farm, and eventually an entity wearing a long coat and hat was seen. Two vicars performed a blessing on the site soon after, and all traces of the haunting stopped.

Victorian Boy

Location: Lambourn - Private residence
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2010s
Further Comments: A Victorian boy, often wearing clothing relating to chimney sweeping, has been spotted a few times at a home in the village. A nearby property is said to be home to a ghostly man in black who wears a hat.

Victorian Group

Location: Lambourn Woodlands - M4, between Junction 15 & 16
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1990, 00:30h
Further Comments: A witness passing along this road noticed a group of people walking towards the motorway. Even though the ground was uneven, they moved as if on a smooth path. The lead figure, a woman wearing a maroon Victorian dress with matching bonnet, held aloft a ridiculously small umbrella. A man close behind appeared to be listening to the woman, and wore a top hat.


A guardian raven protects his gold.

Chest of Wealth

Location: Little Wittenham - Money-Pit, The Clumps
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This chest of fabulous treasure is buried somewhere in the area and is protected by a large black raven. This bird once told a would-be treasure hunter that the wealth belongs to one man and one man alone.

White Lady

Location: Littlewick Green - Boundary Elm, Green Lane, Cold Harbour and Knowl Hill
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This female apparition closely follows the same route as she calmly drifts through the area.


Lost souls in the woods.

Souls

Location: Littlewick Green - Bowsey Hill
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This wooded area is thought to contain all the lost souls from the surrounding lands.

White Hound of Feens

Location: Littlewick Green - Wooded area
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: 1985 / 1986
Further Comments: A legend says this hound, which can be heard howling in the night, is sometimes accompanied by a young lady in grey on horseback. She, in turn, has been known to ride with a wild hunt called the Dorcas Noble, while trying to win the heart of a former boyfriend. A large white hound was seen in the area during the 1980s - the size of an Irish Wolfhound, during one encounter the creature vanished as if running behind a black sheet.

Bicarbonate of Soda

Location: Long Wittenham - Co-Op Store
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: November 1962
Further Comments: This mischievous spirit moved food about in front of the staff, floating the bicarb in front of their startled faces. The outbreak lasted for eight days.

Grey Lady

Location: Maidenhead - Harlyford Park
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1977
Further Comments: A witness who lived at this caravan park for several months reported a phantom woman who would appear once a year. A photograph taken of an empty field revealed either an exposure error or a ring of fire which was not visible with the naked eye.

Bob

Location: Maidenhead - Hobgoblin Public House
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Late twentieth century?
Further Comments: As well as the normal polt tricks, Bob is sometimes heard walking around the building when it is almost empty.

Records 76 - 100 of 162

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