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

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Cumbria Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana


Portrait of a rather cross cockatrice.

Cockatrice

Location: Renwick - Church
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: 1733?
Further Comments: This mythical creature, made up of pieces of dragon, serpent, and cockerel, took up residence in the church when it fell into ruin. A local man named John Tallantire (or Tallantine) killed the creature using a branch from a rowan tree (or hawthorn), though some locals say it is still seen flying about at dusk.

Man in Old Uniform

Location: Rockcliffe - Road with railway crossing
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2017
Further Comments: A driver with passengers was waiting at the railway crossing for a train to cross. The driver watched a man in an old style army uniform emerge from a field and walk around his car. The driver wondered how the man had left the field as there was no entry point in the hedge. As the man continued to walk away from the car, the driver asked the passengers if they had seen him, but they had not.

Stubborn Figure

Location: Scaleby - Scaleby Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Though little is known about this ghost, legend says it refused to leave for seven years after an exorcism.

Grandma

Location: Scotby - Private house near the village green
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: Autumn 2013, mid afternoon
Further Comments: A man took his family to visit the grave of his grandmother at the village church. His wife and son waited in the car. When the man returned, his son asked where he had been, to which he replied he had visited his grandmother. The son pointed to a house across the green and said, 'but great grandma is over there'. The boy's father was the only person present who knew his grandmother had lived in that house fifty years previous.

Failed Bridge

Location: Seascale - Carl Crag
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Evidence still present
Further Comments: The Devil once tried to build a bridge between Seascale and the Isle of Man - his apron split and all but one of the stones were lost at sea. The remaining rock remains, with two white seams showing where the apron strings were once wrapped.

A Knock and a Ring

Location: Seaton - Camerton Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: Mr H T Graham was dared to knock on the door of this empty church late one night - the moment he did so, the bells began to toll.

Black Dog

Location: Sedbergh - Area around Capelthwaite farm (no longer present or renamed)
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Nineteenth century
Further Comments: This dog, known as the Capelthwaite, is the harbinger of death, and anyone who spots the creature will either lose their own life or that of someone close to them.

Blower

Location: Selside - Selside Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre-electricity
Further Comments: An invisible ghost would rage around the hall at night, blowing out all lamps and candles. The phantom became confused when electric lights were installed and fell quiet soon after.

Expected Accident

Location: Shap - A6, Shap Fell
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This large black dog would run across the road before leaping over a cliff that dropped several hundred feet. A few days later a serious accident would occur at that spot.

Uther Pendragon

Location: Shap - General area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Winter (reoccurring)
Further Comments: A large man on horseback seen galloping around on winter nights is said to be Uther Pendragon, though his motivation for being here is unclear.

Cat with Long Tail

Location: Shap - M6 motorway near to junction 39
Type: ABC
Date / Time: August 2001
Further Comments: Several Alien Big Cat sightings have been reported along this stretch of motorway. The ABC reported in this instance was described as possessing a big head and a very long tail.

Hound-Sized Cat

Location: Skelwith Bridge - Road between Skelwith Bridge and Ambleside
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 2008
Further Comments: A witness spotted a grey-coloured creature walking up a small hill with trees on the top. The animal looked about the size of a large dog; it had a greyhound-like head with a long muzzle, but the body was much more like that of a big cat, complete with a long, thick tail.

Drowning Elopers

Location: Skinburness - Waters of the Solway
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Weather Dependent: Stormy nights
Further Comments: Skinburness was one of the places that couples travelling to Gretna Green would pass through, hoping to find a ferryman to take them across the Solway. Such a couple and their boatman were drowned when a sudden storm sprang up as they crossed the water, and now their screams and cries can be heard when the weather is right.

One Man and his Dog

Location: Souter Fell - Exact place unknown
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1745
Further Comments: Two men witnessed a man with a hound, pursuing several horses along a steep rocky ridge. Man and beasts suddenly vanished - the witnesses were at first concerned that they had all fallen over the edge of a cliff, though were unable to find any bodies.

Army Marching On

Location: Souter Fell - Side of Mountain visible from Wilton Hall
Type: Environmental Manifestation
Date / Time: 23 June 1744 (reoccurring?)
Further Comments: Over two dozen witnesses saw a mass of troops ascending the mountain on horseback, though there were no real soldiers in the area. The ghostly army had been seen twice before, always on the same date.

Horses

Location: Southerfield - General area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Ghostly horses and their riders are reported to haunt this region.

Headless Lass

Location: Stainmore - Stainmore Pass
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1937
Further Comments: A driver stuck in snow on this pass went for a quick walk on the moorland while waiting for help. He reported seeing a headless woman sitting upon a white horse. A legend claims this to be a Norman landowner's daughter. She was kidnapped and killed by a Saxon chieftain.

The Baron on Horseback

Location: Stainton - Baron's Hill (local name?)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Winter nights (reoccurring), but last seen nineteenth century?
Further Comments: A baron who took over the land on which a monastery stood had the building dismantled and the stones used to construct his manor house. He was cursed by monk, however, and fell off his horse and broke his neck before the house was finished. His shade still rides around the neighbourhood.

Robert Bateman

Location: Staveley - Reston Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: After building the hall in the mid-eighteenth century, Bateman died abroad - his ghost reputedly spent many years travelling back home where it once again took up residence.

Bjorn

Location: Styhead (aka Sty Head) Pass - General area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Said to be a thirteenth century outlaw, the ghost of Bjorn wanders the area carrying a bag of living cats. He is easily recognisable, having lost his head.

Maggie Stobbart

Location: Talkin - Blacksmith's Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Mid twentieth century?
Further Comments: Stobbart was the landlady at the pub at around the Victorian era - her form has been reported since her death.


An old woodcut of a begging man.

Sunken Town

Location: Talkin - Talkin Tarn (lake)
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A small but wealthy town once stood here. The greed of its residents was legendary, and an angel was sent to investigate, disguised as a beggar. The angel was driven out of town, and it was only on the outskirts that an old woman who lived alone offered him help. As punishment, the town was submerged, but the old lady was spared.

Lady in Blue Dress

Location: Tebay - Cross Keys public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: This ghostly entity has been seen in a bedroom within the inn, and often moves makeup and toiletries around. Some have named her as Mary Baynes, a local witch who died circa 1811, upset with a former landlord after his dog killed the Mary's cat.

Cloaked Figure

Location: Tebay - Railway tracks, exact location unknown
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1967
Further Comments: David Johnson, a steam train enthusiast, accidentally caught a ghostly figure on film as he photographed a locomotive in the village.

House with Glowing Windows

Location: Thirlmere - Armboth Hall, and Thirlmere (reservoir)
Type: Environmental Manifestation
Date / Time: 31 October (reoccurring), Wedding party occurs. Lights seen May 2013
Further Comments: After a murder of a newlywed bride, this house was left to fall into ruin. Some people reported that a glowing candle could be seen moving past various windows, while others claimed a ghostly wedding party occurred. The Hall is now lost below the waters of the flooded valley of Thirlmere, which is home to a phantom dog which swims through the water. In 2013 a witness camping in the area became unnerved after witnessing two silently moving lights along the road.

Records 201 - 223 of 223

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