The Paranormal Database

Mother

Location: Ebbw Vale (Gwent) - Churchyard, mill stream and bridge
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A woman with her baby is said to haunt this area, with some believing the woman to have committed suicide by leaping from the bridge after falling in love with a Norman soldier. A few versions of the tale do not mention the baby.

Rahere

Location: EC1 (Greater London) - St Bartholomew's church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 01 July, 07:00h (Rahere) (reoccurring), others early twentieth century
Further Comments: This pious monk, who doubled as a jester in Henry I's court, is thought to be the man who built the church and has been reported standing by the altar. He quickly disappears if seen. Another figure was observed in the pulpit by a former Rector, who said the man wore clothing from the Reformation period. A different witness spotted a woman in a white dress, while others have claimed shuffling footsteps were heard around the building.

Figure in Photo

Location: EC1 (Greater London) - St Botolph's Church, Bishopsgate
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1982
Further Comments: Appearing in a photograph taken by Mr Chris Brackley, the image bore up to intense scrutiny. Mr Brackley was later contacted by a builder who recognised the face of one that he had seen in a coffin in the church.

Burning

Location: EC1 (Greater London) - The Elms, Smithfield (located outside Church of St Bartholomew the Great)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Hundreds of people were executed by being burnt alive outside the church during the reign of Henry VIII. One version of the ghost story says that screams and the crackling of fire is said to be heard, and the smell of burning flesh occasionally detected, while another (less dramatic) version has the haunting consist of groans and shuffling footsteps.

Fleeting Shadow

Location: EC2 (Greater London) - St Giles' Churchyard passageway
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Several reports in 1970s, last report 9:30pm 23 June 2004
Further Comments: This darkly coloured ghost is thought to be a former member of the clergy walking from his home to the church. He was last seen dressed in black standing by the gate of the church - he vanished as the witness approached.

Jimmy Garlickhythe

Location: EC2 (Greater London) - St James's Church, Garlick Hill
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: A mummified corpse that has been housed in the church since its rebuilding after the Great Fire of London, Jimmy's phantom has made several appearances since the Second World War.

Stormy Beast

Location: EC3 (Greater London) - St Michael's Church, Cornhill
Type: Other
Date / Time: Creature visit date unknown, Father Ellison spotted 1990s
Further Comments: In the dim and distance past, St Michael's was visited by a creature during a storm - it entered via the south window, and left claw marks in the stone. During the late twentieth century, a clergyman was seen moving towards the vestry, only to quickly vanish when approached. He was identified as Rev John Henry Joshua Ellison, a former rector who had died a few years previous.

St Peter ad Vincula church within the Tower of London.

Procession

Location: EC3 (Greater London) - Tower of London, St Peter ad Vincula church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late nineteenth century?
Further Comments: The bodies of the executed were placed under the floor of this building during the Tutor period. In 1876, Queen Victoria instructed the flagstones be lifted and all bodies removed, identified, and given a correct burial - the remains over two hundred were discovered, though identification was nigh impossible. Soon after this, an officer on patrol reported looking into the church late at night and seeing many people in period costume apparently walking around, following a woman who looked like Anne Boleyn. After a few minutes, the scene faded away.

Tall Clergyman

Location: EC4 (Greater London) - Church of St Sepulchre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1950s
Further Comments: A former vicar was said to stand in the Sanctuary; other than his paleness, the phantom was said to look quite real.

White Woman

Location: EC4 (Greater London) - Temple Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1931 (woman)
Further Comments: A white female phantom is said to hover over the graves of the fallen knights on the site. Another tale says a Knight Templar also haunts the church.

Priest's Face

Location: EC4M (Greater London) - St Paul's Churchyard
Type: Legend
Date / Time: 1606
Further Comments: Father Henry Garnet was hanged in May 1606 for his (now debatable) role in the Gunpowder Plot. Bloody straw at the execution site formed an image of Garnet's face.

Monk

Location: Edington (Wiltshire) - Between Monk's Well and the church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Mid twentieth century?
Further Comments: An elderly monk has been spotted in this area. One witness noticed something was amiss when his dog did not bark at the figure, as the creature insisted on barking at anyone else.

Werecat

Location: Edmondthorpe (Leicestershire) - St Michael's Church
Type: Werewolf
Date / Time: Effigies still present
Further Comments: Sir Roger Smith and his two wives have their tomb within this church, with the effigy of Lady Ann possessing a dark mark on one whist. A local legend says that Ann was a witch who could change into a cat - the mark on her statue shows where a butler hit Ann in cat form with a small axe.

Hood's Marriage

Location: Edwinstowe (Nottinghamshire) - St Mary's Church
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The wedding of Robin Hood and Maid Marian is said to have taken place in this church.

Misty Figure

Location: Elford (Staffordshire) - Local church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 20 January 2006
Further Comments: A misty figure appeared in front of two witnesses out walking a dog. The misty dissipated as they approached but reformed a few minutes later further down the lane.

Medieval Man

Location: Ellesborough (Buckinghamshire) - Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970
Further Comments: On several occasions during the twentieth century, a tall man in medieval dress was spotted in the church.

Tall Man

Location: Ellesborough (Buckinghamshire) - Church of St Peter and St Paul
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Dressed in medieval clothing, this tall ghost has reportedly been observed by several of the church attendees.

Murdered Girl

Location: Elsenham (Essex) - Churchill's Funeral Train
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The train which carried the body of Winston Churchill is haunted not by the man himself, but by a girl murdered in the vehicle.

Date with Death

Location: Eringle Truagh (County Monaghan) - Churchyard
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Picking on the last person to leave a funeral to have occurred here, this phantasm manifests as a beautiful woman in front of male witnesses and as a gorgeous man for female viewers. It acts as a real person, setting a date when it can next meet with the mortal, before vanishing into thin air. The date agreed upon is when the witness dies.

Red Light

Location: Exeter (Devon) - St Layes, ruins of church
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: A red light would appear to anyone due a tragedy in their lives - it was commonly seen during the blitz of the Second World War by those who would be killed by bombs or the resulting fires.

Hamilton Pye

Location: Faringdon (Berkshire) - All Saint's Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Nineteenth century?
Further Comments: Pye lost his head in a naval battle before being buried here - his shade has been seen both in the church and churchyard cradling the missing object. Another version of the tale claims the headless entity is one of the Unton family who lost his head during the Civil War.

Sir Robert Pye

Location: Faringdon (Wiltshire) - Churchyard
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Headless, the spirit of Pye moves around the north side of the churchyard.

Old Lady

Location: Farnham (Surrey) - St Andrew's Churchyard
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: This old lady, seen walking in the churchyard, disappears as she reaches the church. She is completely silent, though her mouth moves, as if trying to pass on information. The inside of the church is said to be haunted by phantom singing, plainchant, and Latin prayer.

Angry Wife

Location: Fearn (Highland) - Cottage close to the churchyard
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Within a few hours of burying his wife, a farmer was proposing to a woman who lived close to the churchyard. The farmer's flirtations were cut short when he spotted his dead wife watching him through a window. He sickened and died a few weeks later.

John Hardman, Bleeding

Location: Feering (Essex) - Feering Church, wall near pulpit
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1890s
Further Comments: Seen frequently during the 19th century, John Hardman was killed during the Zulu War, and buried at Feering church. John's bloody ghost was seen often, his hands trying to cover a stomach wound.