The Paranormal Database

Mrs de Freville

Location: Saffron Walden (Essex) - Hinxton Churchyard, square stone vault
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: 08 May 1885
Further Comments: Shortly after her death, Mrs de Freville was spotted by a gardener standing by her husband's grave. The woman's ghost had a white face and wore a black dress. The gardener was unaware of the lady's death at the time of the sighting.

A phantom policeman.

Policeman

Location: Salford (Greater Manchester) - Church of Saint Thomas, locally called Pendleton Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1950s onwards?
Further Comments: This church is reputedly haunted by a policeman who died ringing the bells on the Queen's coronation.

Woman in Grey

Location: Salisbury (Wiltshire) - St Michael's Church, Car Park
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: October 2018, 22:30h
Further Comments: A man walking his dog through the area spotted a female figure wearing a long grey dress slowly heading towards the church hall, with her back to him. Passing back the same way a short time later, the man spotted the woman now standing at the top of the car back. As he approached, the woman walked through the fence and vanished.

Grey Lady

Location: Salisbury (Wiltshire) - St Thomas's Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1980s?
Further Comments: When last seen, this tearful woman in grey looked so real that the witness approached her to see what was wrong - the figure promptly vanished.

Anne Boleyn

Location: Salle (Norfolk) - Salle Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The former queen sometimes returns to this church, where local legend says she was laid to rest after her body was clandestinely removed from the Tower of London.

Jangling Keys

Location: Sandford Orcas (Dorset) - Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The church is said to be home to the phantom sounds of running feet and the jangling of keys.

Abraham Crichton

Location: Sanquhar (Dumfries and Galloway) - Churchyard and district
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The area was shunned by locals, as Crichton's shade would try to grab anyone who came too close. The ghost was finally exorcised by a preacher armed with a Bible and a sword.

William Blake's Satan, circa 1795.

The Old Brick Mover

Location: Sarratt (Hertfordshire) - Church
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Eleventh century
Further Comments: The Devil was said to have moved the bricks from the church's original build site just as quickly as the builders could lay them. The builders finally gave up and constructed the church where it stands today.

The Future Dead

Location: Scarborough (North Yorkshire) - St Mary's Churchyard
Type: Manifestation of the Living
Date / Time: 24 April (St Marks Eve) (reoccurring)
Further Comments: All those who will die between this date and next year's St Mark's Eve appear in this graveyard on the stroke of midnight and walk into the church.

Monks and Priests

Location: Scattery Island (Inis Cathaig) (County Clare) - Church of St. Mary near the Round Tower
Type: Environmental Manifestation
Date / Time: Nineteenth century
Further Comments: A fisherman caught in a storm sought shelter on the island and went to pray at a ruined church. He encountered many monks and priests within the building, although when he closed his eyes and opened them, the figures had vanished, and the church once more appeared ruined.

Nun

Location: SE13 (Greater London) - Outside St Swithun's Church, Hither Green Lane, Lewisham
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A witness briefly observed the bottom of a nun's habit, moving as if swirling and floating around in the garden. The witness stated that when seen, the surrounding area appeared 'unreal' for a few seconds.

Thuds and Bangs

Location: SE18 (Greater London) - Presbytery and church, Plumstead
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1918
Further Comments: These buildings were home to a poltergeist which created footfalls around the living quarters at the dead of night and made sounds as if someone were trying to break into the church (both day and night).

A Knock and a Ring

Location: Seaton (Cumbria) - 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.

Green Lady

Location: Sefton (Merseyside) - Fields by the church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1984, summer, 02:30h
Further Comments: At least four army cadets returning to their HQ observed a green lady wearing an old fashioned dress and cardigan. Although her legs could not be seen, it looked as if the figure floated while crossing the fields and heading towards the church.

Gilbert White

Location: Selborne (Hampshire) - White's Church, and other parts of the village
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Monk seen 1976
Further Comments: The naturalist Gilbert White has popped up in many places in the village, despite dying in the 1700s. Monks have also been reported in the village - a priory once stood here, and though the building has long since gone, its former occupants are less reluctant to leave.

Dead Man's Shoes

Location: Selkirk (Borders) - Shoemakers (no longer standing) and unknown churchyard
Type: Other
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A shoemaker in the town once made a pair of shoes for a stranger donned in a black cape. As the mystery man paid, the shoemaker noticed maggots in the purse, and decided to follow him. The figure walked into the local churchyard and vanished into a grave. The shoemaker returned later with some friends and dug the grave up, discovering a rotting corpse wearing a brand new pair of shoes...

Groaning

Location: Selsey (Sussex) - Church car park, western edge of Pagham Harbour, Church Norton
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: October or November 2001, 23:30h
Further Comments: Two teenagers hanging out at this car park at night witnessed a flash, quickly followed by a bang. From within their car, they could hear loud moaning approaching, but no footsteps could be heard on the gravel. Nothing could be seen as the teenagers drove off, and many years later one of the witnesses read about a Civil War ghost reputed to haunt the area.

Anti-Gravity Hill

Location: Shanklin (Isle of Wight) - Nansen Hill, between Shanklin and Bonchurch
Type: Other
Date / Time: Still present?
Further Comments: A newspaper from 1961 featured Nansen Hill, a site where cars and bicycles appeared to roll up rather than down. Magnetism, poltergeists, and optical illusions were all put forward as explanations.

Man with Cane

Location: Shard End (West Midlands) - All Saints Church and Shard End Lake areas
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1991
Further Comments: A man wearing a top hat and black-tailed coat, carrying a cane is said to haunt this area, and may have been spotted several times by the same witness in 1991.

Gabriel Hounds

Location: Sheffield (South Yorkshire) - Area around parish church
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: These hounds are said to have the faces of men, and have been heard passing the church on dark, still nights.

Tunnel

Location: Sheffield (South Yorkshire) - Norton Church
Type: Other
Date / Time: Treasure unknown, woman in 1840
Further Comments: A secret tunnel containing a box of treasure was said to connect the church to Beauchief Abbey. The box could only be removed by a white horse wearing shoes which faced the wrong way. The horse would have to approach the treasure tail first and could only drag the box out using rope tied around its head. In 1840 a ghostly woman was spotted watching the parish clerk play the organ at dusk - the clerk and his apprentice fled and vowed never to play the organ in the evening again.

Waving Figure

Location: Sheffield (South Yorkshire) - St James Church
Type: Other
Date / Time: Circa 1936
Further Comments: The local newspaper reported that an illusion caused by lighting had created the story of a thin, misty, waving figure in the vault.

Man on Fire

Location: Shelfanger (Norfolk) - Wash Lane, near the church and ford
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: A ten year old girl travelling with her mother in a car was horrified by the appearance of a burning man who ran in front of the car.

Lady in Grey

Location: Shepton Mallet (Somerset) - Church near ICI Polymers
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: While working at the ICI site, staff reportedly spotted a ghostly lady in grey at the nearby church.

Christine

Location: Shere (Surrey) - Parish Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Christine, an anchorite at the church, tried to escape with a stranger she had fallen in love with. The villagers had other plans and captured Christine, forcing her to stay. Her ghost supposedly remained on the site.