The Paranormal Database

Hopton Castle, photograph copyright 2006 Lawson Clout.

Parliamentarians

Location: Hopton - Hopton Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 14 March (reoccurring)
Further Comments: The ghosts of twenty eight Parliamentarians return on this date. They held out in the castle against a force of five hundred Royalists for two weeks, the siege only ending when the defenders were tricked into surrendering in exchange for their lives - they were slaughtered as they left the building. A maid is also reported to walk the site. (Image copyright 2006 Lawson Clout)

Bull

Location: Hyssington - Hyssington church, and Bagbury Bridge
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This ghostly bull, the animalistic ghostly manifestation of an evil squire, haunted a local farmhouse - a group of clergymen lured it into the church, where it was exorcised. The exorcism was said to have been so fierce that the wall of the church cracked. However, locals once believed the bull was only relocated to Bagbury Bridge, and they always walked their horses across in fear of waking the spirit up.

Horseman

Location: Ightfield - Path between Ightfield Hall and village
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A phantom horseman is said to appear and charge at pedestrians before vanishing.

Boat Inn, Jackfield, copyright 2006 Lawson Clout.

Devil Playing Cards

Location: Ironbridge - Boat Inn, Jackfield
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Old Nick once paid a visit to the public house, dealing several of the locals into a game of cards. Before the hand was over one sharp eyed witness noticed the Devil's cloven foot. The Devil quickly vanished, leaving only a strong wind in his wake. (Image copyright 2006 Lawson Clout)

Cries of Children

Location: Ironbridge - Ferry Road, Jackfield
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Two young children were drowned in the waters of the nearby river, their limp bodies recovered too late from the water for resuscitation. Crying has since been reported in the area they were first taken to.

Tontine Hotel, copyright 2006 Lawson Clout.

Murder

Location: Ironbridge - Tontine Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Room 5 of the Tontine Hotel is rumoured to be haunted by the antagonist of a murder which occurred in the dim and distant past. (Image copyright 2006 Lawson Clout)

Sir George Blount

Location: Kinlet - Area around village
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1500s / 1600s?
Further Comments: Angered to such a degree by his daughter eloping with a man he hated, Sir George Blount gained his revenge by coming back from the dead and terrorising this village. He was seen on horseback and would scare locals washing their clothes in a long gone pond. A group of clergymen finally bottled the ghost and cast it into the sea (or buried it in the local churchyard).

Woman in White

Location: Leebotwood - Unnamed pool in the area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A woman wearing white who took her own life in the reputedly bottomless pool emerges at night and wanders lanes in the area.

Ball of Light

Location: Linley - Church and unknown cottage
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1913/14
Further Comments: Balls of light were seen around the village; one on the church tower and the other passing through a cottage. While the lights were thought to be connected to the phantom white lady said to haunt the area, it could be possible they relate to the geological fault line which runs through the area.

Mermaid

Location: Little Wenlock - Dary Pit (pool at the foot of the Ercall), likely now known as Dairy Pit
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: An inland mermaid was once said to live in this pit. Another story says the pit would be used to lay troublesome spirits.

Treasure and Death

Location: Llanymynech - Giant's Grave (Bedd-y-Cawr), Llanymynych Hill
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A giant buried his wife here, along with a golden circlet. Three brothers looking for the treasure overturned the capstone of the cromlech which once stood here. It is unclear whether they found the circlet, but legend says they all died suddenly soon after their dig.

Entrance

Location: Llanymynech - Ogo Hole
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Locals say that the hill contains a doorway into the fairy realm. A blind fiddler once accidently wandered in, and his fiddle could be heard playing deep beneath the village.

Drowned Palace

Location: Llynclys - Llynclys Pool
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: When the water of the pool is clear, it was believed that a sunken palace could be seen at the bottom. However, as one writer observed in 1877, there has never been a day when the waters have been clear enough...

Grey Hound

Location: Long Mynd - General area
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Said to be of immense size, a large grey hound was believed to haunt the area after dark.

Battle Cries

Location: Longden - Fields in the area
Type: Environmental Manifestation
Date / Time: 11 October 2010, 04:10h
Further Comments: A woman reported waking up in the early hours and hearing the distant shouts and cheers of hundreds of men. She awoke her husband who also heard it, and the sounds appeared to upset the local dogs which began to bark.

Long Gone

Location: Longden - Moat Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Nineteenth century
Further Comments: A passing mention in a nineteenth century guidebook says this building's ghost left when the owner moved away.

White Lady

Location: Longnor - Black Pool (now filled in)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1881
Further Comments: This white lady drowned in the pool, and now dances around the area. One man who saw the entity thought she was real and tried to dance with her, only to find his arms passed straight through her body.

Girl in Mini Skirt

Location: Ludlow - Area around Feathers Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: This unlikely shade has long black hair and looks around eighteen years old - at least two witnesses have seen her walk through parked cars before vanishing.

The Officer of the Tower

Location: Ludlow - Blue Boar public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1950s onwards
Further Comments: This phantom is connected to the nearby castle and is named as a former Officer of the Tower. When last seen in the 1950s, he wore a blue tunic with shiny silver buttons. Other phantoms said to be residing here include a cavalier, an aging Victorian woman, a pipe-smoking man, and a teenage girl.

Bee Respectful

Location: Ludlow - Corner of Bell Lane
Type: Other
Date / Time: June 1994
Further Comments: After local beekeeper Margaret Bell died, a swarm of hundreds of bees massed on the Corner of Bell Lane, opposite where Mrs Bell had left. Some traditional stories say that bees will mourn the loss of their keeper.

Vanishing Gentleman

Location: Ludlow - Corve Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1971
Further Comments: Evelyn Sheppard reported seeing a well-dressed man walking quickly down the street, who proceeded to vanish before her eyes.

An old postcard of Dinham Bridge, Ludlow.

Bottled Ghost

Location: Ludlow - Dinham Bridge
Type: Other
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Dinham Bridge is likely the location where a ghost which had been bottled by a canny ghostbuster was thrown to ensure it did not return.

An old postcard showing the town of Ludlow.

Dragon's Den

Location: Ludlow - Exact location not known
Type: Dragon
Date / Time: 1344
Further Comments: A Saracen arrived in the area and sought permission from the Earl to kill the dragon which was poisoning the area. The Earl agreed and the Saracen was successful in defeating the beast. What happened to the Saracen is unclear, but the Earl gained possession of the dragon's gold.

White Monks

Location: Ludlow - Friars Lane
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Nineteenth century
Further Comments: Walking near where their priory once stood, a small procession of these spooks could be seen after dark.

Wigged Soldier

Location: Ludlow - Globe Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Said to have been murdered in the inn, this long haired soldier wearing a cloak has been spotted walking around the corridors of the building. One guest spoke to the phantasm, mistaking it for a real person.