Sussex Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana
Man on Bicycle
Location: Robertsbridge - A21
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1977
Further Comments: This ghost has been seen cycling at night, without any lights on his bike. It is thought he died mid-twentieth century, after being hit by a lorry.
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2002-07-21 | ID #1904
Tobacco
Location: Robertsbridge - Busheygate
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The home of Andrew Green, author of the paranormal, is said to be haunted by the pungent odour of tobacco.
First added: 2002-06-02 | Last updated: 2002-06-02 | ID #1039
Exploding Bottles
Location: Robertsbridge - Johns Cross Inn
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: This entity smashed glass bottles, unlocked secure doors and windows, turned lights on, and moved furniture.
First added: 2003-02-06 | Last updated: 2003-02-06 | ID #3759
Hole Cutter
Location: Robertsbridge - Seven Stars Inn
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1980s, 2013
Further Comments: During the 1980s, this noisy ghost cut holes in bed sheets, played with the connectors on barrels of beer, and pushed items off shelves. A new landlord who took over in 2013 called a paranormal group to investigate what his family had experienced, including items that moved unaided. The pub is also said to be haunted by a red monk.
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2002-07-21 | ID #1905
White Child
Location: Robertsbridge - Stream running through village
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: Having drowned in the stream many years ago, this little girl now appears if the stream floods.
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2002-07-21 | ID #1926
Grey Shadowy Girl
Location: Rodmell - Abergavenny Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: Appearing in front of the fireplace and in the men's toilet, this fleeting female form is also blamed for ringing the 'last orders' bells in the early hours of the morning.
First added: 2002-08-07 | Last updated: 2002-08-07 | ID #2029
Mystery Spot
Location: Rogate - A272 west of village
Type: Other
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: A natural optical illusion causes vehicles to appear to roll up the hill rather than down.
First added: 2024-07-20 | Last updated: 2024-07-20 | ID #15532
Young Girl
Location: Rotherfield - The King's Arms
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late June (reoccurring)
Further Comments: The spirit of a young girl is reported to frequent this building - she has been felt tugging clothing, and mysterious bare feet were once seen running along a corridor.
First added: 2002-07-22 | Last updated: 2002-07-22 | ID #1947
Train
Location: Rudgwick - Downs link footpath about halfway between Rudgwick and Slinfold
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1997
Further Comments: Two women walking along this path heard the 'click-clacking' of a train along the track slowly rising in volume and the whistle belonging to an old fashioned steam locomotive. The sounds faded away. The site once had a railway line running through it, although it closed in 1965.
First added: 2015-05-17 | Last updated: 2015-05-17 | ID #11816
Shadow on Stool
Location: Rusper - Star Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1988
Further Comments: This ghostly shadow has been observed sitting by the bar - its history is unknown.
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2002-07-21 | ID #1906
Hubert Parry
Location: Rustington - Knight's Croft
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: 1918?
Further Comments: The famous composer of 'Jerusalem' appeared once after death in his former home, looking around while smiling, before vanishing.
First added: 2002-08-03 | Last updated: 2002-08-03 | ID #2005
Red Man
Location: Rustington - Private residence close to beach
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2021-2022
Further Comments: This property was reported to have an oppressive presence, cold spots, and unexplained electrical issues. A child staying on the site said they had seen a 'red man', while other occupants felt a weight on their chest and their elbows being pushed while in the bathroom.
First added: 2025-11-22 | Last updated: 2025-11-22 | ID #16179
Old Man in Black
Location: Rye - Bed & Breakfast, name withheld
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Summer 2002
Further Comments: A couple staying at this bed and breakfast reported seeing an old man dressed in black standing over their bed, looking angry and agitated. Both dismissed the shade as a dream until they spoke to each other the following morning and realised both had seen the ghost.
First added: 2004-05-18 | Last updated: 2004-05-18 | ID #5134
Man in Top Hat & Tails
Location: Rye - Fletchers House, Lions Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This old man has been seen on the landing, before heading off into the toilet and vanishing.
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2002-07-21 | ID #1911
Shepherd
Location: Rye - Gibbet's Marsh
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Between midnight & 03:00h (reoccurring)
Further Comments: Seen several times around the early hours of the morning, this figure is watched as he walks across the field and heads towards the river.
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2002-07-21 | ID #1909
Author Helper
Location: Rye - Lamb House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early twentieth century
Further Comments: One time home of Henry James, he claimed that the ghost of an old lady here gave him assistance whilst writing. Other owners have reported poltergeist-like activity, and while sitting in the garden, EF Benson watched a caped man walk by before vanishing. One story says the building is also haunted by Allen Grebell, murdered by a butcher.
First added: 2002-06-03 | Last updated: 2002-06-03 | ID #1069
Duel
Location: Rye - Mermaid Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 29 October (duel) (reoccurring)
Further Comments: Several shades haunt this public house. A pair of ghostly duellers have been seen engaging each other with rapiers (the victor then drags the body through the hotel and drops it through a trapdoor), while a female figure dressed in grey haunts the upper part of the building. Room 5 is one of her haunts, while in rooms 10 and 18, a fading man has been seen entering and leaving (often through a wall).
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2002-07-21 | ID #1907
Two Women
Location: Rye - Mermaid Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The two phantom women wearing long gowns have been observed walking down Mermaid Street. A lonesome girl in blue has been seen crossing the street.
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2025-06-22 | ID #1908
Line of Monks
Location: Rye - Monastery Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late 1940s
Further Comments: The ghostly monks which haunted the hall and garden may have been related to several skeletons dug up in the garden; evidence pointed to the burials being performed on living people.
First added: 2007-04-11 | Last updated: 2007-04-11 | ID #7265
Footsteps
Location: Rye - Needles Passage, off Ports Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Echoing footsteps have been heard approaching witnesses as they walk down the passageway, though no one is visible as they pass. A local piece of folklore says it is unlucky to step on the stone with the date of construction unless you have already had your birthday that year.
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2002-07-21 | ID #1910
Footsteps
Location: Rye - Reysons Farm
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1930s
Further Comments: Loud footsteps have been heard moving up and down the staircase in the farmhouse, and the phantom of a man has also been reported moving about the house at night.
First added: 2002-10-03 | Last updated: 2002-10-03 | ID #2539
Little Girl Lost
Location: Rye - The Union Inn, East Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Mid 1990s
Further Comments: Seen walking in the restaurant and kitchen of this old building, this phantom little girl is often mistaken for someone real. Other ghosts include a young woman in a red dress who was pushed down a staircase and a seaman in a blue jacket.
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2025-06-22 | ID #1912
Gobbling Monk
Location: Rye - Turkey Cock Lane
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This lane is apparently named after the sounds a monk made when he went mad; this was after he was bricked up alive for trying to elope. He is still seen on the odd occasion, though no longer heard.
First added: 2002-07-22 | Last updated: 2002-07-22 | ID #1942
Legs
Location: Rye - Unnamed cafe in the town
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2010s
Further Comments: A pair of disembodied, yellow stockinged legs, together with a glimpse of Edwardian shorts, were seen running up a staircase.
First added: 2020-05-06 | Last updated: 2020-05-06 | ID #13751
Boy in Sheet
Location: Rye - Watchbell Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The street is the haunt of a little boy dressed in a white sheet, while disembodied footsteps, thought to belong to a young girl, would once be heard.
First added: 2002-07-21 | Last updated: 2025-06-22 | ID #15964
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