Haunted Dartmoor E-Book

Kevin Hynes

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 127

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

The wild sweep of Dartmoor is home to countless ghosts, spirits and ghouls as well as the hundreds of inhabitants of the towns and villages dotted across this ancient, windswept moorland. Containing a chilling range of spooky tales, from ghostly sightings of a large black hound at Hound Tor, a phantom procession of monks near Buckfast Abbey, medieval horsemen galloping across the moor and a cavalier at Chagford, as well as the notorious, disembodied Hairy Hands of Dartmoor, claimed to be responsible for forcing motorists off the B3212 road on dark, cold nights, this volume is guaranteed to make your blood run cold. Illustrated with almost sixty photographs, and featuring eyewitness interviews and previously unpublished investigation accounts carried out by the author and the Supernatural Investigations (UK) team, Haunted Dartmoor will send a chill up the spine of all who read it.

Leseprobe

For Mum

In loving memory of Vivienne Barbara Hynes –in my thoughts every day.

January 1952 – March 2013

‘The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.’

H.P. Lovecraft, ‘Supernatural Horror in Literature’

CONTENTS

Title

Dedication

Quote

Forewordby Stuart Andrews

Introduction & Acknowledgements

A–Z OF HAUNTED DARTMOOR

Afterword

Bibliography & Further Reading

About the Author

Copyright

Shaugh Bridge.

FOREWORD

THERE are few areas of open countryside left in England that can still truly be called wild; one of course is the awe-inspiring stretch of moorland that gets its name from the long-feared river running through it:

‘River Dart, River of Dart,

every year thou claimest a heart.’

Dartmoor has both a wealth of historical myths and a very real and modern reputation for the perils travellers risk crossing its open moors and craggy tors. Although much of the moor has been tamed and cultivated, forested areas and treacherous mires also dot the landscape, reminiscent of the legends which occupy almost every boulder across Dartmoor’s splendid vista.

Tranquil and serene by day, the site of hundreds of family picnics in the summer, the moor takes on a darker side when night descends or the weather changes, easily disorientating the most hardy walker whilst only a few hundred metres from the sanctuary of their cars. Small wonder then that to this day tales of pixies still abound – the little people believed to practice their mischief and cause weary feet and tired minds to become ‘piskie lead’, directing the foolish and lost over the edge of a tor or to a sticky demise in a bog.

This book chronicles some of the many organised investigations into the supernatural on Dartmoor. Many of the accounts given I have had the pleasure and privilege of joining Kevin on, so to summarise and introduce the book in a few hundred words is almost as great a challenge as it would be for one person to cover the entire moor by foot, something not to be advised for safety reasons as much of Dartmoor is so wild and desolate it is used by the army for training purposes, including shooting ranges.

Over the course of fifteen years of investigating the unknown, there have only been a dozen or so occasions when I have either experienced or been with investigators I fully trust who have reported something which might just be genuinely paranormal. Of these experiences, only a handful has involved more than one person reporting exactly the same thing at the same time. The majority of these encounters have been whilst exploring Dartmoor, two in particular were prior to, and indeed the cause of my renewed interest in the paranormal. I won’t name the sites as Kevin will detail them within the chapters of this book. If you have had your own encounter perhaps you would like to get in contact with our team, Supernatural Investigations, to share your account. If it turns out to be in the same location, this may make your experience even more unnerving!

One fine sunny day, despite the snowfall during the previous night, my wife-to-be took me to an old quarry, a spot so beautiful that she had suggested it would make a perfect wedding venue. A notion we both soon negated! As we descended into the quarry – and despite the weather not changing at all – we were both overcome with a feeling of dread. This seemed to build and build, to the point where we were both unnerved enough that an alternative venue for lunch had to be sought out. I remember being determined to ascertain what or who might be causing these feelings which had spooked both an experienced hill walker familiar with the area and an adventurous mountain biker, both used to long periods alone in the wild. Perhaps it was the towering quarry walls, leading to a sensation of being surrounded, or the fact that we had earlier come across a pony with its throat torn open, creating a sense that something sinister was watching and waiting. Could we have even disturbed some of the subterranean spirits or pixies said to dwell in the dark recesses of Dartmoor’s old abandoned mine workings? Neither of us are prone to flights of fancy and are both confirmed sceptics, but in my father-in-law’s words on hearing our account: ‘Something bad happened there …’

On two occasions I have been lucky enough to hear what may be the source of the legends of the little people, once alone and the other whilst in company. The first time was whilst camping on the moor and enjoying a brief spell alone before returning to the shelter of our tents; I heard what I can only loosely describe as a weird bell sound with a metallic, almost synthesised element to it, drifting towards me across the open and brightly moonlit moorland. It truly spooked me. The second occasion, I and others heard an unidentified sound travel across a bank and over a narrow road before fading out after less than a minute, as if a cat with a collar and bell was leaping across the road just a few metres in front of us. Again the weather was fair and visibility excellent, courtesy of the illuminating moonlight.

To reassure the reader, I don’t believe in such fabled creatures as fairies, but I am fascinated as to the origins of these tall tales and perplexed at how they have become so enshrined within the popular culture of areas such as Dartmoor and across Cornwall. Equally I cannot offer a rational reason for what I heard, and truly hope that I will enjoy the good fortune to encounter these spectral sounds for a third time, although I do not expect my luck to stretch to being able to fully explain them.

On a more recent trip to the edges of the moor, a feeling of fear descended upon three experienced and not easily scared investigators: all three of us could not stand to be in an area familiar to us, due to our instinct that something most unpleasant would occur if we braved our vigil for much longer. On this occasion the atmosphere was very damp, as it was on perhaps the most compelling experience I have ever had. Well known to our colleagues, who join us from time to time, there was one night in particular when Kevin and I both saw the same thing at the same time … I shall leave it to my friend to detail the experience within this book as I still struggle to this day to make sense of the events which unfolded.

If you find inspiration within these pages to explore even just a small area of the moor, then do follow the advice offered by the Dartmoor National Park Service: always ensure that someone knows where you are heading and when to expect you back. This is of course in addition to being dressed for all and any weather conditions and having plenty of food and water. Visiting the moor at night or during bad weather should only be undertaken by those with both knowledge of the area and experience. Dartmoor’s reputation for dramatically changing weather is not without justification. The weather can literally change within a few minutes and on occasion I have personally witnessed the deterioration from clear visibility to an almost choking fog. I remember one occasion where a small hike of 20 minutes up Crocken Tor took nearly an hour to retrace downhill to discover the road once more. Sever weather conditions can result in a frightening struggle to free yourself from the steely grip of the wilds.

The snow, which can fall heavily, can literally white everything out in minutes, covering both track and road alike. I remember one time when the snow fell so heavily that it caused the wiper linkage in my wife’s old car to fail, resulting in a very eerie and cold drive across the legendary Hairy Hands road (B3212) to search out the welcome beacon of the lights from Princetown. With the snow as all-encompassing as it can fall on Dartmoor, small wonder it has been an ideal setting for a prison since the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Heavy snowfall can make tracing your car as dangerous as the drive back across the ice-covered moor itself.

I remember another time whilst Kevin and I were measuring the humidity in the vicinity of Kitty Jay’s Grave, and after 5 minutes we were shocked to see how the level shot up to what one can expect to record in a steam room. It was only when we looked up that we realised that a calm and still night had changed and we were literally enveloped in a shroud of mist – fortunately we were less than 10m from our cars, which was just as well as they had all but disappeared, swallowed up by the night.

So sit back and enjoy this ‘tor’ of the dark moor and remember, if you pluck up the courage to seek out some of Dartmoor’s mysteries for yourself, don’t go alone, explore your hunting ground in daylight and never trespass – in summary, stick to the roads and the best of luck!

Stuart Andrews

Co-founder, Supernatural Investigations (UK)www.si-uk.org.uk

National Register of Professional Investigators Officer, ASSAP (Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous

Phenomena) www.assap.ac.uk

INTRODUCTION & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

DARTMOOR is a truly magical landscape with wooded valleys and high granite tors that can be seen by the naked eye for miles. With humans having inhabited this enchanting land as far back as the Bronze Age and beyond, it is no surprise that mankind has left a long-lasting imprint upon the ancient moor. Dartmoor is steeped in folklore and heart-stopping tales of tormented souls wandering aimlessly amongst the abandoned castle ruins and grey granite tors, not to mention the classic local Dartmoor alehouse that has far more spirits to offer – and you know I am not referring to the ones behind the bar!

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time researching and writing Haunted Dartmoor. I have had the pleasure of meeting a wide array of local characters along the way, who have been forthcoming with their own personal ghostly encounters. I have also included within the book some of my own paranormal experiences witnessed first-hand over the years that I have spent visiting various haunted locations and sites upon this ancient moorland.

I do hope you enjoy reading the following spine-chilling encounters that I have included within the pages of Haunted Dartmoor.

I would like to give my special thanks and gratitude to the following people for their assistance and help in contributing with compiling this book. My appreciation and special thanks must go to my colleagues in Supernatural Investigations (UK) Stuart and Becky Andrews, Clare Buckland and Jason Higgs for all their contributions, time and effort, not to mention the countless paranormal investigations we have undertaken together as an active investigation group. It has been an inspirational and enjoyable journey.

Many thanks to Byron Jackson, the founder of Haunted Devon (www.haunted-devon.co.uk), also fellow author and fantastic writer Laura Quigley. Big thanks to fellow paranormal investigators Beverley Parkes and Sue Powell from Soul Searchers Kernow and many others who have given their time and shared stories of ghostly encounters upon Dartmoor.

Above all else and most importantly I would like to dedicate this book to my wife Gina and my two fantastic children, Sean and Chloe, for their patience and understanding with regards to my passion for the paranormal, and also my father Des Hynes, sister Jenny Allen and especially to all my family and friends – you know who you are.

All photographs in this book, unless otherwise stated, are copyright of the author. I have made every effort to contact copyright holders and gain permission for the use of any copyright material. I apologise if I have inadvertently missed anyone out.

Kevin Hynes, 2014

A–Z OF HAUNTED DARTMOOR

Bearslake Inn

Located along the road from Tavistock to Okehampton is the Bearslake Inn, a sixteenth-century building which is today a popular pub and restaurant. The inn is said to be the haunt of a young girl named Kathy who has been heard weeping and moaning in room number 2 by numerous witnesses over the years. A medium visited the inn a few years ago and picked up on the solemn spirit, stating that Kathy haunts the inn after falling down the staircase to her death.

Berry Pomeroy

Located in a deep wooded gorge, set on the south-east of Dartmoor within 2 miles of the ancient town of Totnes, is the notorious Berry Pomeroy Castle. This ancient castle was originally built in the eleventh century and derived its name from Ralf de la Pomerai, who was bestowed the manor after services rendered during the Battle of Hastings in 1066. A total of nineteen generations of La Pomerais lived at the castle, spanning over 500 years. In 1548 the castle was sold to Edward Seymour, the brother of Jayne Seymour, who became third wife and queen to Henry VIII. The Seymour family invested over £20,000 to construct an impressive luxurious mansion set within the original stone walls of the castle. Five generations of Seymours lived at the castle up until the English Civil War, after which the castle was uninhabited. Left empty, it began to slowly decay for the next 300 years.

Like most castles, Berry Pomeroy has had its fair share of hauntings, with notorious ghosts, spirits and marrow-chilling phantoms witnessed aplenty. To some, Berry Pomeroy is a horror-stricken place where individuals have witnessed first-hand the manifestation of a woman wearing a blue-coloured cape searching the ancient ruins of the castle for her murdered illegitimate child.

Berry Pomeroy. (Courtesy of Stuart Andrews)

The castle is also said to be the haunt of another female spirit known as the White Lady, who is said to be none other than one of the Pomeroy daughters, who was incarcerated within the cold, dark, dank dungeons of this ancient building. This daughter was allegedly imprisoned by her own sister and left to slowly starve to death. Even during daylight hours some visitors to the castle are only briefly able to visit the dungeon area before hurriedly retreating up the steep stone steps to escape the oppressive feeling of pure dread which is said to fill the air here.

A male apparition has also been sighted within the grounds of the castle over the years; he is described as wearing a tri-corn hat.

I have visited Berry Pomeroy several times during the day and also had the pleasure of spending an evening at this notoriously haunted site in 2006 with Haunted Devon, a local paranormal group. It was a fantastic opportunity to investigate and experience first-hand the alleged paranormal activity at the castle. I have included below my short report summary from that very evening.

Through dowsing I picked up the following information in the Seymour Building:

Kitchen Area

Female 1: Happy to communicate with us; aware she has passed. She passed in 1685, aged 34 years. Cause of death: heart related.