Haunted Doncaster E-Book

Richard Bramall

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Seitenzahl: 142

Leseprobe

We would like to dedicate this book to the good people of Doncaster, our long-suffering wives who put up with many late nights while we wrote it, and all the friends who we dragged along in the freezing cold on our ghost hunts over the years. Also, our warmest thanks and deepest respect must go to the departed souls who returned from the dead and kept us up late into the night. Without all of your help, there would be no book to write.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all of the visitors to www.Rotherham-ghosts.com, who have supported us over the years and helped us create a good knowledge of hauntings throughout South Yorkshire; there are too many people to mention, but not enough thanks can be given.

We would also like to thank the former members of Dearne Valley Paranormal Investigations and Sheffield Paranormal for their help throughout this crusade.

The following people and organisations supplied us with detailed accounts of some of the events which have made the book more interesting. A big thank you to Luna Brakkan; Judy King; Tracey Ireland; Lorraine McCormack; Dan from ‘The Enchanted Way’; Sheffield Star; Rotherham Star; South Yorkshire Times; Dearne Valley Weekender; Doncaster Free Press; The National Trust; www.Rotherhamweb.co.uk; Doncaster Archives; Conisbrough & Denaby Main Heritage Group; Conisbrough Library; Doncaster Central Library; BBC Radio Sheffield; www.the-villager.co.uk; and www.barnburghandharlington.co.uk. Additionally, we would like to thank all of our sources who wish to remain anonymous. And finally, thanks to you, the reader, for purchasing our book; we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did writing it.

Contents

Title

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Introduction

one

A Short History of Doncaster

two

Adwick-le-Street

three

Auckley Village

four

Barnburgh

five

Bawtry

six

Bessacarr

seven

Brodsworth

eight

Burghwallis

nine

Cadeby

ten

Central Doncaster

eleven

Conisbrough

twelve

Cusworth

thirteen

Denaby

fourteen

Edenthorpe

fifteen

Epworth

sixteen

Gringley on the Hill

seventeen

Harlington

eighteen

Hatfield

nineteen

Hexthorpe

twenty

High Melton

twenty-one

Levitt Hagg

twenty-two

Marr

twenty-three

Mexborough

twenty-four

Rossington

twenty-five

Stainforth

twenty-six

Thorne

twenty-seven

Tickhill

twenty-eight

Wheatley

twenty-nine

Some Additional Hauntings

About the Authors

Copyright

Introduction

The British Isles are arguably amongst the most haunted locations in the world, and Doncaster plays its part in this. The town is widely regarded by renowned psychics as the epicentre of all negative energy; it is also home to the most covens in the UK. Over the years, we have amassed a vast amount of knowledge and experience on the reported hauntings around Doncaster – and where better to share it all than in a book, which people can refer to in years to come. Contained herein are some of the reported sightings and stories from ordinary people who believe that they have had an extraordinary experience. This book is aimed at everyone interested in the legions of phantoms that inhabit Doncaster’s homes, pubs and highways.

When we ask people if they believe in ghosts, we are often greeted by one of the following replies: ‘There’s no such thing!’, ‘There’s something, but I don’t know what!’ or ‘Yes, I have seen one!’ People who have witnessed ghosts, and especially those who have been involved with demonic cases, are not always quick to reveal their true beliefs. They often feel embarrassment, humiliation or even guilt.

Unfortunately, we live in a society that seems to ridicule and dismiss paranormal reports. Some large organisations do not want the public to be privy to information on hauntings at their premises. Nor do some individuals want their best friends and closest relatives to know of their experiences – sometimes going to great lengths to cover up their encounters. We are putting a number of these accounts in print, though names and locations have been changed in order to protect identities.

Richard Bramall and Joe Collins, 2012

one

A Short History of Doncaster

Doncaster dates back to around AD 71, when the Romans built a fort in the area called Danum. The Saxons later invaded eastern England and called the Roman forts ‘ceasters’; when they arrived in South Yorkshire, they called this fort Don-ceaster.

Around the twelfth century Doncaster was a busy little market town, but in 1204 it suffered a disastrous fire which destroyed most of its buildings. However, the town rose from the ashes and grew in size.

During the fourteenth century, friars arrived in Doncaster – unlike monks, they went out into the town and began to preach, rather than withdrawing from the world. The Franciscan friars, who came in 1307, were also known as the grey friars because of the colour of their habits.

The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw the little market town grow, despite various outbreaks of plague. Each time the plague struck, a considerable part of the town’s population perished – but it soon recovered as more and more people moved to the area and had children.

By the eighteenth century, stagecoaches regularly passed through Doncaster, stopping at its many inns and bringing more trade and people. The railway reached Doncaster in 1849, which meant the end of the stagecoaches but brought new prosperity to the town.

Throughout the 1800s the majority of towns were dirty and unsanitary, and families lived in squalid and overcrowded conditions. Doncaster, with a population of over 10,000 people, was no different. However, by the late nineteenth century, sewers were built in Doncaster and a piped water supply was created, improving living conditions and reducing the risk of disease.

The Borough of Doncaster was eventually extended to include Hexthorpe, Wheatley and Balby. Despite being one of the main places for industry, Doncaster wasn’t targeted too much during the Second World War; however, there was a serious attack in May 1941 when two parachute mines fell on the town, killing sixteen people and injuring seventy-three in Balby.

two

Adwick-le-Street

The Glamorous Highwayman

In Adwick-le-Street, a village situated a few miles to the north-west of Doncaster, there is a wood known locally as the hanging wood. A well-known highwayman named Nevison used to hide here before pouncing out on unsuspecting victims.

John (also known as William) Nevison was one of Britain’s most flamboyant highwaymen – a man whose exploits and antics earned him praise from even King Charles II, who was so impressed by this gentleman-rogue that he nicknamed the highwayman ‘Swift Nick’. Much about his life is shrouded in mystery, and is further confused by conflicting accounts from such writers as Macaulay and seventeenth-century pamphleteers, so it can be hard to sort fact from fiction.

It is most likely that Nevison was born at Wortley, Sheffield around 1639. He is said to have come from a good family, his father being a comfortably well-off wool merchant at Wortley Hall. However, Nevison was prone to stealing and troublemaking even at school.

He worked as a brewer’s clerk in London for several years, before absconding to Holland with a debt he had been sent to collect. After a stint in Flanders, where he distinguished himself as a soldier, he returned to England and seems to have lived quietly with his father until the latter passed away, leaving him penniless – at which point he decided to take to the road and get by on highway robbery.

Nevison allegedly had a gentlemanly manner and appearance, being very charming and never resorting to violence. His romantic reputation was sealed after his renowned ride from the south of England to York in 1676, a feat later mistakenly attributed in popular legend to Dick Turpin and his horse Black Bess.

On the day in question, a traveller was robbed by John Nevison early in the morning at Gads Hill in Kent. The highwayman then made his escape on a bay mare, crossed the River Thames by ferry and galloped towards Chelmsford. He rode on to Cambridge and Huntingdon, arriving in York at sunset after a journey of more than 200 miles, a stunning achievement for both man and horse. He stabled his weary horse at a York inn, washed and changed his clothes, then strolled to a bowling green where the Lord Mayor was playing bowls. He engaged the Lord Mayor in a conversation and then laid a bet on the outcome of the match – Nevison made sure that the Lord Mayor remembered the time the bet was laid: 8 p.m. that evening.

Later, Nevison was arrested for the robbery in Gads Hill and, in his defence, produced the Lord Mayor of York as his alibi. The court refused to believe that a man could have committed the crime in Kent and ridden to York by 8 p.m. the same day. Nevison was found not guilty of the crime but was called to present himself before the King to explain the feat. Knowing that he could not be tried for the same crime twice, Nevison was happy to boast that he had ridden as fast as Old Nick (The Devil).

There are few other accurate records of Nevison’s career. His gang of six outlaws met at the Talbot Inn at Newark and robbed travellers along the Great North Road. He was arrested several times and was sentenced to transportation to Tangiers, but returned to England (or escaped before the ship disembarked from Tilbury) and once more took to highway robbery. He was arrested yet again in 1681 and escaped with the imaginative rouse of ‘playing dead’ – getting an accomplice to masquerade as a doctor and pronounce him dead of the plague.

The net was beginning to close in around Nevison, especially after he killed a constable who was trying to arrest him. He was soon tracked down by bounty-hunters and was hanged at York Castle on 4 May 1684. His body was buried at St Mary’s Church, York, in an unmarked grave.

Since his death, his ghost has reportedly returned to the scene of better times. Adwick-le-Street woods were once, apparently, well frequented by ‘Swift Nick’ and many of his crimes took place there; the area is also rumoured to have been the home of his secret lover.

Today, sightings have occurred along the stretch of road near the wooded area. Motorists presume him to be a hitchhiker, but, after slowing down to help, they soon realise that this is the figure of this once notorious highwayman who still haunts the roads. He holds up his left hand in a stop motion before brandishing a flintlock pistol in his right, then fades away before their very eyes, leaving the travellers dumbfounded.

The Highwayman, named after Nevison. (Authors’ collection)

three

Auckley

Toast to the Ghost

Auckley, which lies approximately five miles from the town of Doncaster, is set in beautiful rural surroundings. However, many locals and visitors are unaware of the spooky goings-on there…

Auckley is home to a famous Grey Lady apparition, who has made appearances at the rear of crowds – particularly at weddings and christenings – for more than 300 years. The story goes that she was the youngest daughter of a local man and was kept as little more than a servant. She had little opportunity to meet a man herself and took solace in the happiness of others, so where possible she would attend joyful occasions to absorb the happiness that she longed for.

After her death, many people reported sightings of the young woman and it soon became a custom to set a place for the Grey Lady at special events and say a toast in her memory:

We wish thee joy on this our celebration.

Come sit thee down and take a glass of wine.

And if you sup in our felicitation,

The hour is blest as blessed you may be.

The Lingering Local at the Eagle & Child

That’s not all that happens in this quaint village – the Eagle & Child public house, which is situated in the heart of Auckley, is rumoured to have several ghosts. The one most regularly seen by staff and locals is a man of scruffy appearance who sits at his favourite table – table 8 in today’s current layout. Once he is spotted, he disappears, leaving his cigarette smoke lingering.

Local legend says that when the pub went through one of its many improvements, the landlord banned the man from coming in while wearing dirty work clothes. He apparently died the next day, the cause of which is unknown. To date he seems to have taken a fancy to one of the cleaning girls who works there and appears more to her than others.

four

Barnburgh

The Cat and Man

St Peter’s, Barnburgh, is known far and wide as the ‘Cat and Man Church’.

In the fifteenth century, a worthy knight called Sir Percival Cresacre was returning home on horseback late one night. At that time, there were no roads and very few houses, and the land between Doncaster and Barnburgh was thick with woodland. It was a dark and lonely ride.

A common depiction of a familiar. (Authors’ collection)

Somewhere on his way between the tiny settlement of High Melton and his home at Barnburgh Hall, Sir Percival was attacked by a wild cat. This cat was no pet; it was much bigger, stronger and more dangerous, and is described as having the stature of a puma. It sprang out of the branches of a tree and landed on the back of Sir Percival’s horse. The horse was so spooked by the tearing claws that it shied, sprang forward, and threw its rider to the ground before bolting away. The cat then turned upon the knight and there followed a long, deadly struggle between the two, which continued all the way from Ludwell Hill to St Peter’s Church. Upon reaching the church, Sir Percival tried to gain sanctuary inside; he managed to open the first doors to the porch and tried with all his strength to shut the cat outside, but failed. Both Sir Percival and the ferocious wild cat were completely exhausted by their dreadful struggle. With his last breath, Sir Percival managed to crush the cat to death with his feet, against the wall of the porch.

Sir Percival’s frightened horse had returned to the hall without him. His family and servants, fearing an accident, began a frantic torch-lit search. By the time they found Sir Percival, he was dead. The awful wounds made by the cat’s razor-sharp claws had tragically killed him. To this very day, a bloodstain on the floor of St Peter’s Church porch marks the scene of this gruesome story.

Running between the side of the church and rectory is a ginnel which is reputed to be haunted by the cat and man, who are still locked in battle to this day. People have often experienced feelings of foreboding and dread whilst walking along the path at various times of the day. Several dog-walkers have reported that their dogs have stopped dead in their tracks and refused to go any further down the lane, whilst snarling and barking as if there’s a foe blocking their path – even though the owner can never see anything.

Around twenty years ago, a young woman was taking a shortcut through the ginnel one evening. The footpath was quite dark and a mist was forming. Not alarmed by the atmosphere she went on her way, as she had done many times before. All of a sudden, she heard what she describes as a snarl and spat from what seemed to be a very large cat. Startled, she spun around and saw what appeared to be a spherical blue light floating in the ether, slowly growing in size. She leaned forward and peered through the mist to try to focus on what the shape was – it started to manifest into the torso silhouette of a knight. Terrified at the sight before her, she fled in a state of sheer panic. Could this have been the chivalrous knight protecting her from that cat?

St Helen’s Chapel

The chapel ruins lie close to what was part of the Roman Ricknield Street, now known as Hangman Stone Road. Not far away from here is Barnburgh Grange. The Grange was part of Nostell Priory and was once reportedly used as a nunnery. It is said to have housed several priest holes, along with an underground escape passage to St Helen’s Chapel, for use during the time of the Dissolution.