All around the globe there is no shortage of tales of ghostly occurrences and things that go bump in the night. Here’s a small selection of multi-ethnic spectres
England, UK
Littlecote Manor in Berkshire is famous for its ghosts. Hundreds of years ago it's said that a Lady in the Manor had an illegitimate child, which was murdered in the bedroom fireplace. The room is now said to be haunted by the heartbroken lady and blood stained clothing appears from time-to-time in the fireplace. The tale is disturbing enough to put people off staying there.
Chedworth Roman Villa. Locals who live nearby will tell you of the screams of young boys which have been heard many times. The Romans, of course, pioneered under floor central heating and used young boys to crawl under the floor space to set fires to warm the floors. Unfortunately it’s said that some boys became trapped whilst carrying out the task and were burnt alive – hence the ghostly screams. Officials in charge of running the villa are extremely reluctant to talk about it because they do not want the historically important site to become better known for its ghosts, but no-one will ever go down to the villa after dark!
About a mile away from the villa is a very large house called Compton Cassey - it is famously haunted by a number of (unfriendly) spirits and has been exorcised many times. The house is built over an old Roman villa and over the years there have been many sightings of a Roman legion marching over the nearby hillside - you can only see the Romans from the waist up as apparently the earth is at a different level now. However, the Romans have only ever been sighted by people coming back from the pub - there is yet to be a sighting by someone on the way to the pub!
The town of Durham, England is arguably one of the most haunted places in the country. It has a fair range of Grey Ladies and several others to boot.
Scotland, UK
Whether or not the Kelpie is a ghost is open to debate, but the fact is that it is one of Scotland's most dangerous spirits. It traditionally takes the form of a wild horse or a beautiful woman and offers to carry travellers across the lochs. However, its intentions are by no means noble, for when the Kelpie and its passenger reach the middle of the loch the poor soul will be drowned, but the Kelpie can apparently not cross running streams. The creature now known throughout the world as the Loch Ness Monster was for a long period of history believed to be a Kelpie.
Glaamis is a part of Scotland with a rich supernatural history, particularly where its local castle is concerned:
The family's private chapel [of Glaamis Castle], is said to haunted by a woman who was burned at stake in the castle grounds for being a witch. Her ghost is said to appear sitting in the back corner of the chapel, on public tours of the castle few people feel comfortable sitting in this area.
There are other ghosts at Glammis too. Like the Earl of Strathmore who was drunk and wanted to play cards on a Sunday. Of course in those days nobody would play cards on the Sabbath, so he ran up and down the halls trying to convince someone to play with him. The devil showed up, they played for his soul and he lost, of course. So he's condemned to run up and down the halls screaming.
There's also a room that's bricked off. It was tested in the 1800s. They hung sheets out of all the windows, and there was one window with no sheet. There are two theories for this; one is that the heir apparent to the throne was born crazy, and they walled him up to keep it from the public. The other is that a vampire was bricked in, and of course, that's not the proper way to kill a vampire.
Germany
When mountaineers reach the top of the greatest peaks they are sometimes startled to see what appears to be a large, shadowy apparition floating in the sky. These were called Brocken, a name given by the people of Germany who first spoke of them. No doubt these apparitions scared the woolly socks of the poor fellows in days of yore but recently it has become known that they are in fact the mountaineer's own shadows on the clouds, caused by unusual sunlight effects.
The Netherlands
One Dutch legend speaks of a phantom boat that ferries the souls of the dead from The Netherlands to the island of Britain. This tale was supposed to account for why the UK has so many ghosts compared with the rest of Europe.
Denmark
In Denmark, the preferred hangouts for spooks seem to be old mansions, especially those built between 1600 - 1700. These mansions each have a ghost called the White Lady or the Grey Lady, who wanders the hallways dressed in, predictably, white or grey. It is not known what caused most of them but one is supposedly the ghost of a woman who was bricked into a wall in the house and left to die. This type of ghost is also very common in Estonia.
Banks Islands, Pacific Ocean
The natives of the Banks Islands believe that certain stones contain spirits called 'eating ghosts', and that if a person's shadow falls across such a stone then his soul will be sucked into it and he will die.
North America
Native American Indians have a tradition whereby they hold ceremonies in honour of the ghosts of animals that they have killed for food. These ceremonies supposedly help to ensure successful hunting. Whale hunters in Siberia, Russia also have similar traditions.
Mad Anthony's Ghost is the North American spectre of a famous general from the American Revolution.
Canada
There are lots of stories out of Nova Scotia, Canada about ghostly animals. There are stories of large and small dogs wandering around houses, through rooms and up and down stairs. There's a story of a large horse seeming to strike down a fence, and in daylight it can be seen that there is no damage done.
In an area called Fox Point, there is supposed to be a headless pig that crosses the road just at the top of a hill. To the left of the road is a tiny beach where three survivors of a shipwreck and several bodies came ashore, so there may be a connection.
Excerpt of original article by Kathy Gearing which appeared in the Spring 2006 Newsletter of the Ghost Club of Great Britain. No one has ever been able to explain this strange photograph. Can you?
"This photograph was taken on a wet, drizzly day on Dartmoor on the 14th June 2002. The photographer had been sitting in the car watching the ponies with her partner and decided to take a picture of them before they went home. They were totally baffled when they had the film developed and saw the little girl who appears to be petting the pony, as they are absolutely sure there was nobody else around at the time. Joan says, "the little girl was not wearing appropriate clothing for that cold, wet day and she was "brighter" than she would have been in the flesh - so to speak". It does seem very unlikely that a young girl would be out on Dartmoor, miles from anywhere on her own. Joan adds, "also those ponies do not stand still to let anyone touch them. The only person we saw, apart from the cars which drove by, was a man driving a tractor coming off the moor to get on to the road".
Photograph: provided by Lee Moynes and taken by his friend Joan.
Excerpt of original article by Kathy Gearing which appeared in the Spring 2006 Newsletter. Photograph: provided by Lee Moynes and taken by his friend Joan. This photograph was taken on a wet, drizzly day on Dartmoor on the 14th June 2002. The photographer had been sitting in the car watching the ponies with her partner and decided to take a picture of them before they went home. They were totally baffled when they saw the little girl who appears to be petting the pony, as they are absolutely sure there was nobody else around at the time. Joan says, "the little girl was not wearing appropriate clothing for that cold, wet day and she was "brighter" than she would have been in the flesh - so to speak". It does seem very unlikely that a young girl would be out on Dartmoor, miles from anywhere on her own. Joan adds, "also those ponies do not stand still to let anyone touch them. The only person we saw, apart from the cars which drove by, was a man driving a tractor coming off the moor to get on to the road".
As Vice-President of the Ghost Club Society for over 25 years I have looked into many cases of ghost sightings so when I read an article in the Daily Mail that an eminent psychologist, Dr Richard Wiseman, has claimed that ghosts definitely do not exist, I knew he was talking nonsense - not least because I have actually talked to a ghost, as I shall describe later.
I never cease to be amazed by the gall of scientists who declare they have now proved the non-existence of spirits or the soul or second sight or telepathy when thousands of ordinary people can contradict them from their own experience.
In the British Journal Of Psychology, Dr Wiseman and his colleagues describe how they investigated two famous haunted sites - Hampton Court Palace and the South Bridge Vaults in Edinburgh - and noted that in the most 'spooky' areas there are strong magnetic fields.
Magnetism, they say, can influence the mind into thinking it is sensing the presence of a ghost. So can such conditions as cold and damp.
Their conclusion is that ghosts are all in the mind, that what you might think is a ghost is nothing more than the brain's reaction to tiny changes in light, temperature, smell or magnetic field.
What I find incredible is that these scientists - from Edinburgh and Hertfordshire Universities - have apparently failed to take a close look at the wealth of scientific research into ghosts that has been going on since 1882.
This was the year that a group of scientists and intellectuals decided to create a society for studying ghosts and hauntings under the strictest conditions. Within a few months, they had so much proof that not one of them had the slightest doubt that ghosts were real.
One of their best documented cases is that of an old chimney sweep, Samuel Bull, who died of 'sooty cancer', leaving a bedridden widow in a tiny cottage with eight other family members.
Nine months after his death, the six children became nervous, declaring that there was someone outside the door. Then one day, Samuel Bull, looking quite solid, walked into his widow's bedroom.
Everyone was terrified, but as these appearances continued over months, even the children got used to it. Samuel would stand by his widow's bed, his hand on her forehead - she said it felt firm but cold. One visit lasted more than an hour.
The Society For Psychical Research, who investigated the case, had no doubt it was genuine.
Samuel Bull was the most common type of ghost. He looked like a real person. But another type is so common that thousands of cases have been recorded - the poltergeist, or noisy ghost.
Poltergeists throw things, cause objects to fly around, and often make such a racket that they drive people to nervous breakdowns.
I have studied many cases, and have concluded that they are basically mischievous, empty-headed spirits with nothing better to do - the football hooligans of the spirit world.
In fact, there are so many poltergeists about that there is probably one within ten miles of where you live. I once tested this by asking around my local area of Cornwall. In no time at all I had located more than a dozen.
My most striking supernatural experience came in 1978 when I was invited to our local television station in Plymouth to meet a pretty nurse named Pauline McKay.
When placed in a hypnotic trance, Pauline would talk in a strong Devon accent and declare that her name was Kitty Jay, a milkmaid who had committed suicide in the late 18th century, and whose grave on Dartmoor is a tourist attraction.
But Pauline had never heard of her, nor did she know of the existence of Jay's Grave.
As Pauline lay in the studio with closed eyes, she told me how she had gone to Canna Farm, near Chagford, the most haunted village in England, looking for the labourer who had made her pregnant, and then hanged herself in the barn. Because she was a suicide, her body was buried at a crossroads on the edge of the moor, an attempt to confuse her spirit should it walk.
Pauline pronounced Chagford in the old way - Chagiford (it was spelt Chageford) - and the detailed manner in which she described Kitty's death left us all horrified and convinced.
Later, we took Pauline along to Canna Farm. She became obviously upset but, without prompting, led us into the farmyard, and turned left into the barn. There she showed us the beam on which Kitty hanged herself, and the farmer verified that she was correct.
Yet Pauline had never visited the West Country in her life.
So what is there about the little town of Chagford that makes it one of the most haunted places in England?
After extensive research, I have come to the conclusion that Chagford does indeed have more ghosts than any small town I have visited.
And I believe Dr Wiseman is at least partly right, in that the answer lies in magnetism - the magnetism of the Earth itself.
It is often connected with granite, like that on Dartmoor. Lines of this force can be traced by good dowsers, who call them 'ley lines'. The whole area around Chagford is surrounded by them.
For some reason, these lines seem to provide the ideal environment for ghosts. Again and again, I have found that haunted houses lie on the crossing point of ley lines.
And I am certain that in some odd way, these lines can record powerful, tragic emotions, like magnetic tapes.
Chagford is plainly a place that is full of such 'recordings', echoes of the past and there are many more scattered the length of Britain. Whatever, the psychologists say, I know what I've seen and heard. Ghosts do exist.
From an original article first published in the Daily Mail
The North of England. Brooding landscapes as hard as the men who live there. Crags washed in cold drizzle. Mists curling in from a wild sea. It’s not surprising that the towns of the North of England are associated with all manner of ghosts and ghouls.
Chester
Take Chester. The most haunted city in the country.
In the cathedral the Devil’s Mark appears on a flagstone in the cloister. No matter how hard the curious symbol is cleaned away, come the next morning there it is again.
The moans of the condemned are still heard on the Bridge of Sighs across which condemned criminals were once led from Northgate gaol to their last rites in Bluecoat chapel.
And if you need Dutch courage to face these spectres, don’t visit the Boot Inn in Eastgate Row, once the city’s largest brothel, where the ghostly cries and insane laughter of women long dead still echo around the bar.
York
York is almost as spooky as Chester. Some of the ghosts there are 2000 years old!
A lost Roman Legion has frequently been seen in the cellars of the Treasurer's House, which was built over a Roman Road. Horns sounding feebly and spears dragging on the ground, the weary legionnaires are led to their grisly fate by an ill-kempt centurion.
More recently children in an orphanage, the York Industrial ragged School, were said to have been murdered by their Master and their bodies left to rot locked in a cupboard. Their screams and moans can still be heard in the silence of the night.
Whitby
Not so far away is the seaside town of Whitby. A beautiful, yet strange and disturbing place.
At night the Whitby Hell Hound howls; listen and tremble for only those fated to die can hear its terrible cry.
The ruins of Whitby Abbey are the scene for a phantom coach and horses that thunders up the road, past the church and plunges silently over the cliffs into the sea.
And at Fitzsteps beware the phantom carrying its severed head under its arm that walks the lanes at night.
Scarborough
Another seaside town, and yet more horrid hauntings.
The castle haunted by the ghost of Piers Gaveston, a favourite of Edward the II, who was horribly killed in the 14th century by nobles jealous and appalled by his close relationship with the king. Visit the castle at night and his headless and furious ghost will rush at you.
In the Three Mariners pub a headless woman warns fishermen of impending disaster. But take care lest one night you meet the Pink Lady, Lydia Bell, who haunts the street where she was murdered in 1804. She may take her revenge.
The towns of the north. Wild as the countryside that surrounds them. Mysterious as the some of te folk that live there. Dare you visit?
Now that Terminal 5 is open at Heathrow Airport, passengers may be feeling the ghost of Dick Turpin standing behind them.
Employees often say they are sure someone is behind them.
They feel hot breath on their necks, and sometimes when it is quiet, they hear a man barking and howling like a dog. Turning, they find there is no-one there, but old hands say this is Dick Turpin's ghost.
Heathrow was once in a collection of isolated villages on the notorious Hounslow Heath, a favourite spot of highwaymen, and in particular Turpin.
Reports mention sightings of him riding on his horse, Black Bess, wearing his gentleman's outfit of a black tri-corn hat, black cloak and high boots. But at Heathrow, he obviously realises you can't check in a horse, so he just stands waiting.
There are also more modern spirits living here. Sadly, one seen most often is connected to a Belgian Airlines plane crash in 1948.
No one survived, but a man appeared asking the rescue crew if anyone had found his briefcase.
Fading away, they later found the man's body in the wreckage. Since that night he has been sighted many times appearing out of nowhere, walking along the runway searching for his briefcase.
Another businessman haunts one of the VIP Lounges, sometimes only seen from the waist down. Viewers speak of seeing a pair of grey clad legs walking around the lounge.
Then there are the ghosts of travellers murdered by an evil Hounslow landlord notorious for doing a Sweeney Todd on his clients, and others if you look for them.
Here's a list of what are considered to be Britain's most haunted locations. Definately not for the faint hearted to visit! Happy spook hunting.
1. Highgate Cemetery, London By night, Highgate Cemetery is like something out of a horror movie. Eerie crooked gravestones, headless angles covered in ivy, dark overgrown passages between the tombs, it's no wonder this is Britain's number one ghost spot. Despite its chilling atmosphere, by day Highgate Cemetery showcases some of the Britain's most spectacular Gothic architecture, offers fascinating guided tours and is also the burial place of Karl Marx.
2. Borley Rectory, Essex The stories of Borley Rectory mainly come from the work of famous 18th-century ghost hunter, Harry Price. Price got involved in a case at the rectory after a newspaper ran a story about a phantom nun in 1929. His investigations led to the rectory being named 'The Most Haunted House in England'. The building was destroyed by a fire in 1939, but this has done nothing to dispel stories of spooky happenings, or deter ghost hunters from visiting the site.
3. Pendle Hill, Lancashire The area known as Pendle Witch Country in the Lancashire Pennines is dominated by the dark brooding mass of Pendle Hill. Nearby is the site of Britain's most famous (and most grim) witch trial – the case of the 'Witches of Pendle'. In 1612 ten so-called witches were hanged at Lancaster Castle and they are said to still haunt the local area. The hill itself has even featured on Living TV's Most Haunted.
4. Red Lion, Avebury, Wiltshire Pubs in Britain are often said to be haunted. This might be because they are often in ancient buildings, or it could just be that ghosts like a pint as much as the rest of us. The 400-year-old Red Lion Inn in Wiltshire is one Britain's most haunted pubs and is actually situated inside Avebury Stone Circle – the largest stone circle in Europe and a World Heritage Site. The pub is never short of weird shadows, orbs or light, ghostly figures, sudden cold spots and unexplained noises in the night... should you dare to stay over.
5. Ancient Ram Inn, Wotten-under-Edge, Gloucestershire Whether you believe in ghosts or not, a trip to the Ancient Ram Inn is an unsettling experience. Its creaky floorboards, cold bare walls, musty smells and dimly lit nooks and crannies epitomise everything a haunted house should be. And the stories attached to this creepy building are not for the fainthearted: Murder, satanism and child sacrifice are just a few of the dark deeds said to have occurred here, oh and did we mention apparently it's built on a pagan burial ground?
6. Glamis Castle, Angus, Scotland The spires, turrets, towers and statues seize your attention immediately. Glamis Castle is one of Scotland's most impressive castles, but not just for the amazing architecture and 600 years of royal history. Glamis is also one of Scotland's most haunted castles. Among the many spirits said to inhabit the place is the ghost of the Monster of Glamis – a hideously deformed child who was kept locked up in a hidden room his entire life.
7. Tower of London, London Not only is the Tower of London a World Heritage Site and one of the capital's favourite attractions, it's also home to many inhabitants of the undead variety. Which is no surprise really when you consider the number of beheadings, hangings and tortures that have gone on there. Some of the most-sighted ghouls include the Princes in the Tower, allegedly murdered by their uncle Richard III, Anne Boleyn and the White Lady, who apparently brings a strange perfume smell with her on her hauntings. Click here to watch video about the man ghost of the Tower of London.
8. Culloden Moor, near Inverness On the 16 April 1746 the last-ever battle to take place on British soil was fought on Culloden Moor. Here the Jacobite rebellion, vastly outnumbered, was massacred there on the moor. And as you might think, any battle as bloody as this is bound to leave a few tormented souls. Legend has it that every year on the battle's anniversary, war-cries can still be heard as the warriors battle on in the after world.
9. Llancaiach Fawr Manor, near Caerphilly The peaceful, rural setting of Llancaiach Fawr Manor gives no clue to the turmoil of its history and the bloody civil war that was fought there. And these great battles have left no shortage of spectres wondering around the manor. In fact, strange things have been experienced in almost every room, along corridors and on stairs. Things seen, heard or felt, or sometimes odours in the air of violets or lavender - and on some occasions, roast beef!
10. Berry Pomeroy Castle, near Totness, Devon The 14th-century Berry Pomeroy Castle has two famous female ghosts; the White Lady and the Blue Lady. According to legend the White Lady is the spirit of Margaret Pomeroy, who starved to death while imprisoned in the dungeons by her jealous sister. Apparently she haunts the dark dungeons and rises from St Margaret's Tower to the castle walls. The Blue Lady is not confined to specific areas and is supposed to lure people into hidden parts of the ruin. Apparently it's a very bad idea to follow her!
It would seem that almost everyone you talk to has seen a ghost at sometime in their life.
Whether it’s full on face to face ghostly contact or just something black and shadowy glimpsed from the corner of the eye.
Ghosts are definitely a lot more common than you might think!
So what exactly are the tell tales signs that your own home is haunted?
1. Have you heard unexplained noises? The most commonly reported sounds in haunted homes are knocking, raps, footsteps, disembodied voices, bells ringing or children crying. Some think these are psychic echoes or attempts by the ghost/s in residence to grab your attention or that they are a replay of a scene that has taken place in the past.
2. Do objects move around of their own accord? Could you swear that you left a personal effect in a particular place and now it's gone? It's thought that some ghosts have a sense and humour and enjoy a joke at your expense. If this is something that happens on a regular basis it may not be your bad memory or someone else in the family moving it could very well be a spirit.
3. Do you ever smell unusual or unexplained fragrances? Sometimes the odours can be quite unpleasant other times it’s almost as if an elegant lady wearing a beautiful floral perfume has wafted by. The spectral scent may linger as a supernatural reminder of a resident who lived there long ago.
4. Do animals behave strangely in any area of your home? Cats and dogs are well known for having a heightened perception of the spirit world. They could be seeing what you are not and reacting accordingly.
5. Is there a room in your home that always feels cold even if outside temperatures are soaring? Or is there a room where you never feel quite comfortable - as if you are being watched? Try investigating the history of your home; enquire from elderly neighbours - perhaps something unpleasant has happened there in the past.
6. Do you feel as you are not alone in your home, even though there is no one else home?
7. Have lights been seen in rooms that are unoccupied? If so, they could very well be occupied by a ghostly entity!
Many noises, electrical faults and cold spots can easily be traced to natural causes. But in many cases they cannot. You may arrive at the conclusion that you have a long term ghostly guest who you wish to take steps to remove (if troublesome) or alternatively decide learn to live in harmony together.
Remember, as the saying goes you have more to fear from the living than the dead!
World famous paranormal investigator and life President of Britain’s Ghost Club, Peter Underwood has the following suggestions for ghost hunters as to the most likely places to spot a spook in haunted properties.
Mr Underwood whose ghost hunting career spans over sixty years says physical features near a haunted home are frequently the focal point of supernatural power.
Such features might be a pool, a wood, crossroads, a quarry, even a tree. It’s, therefore, always worth concentrating part of a night at a haunted location to discovering such a focal point and then seeing whether you or any of your companions experience any feelings at that spot, and whether any of the available ghost hunting equipment shows any abnormality – and frequently it does.
There are often certain parts of a house, or things in it, that can attract ghosts. The most haunted part of a house is frequently the staircase, so he advises that a lot of time is spent there.
Other parts of a house that are often found to be more haunted than the rest include the cellars and the cellar steps. Pay attention to reputedly haunted pieces of furniture, too. It’s possible that any second-hand furniture that seems to attract ghosts may have come from haunted houses
The Tower of London has developed a sinister reputation as being one of the most haunted places in Britain - understandable considering that it's been home to countless beheadings, murders, torture and hangings.
Strange sightings have included "Phantom funeral carriages", “A talking head” and “A veiled lady that, upon closer look proves to have a black void where her face should be."
This video relates a little of the Tower’s history and details several of its more famous ghosts.
The A616 Stockbridge bypass, on the edge of lonely moorlands in South Yorkshire, has gained something of a sinister reputation since its opening in 1988.
Some consider it cursed as it’s been the scene of many road traffic accidents resulting in several fatalities and hundreds of injuries.But the bypass also boasts many ghost sightings and is widely believed to be the most haunted highway in England!
The skull legend of Burton Agnes Hall, near Driffield, in Yorkshire, goes back to the time of Elizabeth 1 when Sir Henry Griffith began the construction of the hall.
He lavished so much energy and care on the project that his three daughters soon got caught up with his enthusiasm.
Of the three, Anne was the most dedicated to the project which was finally completed in 1620 but tragically she was destined never to enjoy it.
Setting out one day to visit friends she was brutally attacked and robbed.
She was found still alive and taken back to her home at Burton Agnes Hall, where her sisters kept watch at her bedside.
Sometimes Anne spoke rationally about her regret at having to die and leave the house that they had all worked so hard to make perfect. At other times she wildly begged her sisters to keep her head safely on the premises so that part of her would remain there forever!
In order to calm her ravings the two women promised to fulfil her wish, though when Anne died her body was placed complete in the family vault.
They were soon reminded of their promise when a supernatural force burst into the hall one night.
The building trembled with thunderous noise; the crashing of doors slamming of their accord and the sound of groaning.
The local clergyman was called and when he learned of the promise made to Anne he said that if they wanted a peaceful life it should be honoured.
Anne’s coffin was then opened, her skull taken to the hall and the alarming noises stopped immediately.
Some years later a new maid was so upset when she came across the skull unexpectedly that she threw out of the window.
It landed in a passing cart and immediately the horse pulling it became paralysed with fear and refused to go on.
Only when the skull was returned to the hall did the horse start on its journey again.
Over the years any interference with the skull always produced alarming consequences, and so it remained in the hall, just as Anne Griffith had wished.
If you felt that there were spirits and demons all around you wouldn't you want to find a way to protect yourself?
In medieval Europe and elsewhere people lived in constant fear of dark forces, and therefore precautions had to be taken! One of these was to make a spirit trap, which was made of an elaborate net or tangle of threads. The idea being that this could capture the spirits as they passed by and stop their movements - especially entry into a house.
One type of trap consisted of a copper loop criss-crossed with threads - traditionally red in colour - fixed to the top of a wooden stake. This would be hammered into the ground at a spot considered haunted or on an old rarely used track - especially one leading to or from a burial ground.
Another way of trapping evil spirits was a 'witch bottle'. These were bottles filled with tangles of coloured threads; placed over an entrance door, they were thought to prevent entry of the spirits of witches as they flew about at night.
In Bavaria, spirit traps could take the form of complex patterns of pebbles on the ground in front of an entrance door, or of a circuit of threads or wires on a small wooden frame inserted into the ceiling beams just inside an entrance door.
Whilst in Russia it was traditional to throw a fishing net over a bride dressed for her wedding to prevent her being reached by malevolent influences from sorcery. Nets and 'cat's cradles' of threads were known to be placed on corpses in various areas of Europe to prevent the ghosts of the recently deceased leaving their resting place. At least one use of an ancient stone 'labyrinth' site was to trap or bind spirits.
In Tibet 'devil traps' were placed on houses, described by one writer as looking like 'wireless aerials but much more complicated'. In China, Feng Shui, practitioners would erect mirrors or place fearsome door-guardians sculptures to frighten off troublesome evil spirits .
The Native American 'dream-catcher' also has links to the belief of trapping spirits. A hoop holds a web of threads to snare bad dreams, but there is a hole in the centre to let pleasant dreams drift through.
In the 21st century we may find the idea of 'spirit traps' quaint but to ancient people it was a necessary precaution against the constant threat of spirit attack, or even worse, possession!
The first account of a phantom telephone call was detailed in the spiritualist journal ‘Borderland’ in 1896. A correspondent claimed that the psychic message ‘Go to your father’s house poor Nellie is dead’ was heard over the telephone at the moment of his sister’s death!
Telephone interference has also been reported in a number of poltergeist cases, most notable in the Rosenheim Poltergeist, case in Germany, in 1968.
Some believe that phantom phone calls represent a form of ‘electronic voice phenomena’, and that they are messages from the spirit world. Indeed the US journalist and parapsychologist, D Scott Rogo, published a number of claims of phone calls from deceased persons in his 1979 book, 'Phone Calls from the Dead'.
However, the claims were met with widespread scepticism and were ridiculed by Robert A Baker (psychologist) in his 1990 book 'Hidden Voices.'
But since then, reports of telephone calls from beyond the grave continue to appear in various publications.
Only last year, the Blackpool Gazette reported that Frank Jones who in lives in the town, put a mobile phone in his late wife Sadie's coffin. It was done in a light hearted way, as she spent so much time on it when she was alive.
But he wasn't laughing when he started receiving text messages from a withheld number.
He said: "Just after Sadie died I came home and I felt that I didn't want to go in the house."
Frank said this was because when he went inside there was a smell like the cigarettes which his dead wife had smoked and also of her perfume.
He said: " Then when I went inside I got a missed call on my mobile, but it didn't ring. The call was from my home number, although I was alone in the house."
The widower said that shortly afterwards he and his family received strange text messages, which they believe were from her, as they contained information that only she could know.
Frank said that at least he wouldn't have to worry about Sadie running up a huge phone bill in the afterlife!
Hollywood has always had a reputation as a place of glamour but behind the glitzy facade lie many dark, sinsister secrets. Many stars drawn there by the thought of fame and fortune have died mysterious and untimely deaths, and their unhappy souls are said to haunt the luxurious settings of their past success.
Perhaps the most famous of these celebrity ghosts is one of the 20th century's biggest movie icons, Marilyn Monroe. In life, she was a tormented individual plagued by insecurities and whose desperate pursuit for personal happiness touched a generation. So it is hardly surprising that she has remained a restless figure even in death!
Monroe's career began at the Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard. It was here that she posed on a diving board for her first advertisement for sun-tan lotion, brimming with aspiration. The starlet, blessed with stunning looks and an hour glass figure, appeared to have the world at her feet. But later she became caught up in studio politics and struggled with many doomed love affairs. It was thought that she had even developed a serious drug dependency. On 5th August 1962, she was found dead at her Brentwood home, aged just 36. She is believed to have died from an accidental overdose, although some conspiracy theorists have claimed she was murdered!
Since her death, Monroe's reflection has been seen on several occasions in a full-length mirror that once hung in her favourite poolside suite at the Roosevelt Hotel, where she started out her career years before. Could it be that her sad soul is seeking to recapture her lost youth and happiness? The dark framed mirror that captured her ghostly image unnerved staff and guests so much that it was moved to the basement.
There have also been many reports over the years that she haunts the spot where she is buried at Westwood Memorial cemetery in LA. She has been seen in broad daylight hovering over her own grave.
The room where her short dramatic life ended is also said to have experienced much spirit activity and her image has been seen many times by the owners of the property.
Mediums who claim to have received messages from the screen goddess state that Marilyn will never be at rest until those who are responsible for her death are brought to justice! What do you think?
I enjoy looking at ghost photographs, especially those that have been examined by photography experts and for which no logical explanation can be found for the ghostly image captured.
Take a look at this one and see what you think.
In November 1995, when Wem Town Hall, in Shropshire caught fire, hundreds of people gathered to watch outside of a cordoned off area.
Over sixty firefighters attended the fire, and although they managed to save much of the exterior of the building, the interior was gutted. The town's newspaper, The Shropshire Star, reported that despite the massive fire, “a large plaque on the town hall entrance commemorating a previous fire at the site in 1677 had only suffered minor water damage.” Arson was ruled out, but no one was able to pinpoint the cause of the fire.
Standing across the street with his camera was a local resident, Tony O’Rahilly. He had a 200-mm zoom lens mounted on his camera, and was taking pictures of the scene of the fire from a safe vantage point.
Some time later, O’Rahilly had his black and white film developed and was astonished to find an unexpected image in one of the photographs. Standing in the doorway of the burning town hall is what appears to be a young girl. O’Rahilly said he did not see anyone there when he was taking the photograph.
This is an unusual photograph as the girl appears to be looking directly towards the camera, flames raging behind her inside of the town hall. No other picture with the image of this girl has ever surfaced. Who was this mysterious young woman?
The girl in the doorway was not seen by anyone in the crowd at the time the photo was taken.
When examined by a photographic expert Dr. Vernon Harrison, former President of the Royal Photographic Society, the photo was considered genuine, in that it had not been tampered with!
The previous fire on the site of the building in 1677 was caused when a 14- year- old girl, Jane Churn accidentally dropped a candle.
It was fire so fierce that bells in a nearby church melted.
Some say that the ghost snapped in the second fire is that of young Jane. What do you think?
Send ghost photographs that you believe to be real to Psychic Reach and we'll feature them here. psychicreach@btinternet.com
Ghosts of the Living! Now that's a bit of a contradiction of terms. We are all familiar with the idea that a ghost is an apparition of a dead person but there are also many accounts of "ghosts of the living". How can that be?
Ancient people thought of light in terms of “spirits”. In Wales, this idea was manifested in the belief of the “canwyll corfe” (corpse candle), which was viewed as being a harbinger of death.
A description of a typical corpse candle was given to author, Alasdair MaGregor, in Carmarthen, by the daughters of a John Thomas who died in 1946.
One pleasant summer’s evening Thomas and a friend were walking when they saw a strange light travelling towards them from the village of Francis Well.
And despite Hollywood hype, midnight is not the most likely time to bump into a spook!
His findings unsurprsingly revealed that the majority were seen during the hours of darkness: 54 per cent against 46 per cent. But, of those seen during the hours of darkness 78 per cent were seen during the early hours - between 4.00 a.m. and 6.00 a.m. - when, perhaps many people are between sleep and full awakeness.
A great number are, still of course, reported around the midnight hour - popularly regarded as the time most likely to spot a ghost than any other hour of the day or night!
If you’re of nervous dispostion perhaps it’s best not to leave your bedroom during these times!!
Reports of solitary spectres treading dark lonely roads and highways throughout the world are a common occurrence.
But, certain road ghosts appear to have distinctive ‘hallucinatory’ properties. And, they possess such a bizarre or out-of-place aspect to their appearance or behaviour it immediately alarms the person unfortunate enough to witness it!
