Welcome to Episode 35 of the podcast – the first episode of Year 3! In the year 1632, two men were convicted of the murder of Ann Walker at the Durham Assizes. One of the men was her uncle, a wealthy Yeoman named John Walker who also stood accused of making her pregnant, and the other was a friend of his, Mark Sharp, a miner originally from Lancashire.
Launching into the podcast, I first of all deal with some project housekeeping, then delve into the County Durham tale of the Sockburn Worm/Sockburn Falchion - perhaps the oldest of the 'dragon' tales from North East England. After that, I tell Brockie's 1886 tale of the ghosts of Nicky Nack Field, then turn to a 'real ghost story' told in the Saturday 27th September 1902 edition of the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette - I apologise in advance to the residents of Shotton Colliery for this one - before finishing with an introduction to the new Within the Boggart Wood Bare Bones Project.
In this episode we explore the ghostlore and folklore of Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, and the ghost sightings at the Lying-in Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne. The episode also details two ghostly tales from the 20th May 1893 edition of the Newcastle Courant.
Welcome to Episode 32, the 2024 'Festive' edition of the Within the Boggart Wood podcast, with the Boggart's own rendition of "Twas a Night Before Christmas", before having a look at the 19th century author Jerome K Jerome and his issue with Christmas Eve ghosts. The podcast then delves into some 19th and early 20th century ghost stories that appeared in the press around Christmas time, before finishing with a swift look at the tradition of Christmas Cake...
The Haunting of Historic Dilston, Episode 31 and Halloween 2024 edition with guest chats
Episode 30 first takes us to the village of Brancepeth in County Durham with its tales of ghosts and porkine problems... the episode's from the archives tells of some shenanigans in Redcar at the turn of the 20th century, then we have a wander up the coast from Redcar to Middlesbrough for a look at the Grey Lady of Acklam Hall.
Episode 29 first takes us into the Scottish Borders and Northumberland for a look at the bloodthirsty goblins known as Redcap. From there, there's a book review/recommendation of "Dirt Upon my Skin" by Steve Toase. The second tale then looks at the 17th century tale of Margaret Hooper and demonic possession in Edmundbyers before we head to Canada with this episode's from the archives tale of devillish goings-on in 1879...
In this episode, the podcast takes a deep-dive into the history, archaeology and ghostlore of Queen Street Masonic Hall, Sunderland, the oldest custom-built Masonic Hall still in use by Freemasons in Britain.
The episode begins at Nafferton Castle in Northumberland, and the many fates of the murderer Long Lonkin, then moves a mile to the west to the site of Nafferton New Hall, and its pesky poltergeist. The episode’s archives story is “A Ghost at Whitby” from the 8th December 1891’s Northern Echo. The closing tale is Brockie’s 1886 tale of the Dun Cow.
Episode 26 starts with a visit to the community archaeology project at Carlisle Cricket Club, the Uncovering Roman Carlisle project, with an interview with archaeologists Frank and Anna Giecco. Staying in Carlisle, the podcast then looks to the 1864 sighting of a 'ghost' in Milbourne Street, and reports from the same time at the Glasgow Necropolis. Moving from the northwest to the northeast, I think have a look at some of the ghosts and folklore in Staindrop and Raby Castle, County Durham, before finishing with an account from the Yorkshire Evening Post in 1928, discussing some of the ghostly beliefs in Teesdale and surrounding areas.