Episode 17 opens with some ghostly tales from Washington Old Hall, Tyne and Wear, ancestral home to the first President of the United States. Then we move northwest to a ghost tale from 1841 in Galashiels, before heading to Yorkshire for the folk tale of the Giant of Penhill. The episode finishes with a strange listener submitted tale about a pair of haunted boots...
Episode 16 sees in the Autumn Equinox in the UK with two dark tales from Northumberland... the grisly fates of William Winter and his murderous accomplices (warning... it ain't pleasant...) and then the ghostly bridal party of Featherstone Castle, said to be seen in nearby Pynkin’s Cleugh on the 17th January every year. As well as this we hear the folk custom of 'breaking rainbows' and also the 'from the archives' account of a poltergeist in Embleton in 1957.
Episode 15 starts with the recounting of paranormal investigations at Jedburgh Castle Jail and Museum (including some replays of audio anomalies such as a door shutting - when no doors moved - and a female voice saying --- (for you to decide). Then the episode switches to the Within the Boggart Wood 'tell me a story' event at the Land of Oak and Iron Heritage Centre on Sunday 27th August, with folklore and ghost stories surrounding the Derwent Walk, Hollinside Manor and the 9 Arches Viaduct, then the tale of the Burning Man of Ebchester (grisly descriptions, be warned!) before a chat with Andrew Ross, the Ghost Whisperer who tells some cracking tales from County Durham and gives some details on his Walking with the Ghosts of Durham ghost walks. To finish off, we hear the folk tale of hedgehogs stealing the milk from cows...
Episode 14 opens with a tale of three ghosts said to haunt the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle on the Northumberland Coast, then we move across to Toft Hill and Etherley for a 'from the archives' tale dating to 1880. The episode then concludes with Part 1 of The Haunting of Jedburgh Castle Jail and Museum. In part 1 the podcast examines the history of the jail, including debunking some false history claimed by certain TV shows and paranormal groups - then looks at the phenomena people have experienced within the jail walls. Part 2, detailing an overnight paranormal investigation at the jail will feature in Episode 15!
Slightly later than expected due to audio issues (apologies, the gremlins have been playing funnies with the microphone this week)... Episode 13, aptly numbered in this case, looks at the 18th/19th folklore tale of the Picktree Brag, three ghostly tales from 19th century South Shields, the whimsical tale of the Pickled Parson of Sedgefield Rectory, and finishes with a look at why the number 13 may be classed as unlucky for some...
Welcome to Episode 12. In this episode, the Boggart tells the tale of the White Lady of Blenkinsopp Castle in Northumberland, said to be the ghost of the wife of Sir Bryan de Blenkinsopp doomed to haunt the castle until her buried and hidden treasure is found... then we follow the Blenkinsopp line to Bellister Castle where an unfortunate minstrel met a grisly death and haunted the Baron til his dying day. This episode's archive story comes from the Berwickshire News and General Advertiser, with a ghost story dated 6th June 1905 recanting the tale of the ghost of Melrose Abbey. The episode finishes with a look at the whimsical superstition of 'The Sign of Life'...
Episode 11 delves into the story of the Radiant Boy of Corby Castle in Cumbria, an entity described as a boy with golden hair glowing with golden light: whose appearance spells both good fortune and an untimely death for the viewer. Then we cross over into County Durham for the story of the Witch of Easington, said to shapeshift into a hare when out and about - then we also look at stories from Northumberland that bear striking similarities. Finally, we look into the archives at an article from the local press in 1955 detailing the history of Marsden Grotto near Sunderland, and its resident helpful poltergeist...
This is the first of the podcast's 'international episodes' where UK and worldwide folklore will feature, not just stories from the north of England and the Scottish Borders. In Episode 10, the podcast reveals listener stories from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, then delves very briefly into the five thousand years of mermaid folklore, as well as looking at the docufiction production on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel ten years ago that made US watchers definitely afraid to go back in the ocean...
Welcome to Episode 9 of the podcast! Thanks for everyone's support so far! This episode looks at the legend of the Derwent Giants: Cor, Ben and Con, then we look at the case of the Grey Lady of the Newcastle upon Tyne Old Assembly Rooms. Following that we have a 19th century description of what a wraith or waff was, concluding with paranormal investigation accounts at The Bay Horse in Stamfordham, Northumberland.
The haunting of the mill house at Willington Dene, near Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne was one of the country's most famous hauntings in the early 19th century. It was also one of the most well documented, with a diary being kept of many of the occurrences, as well as witness statements. It has also been subject to wild speculation, especially in recent years. Unlike previous episodes, Episode 8 concentrates on the one story rather than multiple short stories, and examines the known history and the actual accounts of the haunting rather than the embellished stories that have been presented in recent decades. This story is usually called 'The Willington Mill Haunting' or 'The Willington Mill Poltergeist' - but the original stories were from the HOUSE (built in 1800) which was built before the mill (opened in 1806), NOT the mill itself. In this episode we'll look to see how the mill itself gained its reputation.