Hallowe'en stories from Whitchurch and north Shropshire

Once again we share a selection of ghostly tales from around north Shropshire.

The Old Eagles pub, Whitchurch

During an investigation in the early 2000’s, the sounds of a girl singing was heard coming from the cellars of the pub, and it has been heard intermittently since.

As well as this, the spirit of the former landlord’s spirit is said to be still attached to the building and has been seen wandering the pub at times.

The Old Eagles in Whitchurch. Picture: Jaggery/Geograph.

The Phantom Army, Whitchurch

There are reports of spirits seen down Blaney’s lane and near the church that remind us of a violent time in England’s history.

In the 1260’s the people of England had become exasperated by the incompetent and inefficient rule of Henry III.

The discontented nobles, merchants and peasants found a leader in Simon De Montfort and Gilbert De Claire.

In 1264 the king’s army was defeated at the battle of Lewes and as a result Montfort and De Claire took control of the government.

They sacked the corrupt officials, reformed the tax system and then called parliament which included the first ‘ordinary’ citizens elected by towns and counties.

The meeting on the 20th of January 1265 was a success. The members of parliament elected from Shropshire came home to report that all was well within the kingdom but sadly it wasn’t.

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, rebel to Henry III's reign, dies in the Battle of Evesham.

Montfort had two greedy dishonest sons, they set themselves to diverting royal government revenues to their own pockets. De Claire tried to inform Montfort of this, but Montfort refused to listen.

Meanwhile prince Edward (Future Edward I) approached De Claire and agreed that his father’s corrupt rule had to end, and he was willing to take over as legitimate ruler.

Edward promised that he would consult parliament and keep the high standard imposed on government. The people of Shropshire had a problem. Both sides now promised much the same thing. Who should they support?

In June, a small force of Edward’s men arrived at Whitchurch demanding loyalty from the town.

When the town council met to decide, the soldiers got drunk. They started taking without paying and abused some women. The locals were outraged, and so, a scuffle broke out, and then a fight.

This was a monumental fight as some men involved had military training, they ambushed the soldiers and killed at Blaney’s lane. It was truly a massacre.

The town declared for De Montfort but the whole issue was sorted out a few weeks later at the battle of Evesham, where Simon De Montfort was killed. Whitchurch was fined for their behaviour but it was a light one.

Whitchurch was not forgiven by the soldiers, however.

They clank around the area of Blaneys lane and near the church in their armour, their heart set on disturbing the town that brought about their end.

They still wander to this day, appearing angry or sad, and sometimes even vengeful. Witnesses have described them in full plate armour.

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A Whitchurch ghost story as reported in the Staffordshire Sentinel on May 16th, 1927

A Whitchurch correspondent writes 'Mysterious night tapings have caused Antony Kynaston aged 70 and his two daughters to leave their isolated cottage at night and find quarters in other parts of the neighbourhood.

'The cottage was known as ‘The Mount’ on the boarder between Shropshire and Cheshire and the noises started just before Christmas.

Kynaston and his daughters heard tapping in the walls dividing the kitchen from the rest of the house, in the chimney and in other parts of the house.

Neighbours were present for one occasion and an invisible object passed down Kynaston’s arm, accompanied by the sound of rustling silk. On the table are weird markings and hieroglyphics attributable to no known cause.

Mr. Kynaston said that they appear in the day fresh in any room left unaccompanied. Mr. Kynaston says he does not know any history of the house which would account for ghostly visitors.z

Oteley Hall, Ellesmere

Oteley Hall is a grand estate overlooking the mere, the present house was built in the 1960s but previous building dates to the early 19th century.

The daughter of Oteley Hall was said to be young and well educated. Her father wanted her to marry a man of wealth, but the young woman had other ideas, for she’d fallen in love with the stable boy.

The pair met in secret and declared their undying love for each other, dreaming of a time they might be able to elope. Soon they began to plan this.

The young woman was to meet her lover at the boathouse, and they would sneak away in the dead of night. But sadly, her father heard her plans, and with a gun in his hand, met the girls lover that night, shooting him dead into the boat.

Upstairs in her bedroom, the young woman heard the gunshot and raced down to the boatyard. She watched as her father chucked her love’s body into the mere.

Overwhelmed with grief, she waded out into the waters, ending her own life.

The young woman does not rest easy. She continues to haunt the area, wandering around the meres edge, but also the lanes that surround the area. She appears as she did in life, only deathly pale and dripping wet.

Oteley near Ellesmere. Picture: Geograph.

The crimson fruit, Ellesmere

There is a folktale that states in a sadly unnamed wood near Ellesmere, a pear tree grows, which bears fruit streaked with crimson and sometimes even red fleshed fruit.

It is said that a woman once murdered her daughter and buried her body beneath that tree, and ever since the strange fruit has grown, as well as there being a ‘frittenin’ underneath (Spirit/eerie presence)

Llyneal Lane, Ellesmere

At a place known in the 19th century as Llyneal lane, a man was buried with a fork state run through his body to keep it down.

Since then, there has been a haunting inn the Drumby hole close by.

A man once passed the place with three horses when he saw a woman without a head.

This scared the horses, who bolted, overturning the wagon, and throwing the man into Drumby hole.

The wagon and one of the horses fell upon him. The other two horses ran home, and when they returned, they were covered in foam. The man’s body was found.

Curiously it is reported that exactly 12 months to the day, the man’s son was killed by the same horses at the same spot.

Lyneal Lane. Picture: Geograph.

The legend of Mrs Ellis, Ellesmere

This is the legend as told in ‘Bygones’, January 1874, a correspondent of ‘Shreds and Patches’ in 1881 picked up another version.

Both are evidently genuine folk-tales. A many many years ago, clean water was very scarce in this neighbourhood.

All that could be got, was what was fetched from a beautiful well in the very middle of what is now the mere at Ellesmere. But the people to whom the land belonged were so grasping that they charged a half-penny for every bucketful that was drawn.

One of these was the wicked Mrs Ellis, who was motivated only by money.

This charge fell very heavy on the poor, and they prayed to heaven to take some notice of their wrongs.

So the Almighty, to punish those who so oppressed the poor, caused the well to burst forth in such volumes that it flooded all the land about, and so formed the mere.

And so thenceforward there was plenty of water free to all-comers. She is said to still haunt the Mere, Her screams and cries are frequently heard.

Hampton wood, Ellesmere

Not far from Ellesmere, a tale of traditional exorcism took place in Hamptons wood during the 19th century.

By Praying incessantly for three days and three nights a parson forced a ghost which used to appear in the form of a headless man to change into a cat.

He then shrunk it until it was small enough to be imprisoned in a giant bottle. The bottle was put in three iron chests, one inside the other and buried under a barn.

The ghost was said to have been laid for 99 years, which means it is probably now active again. After completing the exorcism, the poor minister was so exhausted, he died.

The Wem Goblin

Charlotte Burne reported that at a sadly unnamed inn during the 18th and 19th century a goblin haunted an inn in Northwood near Wem.

He would sit cross legged on the barrels in the cellar and would even speak to people. He had a fondness for mischief and would rattle cupboards, make items jump up and down and throw things around the inn.

Interestingly this is similar phenomena to modern day poltergeist hauntings.

Wem Town Hall

In 1677 the old town hall at Wem was burnt down.

The fire had accidently been started by a young girl named Jane Churm who died in the inferno that followed. It was this tragedy that had led to a persistent haunting.

The new town hall was built in the scorched remains of the old one and those who worked there began to see the lively figure of Jane running about the place, upstairs and darting in and out of rooms.

The 1995 picture which is now debunked was thought to depict her. Despite the photo being debunked, her spirit is said to endure.