The Devizes Wizard

In about 1624, William Cantelow was earning himself a reputation for his unusual exploits which had brought him the name of the “Wizard of Devizes”.

A story was told of a man who, having had rather too much to drink, called upon William Palmer, the vicar of Wilcot and demanded that he be allowed to ring a peal on the church bells. The hour being late and the fact that Sir George Wroughton, the village squire, lived nearby and would not approve of being disturbed the request was refused. The man left, swearing to have his revenge for the refusal. Shortly afterwards, he met William Cantelow, the so called Wizard of Devizes, to whom he told his story and asked for help in taking his revenge. The Wizard said “Palmer of Wilcot is said to like bell ringing, well, he shall have enough of that, I promise.”

From then on, a bell could be heard ringing in the vicarage but no sound could be heard outside. Cantelow confessed to being the instigator of the bell ringing and was put into jail at Salisbury. Here he said “The bell shall ring as long as I shall live”.

People came from miles to witness the phenomenon, including an envoy sent by King James. The squire was not at all pleased with these events. It was proving to be very expensive for him because he was expected to lodge and entertain the gentry and nobility who came to witness the amazing occurrence. No one could solve the mystery. After the death of King James, Cantelow was released from prison and the ringing ceased.

In his history of Devizes, Waylen records hat Cantelow was said to be the owner of a horoscope with the inscription below a pair of crossed hands which read “The nativity of Robert Danvers, Elizabeth Danvers and their children.”

A Malmesbury Witch

Brewer Bartolem had been preparing for the next brewing of beer when he heard a knock at the door. His daughter, Mary, answered the door where she was met by Goody Orchard – who was reputed locally to be a witch. The old lady asked the girl for a little burme (yeast) because she wanted to bake some bread. The girl refused, but the old lady had noticed that there were about forty hogsheads of yeast in the house ready for the next brewing of beer.

Almost immediately after the old lady had left the house, a chest containing a lot of money that was in a room where her father was entertaining some company, was lifted into the air and fell to the floor with such force that the house shook and the chest split open, spilling money all over the floor. His daughter rushed to the room to see what had happened and then told her father of her meeting with Goody Orchard. “Now look what you have done” cried her father, “all this trouble just because you would not give an old lady some burme”.

Leaving the house, he went down the road to Goody's cottage to find it locked and the shutters at the windows closed. Calling to a neighbour, he said “do you know where Goody is? I have some money for her.” Instantly the door of the cottage opened enough for an open hand to come out. Mr Bartholem placed some money in the hand which was withdrawn and, as the door was closing, he heard the old lady say “Go back to your house, everything will be alright when you get there”.

Returning, he found that the chest was back in one piece and all of the money back inside. However there was a long crack down one side where the chest had split open when it crashed on to the floor. The next day, it was discovered that Goody had left her cottage – to which she never returned.

Early one morning shortly afterwards, an old lady, believed to be Goody, appeared at Burgage – several miles away. Here a farmer and his daughter were working hard out in a field picking vegetables, ready to take to the market. Approaching them, the old lady asked for some food. The farmer told his daughter to go to the farmhouse and get her some bread and cheese. His daughter said “I'm so faint, I can hardly stand on my feet. I'll get myself something to eat first and then I'll get something for her.” The witch followed her into the garden where she went into the middle and squatted there three times. All the while, muttering strange words, arose and left as fast as she could.

The girl went into the house and returned, carrying a bowl of water which she placed on a bench and started to wash her hands. Immediately, her hands became hooked like claws, giving her considerable pain. The girl called to her father who, when he saw was had happened, said “That's what comes of being unkind to an old lady”. He then sent his son out with a horse to find the old lady and bring her back.

About three days later, she was found at Edington, about twenty miles away, where she was begging. Eventually, she was persuaded to return where she was met by the girl and other people who accused her of being a witch and threatened her with hanging. They were told the girl was not bewitched but that she had washed her hands in unwholesome water and that was the cause of the trouble with her hands. The old lady asked for some of the same kind of water to be brought to her, in the same bowl in order that she could see if it was wholesome. Placing her finger into the water, she made three circles in the water, opposite to the direction of the sun. At the same time, she muttered strange words all the time she was stirring. Pronouncing the water was wholesome, she told the girl to wash her hands in it. This was done and the hand returned to normal but the fingers had no strength in them and remained painful.

The witch disappeared again but was later found and taken to Salisbury, where she was eventually executed. There are several versions of these events, the oldest being recorded in the Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine (WAM) XXIX, the date being given about 1643.

Betty the Witch

Betty, a North Wiltshire witch, was famous for the trouble she caused the farm workers in the district because of her activities among the animals and the buildings on the farms. A story is told here of a witch, who was not named, who put a spell on a pig, causing it to go mad and run berserk in it's sty. The owners decided that the only way to cure the animal was to bleed it by cutting a piece from its ear. Almost immediately, the witch ran from a nearby cottage, with blood pouring from her ear. It was said that the pig recovered but the witch was ignored and left to die.

The Witch of Winterslow

A century or more ago, Lydia Shears was well known and feared in the village of East Winterslow. It was said that those who had the courage to refuse to buy her goods when she called at the door of the cottage would be free of her influence, but those who did not would be made to do her will and bidding.

It was said that if one took a gift of tobacco or snuff to her, she would make sparks with a flint and steal that would attract hares so they could be easily knocked over.

Local legend said that she would tease the farmers by turning herself into a hare and leading the farmer's hare into her garden and then disappearing. This happened so often that one of the farmers went to the vicar to ask for his advice. He was told to shoot the hare with a silver bullet. He made the bullet by melting a silver coin. Eventually, the farmer shot the hare when he was out hunting, but the wounded animal ran away. Later, Lydia was found dead in her cottage where, upon examination, a sliver bullet was found in her heart.

The Potterne Witch

A young man who was courting a girl fro Potterne, near Devizes, was convinced that the girl's mother was a witch. He told his friends that, when he was out walking with the girl, her mother would follow them in the guise of a greyhound. He claimed that he had proof of this because, when they were out walking one day, a greyhound dashed past them when it started to rain, jumped the gate leading to the girl's house and disappeared. After he had said goodbye to the girl, he walked around the house and, on looking into the window, he saw the girl's mother standing in a bowl of water, washing mud from her legs.

He also related that, when he went to tea at the girl's house, her mother never had to get up from the table to fetch anything she wanted. She merely beckoned to whatever she required and it would fly into her hands. He also claimed that she had a book about witchcraft and sorcery that she kept in a tin box that was buried in the garden and, although he had looked for it, he had never been able to find it.

Christina Weekes 1649

Christina Weekes of Cleeve Pepper was indicted for using certain witchcrafts, enchantments, charms and sorceries in professing to know where lost goods could be found. In 1651, a man from Manton was said to have given her £4 to charm an evil spirit out of his leg. The result of the charges in not recorded.

A Seend Witch

After giving a lecture at Salisbury in 1896 on witches brooms, a Mr Howard Bell, spoke of a former parish clerk at Seend who had died five years earlier at 83 and who remembered a boy and an old woman being tied in a manner in which they tied witches and being thrown into a stream in the village. Fortunately for the woman, a Lord Frederick Seymour who lived nearby came past just in time to rescue the woman from drowning.

The Horse and the Piece of Straw

When taking produce to the markets, many carters had to leave the farm during the hours of darkness. On one occasion, a carter left Wootton Bassett with a wagon loaded with corn for Devizes market. Drawn by three horses, they had not travelled far along the road when suddenly the leading horse dropped dead. The other two horses stood trembling with fear. Nothing would entice them to move. They were unharnessed from the wagon and taken back to the farm stables.

When daylight came, the dead horse was examined but no cause of the animals death could be found – except that there was a thick piece of straw laying across the horse's back. It was believed that this had been put there by a witch and then death had been caused by the carter's whip falling across it. However, it was also believed that, if the whip had broken the skin beneath the straw, the spell would have been broken because the straw was a witch who had taken that form.

Locals claimed that there had been a witch living in a nearby cottage, many saying that they had seen her face at the window long after she was dead.

Witchcraft in South Wiltshire

A carter taking a load of wheat to Warminster market had to pass through a toll gate kept by an old woman who was said to possess the evil eye.

Having passed through the gate, the old woman asked the carter to bring her back a bag of coal on his return journey. This, he refused to do.

“Thee wunt then”, said the old woman. (Translation: “You won't then”)

“No”, replied the carter, “my hosses a ha nough ta do wi out thee coal”. (Translation: “No, my horses have enough to do without your coal”).

“Oh, thee wunt then”, the old lady said “afore these get ta where thee bist agwain in Warminster, thee ult wish thee had”. (Translation: “Oh, you won't then. Before you get to where you are going in Warminster, you will wish you had”.)

A short distance along the road, the horses stopped and nothing the carter and his boy did would make them start again. Soon the carter gave up and told the boy to run back to the toll house and tell the old lady that he would bring back the coal for her. When the lad returned, the carter told the horses to walk on and they responded immediately.

Protection Against Witches

Many years ago, it was believed that witches had the power to take horses from their stables or from the fields if they were grazing at night and to ride them wildly so that they were of no use for work then next day.

To prevent this, it was a practice to dock their tails or to plait their manes, often interweaving them with straw and sometimes tufts of red wool entwined into thirteen braids.

Hag stones – that is a stone that has a natural hole through it were hung in the stables after being made into a necklace to make it a protection against spells. These stones were not easy to find. This may have been the reason the necklace may have been given the reputation for having protective powers.

A hag stone would often be hung on the key to prevent the witches being able to unlock the stable door to take the horses riding.

It was believed that a hag stone, hung at the entrance of a house, would give it protection against evil.

A North Wiltshire Witch

A witch, living near a road in North Wiltshire, was said to be able to stop any teams of horses from passing whenever she wished by drawing a line across the road with her magic stick.

A carter, whose team had been stopped, after calming the horses cracked his whip and struck the witch violently. Running away, the witch fell into a ditch where she died.

From that time onwards, horses were able to pass along the road without being stopped.

The Witches Glove

A “Witches Glove” was used at Wootton Bassett in about the year 1800 for the purpose of marking a “W” on the right wrist of a suspected witch. The extended hand was held at the wrist by a bar with a hollow shaped to fit the wrist. The underside of the cover was a hinged frame, into which was set sharp pins or spikes forming the letter “W”. This was forced down so that these pins penetrated the flesh and left the mark on the wrist.

The Cowman and the Devil

A cowman living in North Wiltshire had a reputation of being in league with the Devil. One night, after he had retired, he went into a house that had the reputation locally of being haunted. He took a table from the house with the intention of using it in his kitchen. Immediately he had taken the table from the house, it reacted with great violence. Struggling hard to get from the man's shoulders, the table eventually threw the man to the ground, striking him several times in the process. Deciding that the table was not meant to be taken to his home, he tried to take it back into the house. The table once again asserted its will and began to struggle. The struggle continued for the rest of the night before the table allowed the cowman to take it back through the door and place it in its original place in the kitchen.

A White Witches Cure for Ulcers

An old lady at Carlcote often used this charm for which she was paid one shilling. First, she would ask the patient if she had faith. Then she would repeat verses in a voice so low that those who came to be cured could not hear the words. The verses were repeated four times and she would pass her finger round the sore twice whilst she repeated the first two of the verses, then reverse the direction during the third verse and then, whilst she said the fourth verse, she would make the sign of the cross over the sore. The words were believed to be:

Our blessed Saviour Christ, was of the Virgin Mary born,

And his head was crowned with a crown of thorns,

Which never did canker, fester or swell,

And God Almighty grant that this may do so as well.

A Wiltshire Charm Against Toothache

As Peter sat on the marbled stone,

At the gates of Jerusalem

The Lord said to Peter

“Peter, what aileth thee?”

“Lord, I am troubled with toothache.”

“Arise though and follow me,

“Thou will be cured of thy pain,

And not thou but everyone

That carry these lines for my sake.”

Overlooked

Years ago, on the Wiltshire-Dorset borders, a sick person was often said to be “overlooked” or bewitched. A broom or bisom brush would then be placed across the door of the house for it was believed that no good could come to the sick person until the person who had done the overlooking had been found, and that, if that person should pass the house, they would be obliged to pick up the broom, thus giving away their identity.

A Malmesbury Ghost

A traveller, staying at an Inn in Malmesbury, was sitting in his room in the moonlight having in his view, the old fashioned four poster bed and a large old fireplace, when he saw the figure of a man in the dress of a Cavalier enter the room, pause at the foot of the bed, then pass around to the fireplace where he appeared to disappear. Shortly afterwards, he reappeared near the bed where he took off his sword and cloak, lay down on the bed and then appeared to go to sleep.

A little while later, the door opened and a heavily built man entered the room, approached the bed where he seemed to be searching for something. This awakened the Cavalier and a terrible struggle took place and two other men entered the room and joined in. The watcher saw a flash of steel in the moonlight, realising then that he was watching the death of the Cavalier. The men quickly searched the room and then, on hearing a noise, left in a hurry. All then returned to normal.

Next day, the traveller told a friend of his experience. The friend, having knowledge of local history, researched the Civil War period and found that a Sir Ronal Bouchier often carried dispatches from the beleaguered garrison at Bristol to King Charles at Oxford and would often stay overnight a Malmesbury where he was murdered one night be a gang of rogues who wanted his briefcase, which according to one of the gang they never found.

The two friends decided to spend the night at the Inn in the same room. During the evening, they went to the room and the friend walked around the bed then appeared to vanish, except for the glimmer of the torch he was carrying. The traveller looked into the fireplace and saw that his friend had climbed into the chimney and was just descending, bringing with him a blackened and very dusty briefcase.

Documents found in the briefcase were of no real value, however, a false bottom was found and, in it was a package addressed to a person whom the traveller thought may have been an ancestor of his family. The package contained a diamond necklace and earrings of some considerable value. The traveller was later able to establish that he was a direct descendant of the addressee and was able to claim ownership of the jewels. Did the Cavalier come to the room that night to show him what had happened and to lead him to the jewels?

The date of the travellers stay is not recorded. One account gives the Inn being named the Royal Arms. After the Civil War, many Inns bearing names that could be associated with the monarchy were re-named. With the return of the monarchy, many returned to their former names or similar, this, however, does not enable the writer to establish the exact location of the Inn the event took place in or whether it is still in existence as an Inn.

The Newton Tony Poltergeist

A poltergeist was said to have taken possession of a cottage bread oven at Newton Tony. People living in the cottage told of a clatter as if the oven had fallen out and was rolling on the floor, china would be shaken on the dresser whilst the noise was made. A bricklayer was called in to examine the oven in an effort to find and cure the problem. Whilst doing this, he found an old wooden bowl similar to those used as till bowls, particularly in old public houses. The bowl appeared to be empty but, when he took it home, his daughter – who was deaf and dumb – indicated to a friend that it had lots of money in it. From then on, the noises at the cottage ceased and it was said that the bricklayer was never short of money again.

The Drummer of Tedworth

Mr Mompesson of Tedworth House was a magistrate. One day, he as in Lugershall when he saw a man beating a drum in the street. He was told that the man was demanding money from the public on the strength of a warrant he had which had been signed by Sir William Caley and Colonel Aycliffe of Gretenham. Mr Mompesson knew the hand writing of these two men and, on reading the document, he knew it was a forgery. He ordered a constable to arrest the man who was taken before the magistrate and the drum deposited at Tedworth House. The man was tried at Salisbury, convicted and sent to jail. From that time on and for many months in 1662 and 1663, Tedworth House was plagued with continuous noises, thumping, banging on doors, furniture being moved around, mysterious light and all manner of manifestations. The children were frightened at night. These happenings became well known throughout the neighbourhood and many people cam to witness them. None of these things could be explained and were taken to be due to witchcraft practised by the drummer on account of the loss of his drum. It is not recorded when or why the noises ceased.

The Gypsy Curse

In 1801 a gypsy was hung at Salisbury having been found guilty of stealing a horse. The man, Joshua Scamp came from the village of Odstock and had been found guilty on the evidence that his coat had been found in the stable from which the horse had been taken. The real thief had been his son in law who had left the coat there to put the blame of the theft on his father in law. To protect his daughter, Joshua Scamp refused to plea and it was only after his death that his innocence was proven. Buried in the churchyard at Odstock, his grave was often visited by gypsies. Visits that were so lively that the vicar decided they should stop. To enforce his rule, the Vicar enrolled two constables. The next time the gypsies returned to the grave, they found that the church had been locked against them and their queen.

Their reaction was to smash everything they could find, then afterwards, to visit the local inn until the evening. In the evening, the gypsy queen returned to the churchyard where she stood on a wall and cursed the Vicar saying he would not be preaching there the following year. The churchwarden, she said, would suffer two years of bad luck, the sexton would be buried the next year and the two special constables who were half gypsy were told that they would die suddenly and together. Finally, she cursed the church door, saying that anyone who locked the door would die within a year.

All came true. The Vicar has a stroke and never preached again, the churchwarden's cows went sick, his crops failed and his wife's babies were stillborn. The sexton died of a heart attack and the special constables disappeared. Later two skeletons were found in a shallow grave near Odstock and were believed to be those of the two men. Twice the door was locked after it was cursed, both men who locked it died within a year. Later the rector of the parish threw the key into the river which he thought was the best and safest thing to do.

The Shepherd and Dog Inn

In the mid 18 th century, there was a small inn at Lydeway, a small hamlet near Devizes. Landlord Thomas Burry had an evil reputation. It was said that many travellers who entered the inn alone were never seen again. A number of bodies were found in a shallow grave behind the inn, all were said to have been the victims of the landlord's greed but there is no record of the landlord being charged or convicted of any crime. When Thomas Burry died in 1842, it is said that the bells of the church at nearby Stert would not ring at his funeral.

Ghosts of Bowerchalke

A fierce battle was fought between the Britons and Romans at a lace called “Patty's Bottom” at Bowerchalke. In the past, ghostly trampings have been reported and some people have claimed to have seen headless horses. Nearby, people have said that they have occasionally heard the voice of an old shepherd, lost on the plain, calling to be guided home.

The Danes and St Aldhelm

An old legend tells of the Danes who were attracted to the Shrine of St Aldhelm at Malmesbury and of one who drew his knife and tried to remove one of the precious stones from the shrine and was struck blind. After that, the Danes were said to have given the shrine a wide berth.

Boyton

Here, at a place known locally as Chettle, a spring rose at different times. A legend tells that there was once a chapel built there but the Devil caused the earth to open up and swallow it.

A Strange Happening at Ramsbury

In March 1874 farm worker David Duck was working with a horse and cart on a farm near Mildenhall Warren. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the horse took fright, knocking Duck down, the cart wheels ran over him and he was killed. A messenger was sent to Ramsbury to tell his wife of the dreadful tragedy.

Arriving at the man's house, he found a girl, the daughter of a neighbour there. The girl told him that Mrs Duck had been out gathering wood when she had become very frightened and had said that she had seen her husband but he had not spoken to her, even after she had spoken to him. When Mrs Duck arrived at the house and found the messenger there, she cried out “You have come to tell me that my Davie is killed. I knew he was, I have just seen his ghost. For God's sake, tell me, is my Davie dead?”.

The Ghost Pit Pond, Hewish

In the latter part of the 18 th century, a Mr Reeves of Hewish Farm, near Malmesbury, hung himself for the love of an actress who was also a remarkable horsewoman who had achieved the feat of jumping to the height of 25 feet on horseback. The ghost of Mr Reeves was seen walking about several times and a clergyman was called upon to lay the spirit in Pit Pond. Until that time, the water in the pond had been crystal clear but after the spirit had been laid there, the water became muddy and green and no beast would drink there.

The Ghost of Breamore House, near Salisbury

Breamore House was built in 1580 by William Dodington who later committed suicide. A picture of his wife hung in the great hall and it was rumoured that no one who touched the picture lived. Henry, the grandson of William Dodington murdered his mother and her ghost was said to drag herself along the corridors of the house.

The Great Cheverell Ghost

At one time, strange noises and disturbances were happening at the Manor House at Great Cheverell. There were reports of bell ringing and, on one occasion, the entire household were woken by a loud crash as though a cupboard or sideboard had been thrown to the floor, with further noise coming from the crockery they would have contained. However, on going to investigate, nothing was found to be out of place. Noises seemed to come from the hall, sounds that gave the impression that furniture was being dragged across the floor. At the same time, noises indicated that there were people running about downstairs and that small articles were being thrown around.

All of these noises took place at night, but if anyone rose from their bed to investigate by looking over the balustrade into the hall, the noises would immediately stop. The residents gradually became used to the occasional happenings in the middle of the night. One member of the household found that the noises were referred to in some old diaries and it was soon believed that the events of the night could go back to an old quarrel that took place many years before. A story is told of an eccentric owner of the house who, having drawn a large sum of money from his back, all in hard cash, and had then driven off with it in his coach. When he died shortly afterwards, the fortune could not be found. His relatives searched the house in vain, in particular in and around the main hall, often doing this at night to keep their efforts a secret but the fortune was never found.

Years later, a resident of the house made the comment “If the noises in the house are made by ghosts trying to find the lost fortune, they should be congratulated on their perseverance!”

Avebury

The great and mysterious stone circle of Avebury has long been the subject of sightings and not all of ghosts, but of what was probably happening there in the long distant past.

One evening a lady was travelling towards the circle when she was convinced that she was approaching what appeared to be a fair being assembled within the circle and that she could hear music and other noises from booths and stalls, yet when she entered the circle, it was empty and silent.

Another lady passing the circle one moonlit night, saw a number of small figures moving about within the circle when there were no signs of people in the village. Similarly, when she reached the stones, nothing could be seen.

An old legend that says adders cannot live in the circle but there is no conclusive evidence of this. Spirit forms have been seen in the village of Avebury. The manor house was built on the site of a former Benedictine Monastery, forms of monks have been seen around the house. Cavaliers have also been sighted in and around the building and strange shadows seen. In the house, flowers that have been placed in bowls have been found scattered on the floor and a lady wearing a hood similar to that worn by a nun has been seen walking along a footpath leading to the manor house.

The local inn, the Red Lion, was not left untouched by these ghostly visits, the sound of a coach and horses having been heard on the cobbles outside the inn and there have been reports of ghostly footsteps. The face of a girl could often be seen at one of the upper windows of the Inn. The writer was told that the landlord had no objection to the spirit being there but recently, without asking his permission, a visitor exorcised this spirit. There is no way this can be confirmed.

Wild Will Darrell

Nobleman William Darrell lived at Littlecoate House near Chilton Foliat. One dark and stormy night in 1575, a midwife from Shefford, a Mother Barnes, was taken blindfolded to attend a confinement at a place unknown to her, about eight miles from her home. One arrival at a fine manor house, she set about delivering the baby. Immediately, the child was born a man whom she knew later to be William Darrell seized the baby and threw it into the fire. Blindfolded again, Mother Barnes was paid generously, led back down the stairs and taken back to her home. Reporting the incident to a magistrate, she was able to produce a snippet of the bedcover Darrell was suspected and later Mother Barnes was able to identify Littlecote House. Darrell was tried and acquitted because it was said he was a friend of the Attorney General. Rumours said that the child was the result of incest with his sister. A few months later, Darrell was thrown from his horse at a place known now as Darrell's Stile, breaking his neck. It was said at the time that the horse had shied on seeing the apparition of the child. Legend says that the ghost of Darrell still walks near the stile.

Lights at Laverstock

An old shepherd at Laverstock told of seeing strange lights on the down at Knook during the night. His master also saw them and reported it to the government who sent down soldiers to investigate. The soldiers, he said, had dug and found guns, swords and a large box of valuables. Some dead bodies were also found in the area where the lights were seen. The shepherd was given £2.00 by his master but he always considered that he should have been given more.

The Green Lady

Longleat House, the home of Lord Bath, has been the place where the Green Lady had been sighted. So named from a picture of Lady Louisa the beautiful wife of the second Viscount Weymouth. The story is told that the Viscount fought a duel with an unnamed man who was said to be his wife's lover. The duel took place in one of the upper passages of the house, now known as the “Green Lady Passage”, and resulted in the death of the wife's lover. Nothing was heard of the duel until this century when the remains of a body was found buried in the cellar. The body was thought to be that of the loser of the duel. It is also said that the ghost of Lady Louisa has been seen in the “Green Lady Passage” since the body was discovered. There have been times when what is thought to be the ghost of a chambermaid knocks on the doors of bedrooms early in the mornings. Bishop Ken, who refused to swear allegiance to William III stayed at Longleat for twenty years as a refugee is said to have been seen in the Red Library. John Thyme, who in 1580, built the house has also been seen in the same library.

The Holy Wells at Stourton

West of the village of Stourton is a place called Six Wells. Here is it said, that weary and tired, King Arthur and his men stopped to pray for water after fighting the Danes. Six springs same up to give them the water they had prayed for.

Preshute Legend

It is said to always rain when the grass is mown in a meadow called Culver Mead, Preshute. Here a soldier who had deserted from the army was shot by soldiers who were trying to recapture him when he was trying to jump one of the ditches. Recorded in the parish records is: “1690, two soldiers runaway from their Coulars (colours) was shot to death and buried April 13 th .”

A Remarkable Dream

Doctor Hicks lived at Mere, Wiltshire in about 1811 to 1812. One night, he awoke from a dream in which he had seen a man digging a grave in a field near the town. Going back to sleep, he had the same dream again from which he awoke. Once again, he returned to sleep only to have the same dream once again. This time he rose from his bed, dressed and walked to the field of his dream, a field which was called “Mead's Mead”. On the way, he met a woman whom he knew as Nancy Mills. Asking her what she was going out at that time of night, she refused to answer. Continuing to press her for an answer, he was told that if he did not leave her along, she would return to her home. He went away, then returned to follow her at a distance until she reached the place of his dream. It was then that he heard strong words being used in a conversation. Approaching the place where the voices were coming from he was heard by the man who ran away.

The man, whose name was John Gray, had induced the woman to meet him and go to America with him. He had, however, intended to murder her and had dug a grave in which she was to have been buried after he had shot her. At that time, although he was engaged to Nancy, he had another sweetheart. Gray left a spade and a gun at the spot when he ran away. He disappeared and was never seen again in the town. It was believed that he had joined the army. Later, Nancy gave birth to an illegitimate daughter.

For many years, the place where the grave had been dug was railed off, with the passage of time these have disappeared.

Grass That Animals Will Not Eat

During the Jack Cade rebellion of 1449, Ayscough, the Bishop of Salisbury, took refuge at the alter of Edington Church during the rioting. The sanctuary of the church was not respected and he was dragged from the alter and taken to a nearby hill where he was murdered. Tradition says that animals will not feed from any of the grass that grows on the spot where the Bishop's blood fell.

St Thomas' Path

A path from Winterbourne to Clarendon is said to remain green through all the seasons of the year. The reason for this is given to be because of the saintliness of St Thomas a'Beckett who used the path to go to the chapel at Clarendon to say mass when he was the priest at Winterbourne.

The Bishop's Birds

When the Bishop of Salisbury died at the council of Constance in 1414, strange albatross like birds were seen flying over the Cathedral Close at Salisbury. A legend says that this always happens when the Bishop of Salisbury dies. Two such birds were reported being seen in 1885 when Bishop Moberly died.

The Drummer Boy

The drummer of Salisbury Plain is said to haunt a fork road in West Lavington, where he was murdered for his pay by a colour sergeant. Years later, the colour sergeant is said to have returned to the spot where, upon hearing the sound of the boy's drum, he confessed to his crime. The records do not show the results of his confession.

Kit's Grave

An old gypsy woman was found in a well at Bowerchalke and it was believed that she had committed suicide and was buried at the crossroads near Vern Ditch with a stake driven through her heart. An avenue of trees grew nearby leading to the grave where it is said that no bird is ever heard to sing.

Queen Genevire

Legend tells that Queen Genevire who, after the death of King Arthur, went into a nunnery at Amesbury where she remained until her death. Her body was taken to Glastonbury to be interned with the King. There have been reports of a ghostly cortege being seen moving across the Downs. A gifted friend with whom I was staying in Devizes, told me that she had once looked out of a window on to the Downs and saw what appeared to be a number of people who gave her the impression that they were waiting for something to happen. Then other people appeared who seemed to be carrying something. Could she have been seeing the cortege? We shall never know. What I do know is that she had never heard of the legend until I told her – after she had related her experience.

A Legend of the Lovells

Lord Lovell of Upton Lovell left to seek adventure in foreign lands, leaving behind his wife whose grief because of his leaving was so deep that she died. Returning from his travels, Lord Lovell was so stricken with grief that he also died. He was buried in the same grave and with them there was laid a rose from which a briar grew, which led to a ballad being written:

“They grew and grew, to the steeple to

And then they could grow no higher,

So they entwined in a true lovers knot,

For all lovers to admire”.

Black Dogs

Many sightings of ghostly black dogs have been reported in the county of Wiltshire. Many believe that they are the spirits of the legendary Hounds of Odin, the dogs of the Norse raiders. Black Dog occurs in the names of many places in the county, Black Dog Woods, Chapmanslade, Dog Hill Barrow near Stonehenge, to name two. A black dog is said to haunt a spot near Maud Heath's Causeway between Langley Burrell and Chippenham. The ghostly form of Maud Heath who gifted the causeway in 1474 has been seen on the causeway. Devil's Den, a megalithic grave on the Downs near Marlborough is said to be haunted by a dog with big burning eyes. However, this dog is white and is said to have a lair beneath the grave. Local people have said that sometimes at night, the Devil can be seen trying to move the stones with a team of white oxen.

The Light in the Sky

On Wednesday, February 27 th 1929, between 9.30 and 10.00pm, a remarkable light was seen in the sky, the like of which had never been seen before by any of those who saw it. It was seen in various parts of North and South Wiltshire. It was reported by Mr L Hopkins (Wiltshire Telegraph) of Rowde, Mr G ….. at Moredon in Rodney Cheney (North Wiltshire Herald) and by many people at Melksham (Wiltshire Times) and by H Goddard at Clyffe Pypard, Warminster. Dr Norman Lockyer observed it form his observatory at Sidmouth in Devon who, giving his observations in the Wiltshire Archaelogical Magazine Vol. XLV, page 92, likened it to a motor car light beam, but one that did not reach the ground. Nature Magazine, March 1929, ascribed it to the Aurra which according to some observers certainly accompanied it.

Clay Hill Warminster

Many years ago, local people would say that Cley Hill was the home of the “King of the Faeries”. In 1588, it was one of the beacon stations used to warn of the coming of the Spanish Armada. In the 19 th century, it was recorded that fires were lit there to drive away the Devil, and there have been suggestions that it may have been the site of pagan fires. One legend tells of buried treasure which it has been said to be linked by underground tunnels to a farm in Winterbourne Stoke and the Royal Oak Inn at Corsley. The Inn is believed to have been built on the site of an old monastery and is said to be haunted by the ghost of a hooded monk. In 1966, a local paper carried a report about this. Some weeks later, a stranger dressed in black called at the Inn and asked permission to enter the cellar to look for secret passages. The landlord refused permission but asked the reason for the request. He was told that the man was searching for “the golden ram of Satan” which he believed had been buried beneath Cley Hill many centuries before and thought that the tunnel, if one existed there, may lead him to it.

Hunderbrook at Rockley Manor, Marlborough

Called by some locals “Hungerbourne”, this stream is apparently fed from various sources, one of which is said to rise in the cellar of Rockley Manor from where it runs into a culvert in the park.

When it rises from this source, it is said to foretell of war. It did, in fact, rise there in 1914 and 1915. There are similar streams in Kent, where the legend also applies. These steams being known as “War Bournes”.

Modern Mysteries

Christmas Day 1964, soldiers at Warminster were awakened by what sounded like a giant thunder clap and loud hammerings. There were no signs of any damage, neither could there be found any reason for the noise. Being Christmas Day in peace time, it was unlikely that any military activity was taking place, most of the garrison being on Christmas leave. This was the beginning of a long series of strange events around Warminster, ranging from high pitched sounds, some of which caused cars to stop although no fault could be found with the motors which started again with no trouble at all when the noises ceased. Strange lights were seen in the skies, household pets and other animals behaved strangely. On one occasion, a flock of pigeons were seen to fall to the ground and on being examined were found to have died immediately from no apparent cause. Claims that the military were testing new weapons were strongly denied. Observations teams were set up and in the following years, many sightings of unidentified flying objects were recorded. Many books on this and related subjects were written and many theories formed.

In his book the “Old Straight Track”, published in 1925, the late Alfred Watkins show that ancient and holy sites may be linked by invisible lines which he called “ley lines”, the Chinese having theories of similar lines call them “Dragon Lines”. Watkins shows how these lines may be traced over considerable distances, one for instance from Cornwall to the east coast, passing through Avebury on the way.

Claims have been made that these are lines of power and that a number converge near Warminster to create a source of power which is used by UFOs to recharge their motive power, whatever it may be, and that this could be the attraction for them in this area. There have been reports of strange men in black being seen in the district. Definite evidence of this is yet to be given.

It is worth remembering that many ancient hill figures, forts and other objects can be seen easier from the air than at ground level. Could they be flight guide paths left by an ancient people to be for future use?

Now the mysterious crop circles are with us, again many theories have been put forward, yet we still have no real answers. It appears that the county of Wiltshire will continue to bewitch and bewilder for many years to come.

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