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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780752492193 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The History Press |
| Publication date: | 01/01/2013 |
| Series: | Haunted |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 96 |
| File size: | 4 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Haunted Tunbridge Wells
By Neil Arnold
The History Press
Copyright © 2013 Neil ArnoldAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7524-9219-3
CHAPTER 1
Benenden
The Man-Faced Dog!
I begin this volume with one of the most bizarre entries in this book. It comes from the atmospheric pen of Mr Charles Igglesden, who writes about Benenden in his second volume of A Saunter Through Kent with Pen and Pencil. Benenden is a quaint village and civil parish in the Tunbridge Wells district. The village name derives from an Old English word meaning 'Bynna's wooded pasture'. In 1086 the village was recorded as Benindene. The current spelling of the name has been in existence since 1610.
Igglesden describes a disturbing apparition within the vicinity of Skull's Gate Farm – which sounds like the perfect setting for a macabre tale! The farm 'lies just off the Cranbrook High Road'. Legend has it that, in the murky past, a man was murdered in the area under 'revolting circumstances'; his fetid ghost is still said to lurk here. However, this is no ordinary haunting. One day, during the early 1900s, a man was riding his bicycle on the lane toward Skull's Gate Farm when, to his horror, he noticed that he was being followed by an alarming manifestation. According to Igglesden, 'the shape of the ghost was remarkable' – some would say far-fetched. According to the tale, it had a 'long body' resembling a dog but a human head! A sinister tale indeed ...
Had the terrified witness observed a hellhound, those frightful, demonic dogs of legend with salivating jaws and fiery eyes? Such fiends are said to take on many forms and colours; some are said to drag chains around their necks, whilst others are bereft of a head. Folklore states that those unfortunate enough to encounter such a goulish manifestation are soon to suffer a death in the family.
On 29 December 1672 Benenden suffered a great tempest, described as a 'very great light, to the amazement of all the inhabitants.' Hideous thunderclaps reverberated across the sky, and so severe was the winter storm that those who remained in the village, 'wished themselves farthest from it.' One wonders if the storm was so bad that even the phantasmal man-faced dog had to seek shelter!
The Oldest Road-Ghost Story Ever Told
The county of Kent has so many haunted roads. Tales of phantom hitchhikers, spectral jaywalkers and eerie accident victims abound. One of the best-known road ghosts of the county haunts the village of Blue Bell Hill near Maidstone – for more information, read my Haunted Maidstone – but one of my favourite stories – and certainly one the oldest accounts of a road spectre – is briefly mentioned in Charles Igglesden's aforementioned volume. He begins:
Leaving [Benenden] by the way of the Rolvenden road, we pass on the left Pullington, the residence of Captain Neve, and Beacon Hill, so named on account of its having been one of the hills upon which beacon fires were lighted to warn of the approach of the great Spanish Armada. The name Pullington recalls a strange and somewhat weird story well-known to the older inhabitants ...
According to his book, it was once said that a local man named Hunt (who was also known as Fullington Hunt) resided in the area. He was due to marry a young lady named Peggy. The problem was that Mr Hunt was not a trustworthy soul, and he was known to have affairs. Indeed, Mr Hunt had an affair with Peggy's own sister – and married her instead. Young Peggy only found out about the affair on the day of her wedding; upon hearing the bells of the church ring out, she set off merrily – only to find the happy couple at the altar. Peggy forlornly trudged to the nearby pond, which was situated at Eaglesden, and threw herself in. It's no coincidence that the water hole became known as 'Peggy's Field'.
Many years later the unfaithful Mr Hunt, whilst riding home late at night from Cranbrook market, got the shock of his life when his jilted bride-to-be suddenly appeared beside him. Thereafter, the spectre would haunt Mr Hunt every time he travelled on that stretch of road – her spectre would hop on board his cart, and there remain until he reached the stables.
On a lighter, more comical note, it's worth mentioning that Princess Anne went to Benenden School in 1964. It was here, so it is said, that she was mildly spooked one night by a ghost, an apparition which turned out to be her friends playing a prank!
Bidborough
Phantom Monks
The village and civil parish of Bidborough has a population of under 1,000 and sits north of Tunbridge Wells. Parts of the church of St Lawrence date back to the tenth century. During the twelfth century the building was extended. In July 1998, in the vicinity of St Lawrence, two visitors observed a trio of ghostly monks which floated down the pathway at a quick pace. Although the stunned witnesses fled the churchyard, they noticed that the hooded figures had a strange hue about them – particularly under their cowls, where their faces should have been.
Brenchley and Matfield
A Peculiar Past
The parish of Brenchley – which has a population of fewer than 3,000 people – can be found 8 miles east of Tunbridge Wells. The name is said to derive from an Anglo-Saxon leader whose name was Braenca, and the area his people lived in was a clearing, or 'leagh', in the forest. Over time the village has been called Braencsle, Brencheslega, Branchelegh and Brenchesle. The church in the village – All Saints – dates back to the thirteenth century and the main street which runs through the area is said to be one of the finest in England. The village is famous for its timbered Elizabethan houses. A tree which stands alongside the old Rectory House is said to be 'so ancient that it is mentioned in the Domesday [survey]'. The tree has a girth of 36ft.
Both Brenchley and Matfield have a curious history. One of the first ever diphtheria outbreaks occurred there, and a few centuries ago the country lanes of a night were frequented by highwaymen. On a road to Pembury from Matfield, it is recorded that an isolated spot became known as Beggar's Hollow. Many people were robbed at this location and it was deemed an unsavoury place to frequent if you were not of the criminal fraternity.
The aforementioned church sits close to an avenue of 400-year-old yew trees. Between 1367 and 1370 Edward III was said to have felled more than 150 oak trees to aid the restoration of Rochester Castle. Interestingly, there is a legend in Brenchley pertaining to the cutting down of oak trees: in the past it was said that anyone who cut down an oak tree would die within a year. This was proven when, in 1863, the wife of a farmer felled a roadside oak. Although she planted a sapling near the very spot, she was dead within the year. On 19 August 1763 a terrible storm raged over the village. Within thirty minutes the area was completely flooded. Enormous chunks of hail fell from the sky. They were described as being 'like fragments of ice and of irregular shape'. The rector of Barming noted that hailstones measuring 4in were still being picked up ten days later.
A tombstone in the village has a rather macabre inscription on its face. It reads:
'This world is like a city, 'tis full of crooked streets, Death is the market place where all poor mortals meet.'
Haunted House – For Sale!
On Thursday, 29 July 2004, BBC News reported that a war poet's birthplace was up for sale: Weirleigh, a 'neo-gothic mansion on the outskirts of the village of Matfield', was put on the market for £800,000. The building, which has a ninety-two step staircase, was the birthplace, in 1886, of poet Siegfried Sassoon. The building was constructed in 1866.
The house is said to have a ghost – thought to be that of Sassoon's mother – but the owners at the time, a Mr and Mrs Wheeler, dismissed the legend. Lisbet Wheeler added: 'Mrs Sassoon had eczema. She excluded everybody and people were intrigued.' She would often cover herself in white soothing cream to treat her condition – and so, when she appeared at the window, many visitors and passers-by were spooked. Despite their scepticism, the Wheelers kept the legend alive by hanging a white African mask in one of the windows. Even so, the Telegraph of 17 July 2004 commented that the house was known to schoolchildren as the 'haunted house' or the 'Scooby Doo house.'
It seems the ghostly legend may have originated from the pen of a Robert Graves, who stayed at the house in 1916. Shortly after Siegfried's brother, Hamo, died at Gallipoli, Graves heard strange noises such as 'rapping' and 'diabolical yelling' at the house. These bouts of high strangeness were also blamed on Sassoons' mother who, at the time, had been trying to contact her departed son via a seance.
The Churchyard Ghost
Brenchley's All Saints church is said to be haunted by a Roman soldier. During the summer of 1988 a man visited the churchyard. Whilst he was inspecting the tombstones' inscriptions, under the glare of the sun, he felt a presence nearby. When the man looked up he was startled to see the head and shoulders of a Roman soldier. The witness reported that the figure wore a 'close fitting helmet', and 'looked young and fair of face'.
The spectre appeared to be staring at a gravestone. However, when the witness approached, the figure, like so many ghosts, disappeared.
Ghosts on the Road
The village has a haunted stretch of road. The Maidstone Road was the setting for a road-ghost encounter on 11 December 2009 when a male witness, at 6.35 a.m., was forced to brake hard when two figures suddenly rushed out in front of the vehicle. The figures vanished within seconds.
Haunting at the Halfway House
In September 2011 the Kent & Sussex Courier newspaper ran the intriguing headline, 'Pub's spooky secrets are to be unlocked'. According to reporter Elizabeth Barrett, after several weird occurrences at The Halfway House in Brenchley, a ghost-hunting team was sent in to investigate.
According to the newspaper, the pub, situated on the Horsmonden Road, 'has long been rumoured to be haunted by spirits and both locals and former landlords have witnessed first-hand strange and inexplicable goings-on within its walls.' The pub, which dates back to the seventeenth century, is a former coaching inn, and was once a morgue. The current landlord, Richard Allen, was quoted as saying, 'I've personally not witnessed anything but there have been a number of reports from others. There does seem to me to be too many people who say they have experienced something here to completely pooh-pooh it.'
Poltergeist activity was frequently reported in the pub. One member of staff found that her perfectly laid tables had been upturned, and chairs had been strewn about the place. The Courier also reported that a former barman had had an unnerving experience just before closing time one night: 'a tankard began to move mysteriously across the bar of its own accord then smashed on the floor.' One of the pub chefs also had a weird experience one night. While he was turning off the lights in the bathroom, he heard the bar bell suddenly ring – even though the bell had been removed some time ago. The newspaper added, 'Current barman George Bowles, 20, said: "I've heard a lot of stories. I was once in the cellar and thought I saw something but other than that I haven't seen anything at all. I don't really believe it at all, but when I'm here on my own I do wind myself up about it".'
Despite the scepticism of some members of staff at The Halfway House, including Mr Bowles, he was all too keen to speak about a former chef who claimed to have heard coffins – or what sounded like coffins – being dragged upstairs one night! A local man named Michael Noakes, a regular of fifty years standing, told the reporter that there had been reports in the past of a spectral old lady at the pub.
Investigative team Ghost Search UK, headed by Donna Gearing, were sent to look into the strange happenings at the pub. She told the Courier: 'I went there a few months ago and the minute I walked through the door I felt it was a nice place with no low entities. It seemed quite a busy pub for spirits.' Donna claims to have sensed three male energies in the cellar, and elsewhere in the building she picked up on two children, the spirit of a woman and a further three male spirits.
The report concluded with Donna's thoughts on the nature of ghost-hunting: 'I'd love to catch a full ghost manifestation on film and would love the spirits to step forward to give people evidence. If we can open up people's minds that there is life after death that will be half the battle won.'
Cranbrook
Spirits Aplenty
In the 1700s a Mr John Russell, who resided in the village, had some sheep stolen by a man named Pullen. On the 1 April, therefore, Pullen was executed. However, Pullen's friends were so incensed that Mr Russell had 'pointed the finger' that they dug up the corpse of their friend from a grave in Maidstone and brought it to Cranbook. Once in the village they shovelled a hole near the window of Mr Russell and buried Pullen.
From that moment on Mr Russell began to go insane: he spent endless nights awake, fully expecting to see the ghost of Pullen rise and seek revenge.
During the same century smuggling was rife throughout the Weald. Thomas Munn, one of the most famous smugglers of the eighteenth century, was born in Cranbrook. Meanwhile, one of the members of the infamous Hawkhurst gang – Bernard Woollett – is said to be buried in the parish churchyard. The gang ran riot for many years until they were captured in 1749. Strangely, the smuggling gangs produced two types of spirit in Cranbrook, for not only are the ghosts of such criminals said to loiter in the darkest corners, but there's one quirky story regarding another set of sprits.
'Many years ago,' wrote Igglesden, 'the gutters in the High Street were filled with spirits in a remarkable way.' Large quantities of contraband spirits were often seized by the local authorities, who would tip it from barrels into the streets. Legend has it that alcohol such as brandy ran like a river into the gutters; locals would take to the streets with pails and bowls hoping to scoop up the drink. So abundant was the illegal alcohol in the streets that many locals would spend the evenings staggering around drunk.
Glassenbury Ghosts
Glassenbury House, the 'seat of the Roberts', is an old lodge. It was originally constructed by Stephen Lodge, although it was rebuilt in 1473 and again in 1730. It sits between Cranbrook and Goudhurst. The name 'Glassenbury' is said to mean 'watery or glassy place.' A member of the Roberts family is said to haunt the avenue where her husband died; he was thrown from his horse as he galloped out to his honeymoon.
Igglesden also mentions how the woods around the house of a night often took on a weird appearance and these moods would have certainly been responsible for 'strange imaginings.' The legend of the area is that of a ghost of a virgin wife 'who was years ago married, amid a scene of revelry, to a gallant of the period.' After the wedding banquet, as was custom, the new bride and groom mounted a horse and rode off on their honeymoon. However, with the couple radiant and jolly upon the horse, they didn't expect the agile animal to slip on the mossy, mist-caressed ground. As the horse tumbled, the groom was thrown violently and killed, but the bride survived with minor injuries. And so the story goes that her forlorn spirit wanders around the grounds, searching for the ghost of the sweetheart she married and became widow to in one short day.
Chills in the Church
St Dunstan's is the Anglican church of Cranbrook. It is often called 'the Cathedral of the Weald'. Sadly, due to extensive renovations over the years, little remains of the twelfth-century heritage, but the ghost story attached to the building is certainly old.
Above the south porch there was once a room known as 'Baker's Jail' or 'Baker's Hole'. John Baker (1488–1588) was an English politician who also served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was also known as the 'Bloody Baker' due to his brutal prosecution of Protestants. Legend says that the groans of the prisoners who were held here can still be heard. However, Charles Igglesden seems sceptical of such a ghost story, adding, 'I'm afraid it's only rats; but there is nothing like a weird tradition of this sort. It helps you a lot in telling this story.'
Although John Baker died of an illness in his bed, there is another Cranbrook legend which claims that 'the infuriated mob captured Sir John Baker, placed him in the old prison over the porch, where he had incarcerated so many others, collected faggots and finally burnt him alive in the market place.' Some would say that it's the scorched screams of Baker that can be heard in the vicinity on certain moonless nights – but, as is often the case, it depends on who you hear the story from!
Angley Ghosts
The ghost of a witch named Jennings is supposed to haunt the entrance to Angley Park, as is a smuggler ghost, a chap who was said to have been shot at Sandhurst and trudged in agony all the way to Glassenbury, leaving a crimson trail behind him. The man eventually died of his wound and his comrades were said to have dragged him off to the woods to bury him. The ghostly smuggler and his spectral comrades still haunt the spot. Many of these criminals were said to have been hung in chains in the woods as punishment for their sins and then subsequently buried.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Haunted Tunbridge Wells by Neil Arnold. Copyright © 2013 Neil Arnold. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page,Dedication,
Epigraph,
Acknowledgements,
Introduction,
Benenden,
Bidborough,
Brenchley and Matfield,
Cranbrook,
Five Oak Green,
Frittenden,
Goudhurst,
Groombridge,
Hawkenbury,
Hawkhurst,
Horsmonden,
Lamberhurst,
Langton Green,
Paddock Wood,
The Pantiles,
Pembury,
Rusthall,
Sandhurst,
Sissinghurst,
Southborough,
More Terrors from the Town,
Bibliography and Sources,
Copyright,