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In 1984 when renovation work was being undertaken a previously unknown cemetery
was discovered. The articulated skeleton of an adult male was the first to be
unearthed from beneath a wall.
Later, remains of two young ladies adjacent
to the male were excavated. It is thought they may be Saxon or Roman civilians
who lived nearby.
For many years local residents have talked of seeing
a group of people, heads lowered, standing in the yard and nearby passage. Just
around the corner from the antique shop, in High Street is Renold's house, which
is of a distinctive appearance with its fine timber frame and mid-floor balcony.
Built in 1682 it has had a chequered history including periods of standing
empty. It
was on one such occasion that strange things began to happen. Faces
appeared at the windows and children in Victorian outfits were seen playing with
spinning tops on the balcony. More
recently there were reports of a haunted supermarket in Much Wenlock. And
when workers began carrying out improvements to the Spar shop, just off The Square
in Much Wenlock, things started happening.
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| The
haunted Spar shop at Much Wenlock | Shopping
trolleys began moving on their own, heavy breathing was heard and there were even
apparitions. The
problems started after the builders dug up ancient pottery and old bones underneath
the building. In
early 2002,trainee manager Michelle Willis told BBC Midlands Today: "I was
sitting over by the computer. "I
could hear breathing. I opened the door but nobody was there.
"What's been going on at the moment is enough. It's enough and I'm frightened
of it." Trolleys
in the storeroom appeared to have moved on their own and one member of staff felt
a hand on their shoulder. Shop
supervisor Jody Anderson also witnessed an unexplained event: "I was going
out to the back to wash some cups, when I saw something appear. "It
stayed for something like 15 seconds and then it disappeared, totally," he
said. The
shop is on the site of a medieval alehouse in the historic town. But
when they were digging down, the builders found unexpected remains.
"Items of crockery, lots of bones, definitely human bones," said builder
John Todd. "The
abbey cemetery was moved here in the 12th Century and we came across all these
human bones," he said.
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Click
here to see our panoramic image of The Square, Much Wenlock. The shop
is in the red brick building to the left of the town clock. |
| The
Cavalier at Wilderhope Manor |
Built in
the latter part of the sixteenth century by Francis Smallman whose initials, and
those of his wife Ellen, appear in the plasterwork of the ceiling.
A
writer spent a week's holiday at Wilderhope because he'd heard about the ghost
of a cavalier who haunts the main hall.
For the first night nothing
happened but the following day when he was up on scaffolding painting the fine
plaster ceiling he suddenly became aware of a tall figure standing in the doorway.
At first he thought it was the warden checking up on him but then he
noticed that the man was dressed in a full cloak, a floppy hat with a large plume,
and thigh length boots.
He then thought he was a visitor in fancy dress,
but when he said 'Hello' all the visitor did was to raise his head slightly, before
walking across the room and passing through a solid wall.
He is joined
on occasions by a young girl who smiles sweetly before screaming - a scream from
Hell...
| The
children of Whittington Castle |
In 845
Welsh Prince Ynyr ap Cadfarch built a castle at Whittington, which was seized
by the Norman lord Roger de Montgomery after 1066. Montgomery
then gave it to Sir William Peveril of Peak, who built a new castle on the site.
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| Whittington
Castle | When
his young daughter Mellet wanted to marry, the challenge was put out to the bravest
knights in the land with Whittington castle as dowry. Guarine
de Metz, Sheriff of Shropshire won the contest, wife and castle. Their descendants,
the Fitz Warines, held the castle for over 400 years.
In the twin gatehouse
towers of the once proud castle, the ghosts of two small children are often seen
peering out of the small windows.
More
on Whittington Castle
| The
headless horseman of Ruyton XI Towns |
Ruyton has an interesting history as a village created from eleven small hamlets
under a charter of 1310.
If
you're brave, walk to the church at midnight. Locals tell of a mist rolling up
from the valley, engulfing the churchyard and old Ruyton castle.
Following
the mist is a headless horseman seen riding toward the old castle keep, before
disappearing through ever-thickening mist.
The
ghost in a bottle at Coton |
One of the eleven townships which makes up Ruyton is that of Coton, which means
'town next door'. The
main house of Coton, Coton Hall, was owned at one time by Corbet Kynaston and
it is he who is said to haunt the house, or rather did; for in 1788 the Rev. David
Evans decided to put old Corbet to rest because his antics and noise were becoming
unbearable.
Rev. Evans and five other ministers entered Coton Hall,
prayed for the soul's to rest while they held candles.
By midnight they had enticed Corbet into a bottle which was sealed before being
thrown into the nearby pool.
Although this laying to rest is supposed
to work for one thousand years, tenants in Coton Hall at the turn of the century
complained of milk churns rolling about and a bush at the edge of the pool bursting
into blue flames.
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