Sir Robert Chichester was the owner of a luxurious manor house in Martinhoe. He had rented it out to a wealthy tenant who made his money through hard work. One day, just before the rent collection day, a soldier passed through asking for lodging. The tenant agreed, and as luck would have it, an armed gang came to ransack the manor that night. The soldier took his bow and shot the leader of the gang, who rode on a tall white horse. Then they unmasked him, it was Sir Robert of Chichester who owned the manor. He was attempting to steal the rent money and force the tenant to leave. He likely had a contract that prevented eviction without cause. Sir Robert soon died of his injury and his ghost was set free from the body. Because of his crimes and his unrepentant ways his ghost was not permitted to move on. From that day he walked the land in the shape of a black dog, and sometimes in an elephant drawn carriage with burning wheels which drove up and down sheer cliffs at Crosscombe. Each night, the ghost of Sir Robert would return to his bedroom, where his bed was made every night. If a servant happened to see the ghost, however, they would be burned alive by its presence. To protect from this, a servant must hold a loaf of leaven which acts as a magical charm. The story came to an end when the townsfolk became tired of the evil spirit and they called for an exorcist. One soon came, and they were able to force the ghost into a contract. The task was to carry a bundle of sand up a hill, if they succeeded they could go to heaven and if they failed they would go to hell. The ghost of Sir Robert tried to carry the bundle of sand up the slope but the rope kept breaking. Eventually, his time ran out and the ghost was promptly banished to an eternity in hell.
John Arundel Radford was the Parson of Lapford Parish during the mid 1800s. He was feared by the locals as a harsh man, and various tales are told as to this fact. One time, a merchant issued a bill and instead of paying it, the Parson forced him to eat it between two slices of bread. Perhaps it was over charged? He would also allow his hounds to run free along the Parish and they would chase away the children. The most memorable story tells of when he hanged a Curate with his bare hands. Some point to a rafter in the rectory where the rope was pulled. When the Parson was taken to court, the jury was made up of locals who were members of the Parson's church. They gave an innocent verdict despite strong evidence to his guilt. When asked why they found him innocent, they replied "us haven't hanged a parson and us wasn't going to now". This is according to hand-written notes taken by an historian who spoke to surviving townsfolk. As to the real guilt of the Parson, it seems clear. When he eventually died, presumably of old age, he had requested to be buried in the church itself. The church had him buried on the North side of the building, on the outside. Traditionally this is the side closest to Hell and is where convicts and suicides are buried. His ghost can sometimes be seen walking the church buildings and the grave is said to be the only one that hasn't had its cross slewn. This probably means cut away. Another famous ghost is said to walk this church, that of Thomas Becket, the famous Archbishop who was murdered. He appears on his feast night, which is the 7th of July.
Somewhere in the heart of Dartmoor can be found an ancient well. Known as Fitz's or Fice's Well, the 16th Century monument is supported by large granite slabs. Engraved with the letters I.F. the waters within are said to have miraculous powers. Discovered by John Fitz of Tavistock, he and his wife once lost their way while travelling home. They had become tired and thirsty and at this point, they stumbled upon a natural spring. When they drank the clean and sparkling waters, not only was their thirst quenched. They also regained their lost energy and seemed to know exactly how to get back home. It is commonly believed that it was pixies who deliberately caused John Fitz and his wife to get lost, with the magic well being a source of their mysterious powers. It is therefore a common practice to leave gifts for the little people who may or may not wish you well.
During late winter in 1855, a strange set of footprints were reported at Dawlish. Labelled "The Great Devon Mystery", during several nights of heavy snow the incredible footprints appeared. They were described as looking like a donkey's hoof yet had a gate of about a foot and walked on two legs. The footprints were said to be highly regular and when they came to obstructions, the prints simply continued beyond them. At times they must have leapt over fences several yards high. Many superstitious locals claimed they must belong to The Devil, who is said to walk on hooved feet. Several search parties were called out to follow the prints, which soon apppeared all over the county. Although they were able to follow them for miles at a time, not once did their maker come into sight. Many explanations were offered, and the spirit of Victorian Rationale was able to come up with several material ones. The two most popular causes of the prints, according to the non-superstitious, were that they were made by a monkey that escaped a travelling circus or that they were made by a kangaroo that escaped from a zoo. The prints appeared several times and have been since reported across the country. What began as the Dawlish phenomenon clearly created such a stir that whoever was responsible decided to take their show on the road.
Cranmere Pool is now a peaty bog but once upon a time it was a real body of water. Its name means Crow's Mere and it is located South of Okehampton. Several ghosts are said to haunt this spot as the restless spirits of sinners would congregate there. One such ghost is that of the Okehampton Mayor, Benjamin Gayer. He took money meant for charity while in office and so now cannot enter heaven. The spectre is known as Bingie. According to legend, to prevent him from wandering the town, Bingie was cast into the pool by a conjuror and was given the impossible task of draining it with a sieve. After many years of failure, Bingie found a sheepskin and used it to seal the sieve. After this, the pool was drained and it caused a flood in Okehampton.
During the seventeenth century, an infamous squire called Richard Capell lived at Brooke Manor in Buckfastleigh. So dreadful was his reputation that no-one dared to interfere with his activities. It was said that he would go out into the nearby villages and hunt for virgin maidens. Once he captured one, he'd take her to a hillside lodge under lock and key. Who knows what things he did once there, but the maidens were never seen again. When the squire died, it is said that "whisht hounds" or demon dogs were summoned to his house and howled all night. Since then, his tomb was built with an alter upon it. Children of the day would walk around the building thriteen times and then dare themselves to put their finger in the lock. It was said you could feel Richard Capell gnawing at the nails. Even to this day, the last recorded story from the 1990s, children refer to the tomb as the vampire's tomb and continue to dare each other to get up close.
Somewhere south of Okehampton in the wilds of Dartmoor can be found two large rocks. Locally known as Bread and Cheese, they are on a path up from what are called The Slipper Stones. Their originis surrounded in mythology. According to legend, the Bishop of Exeter in 1260 was one Bishop Bronescombe. He was walking through the moors one day from Widecomb to Sourton with a Chaplain. At the point where the slope became steep, he lost his slippers. Bare-foot, the Bishop and Chaplain continued on through the muddy grass where upon they found a place to sit. The Bishop was very hungry and had no food in his pack. He said to the Chaplain, "Do you remember the story of Jesus in which Satan offered him bread from stones? I don't think I could resist that on this day". The Chaplain responded "Aye, and some cheese too, it would be a blessing". Then, another walker rose up from the muddy hill and he carried a large sack. The walker said hello to the Bishop and the Chaplain and offered to share his food. He produced a large loaf and cheese from his sack. "All you have to do is kneel before me and call me Master" said the traveller. The Bishop and the Chaplain both agreed, for there was no harm in it, and knelt down. Only then, the Chaplain noticed the walker had cloven feet. He stood up again alerted and made the sign of the cross. At this the walker disappeared, leaving his bread and cheese which immediately turned into stone. To remind the Bishop of what he nearly did, his slippers were also turned to stone, further down the path.
There once was a man from Totnes who had a dream. In this dream he discovered a hidden treasure in the ruins of Berry Pomeroy Castle. The dream showed him where to look. Disregarding the dream as a fantasy, the man went about his business as usual. It was only after he awoke late at night after dreaming of the treasure for a third time, he decided to go and see if it was true. That night it was raining and a cold wind whisked through the village. As he walked into the hills and toward the ruins, he came across a doctor. Curious, the doctor asked him why he was out so late. Upon telling him his tale of treasure, the doctor tutted and told him to go home and look in the morning when it's not so cold. Reluctantly, the man from Totnes saw the truth in this and went home. However, when he reaced the ruins the next morning, he saw that the place he was to look had been recently disturbed and there was no treasure to be found. The doctor, who had advised him to go home, seemed to grow in wealth soon after too.
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Fantastic Britain: Myths And LegendsWritten by Rowan Blair Colver Categories
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