As it’s Halloween, we present two suitably scary archives from our collection; a full, particular and authentic account of the dreadful ghost which haunted the neighbourhood of Stretford and an account of a strange and marvellous funeral, seen between Dunblane and Stirling that suddenly vanished.
First up, we have a report of how Stretford was ‘eventually thrown into much alarm and confusion’ during 1806.
“A man has of late nightly obferved running to and fro’, at the fame time uttering dreadful yellings and howlings of diftrefs: when any perfon has [had] the temerity to approach the spot, the perturbed fpirit (for it is generally believed to have been no other than a GHOST’, immediately immerged itfelf in the water, and difappeared”.
A Strange and Marvellous Funeral is a report ‘altogether without precedent in the history of the country’.
“All at once the room became lighted up from without, flash after flash passed the window, in rapid succession, the company rushed from their seats to ascertain the cause. On the window being opened they saw a sight which would have appalled the stoutest heart – on the road, within a hundred yards of the window, they saw a long line of carriages, enveloped in deep morning”
After riding out to gain some further particulars they met a ploughman;
‘He said he had witnessed the strange procession but he admitted he was so terrified, that he could not look on it”.
Reblogged this on msamba.