Ghost Tales Of The United Kingdom

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "In Scotland, beautiful as it is, it was always raining. Even when it wasn't raining, it was about to rain, or had just rained. It's a very angry sky." - Colin Hay The United Kingdom is an ancient land steeped in history and tradition, filled with prehistoric ruins, majestic castles, and a countryside sculpted from millennia of human habitation. Its rolling countryside is dotted with prehistoric burial mounds and stone circles. Brooding castles hold tales of bloodshed and honor. Medieval churches have elaborate stained glass windows and gruesome carvings, reflecting a mixture of hope and darkness. Every hamlet and village has tales that go back centuries, and folk festivals with roots in pagan times. Thus, it is not surprising that many believe the area is filled with ghosts. For centuries, people have told tales of ghosts stalking its historic buildings, strange creatures lurking in its primeval forests, and unexplained paths linking its ancient sites. Scotland is a fascinating and ancient land filled with history. It has produced explorers, warriors, inventors, writers, and more than a few murderers. For many centuries, it fought bitter wars against England to maintain its independence, and even when those wars were finally lost, Scotland retained its distinct culture and identity. Though a part of the United Kingdom, it would be a mistake to lump it in with England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as Scotland has its own tales to tell and traditions to maintain. Not everything in Scotland is as it appears, however. Some Scots say this is a land haunted by spirits, a place of strange disappearances and unexplained phenomena. There is no shortage when it comes to the strange stories Scotland has to offer, and the legends and lore have compelled many to dig a little deeper and even explore this wonderful land for themselves. Some of those tales are downright grisly. Scotland has always been a rival to its southern neighbor, and the rivalry extends to the number of hauntings in its medieval castles, stately homes, and old cobblestone streets. While many Englishmen claim that their country is the most haunted, the Scots can point to their own stories of ghosts as evidence they may beat the English in this dubious distinction. The Welsh have their distinct language and customs and have always felt themselves to be a people apart from the neighboring English. This division goes back to the 5th century, when the ancient Britons fled west in the face of the Anglo-Saxon incursion. The Anglo-Saxons were made up of three tribes-the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes-from what is now Denmark and northern Germany. These tribes took advantage of the Roman legion's departure to attack vulnerable Britons, taking over England until the Britons in Wales defied them. This defiance continued into the Middle Ages, and numerous wars occurred as successive English kings tried and eventually succeeded in asserting their will over the rebellious country. With such a storied and violent past, it is no surprise that Wales has many tales of ghosts. Ghost Tales of the United Kingdom: Historic Hauntings and Supernatural Stories from the UK offers a sampling of the many strange ghost stories and unexplained phenomena that make the UK such an intriguing place. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the ghosts of the UK like never before.

A lively new collection of 100 British ghost stories from the seventeenth century to the present day.

Ghost stories are always in conversation with novelistic modes with which they are contemporary. This book examines examples from Sir Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, Henry James and Rudyard Kipling, amongst others, to the end of the twentieth century, looking at how they address empire, class, property, history and trauma.

With its wealth of historic buildings where wars were fought and history made, Britain has been the scene of political undoing, bloody beheadings, and cruel torture for centuries. Little wonder, then, that many corners of Britain have a resident ghost or some other supernatural presence. Ghosts have also been detected in many of Britain's stately homes and castles, its ancient inns, theatres, farmhouses, and cottages. Haunted Britain reveals the sites of nearly 100 of these throughout the country. From the most famous ancient sites to lesser-known recently haunted buildings, each location has been painstakingly researched. Featuring more than 200 color images, Haunted Britain reveals the compelling history behind every apparition. Divided into 7 regions, each with its own locator map, a quick-reference list shows whether the site is open to the public. For those who wish to see a ghost themselves, the list indicates how spooky each place is, on a scale of one to ten. Dotted throughout the book are features on some of the more lighthearted apparitions that have been known to appear in Britain's historic places--mischievous fairies and elves, malevolent hobgoblins, and mournful black dogs.

Illustrated with atmospheric photographs and supported by extracts from original documents, this guide will appeal to anyone with an interest in things that go bump in the night. The sites covered are open to the public.

These spooky ghost tales from one of Britain's most ancient counties are vividly retold by local storyteller Janet Dowling. Their origins lost in the oral tradition, these stories are as eerie and mysterious as the windswept moorland, wild shorelines and rugged landscapes from which they derive. Here you will find stories of a voice beyond the grave, a ghost on the pivot between heaven and hell, and the spectres of Viking princes on moonlit roads. Richly illustrated by Vicky Jocher with original drawings, these atmospheric tales are perfect for reading aloud in front of a roaring fire or alone under the covers on dark, stormy nights.

Haunting tales from the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Savoy Hotel, Hampton Court and more.

This terrifying selection of ghost stories brings together the very best classic works from the masters of the supernatural Phantom coaches, evil familiars, shadowy houses, spectral children and mysterious doppelgangers haunt these tales. They range from the famous, such as M. R. James's tale of an ancient curse, 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come To You, My Lad' and W. W. Jacobs's story of gruesome wish-fulfilment, 'The Monkey's Paw', to lesser-known masterpieces: Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Thrawn Janet', telling of a parish priest tormented for life by his encounter with the undead; Charles Dickens's unsettling account of a railway signal-man and an ominous portent; and Edward Bulwer Lytton's 'The Haunted and the Haunters', where a cursed house harbours a diabolical secret. Michael Newton's introduction discusses why ghost stories scare us and why they flourished from the mid-nineteenth to early-twentieth century, examining their changing conventions throughout history. This edition also includes further reading, notes, a glossary and a chronology. Edited with an introduction and notes by Michael Newton