Th’ Pob Hole, Springhead
A pit in a farmer’s field at Springhead called ‘Th’ Pob Hole’ was thought to be a dark place where a local witch named Nan o’ Pob’s committed suicide. Her ghost is said to...
Country and County: Greater Manchester
Back-Slamming
Back-slamming is described in ‘Lancashire Legends, Traditions, Pageants, Sports’ (1873) edited by John Harland & T. T. Wilkinson. ‘In this case, the offender is swung against a door, or wall, by two or more...
Buck-Thanging
In ‘Lancashire Legends, Traditions, Pageants, Sports’ (1873) edited by John Harland & T. T. Wilkinson, we are told that, ‘”Buck-thanging” is a Lancashire punishment still practised by school boys. The offender is taken and...
Tossing In The Blanket
The following extract is from the 19th century. “Tossing in the Blanket,” or “pack-sheeting,” is still practised in the neighbourhood of Burnley. This is done when a sweetheart jilts her lover, and weds another....
Stang Riding (Stang-riding)
According to ‘Lancashire Legends, Traditions, Pageants, Sports’ (1873) edited by John Harland & T. T. Wilkinson, ‘THE practice of what is locally termed “stang riding” was practised in Lancashire some forty years’ ago. When...
Whitfield Hall, Oldham
James Butterworth gave the following account in 1826 of a local story concerning a spectral tail. It was published in his History and Description of the Parochial Chapelry of Oldham in the County of...
Chamber Hall Boggart, Oldham
Demolished in the early 20th century, Chamber Hall, according to tradition, from the 1600’s was associated with a boggart. The following newspaper article by W.A.W, entitled ‘Chamber Hall, It’s Place In Oldham History, Yeoman,...
Credible Witness – Paranormal Police Stories by Andy Gilbert
When Andy first got in touch regarding his new book I was intrigued by the concept of a paranormal book which contained a collection of stories from what I consider to be one of the most reliable forms of evidence – Police Statements.
The Radclyffe Arms
There is a story that an apparition of a man has been seen sitting at the bar with a pint of beer. It has been suggested that it could be the ghost a man who killed himself in the cellar. This haunting is mentioned on several websites but I am unsure of its origin.
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