Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Devil

Devil / Legends

St Andrew’s Churchyard, Rodney Street

A pyramid monument to the William McKenzie (20 March 1794-29 October 1851) rests in the churchyard of the (currently disused and needing restoration) Scottish Presbyterian Church of St Andrew’s, dating from 1824. McKenzie made his fortune as a civil engineer in the Victorian era but it is the nature of his burial, or lack of it that has become legendary.

Devil / Folklore / Legends

Cley Hill

Cley hill has a Devil legend attached to it. The Devil was travelling from Somerset carrying a huge sack of earth, with which he intended to bury the town of Devises. The people of the town had offended him in some way probably by converting to Christianity.

Ancient Sites / Devil / Earth Works / Folklore / Legends

Winklebury Camp

Local folklore suggests that if you walk around the Iron Age hillfort seven times at midnight, the Devil will appear on a large black horse and grant one wish.

Only brave people should attempt this as the Devil will always try to trick people into losing their souls to him.

Devil / Folklore / Legends

Stiperstones

As with many tales regarding in Britain about the Devil, this one also has him carrying an apron full of stones, in this case from Ireland. He sat to rest upon what is now called The Devil’s Chair and is the highest rock on this ridge. As usual, the apron strings break and he drops his load of stones.

Devil / Legends

St Mary’s Church, Ambrosden

The church has a siting legend attached to it, every morning when the stone masons returned to the field in which the church was being built, they would find the stones to have mysteriously moved to another site. Eventually after happening on a number of occasions the workmen gave up and built the church where the stones reappeared. The Devil was blamed as the prime suspect.

Apparitions / Devil / Haunted Pubs / Hauntings / Legends

Pluckley

Often mooted as the most haunted village in England, this picturesque Kentish village is certainly steeped in ghost stories, whether based on actual sightings or just modern folklore. Its reputation as a ghost village is not without its problems and the village can be a magnet to thrill seekers and also those with a genuine interest in the paranormal, especially around Halloween.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds / Devil / Legends

The Longstone at Mottistone

This impressive standing stone and its smaller recumbent companion, are believed to be all that is left of a chambered long barrow from the Neolithic period, the remaining stones once being part of the tomb entrance.  

Ancient Sites / Devil / Legends / Standing Stones

The Rudston Monolith

Standing in the Norman churchyard of All Saints Church, the Rudston Monolith is the highest standing stone in Great Britain at 7.6m (25ft) with a 5m circumference and an estimated weight of 40 Tonnes.

An experiment run by William Strickland in the 18th century suggests the stone may extend underground to a similar depth as it high above ground.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds / Devil / Folklore / Giants / Legends

The Six Hills, Stevenage

The six hills which occupy prominence in the town are tumuli or Round Barrows dating from the Bronze Age. According to legend the hills are spade fulls of earth taken from Whomerly wood and thrown at the town by a giant (or the Devil) intent on destruction. His last shot went well off mark and knocked the steeple off Gravely Church two miles away.

Ancient Sites / Devil / Earth Works / Legends

The Devil’s Dyke

Two giant earthworks named the Devil’s Dyke and the Slad, enclose and area of around 40 hectares to the South of St Albans. The area was excavated in 1932 by Sir Mortimer Wheeler, and the ditch was found to have had an original depth of nearly thirteen metres making it a huge undertaking.