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Category: Weird History

8 September 2021

The Bizarre Exploits of Helen Duncan: Ectoplasm Producing Medium and Britain’s ‘Last Witch’

Helen Duncan, ‘the last witch’ of Britain, was born in the small town of Callander, Scotland in 1897 to Archibald McFarlane and Isabella Rattray. As a child, Helen (born Victoria Helen) was said to cause distress at school by tormenting her classmates with frightening prophesies. And from a young age Helen believed she was clairvoyant and could see the spirits...
Categories Weird History
28 July 2021

John Dee and Edward Kelley: Visual Depictions of the Renaissance Occultists at Work

The stories of John Dee and Edward Kelley, notorious Renaissance occultists, are a peculiar mix of history and folklore that continue to influence artists and writers hundreds of years after their deaths. The small sample of artistic representations of Dee and Kelley below explore the lasting romantic impression they left of black magic, alchemy, and spiritualism during the English Renaissance....
Categories Weird History
7 March 2021

The Tragic History of Knighton Gorges, the Isle of Wight’s most Haunted Location

The manor house of Knighton Gorges, historically considered to be one of the finest homes on the Isle of Wight, was built sometime during the twelfth-century. Before it’s destruction in the nineteenth-century, antiquarian Sir Henry Englefield visited the home and described it as “by far the most considerable and beautiful of the ancient mansions of the Island.” During the nearly...
Categories Paranormal Encounters/Weird History
20 January 2021

The Ghost of Rosalie, as Investigated by Harry Price

Famed paranormal investigator Harry Price was invited to a London séance on the night of December 15 1937 with a bold promise: the guaranteed materialisation of a ghost child named Rosalie. Price accepted the invitation and, after putting various controls in place, attended the séance. Despite precautionary measures against potential fraud, Rosalie did appear. Price left the séance that night...
Categories Paranormal Encounters/Weird History
23 July 2020

Plague and Cannibalism at the Augustine Steward House, Norwich

Visitors to Norwich have likely stumbled upon the eccentric Augustine Steward House, a former sixteenth-century merchant’s home that deceptively appears on the brink of collapse. A timber-framed Grade II listed building, the Augustine Steward House oozes a haunted house aesthetic, nearly manifesting itself from a Gothic novel. Luckily for the eager ghost hunter, the house is indeed reported to be...
Categories Paranormal Encounters/Weird History
19 July 2020

Religious Heresy and Public Executions: The History of the Amersham Martyrs Memorial, Buckinghamshire

Tucked within the Chiltern Hills, the town of Amersham is filled with historic buildings, charming pubs, and beautiful footpaths leading deep into the countryside. While towns as old as Amersham are filled with captivating historical tales, some events from long ago inevitably shed light on the more sinister side of humanity, and Amersham’s history is no exception. Nearly 500 years...
Categories Offbeat Travel/Weird History