Another for the web page Rosemary? Dawn -----Original Message----- From: eng-banbury-area-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:eng-banbury-area-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Barry Dunwoody Sent: 01 November 2009 6:40 PM To: eng-banbury-area@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [BAN] ENG-BANBURY-AREA Digest, Vol 4, Issue 207 More ghosts! I see from Joe's post that stories don't necessarily have to be Banbury related, so I thought you might be interested in my ghost story. I am from Banbury and worked for Alcan there until 1984 as a metallurgist/scientist/engineer and am somewhat sceptical about the supernatural. After 4 years with an Alcan company in Nottingham, they moved me to a factory in Worcester. We bought a house on the Malvern Hills, which had been built by the quarrymaster for his family from Malvern stone in 1880. You might be thinking this is where the haunting took place - but no! Just before Christmas 1989, my wife had seen a sign for Christmas trees pointing down a small road off the Malvern to Colwall road and sent me off to look for one. It was a cold, damp, misty day typical of winter days in the Malverns. I was still looking for the source of the trees when I found myself approaching Colwall church. As you approach from the west, you are heading straight for the church. The road then turns sharp left and then sharp right to go round the churchyard. As I approached, I was aware of a group of people in the churchyard on the west side standing amongst the gravestones. As I turned left, I looked to my right and saw that they were standing round an open grave. A lot of the figures were indistinct but I clearly saw a woman in a long black coat with a black 'polished' bonnet, sideways on. The most striking figure was a small boy about ten years old with blond curly hair and blue eyes - he looked straight at me with a sad expression. He was wearing a coarse grey jacket and short trousers to just below his knees. I looked back at the road to take the right bend and when I looked back they were gone! I never did find the trees! After the festivities, I plucked up courage to go back and found that there are no gravestones on the west side - they were all removed some years ago! Barry Dunwoody 2009/11/2 <eng-banbury-area-request@rootsweb.com> > > > **************************************** > If you are going to reply to one of these digest messages, please quote > only the specific message to which you are replying, and remove the rest of > the digest. > Also, remember to change the subject of your reply so that it matches the > subject of the message to which you are replying. > ~ Thank you. > **************************************** > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Ghosts? You want ghosts? (Joe Connell) > 2. Re: Fw: Re: Ghost Stories ! (irhuckin@aol.com) > 3. Re: Ghosts? You want ghosts? (Dawn Griffis) > 4. Re: Ghosts? You want ghosts? (M HOWES) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:30:35 +0000 > From: Joe Connell <j40.public@ntlworld.com> > Subject: [BAN] Ghosts? You want ghosts? > To: eng-banbury-area@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: <4AED553B.6050001@ntlworld.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed > > I was born immediately prior to the last World War and have long been an > atheist and a sceptic in matters of the supernatural. My story starts > one early December evening, some eight years ago. I live alone, and was > returning home by public transport after spending a Sunday with my > sister; having enjoyed the usual splendid meal and a glass or two of > wine. I think it important to provide all facts that could possibly be > relevant. > > It was my usual bus, travelling from Walsgrave to Alderman?s Green, and > at that time of the evening it carried very few passengers, indeed very > often I was the only passenger. The journey would last some twenty > minutes and I would alight at the penultimate stop. This particular > evening I was vaguely aware of occasional fellow passengers as we > stopped and started along the route. > > As I looked out of the window at passing houses and idly reviewed their > Christmas decorations, I became aware of a lady seated several seats > ahead of me. I had not noticed her board the bus, but she sat in those > few seats that faced across the bus, such that she was in profile to me, > and I realised that I knew her. Wearing dark clothing, she seemed about > my age, was clutching a round, woven basket on her lap; and wore an > old-fashioned hat with a small sprig of white berries pinned to it. > > As I searched my mind to identify her, she seemed to sense my attention > and turned to smile in my direction. Yes, I certainly did know her, but > who was she? I smiled back politely, as one does to acquaintances > encountered in the street, and turned back to look out of the window. > She was not a neighbour, I was certain ? was she a member of a walking > group, or had I met her in one of the historical societies? > > The time came for me to alight, and as I passed her she gave me a > beaming smile and deliberately held my eyes with hers; but did not > speak. I felt a wave of familiarity and warmth, but could still not > remember where we had previously met. The bus pulled away from me and I > watched it reach the terminus and round the little island without > stopping, before returning in my direction. I determined to look again > at my mysterious friend who would now be facing me from the brightly-lit > bus. As it passed I was surprised to realise that the bus contained no > passengers at all, only the driver. > > I mused on this event many times in the subsequent months and recounted > the story to several friends and family members, who all responded the > way that I would have done in their position; a shake of the head and a > knowing smile. Ghosts are supposed to be accompanied by feelings of > fear or apprehension, but my passenger had exuded warmth, friendliness, > and something that can only be described as ?knowingness?. > > Several years after this incident, a cousin and I were researching the > family tree and had traced the sole surviving nephew of our grandfather, > who was seriously ill. We sat around his bed and talked of family > relationships as we examined his cache of certificates and memorabilia. > One photograph completely took my breathe away ? staring straight out > and apparently looking directly into my eyes, was my mysterious bus > passenger. I could not speak, and was asked what the matter was, since > I had gone somewhat pale. Eventually I asked our host about the lady in > the photograph. She was Rebecca Sidwell, his grandmother?s niece. My > first cousin twice removed. > > Subsequently I pondered many times on this occurrence. A heavy meal, > wine, a cold evening and a warm bus could very well produce a state of > mind conducive to imaginings. Leaving the bus and its warmth could well > have snapped one back into reality. But why Rebecca? A lady I had > never met, and who I had consciously never been aware of. I had to > accept the possibility of my mind raising a phantasm ? but why Rebecca? > A relative, yes, but at some distance, and not even in direct lineage. > Why had she seemed familiar to me, was it perhaps a subconscious > family resemblance? > > I determined to research the Sidwell family, to which I had previously > not given any deep attention. When researching family history some > boundaries have to be applied or the tree become quite unwieldy and can > divert attention away from the more difficult and earlier ancestry. > Eventually I received the third surprise to my disbelieving and > materialistic attitude. > > The 1881 census stated it quite plainly. John Sidwell, his wife Martha > Jaques, and their large family occupied Victoria Farm in Alderman?s > Green. Today a major artery through Alderman?s Green is Jaques Road; > halfway along it lies the Victoria Farm Estate; and GPS positioning > together with the 1886 OS map shows that my flat sits on the exact spot > of the farmhouse which belonged to the Sidwell family. > > -- > Smokey > > Firefox & Thunderbird portals > Sunbelt Vipre & Firewall protection > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:07:34 -0500 > From: irhuckin@aol.com > Subject: Re: [BAN] Fw: Re: Ghost Stories ! > To: eng-banbury-area@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: <8CC28F244609F00-3A98-1DAD4@webmail-m045.sysops.aol.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > > Yes. Been there many times. Seen plenty of spirits too! > > Ian > > > -----Original Message----- > From: M HOWES <m.m.r.howes@btinternet.com> > To: eng-banbury-area@rootsweb.com > Sent: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:28 > Subject: [BAN] Fw: Re: Ghost Stories ! > > > > Ha ha - one last one, just for Halloween !! > > > robably the most tragic tale of an Oxford ghost is that of Rosamund the > Fair. > ing Henry II was deeply in love with the Nun who lived in Godstow Nunnery, > hich lies on the opposite bank of Trout Island. It was built in 1133, and > was > onsecrated in 1179 by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of King > enry II. > t is said that the King kept his concubine in a secret garden that was > rotected by a labyrinth and guarded by one of his knights. The knight held > the > nd of a silver thread which lead to Rosamund. The Queen was very jealous > and > illed the knight, stole the thread and when she caught up with Rosamund > killed > er by making her drink from a poisoned chalice. > ow Rosamund haunts the Trout pub Wolvercote. She is often seen as a shadowy > igure sneaking around in the awnings. > > > > --- On Sat, 31/10/09, irhuckin@aol.com <irhuckin@aol.com> wrote: > > rom: irhuckin@aol.com <irhuckin@aol.com> > ubject: Re: [BAN] Ghost Stories ! > o: eng-banbury-area@rootsweb.com > ate: Saturday, 31 October, 2009, 5:01 PM > > Hmm. So he was hung in London and haunts an hotel in Deddington eh? > Ghosts' must commute these days!! > Ian > > ----Original Message----- > rom: M HOWES <m.m.r.howes@btinternet.com> > o: eng-banbury-area@rootsweb.com > ent: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:26 > ubject: [BAN] Ghost Stories ! > > > > pcrofts Holt Deddington > xfordshire - The Holt Hotel > e 15th century massive stone structure that is the Holt Hotel has a bloody > st. > rders, executions and all the horror of a darker time contribute to the > ranormal unrest here. > rmer resident Claude Duvalle was a sadistic murderer - a highwayman from > ance. He > ved in hotels to be around rich men and beautiful women. A womanizer in his > n right, he was > pular with the women. When the hotel's proprietors realized they were > housing > hief, the > thorities at the time took him to London, where he was hung. > ortly after Claude was hung, the proprietors of the Holt were found > bludgeoned > death > their bed. Locals blamed the dead man. The crime was never solved. > aude, among other restless souls, have been seen by patrons of the hotel to > is day, floating about in the guest rooms, and the pub. Glasses fly from > elves. Cold spots are felt. > oking sounds are heard. (hmmm) !!! > spooky Halloween story !! > me useful websites: > EECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ > EEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ > EEREG - http://www.freereg.org.uk/ > ----------------------------- > unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ENG-BANBURY-AREA-request@rootsweb.com > ith the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body > of > e message > Some useful websites: > REECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ > REEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ > REEREG - http://www.freereg.org.uk/ > ------------------------------ > o unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ENG-BANBURY-AREA-request@rootsweb.com > ith the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body > of > he message > ome useful websites: > REECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ > REEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ > REEREG - http://www.freereg.org.uk/ > ------------------------------ > o unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ENG-BANBURY-AREA-request@rootsweb.com > ith the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body > of > he message > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 08:16:09 -0500 > From: "Dawn Griffis" <dg21340@comcast.net> > Subject: Re: [BAN] Ghosts? You want ghosts? > To: <eng-banbury-area@rootsweb.com> > Message-ID: <1704C2E5E76C403CA66874822E82E80D@DawnGriffis> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Smokey, you have done it again, another for the memories page Rosemary! > Have missed your stories, so glad you are back writing > Dawn > > Some useful websites: FREECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ FREEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ FREEREG - http://www.freereg.org.uk/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-BANBURY-AREA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message