More Weird Stories
Of the Eccleshall Ghost.
Extraordinary stories continue to be told concerning the mysterious and ghostly happenings at a house at Eccleshall, an old-world country town in Staffordshire. For weeks past the occupants of the house have been amazed at inexplicable occurrences, the crockery and coal in the house seeming bewitched.
According to the Daily Telegraph, coal placed in the firegrate persists in leaping out in the full view of the residents and smashing windows at right angles to the fire. In less than a week after the weird visitation began every window downstairs was broken, and as fast as new windows were put in they got broken again. The firegrate was taken out and the chimney swept, but to no purpose. The coal, however, burns excellently when put on fires in other people’s houses.
A minister who visited the house was greatly startled at the antics of the coal, and took a hasty departure. Another sceptic visited the house and pooh-poohing the whole affair, went at once and stood with his back to the fire. Immediately a piece of coal leaped out and hit his hat.
The spook on one occasion played pranks with the crockery cupboard, smashing all the earthenware it contained, yet, when the cupboard was opened, no explanation whatever was forthcoming.
The extraordinary affair has created widespread interest.
Dundee Evening Telegraph, 16th March 1909.
A lively sport.
More extraordinary tricks.
Startling tea-table prank.
Enormous interest is still being manifested in Staffordshire in the ghostly occurrences at a house at Copmere, a little village three miles from Eccleshall, which were reported in our columns some days ago. The house is an ordinary country dwelling, standing close to a big pool and not far from the roadway. For months, it is said, the occurrences have been repeated almost daily, and a report is being circulated of a typical incident on Saturday.
The mistress of the house and a girl of fourteen who has been keeping her company were about to sit down to tea when “something came from somewhere” and smashed both their cups and saucers into pieces. At the same time – so the girl has told a journalist – a chair in the room spun round on one leg. The two cried for assistance, but when the neighbours came in nothing could be found to account for the affair. Almost all the windows in the lower rooms of the house have been broken by pieces of coal, apparently thrown from the fire-grate, which has been taken down and rebuilt without any diminution in the frequency of the occurrences. As fast also as new windows are put in they are broken, and the tenant has now given up replacing them in despair.
It is pointed out as a singular feature of the case that the windows are all in such a position that it is practically impossible for coal projected from the fire-grate to hit them without first rebounding from some obstacle. China has also been broken and furniture damaged, and the occupants of the house have been hit by missiles.
While a newspaper representative was in the house a gentleman entered who stated that recently on two occasions on which he had been called he had been violently struck in the back by lumps of coal and although he had turned sharply he had not been able to find an explanation.
The tenant is away from home during the day, and his wife is so unnerved by the occurrences that neighbours, out of sympathy, are now generally in the house with her. But despite this another window was smashed two days ago. Meanwhile the house is a Mecca for the curious, parties in motor-cars and horse carriages and on cycles visiting it from many miles around.
Northern Daily Telegraph, 18th March 1909.
Weird Happenings.
Country Village Sensation.
An extraordinary story of weird happenings in a country cottage comes from Bishop’s Offley, in North Staffordshire.
A short distance from the village are two three-roomed tenements standing by the side of the highway leading to Copmere, and overlooking Walk Mill Pool. In one of these Mr Richard Jones, a sawyer, has lived for upwards of 40 years with his wife in peace and happiness until about a month ago, when a succession of extraordinary visitations began to cause quite a panic in the family circle.
These strange events began just a month ago last Saturday with what appeared to be a very ordinary incident. A piece of coal, which was thought to have come from the fire, jumped out into the room and did considerable damage, and at the same time the room was flooded with soot from the chimney. Mr Jones had the chimney swept, but as this did not answer the fireplace was taken out and rebuilt.
Still the trouble increased. Pieces of coal developed the disagreeable habit of flying about the room, smashing window panes and doing other damage. As a matter of fact, when a pressman visited the spot this week he found quite a number of panes covered with paper, the tenant having come to the conclusion that further repairs were hopeless.
This remarkable visitation, however, is confirmed by two independent witnesses. On Saturday the daughter of the next door neighbour was keeping Mrs Jones company, when a missile crashed on to the teatable and smashed a couple of cups and saucers. “When we jumped up,” says the girl, “one of the chairs ran round and round on one leg.” Then there is the testimony of another visitor, who called at the house on hearing of these strange events. He was about to leave the house when a lump of coal struck him sharply in the back. The tenants of the house were facing him at the time; and curiously enough, the same thing is said to have happened on the occasion of the second visit.
What troubles the investigators is where the lumps of coal come from. They appear to spring from the grate, but on examination none of them show signs of having been burnt.
The story has created an extraordinary sensation in the neighbourhood, and the house is being besieged by curious visitors.
Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, 18th March 1909.
Notes and News.
Spooks as a class have a sorry sense of humour. A harmless old lady of Copmere has recently been victimised by them in a thoroughly disgraceful way. Her chairs have been made to dance round the room like so many crazy Dervishes, cups and saucers have smashed of their own accord, the coal has jumped out of the fireplace and broken the whole of the windows in the lower rooms, and there have been other “spiritual manifestations” of an equally distressing nature. If “ghosts” are possessed of so much physical energy it is a pity they cannot use it to better purpose.
Birmingham Mail, 18th March 1909.
A Village Mystery.
Weird occurrences in “haunted” house.
(From our own correspondent.)
Hanley, Wednesday night.
Extraordinary interest is manifested in the country district surrounding the town of Eccleshall, Staffordshire, in mysterious occurrences at a house at Copmere, a little village some three miles distant from Eccleshall.
The village is very inaccessible, being miles removed from a railway station, and the scene of the mysterious visitations is a house which for forty years has been owned and occupied by Mr. Richard Jones and his wife – an ordinary country dwelling standing close to a big pool and not far from a road.
For a month past uncanny occurrences are reported to have been repeated almost daily, the last being on Saturday. When Mrs Jones and a fourteen-year-old girl who has been living with her since the perplexing affair again were just about to sit down to tea […]
A few extra details from an article in the London Daily News, 18th March 1909.
Mysterious “Visitation” Near Eccleshall.
Saturday’s Experiences.
Investigated by a “Sentinel” Special Correspondent.
A very unsuaul, and, perhaps, unhealthy, interest is just now being taken in a small three-roomed cottage house on the highway near to Copmere, a short distance from Bishop’s Offley, and three miles out from Eccleshall. The house, which is owned by the occupier, Mr Richard Jones, a sawyer, is situated close to the highway, and is one of two decently kept tenements built on rising land immediately overlooking Walk Mill Pool. Mr and Mrs Richard Jones have lived in this house for over 40 years, and have reared a family of four children there, all being at present grown up and living away from home. Mr Jones is at Eccleshall many hours each day in pursuit of his calling. Almost daily for the past month he has returned home to hear of some very strange happenings in his absence. Windows have been mysteriously broken, the destructive medium being invariably coal. The supposition was, and is, that by some uncanny means the coal has been propelled from the firegrate into the room, some of it going through the windows, some striking the occupants, and some making unpleasant impressions on the furniture.
The room is of the ordinary type one meets with in the country. It possesses two windows with small panes, one looking on to the highway, and the other on to the garden. There are three doors. The chief one opens from the front; and one opposite to it leads direct into a small scullery, there being no rear outlet at all; the third door opening into a small parlour. On the far side of the room is an old-fashioned open brick firegrate. Between it and some of the panes of the front window which have been broken is the projecting stairs, so that it is impossible for coal, without rebounding from some obstacle, hitting these particular panes if hurled from the fireplace. Glass in both windows has been broken.
The first trouble was noticed a month ago last Saturday, when a piece of coal, which was thought to have come from the fireplace, did mischief. A considerable quantity of dust also coming down the chimney, Mr Jones had the chimney swept. This not answering, he next had the fireplace taken down and rebuilt: still the disagreeable thing happened, and more windows were broken. At the present time there are five panes in the front window, and others in the back window, which are covered with paper, Mr Jones having arrived at the conclusion that it is no use putting in new glass until the cause of the breakage is made known and further trouble averted.
On Saturday, Mrs Jones and a fourteen-year-old daughter of her next door neighbour, who has been keeping the old lady company during these days of perplexity, were about to sit down to a quiet cup of tea, or had actually sat down, when a projectile came crashing on to the table, smashing two china cups and saucers into many pieces. To a “Sentinel” representative, who called at the house on Tuesday, this girl volunteered the information that as they jumped up from their seats, a vacated chair spun round and round on one leg.
The action of the chair, as demonstrated to our representative, might conceivably have been taken as a matter of course by believers in Spiritualism, but to the occupants of the room itself the incident was so disturbing that they gave vent to their fear by calling out, bringing the next door neighbour, and the mother of the girl, into the room with a run. This individual, a neatly-dressed fair-spoken woman, grows indignant about the rumours which have got into circulation in Eccleshall. She pointed out with emphasis that some of the windows had been broken while Mrs Jones had been with her in her own house, the incidents so unnerving the old lady that out of sheer pity she had frequently got her friend to spend the time with her the next door, or she had herself stayed in Mrs Jones’ house for company’s sake, and herself had witnessed much of the trouble. As a matter of fact this kindly-hearted neighbour answered the door when our representative knocked.
Years back the writer attended a spiritualists’ seance held in a private house at Mount Pleasant, Stoke. A “spirit” intimated through one of the mediums his positive objection to the presence of a stranger and unbeliever, and carried on in such a way as to make the “stranger” just a little bit nervous, although he was there by invitation. Notwithstanding a threat to withhold communication, the “spirit” did confide certain matters through the “medium” which found their way into the columns of this paper. If spiritualism, as it is generally understood, has anything to do with the unpleasantries near Walk Mill Pool, it may be that for the same reason as given above the spirit – for Spiritualists admit the existence of both good and bad “spirits” – declined to demonstrate. At all events, nothing whatever happened while our representative was in the house. However, a gentleman walked in who had a different tale to tell. Hearing of these troubles, he had called some days back to make inquiries. He was about to leave the house, and was bidding Mrs Jones good-bye, near the front door, when a lump of coal struck him with some violence on the back. He turned very sharply round, and made very close examination, but could not satisfy himself on any point further than that he had been hit. The coal which he picked up did not appear to have been on the fire at all. Neither flame nor smoke had touched it.At the moment Mrs Jones and the neighbour were facing the gentleman, while the girl was sitting on a couch under one of the two windows; the same thing happened to this gentleman a second time under precisely similar circumstances.
A feature of the case is that while the people have made up their minds that the coal comes from the firegrate, the pieces which do the mischief never show any sign of having been burnt, and are, in the language of the occupants, “cold.” Asked if, after an unpleasant demonstration, the fireplace shows any signs of coal having been disturbed, the answer was in the negative. To a further question qhy, in such circumstances, Mrs Jones concluded that the coal did come from the fireplace, the reply was less decisive. Being coal, the assumption has been, apparently, that it could come from no other direction. Then the mischief happens invariably when Mrs Jones’ back is turned to the fireplace.
Since Saturday, nothing more serious has occurred than the cracking of a pane of glass in the front window. It may be hoped from this circumstance that the motive power, whatever it is, is almost spent.
Naturally, as the story of recent happenings has been carried from mouth to mouth the incidents have been very considerably exaggerated. Stories which will not bear repetition, so utterly absurd are they, are retailed in quarters where the dormant spirit of superstition has been, so to speak, re-awakened, the allegations in the main deserving not a moment’s consideration. On the other hand, it is only fair to state that a goodly number of people not actively in touch with the circumstances treat the whole affair very lightly. The interest evoked is nevertheless pretty widespread, as evidenced by the fact that while the representative of the “Sentinel” was in the house a rider on a cycle, a rider on a motorcycle, a carriage full of ladies, and a motorcar pulled up in front of the house, riders and occupants all travelling with one motive, and that of curiosity. Mrs Jones, however, has been so disturbed by the many callers that she has been advised to be more reticent.
It may be said in conclusion that the inhabitants of the house undoubtedly attach importance to the apparent mystery of the occurrences, but on the other hand it was by no means made clear to the mind of the “Sentinel” representative that the whole of the occurrences could not have been due to mischievousness or accident.
Newcastle Guardian, 20th March 1909.
Bewitched House.
The pranks of a spook with a poor sense of humour.
Many curious people, attracted by a story of ghostly occurrences, are visiting Copmere, a lonely Staffordshire village near Eccleshall. It is solemnly stated that an elderly lady, the wife of an old and respected inhabitant, was about to sit down to tea with a little girl when “something came from somewhere” and smashed the cups and saucers. At the same time – so the girl told a Press representative – a chair in the room started spinning round like a dancing Dervish on one of its wooden legs. Cries for assistance were raised, and the neighbours rushed in, but they could find nobody who had played this prank.
Almost all the windows in the lower rooms have been broken by pieces of animated coal which, under the influence of some unknown force, leap from the fire. As fast as new windows are put in they are broken. Moreover, the pieces of coal have hit people. A gentleman states that he has been struck in the back by lumps of the coal whilst he has been in the house. Each time he turned sharply round, and could see nothing to account for the annoying business; but probably an invisible spook was grinning up the flowing sleeve of its shroud. The house in Cock-lane was a far more comfortable place to live in.
Cornubian and Redruth Times, 25th March 1909.
Strange Proceedings In Staffordshire.
There is, it is evident, plenty of exaggeration in the stories which have come from Copmere, not far from Eccleshall, concerning the strange proceedings which have taken place in a humble cottage. The cottage, which has sprung into notoriety, is occupied by Richard Jones and his wife, and the story, as told, was that coals have come from the fire like magic and smashed the windows of the room. This seems to have first begun some time ago, and to have continued for several days. Jones then, according to his own account, “decided to have the fire-grate taken out and the chimney swept, but afterwards it was as bad as ever. In less than a week every window downstairs was broken, and, as fast as I had new windows put in, so fast did they get broken. Thinking this was perhaps the fault of the coal I took some to the next door neightour’s, and, putting it on the fire there, watched it burn. It burnt, however, just like the other coal which was on the fire.
“Returning home from duty early one afternoon I was greatly surprised, as well as terribly frightened, to hear the pitchers in a cupboard smashing. On opening the cupboard door I was surprised at seeing all the crocks smashed, but nothing else was to be seen. The minister paying us a visit was also terribly frightened on seeing large shells and plaster come from the fire-grate and scatter over the room, also breaking windows. He left us as fast as he could go.
“A gentleman from Eccleshall, on hearing of the mystery, also paid us a visit. The day being cold, he at once and stood with his back to the fire and began to talk about the thing that had been happening, when, greatly to his surprise, a large piece of coal hit him on the back of the hat. As he was very close to the wall it was impossible for anybody to have thrown it. On asking, ‘What is that?’ he was told that it was ‘it,’ but what “it” is nobody can find out at present. On picking up the piece of coal and examining it, we found it was cold, and the gentleman was more surprised, on looking at the fire, to find there was no coal there but what was burned red. The coal, mortar, plaster, and large shells still continue to fly from the back of the firegrate.”
[repeat of Mrs Jones’ comments about where the coal comes from]
We have not heard whether anyone has got to the bottom of the story. It is not a new one by any means. Similar occurrences have from time to time been reported, they invariably have been traced, not to spooks, or ghosts, or evil spirits from the unseen world, but to people who have not left this world.
Lisburn Standard, 27th March 1909.