The Ghosts and Legends of Derbyshire

Derbyshire county and the city of Derby in particular have acquired the nickname of 'the dead centre of England' as a play on the location as well as the fact that there have been literally hundreds of ghost sightings here.

Today there are many ghost walks available most evenings as well as sit-ins at the local Gaol. The areas surrounding Derby city also have a spooky story to tell, including prominent buildings and visitors including the famous Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Bloody Punishments of the Peak District

There were many bloody punishments over the centuries that took place in Derbyshire and the Peak District, including William Simpson and his wife who were hung in 1793 for stealing a sheep from Blackshaw Farm, near Leek. There was also a public flogging of two women in 1735 before the law was abolished in 1791.

There are even stories of a women, Joan Waste, being burnt alive in 1601 after poisoning her husband. She was burnt at Windmill Pit in Derby, and a plaque commemorates Joan in Birchover church. This punishment was not very common and usually only given to women heretics. Other punishments included a period in the stocks, or even being hung, drawn and quartered.

Derby Gaol

Derby Gaol is famously labelled as one of the most haunted locations in the country, and is located at numbers 50 and 51 Friargate in Derby. Gaol is simply the old-fashioned version of the word jail, where many criminals were held there between the years of 1756 and 1828.

Visitors can still see the gallows that were used as punishment for the most severe crimes, and there have been many paranormal experiences at the site of the Gaol. The owner himself has experienced many supernatural encounters, including the sighting of figures wandering the corridors. Visitors themselves can even arrange to stay in the Gaol overnight!

The Witches of Bakewell

In 1608 after a Scotsman was accused of robbery in London, his defence was that he had been under the power of a spell. His Bakewell landlady had been chanting, which led him to London. He even claimed that his clothes were still in Bakewell where the landlady was holding them as rent. The clothes were found in the possession of the Bakewell landlady which was enough evidence to allow her and a friend to be killed for witchcraft.

The Jacobean House

The Jacobean house located in the city of Derby was its first brick building, built in 1611. It used to be much larger than it was today, until in 1855 when the Victorians created Becket street through the house. The wife of the mayor of Derby, Mrs Gisbourne, had been the first lady of the town to have her own coach.

Ever since Mrs Gisbourne, people have spotted a mysterious coach and horses outside of this Jacobean house as well as a headless coachman coming through the coach archway at the left of the building. Many of those working at the building in recent years have felt the presence inside and outside, and have even been forced to move their work premises due to this eerie feeling!

The Battle of Winhill and Losehill

Above Hope village in Derbyshire there are two hills, Winhill and Losehell, which got their names after two armies assembled on these hills and fought in 626 AD. The armies were assembled by the Kings of Wessex and Northumbria, and the Northumbrian king won. Since he had camped on the highest hill, protected by a stone wall, his enemies were forced back and the story has remained within the names of these hills ever since.

The Invisible Choristers

Along the road to the town of Tideswell was a Roman Catholic chapel, built during the reign of King John (remaining for over 600 years) and linked via an underground passage to another chapel within the village located on Church Lane.

During the time the chapels were linked, locals using the underground passage would claim to hear invisible choristers singing as they passed through. Not only were they singing – they were foretelling the deaths of many important villagers of Tideswell.

When the chapel was eventually pulled down many human bones were found to have been buried there for hundreds of years. It could be that this invisible choristers were linked to these bones.

The Peak Forest Chapel

Between the years of 1728 and 1754 the Peak Forest in Derbyshire had been home to an extra-parochial chapel (built in 1657) used as a marriage facility, outside of the normal local Church rules. This means that anyone could come to the Peak Forest to be married immediately.

People would come from all across England to take advantage of this service, and though the chapel is no longer there its font can be seen inside the current church.

Derby Cathedral Ghosts and Legends

All Saints' Church in Derby, becoming Derby Cathedral in 1927, has seen many changes throughout its history. It was thought to have been founded by King Edmund in 943 AD, where its record-breaking 212ft tall tower was added during the reign of Henry VIII.

The church had been considered unsafe by 1723, but the only one who decided to take action was the churchman, Revd Dr Michael Hutchinson – he ordered that everything except for the tower should be demolished. The decision eventually went through and the church was converted to the design that we still know as Derby Cathedral.

There have been many interesting events at All Saints' Church including an historic visit from Prince Charles Edward Stuart in 1745. He had marched his army unchallenged from Carlisle, stationing his troops in Derby and ordering the bells of All Saints' to be rung before attending a service at the Church.

But today's Cathedral also has a more spooky history, where several ghosts have been experienced around the grounds including that of the Prince, also known as Charles III to his supporters at the time who recognised him as the rightful king. A lady living in the building across the road from the Cathedral claims to have seen the man in Jacobite dress recounting his footsteps.