As Christmas is fast approaching we thought it was the right time to unearth some ghosts of Christmas past, in true Dickens style of course.
It just so happened that in December 1926 two policemen passed by St Peter’s Church in Hereford one evening while out on their nightly patrol. As you could imagine they were more than a little surprised to see a cowled figure disappear through some iron gates and then a thick oak door into the church. In disbelief at what they had witnessed they returned to the Police station and recounted their story, leaving their colleagues both a little scared but intrigued.
As word spread the son of an organist who had once played at St Peter’s church shared how his father too had experienced similar occurrences and avoided being there alone in December. He had told him tales of a robed figure who would vanish through doors or into thin air saying he had witnessed this on more than one occasion.
Many surmised who the ghost could be and shared their theories and tall tales. Walter de Lacy who had built the church for the monks in the thirteenth century had fallen from the tower of the church to his death and some folk thought it must be him. Others were convinced that it was the ghost of a monk known to have been murdered by marauding Welshmen at the altar.
Some years later a similar cowled figure appeared regularly in cathedral close. Intrigued by the sightings ghost spotting became a popular pastime and at its peak more than 200 people gathered on the green in the early hours to get a glimpse of the ghostly spectre. As you can imagine this became quite troublesome for local residents who complained most vehemently.
In a bid to quell the enthusiasm of the ghost hunters, the cathedral authorities rumoured that the apparitions were merely a prank and that a practical joker was to blame. Interest waned and life got back to some form of normality. However the cowled figure has continued to appear over the years from time to time, so keep a look out, particularly in December!
It has been an absolute pleasure to bring you these tales and quirky stories from our wonderful county this year. But fear not we will be back with more in the New Year.
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