Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Border Ghost StoriesThe Project Gutenberg eBook of Border Ghost Stories This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: Border Ghost Stories Author: Howard Pease Release date: December 8, 2008 [eBook #27449] Language: English Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27449 Credits: Produced by David Clarke, Louise Pattison and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BORDER GHOST STORIES *** Produced by David Clarke, Louise Pattison and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) BORDER GHOST STORIES _BY THE SAME AUTHOR_ _Tales of Northumbria_ _Magnus Sinclair_ _The Lord Wardens of the Marches_, _etc._ BORDER GHOST STORIES BY HOWARD PEASE AUTHOR OF 'TALES OF NORTHUMBRIA,' 'MAGNUS SINCLAIR' 'THE LORD WARDENS OF THE MARCHES OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND,' ETC. ERSKINE MACDONALD LTD. LONDON, W.C. 1 _First published 1919_ TO THE MEMORY OF SIR WALTER SCOTT THE TUTELARY GENIUS OF THE BORDERLAND THESE TALES ARE INSCRIBED BY A LATTER DAY BORDERER PREFACE Certain places, said Stevenson, cry out for a story, and Scott, in any new surroundings, straightway invented an appropriate tale, if there were not already a story or tradition in existence. One might even believe that the place itself tells its own tale to the sympathetic imagination. Thus Mr. Bligh Bond in his book, _The Gate of Remembrance_, implies that the whisperings of the _genius loci_ enabled him to make his astonishing discovery of the lost Edgar Chapel at Glastonbury Abbey. 'Multa modis simulacra videt volitantia miris, Et varias audit voces, fruiturque Deorum Colloquio, atque imis Acheronta affatur Avernis.' The scene of the following ghost stories usually becomes manifest in the text, but it might be mentioned that 'Castle Ichabod' stands for Seaton Delaval, that the 'Lord Warden's Tomb' is a reminiscence of Kirkby Stephen, and that 'The Cry of the Peacock' is a suggestion from the Vale of Mallerstang. If the ghost is not always visible in the tale, it is at least born of it. Thus if there be no actual ghost in 'Ill-Steekit Ephraim' or in 'The Blackfriars Wynd' there are at least sufficiently 'ghostly' occurrences. Again, in 'Apud Corstopitum' Penchrysa is held to haunt the Roman Wall beside the limestone crags; Tynemouth Priory is thought to be revisited by Prior Olaf whenever the wind stays long in the eastern airt, and the 'outbye' moors beside 'The Bower' may now be haunted by the spirit of 'Muckle-Mouthed Meg.' The stories marked by an asterisk have already been published in the _Border Magazine_; 'In the Cliff Land of the Danes' appeared originally in the _Northern Counties Magazine_ under the title of 'An Antiquary's Letter' (supposed to have been dictated by John Hall Stevenson of Skelton Castle, author of _Crazy Tales_, to his friend the Reverend Laurence Sterne at Coxwold), and has been slightly altered, as has also 'The Muniment Room,' which appeared in the _Queen_ and the _Newcastle Weekly Chronicle_. He desires to thank the various editors concerned and the Northern Newspaper Syndicate for their courtesy in permitting republication. In his _Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft_, written nearly one hundred years ago, Sir Walter Scott says apologetically at the close of the book: 'Even the present fashion of the world seems to be ill-suited for studies of this fantastic nature; and the most ordinary mechanic has learning sufficient to laugh at the figments which in former times were believed by persons far advanced in the deepest knowledge of the age.' But surely the belief in, and love of ghosts will persist 'as long as the moon endureth,' for fancy, imagination, and conscience combine against materialism, be it never so scientific, and even if the vision of the affrighted criminal be subjective it is a terrible reality to himself. '_What! not see that little boy with the bloody pantaloons?_' exclaimed the secret murderer, so much to the horror of his comrade that he requested him, if he had anything on his mind, to make a clear conscience as far as confession could do it.[1] And, further, it is but some seventeen years since the present writer was taken to see a certain nonagenarian--one Bobby Dawson--for some fifty years, if memory serve, whipper-in to the Bilsdale hounds, who related in all good faith how he with his hounds had once hunted a witch in the shape of a hare that escaped by a cundy, or underground drain, into a barn. When Dawson entered, there was the witch in the form of an old woman lying panting on the hay. Again, the writer has in his possession the copy of an '_Old Charm to make Brave_,' which was transcribed by Mr. R. Blakeborough, author of _Yorkshire Wit, Character, Folklore, and Customs_, from the MS. book of one David Naitby, a Bedale schoolmaster, during the early days of 1800. It may interest the reader to quote a few lines therefrom: '_We hid there (on the mountain top) in the shadow of the moon. We left there an acorn yet green in its cup, We left also a firchatt upon the great stone hurled by Thor; To a fir branch we tied with a fine whang drawn from a bear we slew The wing feather of an eagle which span towards us, Yet it fell not to the earth, we twain caught it, The one by the quill, the other by the feather part._' After this the tale of 'In the Cliff Land of the Dane' may appear to be not so very improbable. Once more, the uprising of the thrawn corpse from the coffin in 'Ill-Steekit Ephraim' was narrated to the writer and his companion by a bed-ridden but very intelligent moorland 'wife' some years ago when walking along the Roman Wall beside Hot Bank farm or cottage. Finally, he can still remember his early thrills over strawberries and cream when told of the appearances of 'the Silky' or 'little grey lady' at Denton Hall, which suggested the harsher variant of 'In my Lady's Bedchamber.' In conclusion, it might perhaps be mentioned that the altar to Sylvanus alluded to in 'Apud Corstopitum' is preserved at Stanhope Rectory on the Wear, and that the writer possesses an altar dedicated--Deo (Mithras), by L. Sentius Castus of the 6th Legion, which was formerly excavated at Rutchester Camp, North Wylam, and is now at Otterburn. * * * * * Sir Walter Scott once said that no one had made more use of ghosts than himsel |