Gathering Ghosts in May
For the May ghosts we travel from the shores of Loch Ashie near Inverness to the bridge over the River Thurne at Potter Heigham in Norfolk.
The origin of Loch Ashie’s name is unknown; it is not a Gaelic word, and may be derived from the Norse warrior, King Ashie. From a boulder called King Fingal’s seat he watched one of the Norse- Pictish battles that took place in the area. Shortly after dawn on May morning a silent ghostly battle is often seen; records of it run back into antiquity. Large bodies of men in close formation and smaller cavalry groups face an attacking force advancing from the east. Injured men are said to bind sphagnum moss to their wounds with strips from their shirts.
On 12th May in Norfolk a mediaeval (or Roman) feast occurs late at night with singing, dancing and bonfires.
Other sources describe hearing a ghostly midnight mass.
Alternative days quoted for the event are the third Tuesday or Thursday in May.
The ghost of Anne Boleyn appears at Blickling in Norfolk on the anniversary of her death on 19th May, 1536. A phantom coach pulled by four headless horses drives towards and pulls up on the driveway of Blickling Hall (the place of her birth and childhood). Anne is said to be sitting in the carriage with her head in her lap; she climbs out and inspects each room of the Hall.
On the same date Sir Thomas Boleyn is said to drive a team of headless horses in the area, cursed to cross twelve bridges including those at Aylsham, Coltishall and Wroxham.
The three–arched bridge over the River Thurne at Potter Heigham is reported to be haunted by a phantom coach and horses.
In the 18th century Lady Evelyn Carew was married to Sir Godfrey Haslitt in Norwich Cathedral on 31st May. But Lady Evelyn had already sold her soul to the devil who wanted payment. At midnight she was seized by the devil's henchmen who seized her and carried her off n a coach pulled by four black horses.
The coach raced down the road to Potter Heigham but crashed into the bridge before it got there, smashing into a thousand pieces and throwing the occupants into the river. All were killed
Now at midnight the coach is said to reappear and re-enact the fatal crash.
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Reading your blog sent a shiver up my spine, I like ghost stories; and I thought this was a really intresting piece. Thanks for sharing!
These spooks have certainly got it in for the Norfolk Broads, haven't they? Last month it was Acle, now Blickling and Potter Heigham
I should imagine Potter Heigham, with its very low bridge arches, must be the scene of many more ghostly encounters judging by the number of people who misjudge their ability to negotiate their passage safely.