Myths and ghosts

In medieval times, Cirencester was sometimes called Urbs Passerum 'Sparrow City', because of an event which Alexander Neckham, abbot of Cirencester from 1213 to 1217. claims happened there during the wars between Britons and Saxons in the 16th Century. The Saxons had been besieging the city for six years, but could not overcome its fortifications and drive out the Britons, until their leader, an 'African' named Gormund, devised a cunning plan. He had noticed that many sparrows nested in the thatched roofs of the houses, so when they flew out into the surrounding fields to feed he set his men to catching them and tied burning straws to their tails before releasing them. The birds flew straight back to their nests setting fire to so many houses that the Britons could not cope, and had to abandon the city. The same story was to of URUCONIUM of Shropshire.

According to a story recounted to a folklorist, Roy Palmer, a cat haunts the junction of Broad Street and High Street, but it is not precisely a ghost, for it never died - indeed, it is imortal. Once, long ago, it was a pet of an alchemist who was trying to concoct a potion which would give him everlasting life.

Gunton Park was in the 19th century said to be haunted by a White Lady. The 18th century house was the home of Lord Suffield, of whom Mackenzie Walcott writes in 1861..

'Lord Suffield told Dr Woodward the physician that his servants had informed him that they had heard the cry of the White Lady, the family warning of death; and that he himself startled by a long unearthly shriek, upon which, running to the window, he saw a pale figure, in the deep twilight, glide across the lawn; and that night Lady Suffield died'

In his 'ghost hunter's game book (1958), James Wentworth Day the collector of ghost stories, reports that Police Constable A.Taylor of the Tiled House, Panton Street, Cambridge wrote to him in 1953 about a phantom known as 'Shug Monkey', haunting the road from West Wratting to Balsham.

Rochester Cathedral is one of the several churches which are said to have had their main doors covered in skin flayed from Danish warriors. Samuel Pepys was told about this in 1661,

The ruins of Langley Hall, built in the reign of Henry VIII and sited picturesquely on a hillside east of Durham , inspired a legend of a phantom coach. William Henderson of Folk-love of Northern Counties (1866) records, 'Night after night.. when it is sufficiently dark, the Headless Coach whirls along the rough approach to Langley Hall, near Durham, drawn by black and fiery steeds'.

This prehistoric long barrow in Alton Priors is of particular interest to folklorists for its older name, Wodnesbeorh recorded in an Anglo-Saxon charter. This can only mean 'Woden's Barrow', confirming the link of the pre-Christian war-god to mysterious landscape features which is also indicated by names given to the earthworks of Grim's Ditch, Berkshire and Wandsdyke.

On Abington Church Farm is or was a meadow known as Sunken Church Field. Local tradition says that there was once a church or chapel there, which fell into ruins and in the course of time became buried.