Ghostly Goings on in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire

The Ghostly Goings On in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire

There is a centuries old vicarage in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, and it is said to be haunted by four different ghosts. The vicarage is situated by the river Thames, but doesn't include the ghost of a Grey Lady, who has been seen floating above the river.

Many years ago, a servant called Miss Caton, was making her rounds of the house when she saw a shadowy figure ahead of her. It was gloomy, so she thought it was a member of the household and was not really alarmed by the figure in the passage. But as she drew nearer, she saw the figure to be a monk. The long, black flowing robes dragged on the stone flagged floor. She made a noise, the figure turned slightly, and when she screamed, the monk vanished.

The vicarage has a splendid drawing room and for whatever reason a child spirit is drawn to it. On several occasions in the past, former clergymen and servants have wandered into the room and found a small boy, dressed in blue, sitting in a big wing chair. Once seen, the boy and the chair just vanish! The strange thing about this, is that a young boy has never lived there nor has there been a chair of that description in the house either.

In 1968, the then vicar, a Reverend David Watson, told of the experience that one of his visitors had at the vicarage. The visitor heard a noise from the stairs leading from the old servants’ quarters and saw a woman dressed in 17th century clothing, walking down them, whilst carrying a young baby. The visitor gasped in astonishment as the then two figures completely disappeared.

The vicar then told of a very strange sight that several people had told him about. It is said that on certain nights, a knight in shining armour is seen and heard coming up the steps from the river Thames to the garden. The suit of armour of the knight is wearing is heard clanking and as the knight grasps his sword then is seen to vanish. Could this knight be connected to the following account?

Nearby the Vicarage is the old market town of Fairford. Between Fairford and the village of Quenington is a hollow known as Pitham Bottom. It is an eerie spot indeed. It's the sort of place you travel through quickly at night. And it is here where a Saxon knight, who is said to be 7 foot tall, roams on cold winter nights. Sometimes he is said to just stand close to the road but sometimes he is seen riding a big black horse.

Three people have seen the knight and one resident used to tell the tale of when he was a boy and was returning along the Quenington Road. His Grandfather had told him never to be frightened of anything so when he saw this large figure approaching, he put up his fists and said, “Come on then, I'll take you on.” But of course, there was nothing for him to fight. Another witness to this knight was a local garage owner and when he saw the large figure coming towards him, he ran away.

The third witness was a local doctor. He was driving his car, to see a patient at night. When the car headlights shone on some gleaming metal, the doctor saw an enormous person in armour. The doctor said he was very frightened, so he just put his foot down on the accelerator and drove off as quickly as he could.

Could this enormous knight be one of the skeletons that were found in 1852 in a burial mound just a few hundred yards from Pitham Bottom? The skeletons that were found were of men who were over 6 feet and six inches tall. It certainly gives some validation to what had been witnessed.

If you’ve seen this knight, then I’d love to hear about it. You can contact me here