Uttoxeter Paranormal - SPOOKY UTCH

The Bramshall Hag

Bramshall comes up very frequently with ghost stories, and tales of other phenomena. Bramshall Woods, Eaton Plantation, and Bramshall Brook have produced mysterious disappearing individuals, haunting watchers, the ‘rabbit’ man, and dark child-grabbing spirits. Carry Coppice is said to be heaving with entities, if my Mother, who frequented the woodland in her childhood and teens, is to be believed.

The name Bramshall is derived from the name the Danes gave it - Broom Shelf, Broom relating to broom trees or gorse, and its position on the top of a hill or shelf surrounded on two sides by steep hills - it is no doubt a very ancient place and alive with spirits, elementals, and ghosts, amongst other things.

My mother’s side of the family hails from Kiddlestich and lived in the village for many years. Even though I have never lived there I know its stories very well through the Smith family who are all now  laid to rest in the churchyard of St Lawrence.

Here is one of the creepiest stories related to me by a local, not my mother! There was a family of five who lived in one of the older cottages in the village, now long gone. It was a typical two up two down building housing mum and dad in one bedroom and three young children in the other. The story is told by the mother …

" It was a dark night during the war, and nights were darker than usual because everyone blacked out the windows, especially after the Germans dropped a bomb down the local well! I was walking through the churchyard after visiting my mother and saw a shadow by the church doors. It did not move and I could not see a face under the hood that covered its head - but I was sure this small person, about five foot was a woman. We women know such things! I passed by and walked through the graveyard and down the hill onto Stone Road and made my way home. I looked over my shoulder a couple of times as I felt I was being followed, but could not see much in the pitch darkness.

I got home put the kids to bed and put myself to bed after the husband went out with the Home Guard. It was very late, about two in the morning when I heard a knock on the back door. I picked up my stick and went to open it as I did not expect my husband that early. When I opened it a chill blew in the house, a cold musty breeze. It smelled of lavender. But there was no one there. I shut the door, locked it and went back to bed.

About half an hour later I woke and felt terrified. The hair stood up all over my body. I constantly felt the kids were in danger and attempted to get out of bed but could not move an inch, I was paralysed. I could see the kid's room from where I lay. It was lit with a candle, which was moving around. I made out the small woman leaning over the children, seeming to inspect them. She ran a hand over them, through their hair, and could hear her snuffling like a hog. I was terrified and wanted to scream out loud.

Suddenly the hunched woman looked in my direction moved over to my room and shuffled around my bed, a hand held out to me and touching my brow. I could still not see her face, but she was hunched and old, she smelled of rotten wood I thought, a damp flowery smell. She moved closer and I felt her rotten breath on me. Then I did saw her eyes - she had eyes that looked like crow eyes, I thought. She chuckled and was suddenly gone. But the smell was still lingering and I continued to smell it off and on til we moved out of the house.

After she went I was able to leap out of bed and check on the kids. They seemed fine and deep asleep - the only thing out of place was that there was a Lily laid on the chest of the eldest girl … 

This story is not the only one. More recently an old woman was sighted inspecting a car that was waiting at Loxley Crossing, very curious about the child seat in the back ....  the full story can be seen on our Facebook Page

Here’s some more information on the ‘Old Hag’ phenomena, not quite as tame as the Bramshall visitor.