Clapham Woods: Where Curses, Cults, and UFOs Collide

Hello and welcome to the blog, folks. It's Andy and Craig here, and we're talking about a place we were supposed to go to this week, but due to weather and the very real possibility of being cursed, we're doing this from the comfort of our own home.

We're talking about Clapham Woods, a real-life sleepy English countryside folk horror story that has it all: a centuries-old curse, unexplained deaths, vanishing animals, a mysterious cult, and even UFOs. Here's a rundown of everything we've managed to unearth about this small, but incredibly weird, patch of woodland.

A Proper Curse from the 13th Century

The weirdness starts way back in 1288, when a local fella named Robert Le Falconer lost a court case and, being a bit of a sore loser, decided to place a curse on the entire village.

"I call upon she who knows to damn this accursed village and all its meagre holdings. May the priesthood of this false god soon come to know their fate."

That's a proper curse, isn't it? A cursy-sounding curse that's ever cursed. And maybe it actually worked, because a lot of people who visit the woods report an unsettling, eerie silence, with a strange lack of wildlife.

A Police Officer, a Vicar, and a Schizophrenic Walk into the Woods…

That sounds like the start of a bad joke, but in the 1970s and 80s, Clapham Woods was tied to a number of very serious deaths.

• PC Peter Goldsmith: The body of a police constable and former Royal Marine was found in a patch of brambles six months after he went missing. The cause of death couldn't be determined, and it looked as if his body had been placed there.

• Leon Foster: This missing pensioner's body was found in 1975, and it had undergone such rapid decomposition that the cause of death was impossible to determine.

• Reverend Harry Neil Snelling: The local vicar went missing and was found as a skeleton three years later by a Canadian tourist. The circumstances were sketchy—the tourist simply wrote a letter to the police enclosing the vicar’s wallet and directions to the body.

• Gillian Matthews: In 1981, a homeless woman was found murdered in the woods. Unlike the others, her death was determined to be a result of strangulation and sexual assault.

It's a lot of tragedy for one small patch of woodland, and it's easy to see why these cases feed into a much larger, darker story.

Disappearing Animals and a Pit of Skinned Cats

It’s not just people, either. There are multiple accounts of animals vanishing in the woods. One man got off his horse to take a break and turned around to find it had disappeared forever. Then there's the story of a woman whose Black Labrador ran off in the woods, only to return shortly afterwards, sicken rapidly, and die.

The weirdest and most disturbing story of all, though, is the report of police finding a pit full of skinned cats staked to the ground. That's a grim image that leads us nicely to our next point.

The Cult of Hecate

A lot of the animal disappearances were blamed on a satanic cult that was supposedly operating in the woods. But as we pointed out, the local paper misspelled the goddess's name, as it's actually Hecate (or Hekate).

Hecate is a Greek goddess of necromancy, witchcraft, and crossroads, often accompanied by dogs—a detail that ties directly into the missing animal stories.

The idea of the cult really took off after a researcher named Charles Walker claimed to have received a cryptic phone call and a letter inviting him to a secret meeting in the woods. He met a cloaked figure who said the cult had been sacrificing dogs to Hecate for decades.

This is where we get a bit suspicious. Walker himself used a Ouija board, and another researcher, Toyn Newton, did too. It makes you wonder: are the only occult practices happening in Clapham Woods being conducted by the people investigating them? It also sounds like it was a great hoax to play on the researchers—just a couple of dudes having a laugh with some Blair Witch sticks.

UFOs and the Lack of Ghosts

Despite the woods being named one of the most haunted in England, we couldn't find a single solid ghost story. Well, other than the one where a boy was supposedly floating, but that was just one sentence. We think people just use "haunted" as a catch-all term for all the other weird shit happening there.

And there is a lot of other weird shit. Reports of UFOs, high radiation levels, and even a "misty grizzly bear" that left behind a paw print and a high Geiger counter reading all abound in the area. We can't help but wonder if the UFOs are just picking up their alien pets after they've had a little wander around the woods.

One thing we do have is an account of a ghost-like encounter. A researcher's wife, Jean, was reportedly thrown backward into a barbed wire fence by an invisible force while entering the woods. Was it a dramatic slip? Or was she yanked by a ghost? We'll leave you to decide on that one.

The Devil's Soup at Chanctonbury Ring

Right next to Clapham Woods is the ancient Chanctonbury Ring, an important site with a history of Romano-Celtic temples. It's also where the infamous occultist Aleister Crowley and his buddy Victor Neuberg used to hang out, convinced it was a place of great power.

But the best story, by far, is the folklore that says the devil himself can be summoned at the Ring. All you have to do is run around the clump of trees seven times anti-clockwise. When he appears, he’ll offer you a bowl of soup in exchange for your soul.

For us, the stories of Clapham Woods and the surrounding area are a perfect example of how folklore gets made. It's a wonderful collection of stories, a perfect setting for a folk horror tale, but for our money, the evidence is pretty thin.

So we didn't get to go there and make ourselves the wyrd news. But maybe one day we will, and we'll see for ourselves if the curse of Clapham Woods is for real.

The Abduction of Gabriella Versace: A Dark Encounter

Welcome, fellow Wyrdo’s, to the Wyrd Wessex blog. We're diving into a truly dark and disturbing story today, one that challenges the typical narrative of alien abductions. This is the case of Gabriella Versace, a very fancy lady from Somerset, whose encounter with the unknown has a truly horrific ending.

A Strange Light in the Countryside

The story begins at 2 a.m. on October 16th, 1973, as Gabriella was driving near the English village of Langford Budwell in Somerset. She noticed a stationary light in the distance that grew in size as she approached it. Suddenly, her car's headlights went out and the engine stalled, forcing her to roll to a stop.

As she got out of the car, she heard a faint humming sound that grew louder. While distracted by the noise, she was struck on the shoulder and pushed to the ground by a figure. She looked up and saw a tall, dark, metallic figure. The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness were multicolored lights flickering nearby.

Tied to a Table

Gabriella regained consciousness to find herself in a field with a "robot-like" figure and a large, silver-colored spaceship on the ground. She described the craft as being seven meters high and twelve meters wide, with oblong windows and yellow lights. She passed out again, only to awaken tied to a table in a cold, circular room. Her clothes were gone, replaced by a blue blanket, and her hands and feet were bound by some kind of "rubber band."

Three slender, fair-skinned humanoid figures, around five-foot-five, then entered the room. They wore hats and masks that covered their faces, with only their eyes visible. The beings examined her in silence, taking a nail slice from her index finger and a blood sample. They then removed the blanket, examined her groin with a pencil-like instrument, and left the room.

A Horrific End

After a short while, the humanoids returned. They walked to the far end of the table, lifted the blanket, and stared at Gabriella's body. Feeling deeply uncomfortable, she struggled with her bonds. She then felt a sharp injection and, according to her account, the being sexually assaulted her. She blacked out during the assault.

The next thing Gabriella knew, she woke up in her car, fully dressed. That is where her story ends. The lack of any known police report or follow-up leaves us with a truly chilling and dark conclusion to an already bizarre tale.

What are your thoughts on this disturbing story? Do you think it was a literal abduction, or, as we discussed on the podcast, could it have been a coping mechanism for a different kind of real-world horror?

Stay Wyrd!

The Oz Effect & Missing Time: The Aveley Abduction

Welcome back to the Wyrd Wessex blog! Today, we're exploring a classic abduction case from the UK that includes nearly every strange element you can imagine: glowing lights, mysterious fog, missing time, and even poltergeist activity.

The Green Mist and The Oz Effect

In October 1974, the Avis family was driving along a country lane near Hornchurch when they noticed a strange, oval-shaped pale blue light following their car. Initially, they thought it was a helicopter, but soon realized it was something else entirely. They were then hit with the "Oz effect"—a sudden, eerie silence where all sounds, even the car's engine and tires, ceased. The only sound was the radio, which then began to crackle and smoke.

As they rounded a bend, a thick, dense green mist covered the road. The car jolted and was momentarily engulfed in the fog. Although the family felt they were in the mist for only a second or two, when they arrived home, they found that nearly three hours had passed.

Alien Life Coaches?

The most bizarre part of the story is what happened after. The family's lives were changed forever. The father, John, had a nervous breakdown and changed careers, while the mother, Elaine, went back to college. The son, Kevin, who was awake during the encounter, went from being a poor student to excelling at school. Both parents also gave up smoking and eating meat.

Under hypnosis, John recalled the car being lifted by a white beam of light as it entered the mist. He remembered being in a large room with tall, peaceful, telepathic beings. When he asked them why they were here, they replied simply, "No visit. They are here always."

This story has everything. The family's personal transformations have led us to wonder if these were alien "life coaches" or if something even more sinister took place.

What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments below!

Stay Wyrd!

The Man Aliens Rejected: The Alfred Burtoo Story

Welcome, fellow Wyrdos, to the Wyrd Wessex blog! This week, we're diving into a story so bizarre and humorous, you have to wonder if it's true. It's the tale of a veteran who was taken by aliens, only to be rejected for a very unexpected reason.

The Night Fishing Abduction

In the quiet town of Aldershot on the night of August 12, 1983, 77-year-old ex-military veteran Alfred Burtoo was enjoying a spot of night fishing with his dog, Tiny. The peaceful evening took a strange turn when he saw a mysterious light, which eventually settled behind some trees about 300 feet away. His dog began to growl nervously, and soon, two four-foot-high humanoids emerged from the light's source. They were wearing pale green, seamless coveralls and helmets with blackout visors.

One of the figures motioned for Alfred to follow them. They led him along the canal path to a metallic, 40-foot-wide craft resting on two ski-type runners. As Alfred entered, he was met with a strange and unsettling aroma, which he described as "decaying meat."

You Are Too Old and Infirm

Inside the seamless, octangular room, an unseen voice instructed Alfred to stand under an amber light. After a moment, the voice spoke again, asking, "What is your age?" Alfred replied that he would be 78 on his next birthday. There was a pause, and then the voice delivered a truly unforgettable line: "You can go. You are too old and infirm for our purpose."

Alfred was then returned to his fishing spot. He looked at his watch and realized an entire hour had passed. He later told his story to UFO investigator and author Timothy Goode, who firmly believed him. Alfred never changed his story and believed in the event right up until his death two years later. It's a story that raises many questions, not least of which is: What was their "purpose," and why was a 77-year-old man unfit for it?

What do you think of Alfred's story? Let us know in the comments below!

Stay Wyrd!

The Oz Effect, Noddy Holder's UFO, and My Personal Encounte

Welcome to the Wyrd Wessex blog! Andy and I are back this week with a deep dive into UFOs, covering everything from bizarre abductions to a first-hand sighting from yours truly. We've got stories that will make you rethink what you believe and a whole lot of weird news to top it off.

The Aveley Abduction: Alien Life Coaches or Something Else?

We started with a truly fascinating story from 1974 involving the Avis family in Essex. As they were driving, they spotted a glowing blue light that followed their car. The engine went silent, and they experienced the "Oz effect"—an eerie silence where all natural sounds cease. They were then engulfed in a thick, green mist, and when they emerged, three hours of time had inexplicably vanished.

The experience had a profound effect on the family's lives. The father, John, had a nervous breakdown and changed careers, while his son, Kevin, who was awake during the event, went from being a poor student to excelling at school. The family even reported poltergeist activity in their home afterward. Under hypnosis, John recalled being lifted into a large room and examined by tall, peaceful, telepathic beings. The beings told him they weren't "visiting"—they "are here always." We discussed whether these visitors were some kind of "changelings" or perhaps alien "life coaches" sent to better humanity.

The Aldershot Abduction: You Are Too Old

Next, I shared a unique abduction story from Alfred Burtoo, a 77-year-old military veteran. In 1983, while night fishing with his dog, he was approached by two four-foot-tall humanoids in pale green coveralls. They led him aboard a 40-foot-wide craft that smelled of "decaying meat." After standing under an amber light for examination, a voice simply asked for his age. When he replied he was 77, the voice said, "You can go. You are too old and infirm for our purpose." Alfred was then returned to his fishing spot, an hour later. It’s hard to imagine anyone making up such a hilariously insulting story, which makes you wonder if it’s more credible.

Noddy Holder & West Yorkshire Sightings

Not even rock stars are immune to these events! We shared a story from the band Slade's frontman, Noddy Holder. He claims that while staying in Bournemouth, his hotel room was filled with a white light at midnight, and he saw a flying saucer race across the sea. His wife, however, insisted he was just drunk.

We also discussed a news story about the West Yorkshire police department, which is reportedly overwhelmed with UFO reports. One particularly bizarre report, which they did not want to release, described a woman being "beamed into the sky."

My Personal UFO Sighting

To cap things off, I shared a first-hand account of my own UFO sighting. In the summer of 2006, while walking with my girlfriend in Hertfordshire, we saw a giant, pulsating orange ball in the night sky. It moved in a bizarre, unnatural pattern—slowly, then zipping off at incredible speed—before disappearing into the horizon. With no sound and no rational explanation like a plane, helicopter, or drone, the only thing I can think of is ball lightning, but it still remains a complete mystery.

Wyrd News

In our wyrd news segment, we discussed a biblical plague of frogs, toads, and tadpoles that caused a multi-car pileup in Honduras, and a similar plague of locusts in Mexico. To top it off, we looked at a report from The Sun about a top-secret probe launched by a British missile base in Yorkshire after a UFO was tracked on their radar screens.

What's Next for Wyrd Wessex?

We ended the episode by planning our next adventure! There's a notorious woodland in Sussex where UFOs, ghosts, and even satanic cults have all been reported. We decided we have to visit the site and do a live recording from there for our next episode. Hopefully, it won't be our last!

What are your thoughts on these stories? Do you think the Avis family's lives were changed for the better by these beings, or was it a traumatic experience that led to a personal transformation? Let us know in the comments below!

A Green Christmas, Ouija Board Tragedies, and Peruvian Mummies

Welcome back to Wyrd Wessex for the final part of our Christmas specials! This time, Craig and Andy are wrapping things up with a wild ride through a famous author's ghostly encounter, a dark news story that makes you question everything, and an update on one of the most bizarre claims of the year.

Thomas Hardy's Green Christmas Ghost

We kick things off with a brief but classic ghost story straight from the Dorset countryside. On a green, snowless Christmas Eve, Thomas Hardy saw a strange man in 18th-century dress in Stinsford Churchyard. The figure exchanged a few words with Hardy before disappearing into the church, where Hardy found no one. Hardy's sister later speculated the ghost was their grandfather, who had passed away years before.

Wyrd News: From Satan to South America

We covered a lot of ground in our news segment, starting with a brief mention of the Satanic Temple's popular "Hail Santa" Christmas tree display, which we all agreed was a great bit of festive trolling. Things then took a much darker turn with a story from Colombia.

• The Ouija Board Murder: We discussed a truly disturbing case where a teenage boy was allegedly murdered by his friends after a Ouija board told them to do it. While one of the friends claimed to be on LSD and said the whole thing was a dream, we can’t help but be skeptical. Was it an actual paranormal command, or just a chilling excuse for a tragic crime?

• The Mummified "Aliens": Andy brought us an update on the mummified creatures found in Peru. According to some researchers, DNA analysis of the specimens shows that 30% of their genetic makeup is from an "unknown species." While a controversial journalist is pushing the alien theory, other experts believe the mummies are likely a hoax, possibly made from the remains of extinct animals.

The Krampus of Ramsbury

To close out the episode, Andy shared a brilliant news story from a Wiltshire village. A local blog, the Ramsbury Raven, hilariously reported on a Krampus sighting, warning local children to behave or risk being scooped up in a basket by the demonic Christmas creatures. It was the perfect quirky end to our weirdly festive deep dive!

Poltergeists, Psychokinesis, and a Shed in Winter

Hello and welcome back to Wyrd Wessex! It's your host, Craig, joined by Andy, who is currently being banished to a cold shed for the sake of good audio. Today we're diving deep into the world of poltergeists and hauntings, and let's just say, the dedication for this episode is palpable—you can practically see Andy's breath!

The Durweston Poltergeist

My story takes us back to the late 1800s in a village called Durweston, near Blandford. Here lived a kind widow, Mrs. Best, who was plagued by unexplained knocks and disturbances in her cottage. The activity soon escalated, with floating objects like seashells and thimbles and even a boot that literally knocked a man's hat off his head.

When the Society for Psychical Research got involved, things took a turn for the bizarre. During a séance, an entity was asked to communicate by writing on a slate. To the amazement of the witnesses, the pencil began to write the words "money" and "garden" on its own! The disturbances eventually followed one of the foster children, Anne Cleave, before a doctor diagnosed her with a "hysterical" tendency.

The Penhill Hauntings

Andy brings us to a more modern, and frankly, terrifying, series of hauntings in Swindon's Penhill estate. Built in the 1950s on land that was once a brewery's water source, this area has a consistent history of poltergeist activity on two specific streets: Westbury Road and Melchon Close.

In 1973, a young couple, Dave and Cheryl Pellymounter, reported a chair being thrown across the room and dummies going missing and reappearing. Their case was so well-known that an exorcism was actually televised by the BBC! Later, in 1980, another couple on a nearby street claimed a levitating cassette player nearly killed their three-week-old baby. The council believed their story, agreeing to rehome them and perform an exorcism.

What's really fascinating is that this wasn't just a one-off thing. We found multiple other reports from the same two streets spanning from the 60s all the way to the 2000s, with reports of things being thrown, and people even being scratched and pinched by an unseen force.

Our Verdict: Pop Culture, Psychokinesis, or Bullsh*t?

This episode sparked a big debate for us. We noticed that a lot of these famous poltergeist cases, from the Durweston story to the Penhill hauntings, seem to revolve around young girls, children, or new families. We discussed the theories of psychokinesis, where stress or hormones could cause objects to move, and the influence of pop culture like The Exorcistand Poltergeist on people's perceptions.

We're both leaning towards the skeptical side, with the possibility of "baby brain" or just an overactive imagination, but we can't completely dismiss the fact that so many people in the same small area reported similar experiences over decades.

Wyrd News!

• Most Haunted Holiday: Did you know that a recent study named Dorset as the most haunted holiday destination in the country? Apparently, the county has 18 prominent ghost stories, beating out places like Norfolk and the Cotswolds.

• The Pink Pond: A pond in Hawaii has mysteriously turned bright pink, and while it's not toxic algae, officials are concerned. The leading theory is an organism called halobacteria thriving in the water's super-high salinity due to a drought.

• Bonus News: We also couldn't resist talking about a very weird-looking, bubbling green slime that appeared in a New York City sewer. It turned out to be dye used by workers, but it made for a great visual!

Coming Soon: A Christmas Special!

We're excited to announce that we'll be back soon for a special Christmas episode! We're bringing on our very first guest, Jimmy the Welsh Viking, who does ghost walks in York. He'll be sharing some Christmas-related paranormal stories, and we'll have a few festive Wyrd News stories for you, too.

A Halloween Special: The Screaming Skull & Other Ghostly Tales

Welcome back to Wyrd Wessex! For this spooky Halloween special, Craig and I, Andy, have put together a couple of dark and chilling ghost stories just for you. Grab your pumpkin spice tea and get ready for tales of betrayal, curses, and restless spirits.

The Cursed Manor of Wild William

I'll start with a dark tale from Little Cop Manor in Berkshire. It's a three-house manor built in 1250, and according to legend, a curse was placed on the building that prevents its owners from having children. The story goes back to 1575 when a midwife, Mother Barnes, was blindfolded and brought to a manor to help a masked couple with a birth. After a successful delivery, the masked man snatched the newborn and horrifically threw it into a fire. This man was later revealed to be the owner, William Darrell, who became known as "Wild Will."

Mother Barnes reported the crime, but Wild Will bribed the judge and got away with it. However, he met his end in 1587 when the ghost of the baby appeared before him while he was out hunting. The sight startled his horse, which threw him off, breaking his neck. Today, the manor is a hotel and is supposedly haunted by a few ghosts from this tragic story. Guests have reported seeing the crying ghost of the mother on the landing and hearing the baby's cries.

The Screaming Skull of Bettiscombe Manor

My story takes place in Bettiscombe Manor in Dorset. This tale of betrayal and ghostly wails begins in the 1680s with a gentleman named Zyra Pinney. After his involvement in the Monmouth Rebellion, he was banished to the West Indies, where he and his family made a fortune running plantations with slave labor.

Fast-forward to the 1800s, Zyra's great-grandson, John Frederick Pinney, returned to Bettiscombe Manor, bringing with him an enslaved man who was freed but soon became ill and died. On his deathbed, the man requested to be buried in his homeland. However, due to the high cost of shipping, John Frederick buried him in a local churchyard instead.

Immediately after the burial, strange things began happening at the manor—doors slammed, windows rattled, and a haunting wailing could be heard. The village also experienced a string of misfortunes. Fearing a curse, John Frederick exhumed the body and moved the coffin to the manor's attic, where the haunting stopped.

After a few years, the body disappeared, leaving only the skull behind. Subsequent owners who tried to remove or bury the skull were met with the same terrifying screams and poltergeist activity. The story goes that the skull remains in the manor to this day, locked in a cabinet, and is known as the Screaming Skull of Bettiscombe Manor.

Houdini and the Halloween Séance

While we're on the topic of Halloween, we should bring up Harry Houdini, who famously passed away on Halloween 98 years ago. He had promised his wife he would try to contact her from the afterlife, leading her to hold séances for many years after his death. To this day, it's a tradition for magicians to hold séances on Halloween to try and contact him.

We think it would be a great idea for us to try one for a future episode of Wyrd Wessex! It's an interesting topic, especially since Houdini was a famous debunker of spiritualists, even though he was good friends with a huge believer, Arthur Conan Doyle. We'd love to try and contact him!

Wyrd News

In our weird news segment, we're talking about necrobotics (scientists reanimating spiders as tiny robots!), and a recently confirmed story from 1942 about a group of men who claimed to have chopped up and incinerated the body of the Loch Ness Monster. We also get into a debate about the psychology of mediumship, the history of spiritualist frauds, and whether we're believers or skeptics at heart.

In Search of the Black Dog: A Wyrd Wessex Halloween Special

Welcome to our Halloween special on Wyrd Wessex! For this episode, Craig and I, Andy, decided to sink our teeth into one of the most classic and chilling figures in British folklore: the black dog. Are these creatures real, or are they ancient tales designed to keep us out of the woods?

The Birth of a New Myth

Before we get to the scary stuff, we have to talk about a myth I accidentally created. I posted a picture on Instagram wearing an Anglo-Saxon bee skep on my head as a joke, and wrote a caption about it being a long-lost myth of the "Honey Monster." I guess some people thought it was serious, because they started asking for sources! So, we've set ourselves a challenge: by next Halloween, we want to create a new piece of folklore and see if we can get it to come back to us from an outside source. I've already done it once with a ghost story for a storytelling walk, so let's see if we can do it again on a larger scale!

The Wild Hunt and the Wyrdness of the Wessex Dogs

The legend of the black dog is a global phenomenon, but we’re going to focus on our home turf. The earliest account we could find in England comes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 11th-12th century, where a chronicler described “packs of dogs, jet black with eyes like saucers” led by a wild hunt.

What's fascinating is the regional difference in these stories. The black dogs of Northern Europe and Northern England are often described as malevolent omens of death and destruction. But down here in Wessex, they seem to be a bit... nicer.

Case in point, the ghost dog of Colway Manor in Lyme Regis. In the 17th century, a man and his black dog were murdered by thieves. Two centuries later, a new resident in the dilapidated manor kept seeing and hearing the ghost of the dog. Instead of being scared, he found the ghost to be good company. One night, after being mocked for his friendship with a ghost, the man got drunk and tried to chase the dog away with a poker. The dog led him to the attic where it disappeared through a wall. The man’s poker hit the wall, and a lockbox full of coins from the 17th century fell out! He used the money to buy a local pub, which he named The Black Dog, and the dog’s ghost is still said to roam a nearby lane.

Then you have the Girt Hounds of the Quantocks in Somerset. These great big black dogs with saucer-like eyes weren't terrifying at all. They were said to be guardians of the lost, guiding travelers and children back home.

Black Dogs, Big Cats, and... Depressing?

So where do these stories come from? We have some ideas. There's a connection to old Roman roads, a theory that they were dogs left behind by the Romans, and a strong link to the legend of the Wild Hunt, a supernatural hunting party that's said to roam the skies. The dogs are almost always described as servants to a master, be it the devil or a legendary figure. Could they be the servants of something even worse?

We also can't help but wonder if some of these sightings are just cases of mistaken identity. Craig and I both believe that big cats exist in the UK, and maybe a quick glance at a large dark Alsatian or even a huge Maine Coon could spark a story of a phantom hound. We also talk about the term "black dog" for depression, which shows how deeply this image is embedded in our psyche.

Weird News: A Mummified Man and a Killer Clown

No episode would be complete without some weird news. This time, we dove into a Halloween-themed story about "Stone Man Willie," a man mummified by accident in 1895, who finally received a proper burial 128 years later after being identified as James Murphy. We also tackled the very important story of a killer clown sighting, proving that some myths just never die.

Thanks for joining us for this special episode! We’re going to continue our spooky journey in the next one, where we’ll be talking about poltergeists and hauntings.

The Wyrd and the Wessex: A Journey into All Things Weird

Welcome to our very first blog post for the new podcast, "Wyrd Wessex"! My name's Andy, and I'm here with Craig. We started this podcast because we're fascinated by the paranormal, folklore, UFOs, and all things that are just generally, well, weird.

You might have noticed our spelling of "weird" is a little different—W-Y-R-D. That's because it's a nod to our love of Anglo-Saxon history. "Wyrd" is an old word that meant fate or personal destiny. For us, embracing this kind of weirdness is our destiny!

What Got Us Started on the Wyrd Path

So, what got us into this stuff? For Craig, it all started with 90s television like The X-Files and Unsolved Mysteries. For me, it was a bit earlier. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Ghostbusters and gravestones. I even wanted to be a vicar when I grew up, not because I was religious, but because I heard you got to live next to a graveyard! That interest in history and mythology really reawakened that weird part of me.

We both come from a background of historical interest, and I'm even a storyteller for my job, working at historical events and schools. It keeps me immersed in the world of folklore, which is a huge part of what we're about.

Mulder and Scully...or Two Scullys?

When we started this podcast, I thought Craig would be the Mulder to my Scully. I mean, he's even got an "I Want to Believe" poster! But it turns out, we're both Scullys. We're both skeptics at heart, even though we've had some experiences that have made us scratch our heads.

Speaking of which, we’ve both had some pretty spooky encounters. Craig's daughter, for example, once pointed across a dark room and said there was a "shadow with a hat standing over there." Later, she saw the same shadow out the window watching them from the car. Talk about creepy! Craig also told a story about a "ghost mouse" they heard scurrying around their tent while camping, with no physical evidence left behind.

I've had my share of weirdness too. My earliest memory is from when I was four, and I told my parents about a man dressed in funny old clothes with a waistcoat and hat who sat in my rocking chair and smiled at me. More recently, I had a crazy experience after my great-grandmother, Ivy, passed away. I woke up one morning and saw her reflection standing in my bedroom curtains, just smiling at me. It wasn't malicious, but it definitely freaked me out.

Why Folklore Matters for History

This all leads us to a core belief of our podcast: you can't have a real understanding of history without also understanding the folklore that went with it. Some historical groups turn their nose up at folklore, but they're missing the point.

Folklore is a glimpse into the minds of people from the past. It tells us what they were scared of, what made them laugh, and what made them lock their doors at night. Whether it's Viking sagas with magic swords or the curse on the New Forest, these stories were an integral part of people's everyday lives.

And it's still happening today! We see it in modern-day creepypastas and urban legends. It's all a part of our ongoing story.

What's Coming Up Next?

Each episode of Wyrd Wessex will also feature a "Wyrd News" section where we discuss a strange story from today's headlines. We’ll also be heading out to different locations to explore some of these mysteries firsthand.

So, stick around! We're excited to have you on this journey with us into the wyrd.