This section is dedicated to tales of paranormal activity and other 'ghostly goings-on' in the local area! 

THE 'CUNNING MAN' OF BICESTER: JAMES JAGGER 

James Jagger was born illegitimate, and was subsequently raised by a man called George Gurden. He spent his childhood at the old turnpike house, which once stood near the junction of Priory Road and Chapel Street in Bicester.

Jagger's career in witchcraft began in 1793, when he supposedly tried to summon the devil! Jagger later claimed that the devil did indeed appear before him, but soon disappeared from whence he came in a tremendous clap of thunder. Jagger was known henceforth as a 'cunning man' - somebody who was possessed of healing powers, or some other sort of magical talent.

Jagger developed a reputation in the locality for divination, with one of his specialities being helping people to find missing objects.

One of his clients was the landlady of the old Rose & Crown pub in Bicester, a Mrs Saunders; she had asked Jagger to help her to find a missing silver clasp. Jagger placed a basin of water in a passageway in the pub, then locked himself inside a separate room.

No one knows what mysterious rituals or magic Jagger performed whilst he was alone inside the room; but Mrs Saunders was understandably shocked to witness the silver clasp she had lost suddenly appear out of thin air, and land inside the water-filled basin with a loud splash!

Unfortunately for Jagger, his magical talents apparently came at a price... Whilst leaving The Rose & Crown, he was suddenly seized by an invisible force, which lifted him high into the air and over the rooftops.

Amazingly, Jagger was discovered four miles away near Kirtlington the following morning, complaining of having been dragged through hedgerows, dunked into ponds and ditches, and beaten up by a gang of mischievous demons! According to Jagger, these demons manifested themselves in the form of donkeys with panniers upon their backs...

(Image courtesy of Dark Oxfordshire). 

A HAUNTING IN KIRTLINGTON: JAMES DASHWOOD

It is said that a spirit haunts the pond in the village of Kirtlington.

According to local legend, this ghost is the spirit of James Dashwood. James was born in 1715 - the son of Sir Robert Dashwood and his wife, Dorothy Reade.

Upon his father's death, James inherited his father's estates, some of which were in Oxfordshire. He built a substantial manor house on some of this land in Kirtlington between 1742 and 1746, the grounds of which became what is now known as Kirtlington Park. The original manor house, known as Northbrook House, was demolished in around 1750.

James Dashwood died in 1779, but according to local myth, his spectre continued to haunt Kirtlington. A priest apparently managed to confine his spirit to the village pond, but it is said that should the pond ever dry up, Dashwood's ghost will be released to inflict mayhem further afield!

(Image courtesy of Google). 

THE LEGEND OF THE WHITE LADY OF BICESTER 

One of the many ghost stories hailing from Bicester is the one which features a spectral woman known locally as 'The White Lady of Rookery Pond'.

This apparition supposedly haunts Bicester House in King's End, but has apparently also been seen in the grounds of nearby St Edburg's Church.

Legend has it that the woman was left in charge of the house whilst her men-folk were away fighting during the English Civil War.

Whilst the men were gone, the house was raided by Parliamentary troops, so she fled to the nearby Rookery Pond in attempt to hide the treasure which was kept in the house.

Upon discovering what the woman had done, the soldiers were most displeased. The exact cause of the woman's tragic end is unclear, but it said that she 'somehow perished' in or close to the pond. Whether she committed suicide in the face of the enemy, or was murdered, we will probably never know for sure.

Either way, her spirit is clearly in a state of unrest, as she has been seen many times over the centuries since... The pond was filled in years ago, but the White Lady apparently returns at least once a year, seemingly searching for the lost treasure (which has never been found).

(Image courtesy of Bicester Local History Society). 

THE GHOST CAR OF SOULDERN

The B4100 road between Bicester and Banbury, close to the village of Souldern, has long been associated with various forms of paranormal activity.

However, the most recent example is the spectral appearance of a Morris 1000 Traveller - a type of estate car produced between 1954 and 1971.

The vehicle is seen to stop in the road at night with no headlights on, but when other motorists attempt to approach it or drive past it, the car suddenly vanishes.

There have been two separate reports from people claiming to have encountered the ghostly vehicle, the first in 1963 and then the second 20 years later, in 1983. In both cases, the encounter took place on a foggy night in November.

The location for the second of these encounters was reported to have been in the vicinity of The Bear public house. The Bear is sadly no more, having been converted into a private residence, but drivers passing by on a foggy November night would be wise to take care!

(Image courtesy of Dark Oxfordshire). 

HOTELS & HIGHWAYMEN: CLAUDE DUVAL AND THE HOLT HOTEL, STEEPLE ASTON 

The Holt Hotel is located in Steeple Aston, not far from Bicester. It was originally built in 1475, and used as a coaching inn. The building initially had only 6 rooms, but has since been extended, and now has 86.

The majority of the modern-day hotel dates back to around 1800, but still, the hotel cannot seem to escape its long past...

17th century highwayman Claude Duval is said to haunt the hotel, with sightings of him being reported mostly in room 3. Duval often stayed at the old coaching inn during his lifetime.

Claude Duval was born circa 1643, and came from an ancient and noble French lineage, who's fortunes had wained somewhat by the time of his birth.

When Claude arrived in England, he began offering illegal services to exiled Royalists.

According to popular legend, he abhorred violence, 'showing courtesy to his victims and chivalry to their womenfolk'. He became a successful highwayman, robbing the passing stagecoaches on the main roads to London.

With the English authorities in close pursuit, Claude escaped to France for a short period; however, he returned to England a few months later, where he was promptly arrested in the old tavern known as The Hole in the Wall (Chandos Street, Covent Garden, London). There is also a story which claims that he was actually arrested in The Holt Hotel.

In 1670, a judge found him guilty of 6 robberies, with others remaining unproven. Claude Duval was sentenced to death, and despite many requests for the King to pardon him, Claude was executed at Tyburn on 21st January that year. His body was subsequently cut down, and exhibited in a tavern, which drew a large crowd.

A memorial to Duval exists in the church of St Paul's in Covent Garden, which reads:

"Here lies DuVall: Reder, if male thou art,
Look to thy purse; if female, to thy heart.
Much havoc has he made of both; for all
Men he made to stand, and women he made to fall
The second Conqueror of the Norman race,
Knights to his arm did yield, and ladies to his face.
Old Tyburn’s glory; England’s illustrious Thief,
Du Vall, the ladies' joy; Du Vall, the ladies' grief."

As well as the prevailing legend of the ghost of the 'gentleman thief', another more sinister rumour survives: namely, that the spirit of Claude Duval was responsible for the murder of a later landlord of The Holt Hotel!

A gravestone in the local church reads: "Here lieth the bodies of William Spuriet and Elizabeth his wife, who were both barbarously murdered at Hopcroft's Holt January 18th 1754 in the 77th year of their ages."

The Spuriets had ran the hotel (at this time known as Hopcroft's Holt) for many years, so were both well known and well-liked.

On the Friday evening, another couple who helped out in the pub went home, returning on Saturday morning to find that the inn was unusually quiet. Upstairs, they found that the bed was undisturbed, but someone had been rifling through some boxes. When they went downstairs, they were met with a gruesome scene; William lay dead on the floor in a pool of blood, his head battered in 6 places and one of his fingers almost severed. Elizabeth lay in the chimney corner, still barely alive, but unable to speak. One of her arms was broken, and she had received some nasty head wounds, which meant that she never regained her speech. It took her an agonising 3 days to die from her injuries.

The weapon - "a green ash club about three quarters of a yard long" - lay nearby. Missing from the hotel were two brown waistcoats, two linen handkerchiefs and a sum of money. An inquest held at the inn returned a verdict of 'wilful murder by persons unknown'.

It was said that William had entertained a suspicious person a few days before the murder, and that this person had claimed to be a relative. William had given him some shoes, but the mystery man had left these behind, stealing a better-quality pair of boots instead. A man from Rousham had left the district around the time of the murders, but he was never officially named, and there wasn't any evidence to tie him firmly to this horrific event.

Around a month after the murders, it was reported that two unnamed persons were being held at Aylesbury prison "charged on their own confession". Intriguingly, nothing more was said on this matter, so the two suspects remain a complete mystery! It is very odd that they were not charged, or at least named... Perhaps this was an attempt by the authorities to try to quell public hysteria? We may never know.

Despite King George II offering a pardon to anyone who came forward to confess, and the Duke of Marlborough offering a reward of £50 (a substantial sum!) to anyone who could provide information leading to the apprehension of a suspect, the case went completely cold.

Local people still believe that Duval the highwayman was involved in the Spuriets' killings, somehow murdering them from beyond the grave.

THE SPIRIT OF 'MAD MAUDE': THE MANOR HOTEL, WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN 

The old manor house in Weston-on-the-Green (now known as The Manor Hotel) is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a woman known as 'Maud Maude'!

Maude was supposedly a nun around 500 years ago, back when the manor was used a monastery.

The young nun was caught getting saucy with one of the monks who resided there, and was subsequently dragged out of the house and into the garden. She was chained to a stake, and burned alive, to serve as a warning to all who witnessed it to behave themselves. It would appear that the not-so-celibate monk was never punished, which was typical back then, as women were usually judged far more harshly than their male counterparts; in fact, it was commonly believed that women were 'seductresses' who lured otherwise well-behaved men to their ruin...

Maude's ghost is often seen roaming the grounds around the manor, or so it is said!

 

NOCTURNAL NIGHTMARES AT NOKE: THE GHOST OF BENEDICT WINCHCOMBE 

I was chatting with a lovely lady on Otmoor recently, who told me that when she was a child, she and her family had lived in Noke. Apparently, one night, her parents heard a great commotion outside of their bedroom window. They initially thought that a neighbour's horses had escaped, as they could hear the clatter of hooves and raised voices; however, they looked outside, and there wasn't a single soul - man or beast - in sight!

The next day, they explained this odd experience to another local, who simply responded: "that's the ghost of old Winchcombe, is all!".

Local legend has it that Benedict Winchcombe (who's family owned land in and around Noke at one time) was a keen huntsman, and that ever since his death in 1623, he and his hunt have been seen or heard riding through the village of an evening!

Benedict Winchcombe is buried in St Giles' Church, Noke, and many residents claim to have had similar ghostly encounters thereabouts!

'DRINK TILL YER DEAD!": THE RED COW INN HAUNTING (CHESTERTON)

COULD THIS BE THE MAN BEHIND THE MYTH?

Terri Reeve (current landlady of The Red Cow pub, Chesterton) got in touch earlier today to say that a spirit - supposedly that of a vagrant who drank himself to death in the cellar of the pub - apparently still haunts the premises.

Intriguingly, the pub has never been known to have had a cellar within living memory... But according to the article below, which was published on 5th December 1913 in The Oxford Chronicle & Reading Gazette, The Red Cow did indeed have a cellar at some point, and a man called Thomas Fisher (who was 'of no fixed abode') really did die inside the pub, due to alcohol poisoning!

Perhaps this is the man who's spectre still roams this late 17th - early 18th century inn? And maybe they filled in the cellar due to Fisher's demise? 🤔

The pub was routinely used as a mortuary, and also for holding inquests, so there may well be more than one Red Cow Ghost!

(courtesy of the British Newspaper Archives).

THE 'CORPSE ROAD' (ISLIP/NOKE)

DID YOU KNOW...?

Part of what is now known as 'The Oxfordshire Way' has a rather grisly past!

The roughly 1.5 mile stretch of the footpath between Noke and Islip was once known as a 'Corpse Road' - a historic route by which bodies were transported from one village to another for burial. King Edward the Confessor granted part of the hamlet of Noke to the parish of Islip, meaning that the people of Noke paid their tithes (10% of their income) to St Nicholas' Church, rather than St Giles'. As a result of paying these tithes, it gave inhabitants of Noke the right to be buried in Islip if they so wished.

Therefore, bodies of Noke residents were routinely carried along the path which begins at a stile off of the access lane to Noke, at the extreme western edge of the village, proceeding in a straight line (passing through a tunnel of trees) to another stile, before crossing open fields until they reached Islip.

The picture below shows the first stile mentioned, and is borrowed from 'Spirit Roads: An Exploration of Otherworldly Routes' by Paul Devereux.

FACTS & FOLKTALES FROM OTMOOR (OTMOOR) 

The first recorded use of the name 'Ot Moor' (or 'Ottanmere') was between 1006 and 1011, when King Aethelred II granted lands to a Dane called Toti in 'Hortun' (Horton-cum-Studley) and Beccalege (Beckley).

Long before that, however, the Romans had occupied the area since at least 95 AD, with many artifacts such as coins, tiles and pottery being found over the years. It is believed that the Romans had built a few fairly substantial buildings on the higher ground surrounding the moor, with farming taking place on the moor itself.

The Romans would have enjoyed a decent supply of freshwater shellfish from the River Ray, evidenced by the amount of shells discovered in the area.

A Roman-era timber bridge was also found at Ivy Farm in Fencott.

Near the centre of the moor lies a fragment of limestone known locally as 'Joseph's/Jacob's Stone' - this was thought to have been part of a much bigger Roman milestone, along the old Roman road which crossed Otmoor from Fencott to Beckley, incorporating a track which crossed from Horton-cum-Studley to Oddington.

Another theory regarding the stone is that it was once used as a mounting block by farmers heading out onto the moor to round up their animals. An inscription featured in the Bodleian Library (Oxford) reads:

"Jacob's stone of high renown,
To help me up when I am down,
On my way to the Seven Towns".

Here are some of the meanings of the names of the 'seven towns' (villages) of Otmoor:

Horton-cum-Studley: Hor = muddy, tun = place, cum = with, Stud = place for horse, ley or leah = clearing in wood or little wood.

Murcott: Mur (mere or moor) = marshy area, cott = cottages.

Fencott: Fen = long narrow boggy area (probably the Roman Road), cott = cottages.

Charlton: Charlton meaning 'tun of the ceorls' or 'town of the freemen'.

Noke: Otan-ock = 'place of the oak'.

Beckley: Becka's leah or 'Becka's clearing in a wood'.

Oddington: meaning Otta's Dun or Hill - probably the same Otta who gave his name to Otmoor.

Legend has it that the Virgin Mary (known locally as 'Our Lady of Otmoor') once rode around the moor long ago, carrying a burning oat sheaf; she apparently declared that whatever ground she covered whilst it was still burning would be given to the people of Otmoor forever.

In Oddington, there were two 'medicinal wells', the waters of which were renowned for being able to cure all sorts of medieval ailments, including a curiously named disease known as 'Moor-Evil', which supposedly affected cattle!

'Blackwater' (peat water) wells were found in the fields between Fencott and Merton, and the water found within was also prized for being able to cure many things. The downside of these fields, however, was that they apparently swallowed a horse, driver and cart, none of whom were ever seen again!

The atmospheric, marshy landscape of Otmoor is the perfect setting for folktales, such as those which speak of the ghosts of travellers who drowned in bogs whilst attempting to cross the moor at night, and stories of giant cats devouring livestock!