Madeley- A Paranormal History

 

For those of you not familiar with Shropshire, you could be forgiven for not knowing where Madeley is on the map.  Like many of the villages of East Shropshire, it was combined into the Telford and Wrekin borough after the development of the ‘new town’ Telford in the 1960’s. However, Madeley itself has a rich, interesting, and often prosperous history, which far predates the Domesday book. Indeed, the seeds of Madeley’s prosperity were laid around 200 million years ago — in the Carboniferous Period, which saw cycles of land emerging from tropical swamps covered in rich vegetation- and the laying down of coal seams- as well as clay, ironstone, and strata of limestone. 200 million years later, (give or take a few hundred years) this placed Madeley at the epicentre of the growth of industry in Shropshire, due to its wealth of coal, iron, clay, and ironstone.  Though we cannot rule out earlier habitation, there is evidence of settlement in Madeley from around the 8^th century, when Sigward (a local sub ruler under king Æthelbald of Mercia) is reported to have held 3 hides of land. Between 727 and 736 he sold his holdings to the saintly daughter of Merewalh (Subking of the Magonsæte) Milburga. Milburga was the founder and head of Wenlock abbey- who would go on to become the saint capable of restoring eyesight and guardian of crops.

As I’ve mentioned the area has a wealth of natural resources, and the mining of coal began was back in the 14^th century which would only gain momentum in the following centuries. Interestingly Madeley can boast royal connections, as its home to the barn in which King Charles II hid after the battle of Worcester in 1651. During the late 17^th and 18^th centuries, local tradesmen began to become more specialist, especially in the fields of ironwork, mining, and river trade. By the 19^th century Madeley was home to nearly 100 named and known pits, with coal mining continuing until the early 1900s.    As a side note, Madeley is also the area in which I grew up and spent much of my earlier life.

Obviously, this is by no means an exclusive account of Madeley’s history- perhaps that’s for another time. However, I hope it illustrates that this little area of Shropshire has witnessed the whole breadth of history. I want to now turn to an exciting feature of Madeley’s past- its paranormal goings on! For such a small area, there are a number of reports of strange activity and phenomena. You can expect witches, weirdness and of course ghosts!

Our story really starts In June 1882, in Madeley. (Madeley was known as Madeley on Severn at this point) A local man was busy cleaning out his chimney, when he came across a piece of folded paper, sealed with red wax on one of the joists of his chimney. The outside had been blackened with soot and age – and he was pretty sure he hadn’t put it there. So, he decided to take a peek. Upon opening he found it contained the following worlds, neatly written in some unknown hand-

‘I charge all witches and ghosts to depart from this house,

In the great name of Jehovah and Alpha and Omega’

 

Wonderful, isn’t it? our gentleman had in fact found a protection charm, which was used to ensure the safety of the house and all those who reside in it. Protective charms and amulets are common in folklore and folk beliefs, and there are multiple examples to be found across the county. For example, in Shropshire a horseshoe over the threshold of a house was said to protect the house against witches and foul spirits. Hazel twigs were also used to repel witches and were hung over doorways.  These would have been deemed a powerful preventative measure against the evil unknown forces at work in the world. Interestingly, this charm specifically mentions ghosts and witches, which demonstrates a prevailing belief in the existence of both in the local area, which definitely is reflected in the local history. It was as late as 1853, just up the road in Much Wenlock that a local ‘Witch’ known as Nanny Morgan was murdered by her lover and the crime was justified as an attempt to escape bewitchment. Her belongings were burnt to prevent her spirit returning. (Nanny Morgan had the last laugh though, as her ghost was said to be unrelenting, and still haunts the local area to this day) This demonstrates such a fear was relevant, and perhaps such inspired the charm to be placed. Furthermore, if we are to believe the folklore, there were at least two witches in Madeley, of which one was said to be so small, she could ride on the back of a cuckoo, and would use this mode of transport to frequently terrorise the local community to amuse herself!

 

Our other witch had more sinister intensions. She lived in a hovel on the grounds of the modern day Madeley court hotel (we will be visiting there a fair bit over the course of this blog) this witch roamed the local area searching for children, who she would then snatch up. Once caught, she would sell their little souls to ‘Owd Scratch’ for fine pieces of silver. You may be wondering how this witch managed to carry out her foul schemes? Well, she had a very clever skill. Like many witches, Madeley’s could shape shift into a hare. She would shape shift and tempt the children over, who would be eager to stroke her. She would then grab them with her human hands, dragging them back to her dwelling, to wait for ‘Owd Scratch’ to seal their fate.

Eventually, the locals began to notice that their children were missing, as well as hearing reports of a large hare roaming the area. Though they couldn’t prove the two were linked, they decided they had to be sure, and resolved to catch and kill the hare. Soon enough their paths crossed, and the locals managed to corner the hare, wounding it a few times on the face and its side. The hare was obviously petrified by the violence and ran so hard her feet were bleeding. She didn’t get far however, as the locals tracked the hare by following her bloodstained footprints, straight to the hovel. It was at the doorway of the hovel that the hares’ footprints turned into very human ones. The locals kicked down the door and found the witch in her human form, bleeding from the same area the hare had been, thus confirming the two were the same. They demanded to know where their children were, and she laughed and told them that ‘Owd Scratch had them now’.

 

The locals dragged the witch out of the hovel to a clearing nearby and then burnt the woman alive. It is said that as the flames consumed her, she turned into her animal form one last time- and as her laughter filled the air, she disappeared into the flames. This is definitely a powerful story, and it leaves one wondering what inspired such to be told.

 

Let’s turn now to some of Madeley’s spectral inhabitants- its ghosts, one of which can be found in St Michaels Churchyard. If you like graveyards, you would probably like St Michael’s churchyard. It’s an evocative place, characterised by its stillness, and unique graves. From Mary Tooth- who’s epitaph reads ‘her warfare is complete’ to the beautiful hand-crafted mosaic memorial to Charles Arthur Turner (a little boy I’ve written about previously) the area’s history rises up through the stones. The graveyard is also haunted by a very lovely ghost.

 

Indeed, this female presence has been mentioned on a number of occasions. She appears as an old lady and is seen moving between the stones- even laying flowers on graves. It is said that this spectral mourner lays flowers on the more neglected gravestones, which is such an evocative image. She disappears not long after she is first seen, but it’s lovely to think that St Michael’s churchyard has its own gentle guardian.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the area surrounding the Madeley Court Hotel is at the centre of a number of reports of paranormal phenomena. There have been buildings on the site since the Anglo-Saxon period, but the current building originates from the 16^th century. This grade II listed building has an interesting history, originally being built as a grange for Wenlock Priory, before serving as a residence for various notable people, including Abraham Darby I. It was bought in the 1960’s by the newly formed Telford corporation, who consolidated building works from the 13^th, 16^th and 17^th centuries and restored it to its former glory. The building is now a hotel, with a number of spooky goings on reported. Let’s explore some of these stories here.

 

There were once a row of miner’s cottages on the grounds, in a hollow (not too far from where the football pitch now is) they’re gone now, though their existence may explain the following phenomena. There have been a number of walking who report great billows of smoke rising from phantom chimneys in the area, though no buildings are attached. Further hauntings also takes place in the area. Not too far from the football pitch there have been reports of a partial apparition of a front door, which opens, revealing a face of a women that smiles, then disappears. Perhaps this lady lived in one of the cottages and is inviting you into her long gone home.

 

Furthermore, there are a number of phantoms reported within the hotel. The widest reported phenomena is sightings of phantom monks. These spirits walk through walls but are also known to sit high up on the beams of the great hall, watching the hotel’s goings on. There are also reports of auditory phenomena, such as loud bangs, disembodied voices and banging coming from the basement, where rumours suggest a tunnel runs from the monastery to the hotel, as well as several other local sites.

 

Some of Madeley’s strangest paranormal phenomena takes place along the Silkin Way, which is a well-used footpath from Madeley to Brookside. The footpath cuts along the back of the Madeley court hotel grounds and is at the centre of some very bizarre incidents including reports of Pterosaurs. Indeed, according to the website of Jonathan Whitcomb (living Pterosaur enthusiast and researcher) he received a report in 2017 which detailed such a sighting. The man reached out to Jonathan, after witnessing a ‘large, leathery creature’ with a wingspan of 4-6 feet sweep past him whilst walking home. Having discussed this with Jonathan, the witness was convinced he’d seen the Pterosaur. (Interestingly this isn’t the only living Pterosaur sighting reported in Shropshire, with several reports of Pterosaurs from a nature reserve near Whitchurch) Though not strictly paranormal, it would be hard not to mention such bizarre phenomena, and it furthers the question- Just what is going on in Madeley?

 

A further strange encounter takes place near the old windmill which lies just off of Silkin Way. The grade II listed Hadley Park Windmill was originally a 17^th century tower mill; however, it was later converted to a watermill. It was last used as a working mill in 1840. Since then, it has stood as a lingering monolith to the areas past and it is the site of our next haunting.

 

A young man was walking down the Silkin way one evening after spending the day at his girlfriends in Brookside. The day was slowly fading, and he was minding his own business, when he noticed that the windmill’s sails were working, which was strange since it was derelict. He stood for a moment and listened, and sure enough he could hear the movement of the sails and also the slow groans of the old mill working. Driven by his curiosity, he walked closer, peering through the undergrowth towards the mill. He saw that either side of the mill, two tall entities, who appeared as half man, half goat. Unsettlingly, they seemed to have noticed him, and stood staring at him, as they slowly batted the windmill’s sails backwards and forwards.

The man was filled with fear and panicked (quite understandably) running back to his girlfriend’s house, as far away from the goat men as he could get. What a story! It certainly is evocative and could as easily be a cryptid sighting as it could be a haunting. Either way, I am definitely intrigued by what brought the goat men to Madeley.

There have been further uncanny experiences around the old mill. A lady was walking her dog around on the nearby pit mound when she was quite suddenly rendered deaf and became very confused. She began to panic, as she couldn’t hear a thing, though she knew the hum of cars was all around her. She put her hands to her ears, and quite suddenly she witnessed a great black hole opening up a few inches away from her feet. Her dog was on the other side of the hole- and though he barked, not a sound could be heard, just a deep, pulsating silence, that hurt her ears. One can only imagine how traumatic such an experience must have been. She feared that one of the old airshafts from the nearby coalmine had opened up. However, as quickly as the experience came, it disappeared, leaving her disorientated and confused. Such an experience isn’t as clear cut as a traditional haunting, and thus is deeply unsettling, making one question just what the woman experienced. Such unexplained experiences would stay with you long after they’d occurred.

 

Throughout this post we have sort to uncover the paranormal past of Madeley, and I certainly think we have done so. It certainly earns its place in the weird and wonderful history of Shropshire. By looking at both the folklore of the area, as well as reports of strange phenomena one is left with the question:

 

What on earth is going on in Madeley?