Screaming skull
 Caucasian Human Skull | |
| Grouping | Supernatural |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Object |
| Mythology | English folklore |
| First reported | c. 1600s |
| Country | England |
| Habitat | Homes |
A Screaming skull is a type of paranormal object. Supposedly several such exist today or did so in the past. Screaming human skulls are only found in England, where most counties have at least one such tale.[1]
When a skull of this type is removed from a house, screams will be heard and general poltergeist-type disturbances will be felt. This will continue until it is replaced or returns on its own. Supposedly, the person that removes the Bettiscombe skull will die within a year.
The belief is thought to be related to Celtic nature worship.
Known skulls
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
- Bettiscombe Manor, Bettiscombe, Dorset[2][3]
- Dickie - Tunstead Farm, Tunstead Milton, Derbyshire[4][5]
- Skull of St Ambrose Barlow - Wardley Hall,[4] Greater Manchester
- Skull of Anne Griffith - Burton Agnes Hall,[4] Yorkshire
- Skull of Thephilus Brome? - Higher Chilton Farm, Chilton Cantelo[4]
- Two skulls - Warbleton Priory ruin, Rushlake Green, Heathfield, East Sussex[6]
In fiction
- The Screaming Skull (1911) - F. Marion Crawford[7]
- The Screaming Skull (1958) - American horror film
References
- ↑ Gay, Marcus V. "Screaming Skulls". Occultopedia.com. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ↑ "Legend of the Screaming Skull - Bettiscombe Manor". Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ↑ Ingram, John Henry (1897). "Bettiscombe House". The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain. pp. 341–344.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Parkinson, Daniel. "Screaming Skulls - An Introduction". Mysterious Britain & Ireland. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ↑ Frith, J. B. (John Benjamin) (1905). "Dick O' Tunstead". Highways and Byways in Derbyshire. Macmillan and Co., limited. p. 182.
- ↑ "Legend of the Screaming Skull". Real British Ghosts. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ↑ "The Screaming Skull (1911) by F. Marion Crawford". Retrieved 19 May 2011.
External links
- In Search of Screaming Skulls - directions to main locations
- Tunstead Farm: The Noisy Skull A collection of 19th and 20th century accounts of Dickey, the Screaming Skull of Tunstead Farm.