Welcome to Weird Wiltshire
Weird Wiltshire is a county steeped in ancient history. Tales of legends, ghosts and folklore abound this area in the South West of England. Ancient monuments, ruinous castles, stately homes and humble cottages fill the beautiful rolling downlands.
In my quest to find strange and unusual tales, I explore stories of ghosts and the paranormal, folklore, history and anything weird, found in Wiltshire and beyond. I’ll be sharing spooky tales from around the world too!
Mixing first-hand accounts from those willing to share their stories and exploring yarns and mysteries from past times, I bring together a collection of stories and true tales for you to explore.
You can follow me on Bluesky or Facebook, and you can contact me here. It would be good to hear from you!
Latest blog posts
Gallows Hill – The Hangman Cut Steps in the Trunk
Anybody who liked my WW piece ‘An Alvediston Horror Story’ might be interested in this piece about Gallows Hill, Alvediston. Both accounts are about bodies left to rot. If you were squeamish about John Gawen’s body being dragged out of his tomb in the church by anti-Catholic villagers in 1604 and exposed in a meadow, you may want to give a miss to this account of the Gallows above the village. It has been called ‘Gallows Hill’ from at least the...
An Alvediston Horror Story
When I left London to live in Wiltshire and settled in Tisbury, I got a map and drew a circle with a 13-mile radius from my bungalow and decided to explore each village inside the circle one by one. I gave each of them a ‘strangeness-rating’ based on whether anything odd had happened there. Top of the list was Wilton with its story of the Four Witches whom the villagers blamed for a smallpox epidemic and murdered in Grovely Wood. Next came...
Sauntering up to Windmill Hill
When I sat down to write this blog, it was simply going to be about the history of Windmill Hill – more informative than anything else. But these little trips I take, poking around the Wiltshire countryside, looking for ‘things’, well it’s as much about the people I meet - not the dead ones! The people who share their experiences, the people that contribute to the blog, the people that enjoy this subject as much as me – that’s all of you, my...
You’re not welcome! A Haunted Holiday in Chideock
It’s now well into August, the dog days of summer, and smack bang in the middle of holiday season here in the UK. What could be a more fitting blog for you today, being created by me, sizzling away in The Shed at Weird Wiltshire HQ, than a story of a haunted holiday home in Chideock. Yes, we are travelling outside of Wiltshire today, but not far, as we head to the neighbouring county of Dorset. For all I know someone out there might be reading...
Ron’s Ghost – An unexpected Visit from the Recently Departed
Today, I’d like to introduce you to a new member of the Weirdo crew, Tony! We’re privileged to be reading a personal story of his, never before shared outside of his close family and friends; one of a certain category of ghost; the recently deceased. It’s not unusual to hear stories from the loved ones and friends of people who have recently passed. Stories vary but normally the person had appeared, in spectral form, to their loved one or...
Beware, Beware, a Gypsy’s Curse
In memory of Joshua Scamp Who died April 1st 1801 May his brave deed be remembered To his credit here and hereafter Transient, mysterious and not always to be trusted, gypsies have always been met with suspicion wherever and whenever they turn up. But in many of the small, rural hamlets and villages of Wiltshire, back in the 18th and 19th centuries, gypsies were accepted and often welcomed. They travelled with the seasons, hawking (selling...
Swindon and its THREE Haunted Co-ops
Just when I think I cannot be surprised by a Wiltshire haunting any longer (after encountering tales of phantom pigs, black dogs, haunted swimming pools, a mummified hand and a headless duke, to name but a few), along comes another to ruffle the feathers. We find ourselves back in Swindon. This time, what has me raising my eyebrows is a haunted Co-op. Well, I say 'a' Co-op. Here's where it gets weirder, because, of course, it always does in...
The Ghosts of Savernake Forest Mega Blog
Warning: This is an epic blog! I wasn’t planning on visiting Savernake Forest for a bit, but it’s funny how things work out. A producer from the Radio 4 programme, Open Country, got in touch with me to say they were going to record an episode about Savernake and did I know anything about the ghost stories up there? ‘Well, yes I do,’ I replied, and so I was invited to join them for a walk along the Grand Avenue to tell them more. I took my...
Wrong About Molly? Update on the Pyt House Skeleton
I've told you all about the legend of Black Molly of Pyt House before as she is a bit of a local famous legend in the area where I live. If you haven't come across the blog before it's worth reading it here. If you know all about Molly already from my earlier blog, you will already be aware that this story is not all it seems. The macabre skeleton, housed in a coffin-like box, in the cellars of Pyt House in Tisbury, is real. But who this set of...
The Lost Souls of Newmains
'Newmains is probably best known for one of the worst E. coli breakouts ever.' Charlie tells me when I ask him where he is from. An interesting claim to fame for this small 19th-century village, far up the island in North Lanarkshire and a bit of a trek from my usual stomping ground of Wiltshire. However, as you may know, I am always up for hearing a new ghostly tale, wherever in the world it may occur. So, when Charlie contacted me and offered...