Gruesome Tales & Discoveries

Hauntings, spectres and other supernatural tales
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Yorkshire Pud
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Joined: Tue 29 Apr, 2008 3:34 pm

Post by Yorkshire Pud »

David Raven wrote: scottishmagic wrote: Hi, just joined, ex Leeds (Horsforth) girl. Was spending some time searching the internet on my day off, and like most, can get side tracked into all sorts, when I came across a folklore name 'Barguest' - this sparked memory's for the past. ... Leeds has a long and colourful history of Black Dogs or Barguests.They were usually referred to as 'Padfoot' in Leeds though. Bob Trubshaw's excellent book 'Explore Black Dogs' relates that a man called Nichols, writing in 1828, said :-'Leeds has it's distinct Padfoots, distinguishable one from another (as I am told), for almost every street'.That's a lot of phantom Black Dogs for one town! There was even a reported sighting last year, in a park somewhere in Leeds (Armley area I think).Another name for them is 'Gytrash', used mainly around the South Pennine area. Although one was reported near Hawksworth by that name.CheersDave I was looking through a book about Leeds recently (Leeds, A Miscellany) and it mentions something about an old folklore belief which says, "An old folklore belief in the Leeds area was that the souls of babies who had died before they were baptised would return to haunt their parents, in the shape of devil dogs known as Gabble Retchets" Is this another name for these Black Dogs that you mention?
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slw
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Post by slw »

GarforthLad wrote: Right, I'm wondering if any of you have heard of this tale or whether it's just a load of old tosh. When we were kids, we used to mess around in Parlington Woods (between Garforth/Aberford and Barwick) and just off Barwick road where it narrows to one lane we found a rope swing over the little stream which runs through the woods. However just next to the rope swing was a gravestone and some stones laid in a rectangular grave shape in a large hedge, which as I remember had the name of Christopher Robin on it (not the lad from Winnie the Pooh). Well my mates Dad at the time said this lad was murdered in the 50's or 60's or something when he got caught up in a load of gang related stuff, but as Garforth is not Brighton I never quite believed him. Anyone heard of this? I'm pretty sure the grave should still be there as well. It seems a pretty weird place to bury someone. It is true they were buried in Parlington Woods. Not sure of dates/years though.

electricaldave
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Joined: Thu 29 Nov, 2007 2:29 pm

Post by electricaldave »

I used to work in Garforth and I knew some of the folk who knew those involved.Garforth back in the late '60's and early 70's was very much a village, everyone pretty much knew everyone else.There were several murders, and often the information from one gets conflated with another.In the case of Christopher Robin, he was a well known character, not exactly a full shilling. He used to ride around on a scooter that seemed to need to lot of work.How he got himslef caught up in the Hells Angels arguments how ? I don't know, he certainly wasn't one of them.One day, he just wasn't there, folk obviously noted his absence, but he did lead a fairly chaotic lifestyle so they were not totally surprised that he maybe just moved away on the spur of the moment. It wasn't beyond the realms of belief that he would just up and leave his home.In the meantime the Hells Angels murders on the brickfields came to light and various individuals were sent down for them.As far as Christopher was concerned though, there was only speculation, things like he had emigrated, run away or even murdered.The murder theory did seem to last a long time, but it wasn't until many years later that someone got rather drunk and clever in the Gasgoigne Arms that things started to come to light. The person who was doing the talking mentioned some things, such as how he had forced Christopher to dig his grave and then how Christopher had been battered with the spade and killed.This got back to the police, arrests followed and eventually they were led to his body by the killers.There have been quite a few killings in Garforth, which seems a bit odd given that its not exactly inner city gang culture there.

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cnosni
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Post by cnosni »

No, but theres a lot from Seacroft go there.Sorry Brandy,but its true!
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LS25er
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Joined: Fri 27 Jun, 2008 1:45 am

Post by LS25er »

electricaldave wrote: I used to work in Garforth and I knew some of the folk who knew those involved.Garforth back in the late '60's and early 70's was very much a village, everyone pretty much knew everyone else.There were several murders, and often the information from one gets conflated with another.In the case of Christopher Robin, he was a well known character, not exactly a full shilling. He used to ride around on a scooter that seemed to need to lot of work.How he got himslef caught up in the Hells Angels arguments how ? I don't know, he certainly wasn't one of them.One day, he just wasn't there, folk obviously noted his absence, but he did lead a fairly chaotic lifestyle so they were not totally surprised that he maybe just moved away on the spur of the moment. It wasn't beyond the realms of belief that he would just up and leave his home.In the meantime the Hells Angels murders on the brickfields came to light and various individuals were sent down for them.As far as Christopher was concerned though, there was only speculation, things like he had emigrated, run away or even murdered.The murder theory did seem to last a long time, but it wasn't until many years later that someone got rather drunk and clever in the Gasgoigne Arms that things started to come to light. The person who was doing the talking mentioned some things, such as how he had forced Christopher to dig his grave and then how Christopher had been battered with the spade and killed.This got back to the police, arrests followed and eventually they were led to his body by the killers.There have been quite a few killings in Garforth, which seems a bit odd given that its not exactly inner city gang culture there. Spot on is this, know the people involved.Remember the police coming into where the big Tesco's is now, big black Jag, with one of the Ripper detectives in the back. 1978 (?), that's the day the found they body in Parlington. Any more info on the Brickfield or other Garforth killings?

andrea70
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Post by andrea70 »

Reading these threads it reminds me of a weird experience when I was a kid (about 12) in 1986. Me & my friend used to walk over to Morley a lot from Middleton across the fields & under the railway bridge, over the dual carriageway (Dewsbury Road) & up Wide Lane. One particular day (must have been around 25th March 86) we'd left it a bit late & were walking back home from Morley over fields on the thoroughfare. It was just about getting dark & as we went over the little bridge over the millshaw beck & there was an old brown Ford cortina parked there (I can still remember the reg even!) there was an oldish looking man stood at the back with the boot open & a very scruffy looking woman in front seat with greasy black hair & a spotty fat face - they looked creepy & I remember feeling vulnerable at that age & its a lonely place - when the old guy spotted us about to walk past he shut the boot quickly & got in the car as if to wait til we got past. We thought it weird even at our age so further up the path we decided to get squat in the bushes & spy on them. I think at the time we thought he might be trying to dump something illegally in the river but didnt see him do anything. It got dark & we had to be in so went in. I must have told my parents all about it coz next morning I remember my mum waking me up & saying with regard to my story the night before, it was on the radio news a young lass had gone missing from Morley the night before. It was poor little Sarah Harper whod gone missing that night. Mum phoned police about it & C.I.D came to take a statement from me & my friend. When they knocked on door I was crapping myself! My mate Jenny was having dinner at my house & they took her up to her house to take the statement to make sure we werent collaborating a story or anything I bet. Anyway they checked everything out & it cant have been anything to do with it coz I dont think they ever got back to us & it turned out to be that awful paedophile lorry driver Robert Black & unfortunately her body was found weeks later in river Trent in Nottingham but I remember the experience well & it was very scary. I always think of this if I take my dog for a walk over the fields now past where it happened. I also think now we were hanging round in Morley around that area where she was taken, it makes me think how it could have been one of us taken that day - though thankfully we were in a couple so probably not, just makes you think you dont know whose about or who could be watching you...

Trojan
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Post by Trojan »

andrea70 wrote: Reading these threads it reminds me of a weird experience when I was a kid (about 12) in 1986. Me & my friend used to walk over to Morley a lot from Middleton across the fields & under the railway bridge, over the dual carriageway (Dewsbury Road) & up Wide Lane. One particular day (must have been around 25th March 86) we'd left it a bit late & were walking back home from Morley over fields on the thoroughfare. It was just about getting dark & as we went over the little bridge over the millshaw beck & there was an old brown Ford cortina parked there (I can still remember the reg even!) there was an oldish looking man stood at the back with the boot open & a very scruffy looking woman in front seat with greasy black hair & a spotty fat face - they looked creepy & I remember feeling vulnerable at that age & its a lonely place - when the old guy spotted us about to walk past he shut the boot quickly & got in the car as if to wait til we got past. We thought it weird even at our age so further up the path we decided to get squat in the bushes & spy on them. I think at the time we thought he might be trying to dump something illegally in the river but didnt see him do anything. It got dark & we had to be in so went in. I must have told my parents all about it coz next morning I remember my mum waking me up & saying with regard to my story the night before, it was on the radio news a young lass had gone missing from Morley the night before. It was poor little Sarah Harper whod gone missing that night. Mum phoned police about it & C.I.D came to take a statement from me & my friend. When they knocked on door I was crapping myself! My mate Jenny was having dinner at my house & they took her up to her house to take the statement to make sure we werent collaborating a story or anything I bet. Anyway they checked everything out & it cant have been anything to do with it coz I dont think they ever got back to us & it turned out to be that awful paedophile lorry driver Robert Black & unfortunately her body was found weeks later in river Trent in Nottingham but I remember the experience well & it was very scary. I always think of this if I take my dog for a walk over the fields now past where it happened. I also think now we were hanging round in Morley around that area where she was taken, it makes me think how it could have been one of us taken that day - though thankfully we were in a couple so probably not, just makes you think you dont know whose about or who could be watching you... I too have cause to remember the Sarah Harper murder. The off licence her mum sent her to on Peel Street was one I often called at on my way home from work. After she disappeared obviously there was stuff in the papers about it every day for weeks, and one day on the front page of the Mirror was a photfit picture (or an artists impression) of someone the police wanted to question in connection with the enquiry. That picture looked just like me! I went to Morley Police station, quaking in my boots! I went up to the counter, and the copper asked what I wanted, I showed him the copy of the Mirror and said "I've come about this" He said what about it and I said "it looks like me!" He said "my God it does" They questioned me for about 30 minutes! It was about 6 weeks after the disappearance and I couldn't remember whether I'd been in the off licence that night or not! However, they must have been able to rule me out - what a relief!
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Si
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Location: Otley

Post by Si »

These posts remind me of when one of the Ripper's unfortunate victims was found in Farsley. I had been working in the next street as a plumber's mate that day, and someone had taken the reg of our van and passed it on to the police. They traced the plumber, and we were questioned the very next day. Where were you last night? Who were you with? What were you doing in Farsley? Etc. Very frightening.

andrea70
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Joined: Tue 24 Jun, 2008 3:26 pm

Post by andrea70 »

Wow that must have been 'well scary' Trojan as they say nowadays! - I know when we first started telling the police the story about what we'd seen the night Sarah Harper disappeared they didnt seem to believe us at first & thought cos we were kids we were just making it all up - mind you I can understand it really - they took it seriously though when both our stories were exactly the same - talking about it on here really brings it back to me & its very chilling. Does anyone else have any stories/memories about this or similar?

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Steve Jones
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Post by Steve Jones »

Well this happened in Wakefield so I hope you excuse my telling it here.We had a murder take place on balne lane next The Cliff Tree pub where the victim had been made to ewear a pair of second hand shoes. The police looked for a shoe fetishist and questioned everyone around. I had a police woman come out to my house as I had visited the main library on the day in question which is just up the road.I didn't see anything though.it took the police years to catch him but they finally did. by this time I was sitting as a magistrate and who should appear before me as the subject of a bail hearing but the alleged muderer! we refused him bail and he was subsequently convicted.
Steve JonesI don't know everything, I just like to give that impression!

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