Screaming skull

Last updated
Screaming skull
Attacking skull in The Screaming Skull (01.02.48).jpg
Shot from the 1958 film The Screaming Skull
GroupingSupernatural
Sub groupingObject
FolkloreEnglish folklore
First attestedc. 1600s[ citation needed ]
CountryEngland
HabitatHomes

A screaming skull is a paranormal object, a human skull which per legend speaks, screams, or otherwise haunts its environs. The legend is most found in England and other English-speaking regions.

Contents

The Bettiscombe screaming skull of Dorset, England, is attested at least as early as 1897 in the book The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain. That book details an alleged visit to Bettiscombe in 1883 by curiosity-seekers to investigate a skull which, according to legend, was of an African slave once owned by the owner of the house. The slave had supposedly died determined to be buried in his homeland, and any attempt to bury his skull elsewhere would cause the skull to scream aloud. [1]

Known skulls

In fiction

Related Research Articles

A boggart is a supernatural being from English folklore. The dialectologist Elizabeth Wright described it as 'a generic name for an apparition'; folklorist Simon Young defines it as 'any ambivalent or evil solitary supernatural spirit'. Halifax folklorist Kai Roberts states that boggart ‘might have been used to refer to anything from a hilltop hobgoblin to a household faerie, from a headless apparition to a proto-typical poltergeist’. As these wide definitions suggest boggarts are to be found both within and out of doors, as a household spirit or a malevolent genius loci inhabiting fields or other topographical features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tissington</span> Human settlement in England

Tissington is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tissington and Lea Hall, in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 158. The population "Tissington and Lea Hall" at the 2011 census was 159. It is part of the estate of Tissington Hall, owned by the FitzHerbert family since 1465. It is a popular tourist attraction, particularly during its well dressing week. It also gives its name to the Tissington Trail, a 13-mile (21 km) walk and cycle path which passes nearby. The Limestone Way, another long-distance path and bridleway, passes through the village itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bettiscombe</span> Human settlement in England

Bettiscombe is a small village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated in the Marshwood Vale four miles (6.4 km) west of Beaminster. Dorset County Council's 2013 mid-year estimate of the population of the civil parish is 50.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haddon Hall</span> Country house in Derbyshire

Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire, a former seat of the Dukes of Rutland. It is the home of Lord Edward Manners and his family. In form a medieval manor house, it has been described as "the most complete and most interesting house of [its] period". The origins of the hall are from the 11th century, with additions at various stages between the 13th and the 17th centuries, latterly in the Tudor style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell Witch</span> Legendary 19th century haunting in Middle Tennessee

The Bell Witch or Bell Witch Haunting is a legend from Southern United States folklore, centered on the 19th-century Bell family of northwest Robertson County, Tennessee. Farmer John Bell Sr. resided with his family along the Red River in an area currently near the town of Adams. According to legend, from 1817 to 1821, his family and the local area came under attack by a mostly invisible entity that was able to speak, affect the physical environment, and shapeshift. Some accounts record the spirit also to have been clairvoyant and capable of crossing long distances with superhuman speed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pluckley</span> Human settlement in England

Pluckley is a village and civil parish in the Ashford district of Kent, England. The civil parish includes the adjacent hamlet of Pluckley Thorne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chilton Cantelo</span> Human settlement in England

Chilton Cantelo is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Yeo 5 miles (8 km) north of Yeovil and 4 miles (6 km) east of Ilchester in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 445. The parish also includes the village of Ashington.

Bloody Bones is a bogeyman figure in English and North American folklore whose first written appearance is approximately 1548. As with all bogeymen the figure has been used to frighten children into proper deportment. The character is sometimes called Rawhead, Tommy Rawhead, or Rawhead-and-Bloody-Bones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elvaston Castle</span> Stately home in Elvaston, Derbyshire, England

Elvaston Castle is a stately home in Elvaston, Derbyshire, England. The Gothic Revival castle and surrounding parkland is run and owned by Derbyshire County Council as a country park known as Elvaston Castle Country Park. The country park has 200 acres (0.81 km2) of woodlands, parkland and formal gardens.

<i>The Screaming Skull</i> 1958 American film by Alex Nicol

The Screaming Skull is a 1958 independently made American black-and-white horror film, produced by John Kneubuhl and directed by Alex Nicol, starring John Hudson, Peggy Webber, Russ Conway, Tony Johnson, and Nicol. The Screaming Skull marked Nicol's directorial debut; he decided to try it because he felt that he was not acting in the roles which he wanted. The film was distributed by American International Pictures as a double feature in different markets with either Earth vs. the Spider or Terror from the Year 5000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Lady</span> Creature in folklore; type of female ghost

A White Lady is a type of female ghost. She is typically dressed in a white dress or similar garment, reportedly seen in rural areas and associated with local legends of tragedy. White Lady legends are found in many countries around the world. Common to many of these legends is an accidental death, murder, or suicide, and the theme of loss, betrayed by a husband or fiancé, and unrequited love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black dog (folklore)</span> Mythical creature of British folklore

The black dog is a supernatural, spectral, or demonic hellhound originating from English folklore that has also been seen throughout Europe and the Americas. It is usually unnaturally large with glowing red or yellow eyes, is often connected with the Devil, and is sometimes an omen of death. It is sometimes associated with electrical storms, and also with crossroads, barrows, places of execution and ancient pathways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Palmer (White Witch of Rose Hall)</span> Jamaican legend

The White Witch is a legendary story of a haunting in Jamaica. According to the legend, the spirit of a white plantation owner named Annie Palmer haunts the grounds of Rose Hall, Montego Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croxall Hall</span> Location in UK

Croxall Hall is a restored and extended 16th century manor house situated in the small village of Croxall, Staffordshire. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reportedly haunted locations in Washington, D.C.</span>

Being the site of military battles, deadly duels, assassinations, untimely deaths, and other associated tragedies, there are a number of reportedly haunted locations in Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghosts in English-speaking cultures</span>

There is widespread belief in ghosts in English-speaking cultures, where ghosts are manifestations of the spirits of the dead. The beliefs may date back to animism or ancestor worship before Christianization. The concept is a perennial theme in the literature and arts of English-speaking countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St James, Chilton Cantelo</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Anglican Church of St James in Chilton Cantelo, Somerset, England was built in the 15th century. It is a Grade II* listed building.

References

  1. John Henry Ingram (1897). The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain. Gibbings & Company, Limited. p.  342.
  2. "Legend of the Screaming Skull – Bettiscombe Manor" . Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  3. Ingram, John Henry (1897). "Bettiscombe House". The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain. pp. 341–344.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Parkinson, Daniel (12 September 2008). "Screaming Skulls – An Introduction". Mysterious Britain & Ireland. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  5. Frith, J. B. (John Benjamin) (1905). "Dick O' Tunstead". Highways and Byways in Derbyshire. Macmillan and Co., limited. p. 182.
  6. "Legend of the Screaming Skull". Real British Ghosts. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  7. "Calgarth Hall". Mysterious Britain & Ireland. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2019.