As well as Superstitions and Ghosts our Bacupian ancestors had many varied Traditions.

Stubylee Hall

The Legend of Stubylee Hall

The Legend of Stubylee Hall originates from about the year 850. On the site of Stubylee Hall once stood a beautiful Monastery, richly decorated and containing many precious vestments and jewels. Among the jewels was a beautiful chalice of exceptional value. The monks were noted far and wide for their hospitality and kindness especially to the women and children of the neighbourhood. None of who were ever turned away. About this time, bands of fighting Danes came over to rob and plunder the countryside. One of these bands of Vikings, who worshipped the god of Thor, arrived at the Humber in their dragon-headed ships. They were led by  Ingvar, a Danish chief, a fine specimen of manhood as he stood in the prow of the boat, fairheaded and blueyed, fearless and brave, yet cruel and merciless  to his enemies. Their creed according to their light was that might was right and plunder belonged to those who were strong enough to take it. Now Ingvar had two beautiful daughters whose mother died giving birth to them. Hela and Brenda, with fair hair and blue eyes like their parents what today we would call platinum blonde. One of these daughters Brenda had disappeared along with an old English nurse some time before. Parents in those days loved their children as they do today and Ingvar grieved sorely for his lost child. On this beautiful August day word was received by the monks that the warlike Danes were near at hand. The old abbot took the precious golden chalice and gave it to a beautiful girl who said, " I will defend it with my life ". Immediately there were loud cries outside. The girl, clasping the chalice to her bosom, crept into a small opening beneath the altar. The old abbot, knowing all was lost, knelt before the altar in prayer, when in rushed the Danes led by Ingvar. He came to the altar to the hiding place of the jewels. The old abbot, refusing to disclose it prayed to be spared, but Ingvar was merciless and raised his sword to smite. When out of her hiding place came the beautiful girl, to protect the old abbot, with her body and in arresting the blow she was grievously wounded. Ingvar stood petrified as if struck by lightning at the apparition and cried " Hela my child", but alas it was not a vision of Hela, but Brenda his long lost daughter, stolen away in revenge by her English nurse, who had found sanctuary in the monastery. The truth flashed into the giant Danes heart and falling on his knees beside her he cried " It is Brenda, my long lost child". He took her in his arms, but alas too late. Fixing her eyes on the the crucifix she passed away. The Danes, as was their custom, had set fire to the monastery by this time and it was fiercely burning. The old abbot, grasping the chalice, escaped through a secret door, the only one to escape alive.  The only one able to relate the death of Brenda and Ingvar dying by her side. After the fire had burnt itself out they found the bodies of Ingvar and  his daughter clasped in each others arms before the altar. They buried them together in the neighbourhood of Lee Farm. They buried him as one slain in battle, fighting against the Saxons at Broadclough., although the old abbot told another tale. The old abbot was allowed to live and visit Hela to relate to her the tragedy of her father and sister and the whereabouts of their grave. Hela lived long enough to see the day when Dane and Saxon dwelt in peace and amity side by side, to lay the foundation of our modern life and character. No relic at all remains to-day, save only the lonely grave of Ingvar and his daughter Brenda on the mound shaped hill near Lee Farm.   

The Tong Boggart

Tong farm house bore the date stone of 1851 and was built in the style of many Georgian houses with heavy stone mullioned windows, the roof and gables decorated with oblong stone balls. At the time of the Boggart the house was occupied by a man known as " Owd Robin O' Greaves" and his thrifty and bustling wife Mally. Robin and his family had occupied the house virtually since it was built. Whilst the Boggart did make some unwanted visits to the house it mainly concentrated it's visits around the barn and shippon attached to the house often frightening the householders out of their wits. The Tong Boggart is said to have infested the whole neighbourhood so much so that the young men of the area refused to venture out at night to visit their sweethearts. It was said that the spirit howled so dreadfully, sounding as one man described it as though two armies of cats were having a punching fight. The Bogart's dress was described as that of a white sheet draped like a Roman toga, to which some added a barbed tail. Many reason for the Boggart haunting were put forward, one such was that some unfortunate person had been murdered near the barn belonging to the farm.

Owd Robin and his wife told how the Boggart held noisy and alarming symposiums with kindred spirits in the barn at night. Walked about the house at nights turning over furniture and tipping milk dishes upside down ( without however spilling any of the contents ).  Owd Robin was said to love his wife Mally dearly and was never slow to let other folk know of is love and admiration. However on one visit of the Boggart Owd Robin when woken from sleep by the Boggart  jumped to the back of the bed and pleaded " Oh! Mistur Boggart! tak' Mally, Tak' Mally! ". It is said that Mally never forgave Robin for his readiness in making her over to the Boggart.

Jonathon Trigger and his sighting of the " Owd Lad ". In a cottage near the farm lived Owd  Jonathon Trigger a hand loom weaver, known to all as Trigger as he had been a soldier fighting for Wellington in his youth. Triggers cottage was a meeting place for local gossip and tales of the war. Jonathon also regaled his visitors with tales of the Boggart and  how one night whilst spying through the air-slits in the shippon wall he had seen " The Owd Lad " himself, presiding over a congress of witches and and Boggart's. He was certain that the apparition he had seen was that of the devil as he had seen the horns and hoofs and barbed tail tucked under his arm  to prove it so. Jonathon was clearly of the opinion that the " Owd Lad " had been preaching.

Ormerod Butcher and his terrible fright.

On the lonely hillside near to the limits of Owd Robins farm at Tong was a shippon belonging to a Bacup butcher, who had a apprentice working for him known to all as "Ormerod Butcher".  This young man was never slow to let his disbelief in the Boggart be known, and so one night with the help no doubt of Jonathon Trigger, Owd Robin and family decided to play a prank on the young butcher. The butcher was in the habit of going to his masters shippon at night time to milk the cows and on his way too and from had to pass the  Boggart haunted farmhouse. One dark night the conspirators lay in wait for the unsuspecting butcher with his full pail of milk.  At a style near the farm stood two large spreading trees, in between which Owd Robin and Co had placed a rather large rocking chair upside down. The rockers of the chair in the dusk stood out, rather like two horns, and that chair having been covered with a white sheet, presented a ghost like appearance. Then the conspirators hid themselves to watch the poor unsuspecting butcher. Down the path came the innocent butcher whistling cheerily, milk pail in one hand lantern in the other. When he passed though the stile,  close to the farmhouse, he came upon the frightening apparition. Speechless for a moment he then caught his breath and began shouting " The Boggart! the Boggart! " down went the pail, and lantern and down the pathway flew the terror stricken butcher, alarming the whole neighbourhood with his frantic cries of " The Tong Boggart!.  It is said that nothing thereafter could make the young butcher visit his masters shippon after dark.

Old Meadows Boggart

A Boggart is a Lancashire term for poltergeist, and three little boys must had the fright of their life when they decided to eavesdrop on some carters having a morning break at Old Meadows Coal pit. The youngsters had been playing at Old Meadows pushing the empty trucks back down to the tramway. There was a grimy sort of office which the carters used to sit in and wait for the next load of wagons to come down the incline. The youngsters crept inside to listen to the carters chatter, when one of the old colliers spotted the lads he looked across to one of his carter pals and winked.

" Ah yer, they'n bin  raising the Boggart at th' hoil at Yenchley End pit"

"Ah daresay", said one of the carters. "There's some reight bad uns I' that hoil. Heaw dun they do it, Abe?

The old fella then described how the initiated assembled in a lonely part of the pit, then dug a hole, about knee deep and they they all sat around the edge with their feet in the hole. Each person held a lighted candle in one hand, and an earthenware pot or jug in the other. An incantation was then chanted, and at a given part all thrust out their hands, smashing their pots together and letting the pieces fall into the centre of the hole. An invocation  then followed, at the end of which all blew out their candles, and in the darkness the demon rose up through the broken pots.

Throughout the telling of the tale the youngsters edged closer and closer to the door and on hearing the of the demon rising through the broken pots all broke out at a fast pace as if the demon himself where after them.