Robin Hood's Grave
Barnsdale Forest West Yorkshire, England
Deep in the heart of West Yorkshire, amidst the hustle and bustle of industrial towns, there lies a forgotten grave, hidden within the dark, mysterious remains of the once-great Barnsdale Forest. Here, under the twisted shadows of ancient trees, lies Robin Hood's grave, cast up like a great ship of stone wrecked in the Kirklees everglades. Fallen pillars and twisted railings are all that remain of the famous outlaw's tomb. It was here, in 1347, that the famous outlaw was bled to death by the evil prioress of Kirklees and her lover, Red Roger of Doncaster, though no one knows the reason why. It could have been murder, mischance, poor nursing, an inevitable death from medieval medicine (bleeding), or a more sinister reason such as vampirism (that is, the people who drink blood, not the undead), Pagan sacrifice, or thwarted passion. No matter the reason, Robin died without the Last Rites of the Church and was buried in unconsecrated grounds on the crossing of ley lines. Small wonder, then, that we hear today of hauntings in this area and tales of black magic ceremonies in the vicinity.
Over the past few years, reports of paranormal phenomena around the gravesite have been reported to the Yorkshire Robin Hood Society. One of the earliest stories was from an elderly lady who used to visit her aunt in Hartshead, near Kirklees, many years ago. She and a friend reported hearing Robin calling for Marian and seeing flashing lights in the sky, and, on one occasion, they found a silver arrow in a field near the grave.
In the early 1980s, I was told by a local man named Roger Williams how he saw an apparition of a white lady on two occasions when he was clandestinely visiting the grave. On both occasions, 1963 and 1972, he saw the same woman gliding across the grass and has since stated, "Wild horses would not drag me up there again."
I personally had a terrifying experience at the graveside when I saw a hideous specter, which I identified as Red Roger of Doncaster—a shadowy form was nearby him, which I assumed to be the prioress. I felt a terrific force of evil in the area. Similarly, Mark Gibbons, a paranormal researcher, saw a white figure in the woods and vowed never to go to the grave again. Two reporters, Judith Broadbent and Sue Ellis, experienced strange happenings when they visited the grave in the mid-1990s, and Sue was taken seriously ill immediately afterwards. A gamekeeper employed on the estate had his gun go off unexpectedly near the grave—he lost two of his teeth and narrowly missed serious injury. He also swore that he saw Robin's apparition in the nearby priory gatehouse where Robin died.
During the Yorkshire Robin Hood Society's (YRHS) investigations, which originally started out as purely historical, Otley psychic Evelyn Friend became aware of the evil forces in the area and sought to bless the land by conducting an exorcism on the four points of the ley lines, which stretch from Hartshead Church, to Castle Hill, the Three Nuns Inn, and Alegar Holy Well in Brighouse. The Vicar of Brighouse at that time, the Reverend John Flack, was asked to perform a blessing service at the graveside, but was refused permission from the landowner and forbidden to become involved in the situation.
Shortly afterward, his church was vandalized for occult purposes. Two bishops were asked to intervene and use their position to press for the ceremony, but both declined in no uncertain terms. In fact, they were decidedly "not amused" and completely disassociated themselves from the matter and advised Miss Friend and the YRHS to leave well enough alone.
In the meantime, the deterioration of Robin Hood's grave and Kirklees Priory gatehouse continues, the disturbances are still happening, and the general public are forbidden to visit.