The Haunting of Edgehill

On October 23rd 1642 the first battle of the British Civil Wars between Parliament's forces and King Charles I took place at Edgehill in Warwickshire. The King clashed with the Earl of Essex on his way to reclaim the capital from Parliament and reassert his authority over the divided kingdom. Both sides were relatively evenly matched, the Royalists had superior cavalry while the Parliamentarian foot soldiers were better equipped.

The combined forces of 30,000 troops clashed in a battle that was brutal, made worse by the harsh conditions. For over three hours both sides were embroiled in a bitter fight in which almost 10% died and no decisive victory was reached. Bodies were looted for their clothes and the dead went unburied, luckily the cold weather meant that many of the wounded survived as the frost prevented infection from spreading. In the morning both sides regrouped but neither were willing to start the battle again so they retreated and the battle has been considered a draw.

However, by Christmas 1642 strange stories started being reported from those who lived near the battle site. Shepherds and a priest both claimed to have seen ghostly soldiers re-enacting the battle, they also heard the groans of suffering soldiers and the noise of drums from the empty fields. The phantom sightings were reported in a pamphlet printed in January 1643, it stated that between twelve and one in the morning of Christmas Day ghostly cavalry was heard from the battle field. For a number of nights following the dead of the two opposing armies were sighted re-enacting the battle.

Reports of the ghostly apparitions became so frequent and widespread that they eventually reached the King who ordered a Royal Commission to investigate the paranormal activities of Edgehill. The commissioners confirmed the reports and were even able to identify some the soldiers including Sir Edmund Verney, the King's standard bearer. As the Royal Commission were able to attest to the sightings the ghosts of Edgehill are the only paranormal phenomenon to be officially confirmed in the Public Record Office.

Local residents decided that the only way to stop the apparitions was to give the dead soldiers the Christian burial which the battle had denied them. Although this seemed to work there are still reports to this day of screaming soldiers and ghostly cavalry charges as the soldiers of Edgehill are locked in an eternal nightmare destined to re-enact the battle forever.