Monday 25th March 2024
The quaint, little village of Astley Abbotts, situated just 10 minutes drive from Bridgnorth, has a very historical ghost story associated with it. In the annals of Shropshire ghostlore, it is one of the most famous legends in the county… Unlike most spooky tales, however, actual physical evidence of the alleged ‘origin story’ still exists, today, within the village…
Towards the end of the first decade of the 18th Century, a young woman named Hannah Phillips was due to be wed to her sweetheart at St. Calixtus Church, in Astley Abbotts. As she lived on the opposite side of the Severn to the village though, she had to make the trip to the church via a ferry crossing. Sadly, on May the 9th, 1707 – the very day before her wedding – something went terribly wrong during her journey and poor Hannah was drowned… her body being lost to the river!
The details concerning this sad death are, supposedly a matter of proven ‘historical fact’. Subsequently, a number of ‘ghost sightings’ are said to have been reported in the area involved… first noted as early as the 19th Cent. and, literally, continuing right up to the present day!
Sadly, actual recorded testimony of these experiences is, seemingly, quite scarce, but, in her book ‘Some Ghostly Tales Of Shropshire’ author, Christine McCarthy, lists a small number. One of the first encounters – dating from the 1800’s – states that a Mr. William Preece reported having seen ‘the ghost of a woman on the top of Severn Hall Bank one night…’ From the vague, inferred ghostlore concerned, we have to take it that this is synonymous with most encounters reported in the area; a ‘female ghost’ generally being ‘witnessed around the locality’… As Christine Notes in her book: “This is an apparition that has been seen by different people, generations apart”.
In the late 1980’s, another witness – then only recently settled in the Astley Abbotts region – also had a sighting. Mr Owen was driving home, around 10 pm, when, near his home, he saw a figure ahead, ‘floating across’ the road! He reports that he saw the figure of a woman, around 5ft tall and wearing drab, dark, clothing. She had on a long skirt – down to the ground – with a shawl on her head. Mr Owen only had a side-on view of the woman, as she crossed the road in front of him, but saw that she was of slim build and did not look in any direction but in front of her…
Not really knowing much about the region at that time, the witness told his boss of his experience the next morning and was informed of the sad tale of Hannah Phillips in return.
In the mid-1960’s, another local – a lad with the surname of Tipton - had a similar experience to Mr. Owen… in pretty-much the exact, same location. However, in this instance, the ghost seen was that of a man!?
Only 12 at the time, young Tipton was cycling home at around 10.45pm when he spied a male figure near the aforementioned location. The man wore a suit, with waistcoat and bowler hat… a watch chain visibly hanging at his pocket.
Disconcertingly, as the lad approached the man, the figure began to fade… and finally disappear!
In her book, Christine McCarthy asks: ‘Could this have been Hannah Phillips intended husband still searching for her?’
With my friend John Chance recently mentioning a trip to Bridgnorth – see previous blog post - I had sought to refresh my memory on the site he was focusing on. In the process, however, I had ended up being reminded of – and reading about – the famous Astley Abbotts case again. Within this process, I had spoken to John about it. Knowing him as the ubiquitous ‘ghost hunter’ that he is, I had presumed that he not only would he have heard of the matter, but would surely have investigated the location first-hand?
Somewhat incredibly, he informed me that he hadn’t!
As a consequence – and as a slight aside to the Bridgnorth Railway Tunnel visit – he also kindly took us on a visit to Astley Abbotts, and the church of St. Calixtus, too!
The latter is a most charming, little location, consecrated in 1138 by Bishop Betton and standing on a site with Saxon-era heritage. If you are not familiar with the name St. Calixtus, that is no real surprise… as this is the only church in the UK dedicated to the saint! I’m not particularly familiar with ‘the history of the saints’, but this character apparently had a most colourful life… from slave, to pope… and ending his life chained to 3 large rocks and thrown into a well!
As you step into the church, you cannot help but spy – directly in front of you, in an alcove, behind a sheet of Perspex – a ‘Maidens Garland’ dedicated to the long, lost, Hannah Phillips. (Shown in the header image for this post). This poignant item, an outer, round, wooden framework containing a faded posy of flowers, bears the initials ‘H.P.’ and the date ‘May 10, 1707’… which was the intended wedding date of Hannah and her young man.
While pretty much unknown to the modern age, these items were made for the funerals of unmarried women of ‘blameless reputation’. After a period of mourning, they would have supposedly been burned on – or buried within - the grave of the unfortunate, lost soul. Rarely found these days, naturally given that most would have been destroyed, there are only a handful of these tokens in existence… a number of which, coincidentally, reside in the church of Holy Trinity Church, Minsterley… also in Shropshire… some 28 miles from Astley Abbotts!
Interestingly, in speaking with the kind lady who unlocked St. Calixtus Church for us, she had – seemingly – never heard of the ghostly legend!? Overhearing my commenting about the ghost, in conjunction with the garland, she had called over and said: ‘No… that belongs to a young girl, Hannah Phillips, who died in the river nearby!’ I’d said that we’d known this, but SHE was said to be the ghost that haunted nearby… ‘A ghost!?’ she responded, baffled, ‘Where do people get these stories from, I’ll never know!?’
I’ll end this little post by relating another, strange, Astley Abbotts story… seemingly unrelated to the Hannah Phillips Legend. This – along with all of the other anecdotes here - is also taken from in the excellent book by Christine McCarthy.
Back in the mid to late 70’s, a couple from Kent were walking in the Astley Abbotts region when, passing a farm, they came to a red, brick wall with a roofless building at the end of it. The man had commented to his partner about the presence of an old, ruined farmhouse ahead of them, but, as they drew nearer to the spot, it seemed to have completely disappeared...!?
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