Early Modern Sentries and the Supernatural May 16, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
Beach has previously examined the frequent paranormal experiences of sentries in the nineteenth century: with the help of Chris from Haunted Ohio Books. It has, long-time readers will remember, been suggested that lonely, potentially violent men asked to spend the night, attentive to every noise and movement, might easily conjure up ‘something’. Here are two seventeenth-century accounts. Beach was going to write a snarky aside about puritan fanatics, given that one of the soldiers served in Cromwell’s army (and had this and many other things ‘coming’). But our author – Richard Baxter – was an unpleasantly ecumenical sort where supernatural sightings were concerned and also included a royalist sentry on the other side of the country. The orthography and punctuation is that of the original save the – to Beach – confusing use of italics.
About twenty years past, when I was in the Lord Broghill’s (now Earl of Orery’s) Lodgings in London, one Night he brought me the Report, that one of Cromwell’s Soldiers being on his Watch near the Chappel of St. James’ House, something came towards him in an affrightening shape, and he calling out, Stand, stand, or I will shoot you, at last discharging, it ran upon him, and threw him over the way far off; and that it had been that day Examined and affirmed confidently; and what became of the Report of it afterward, I know not, save that it was said to happen oft. [57]
Note the ‘happen oft’.
Simon Jones, a Strong and healthful Man of Kederminster (no way included to Melancholy or any Fancies) hath oft told me, that being a Souldier for the King in the War against the Parliament, in a clear Moon-shine Night, as he stood Sentinel, in the Colledge Green at Worcester, something like a headless Bear, appeared to him; and so affrighted him, that he laid down his Arms soon after, and returned home to his Trade, and while I was there afterward, which was fourteen years, lived Honestly, Religiously and without blame, and I think is yet living, which mindeth me of that which followeth, though to me not known. [58-59]
Are there any other early modern sentries seeing headless bears or (the horror) spectral rabbits out there: drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com Beach suspects that there is a large harvest just waiting to be gathered up of scared men with guns around midnight.
Source: Richard Baxter, The Certainty of the World of Spirits (London 1691), 57-59
