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Famous Ghosts—Or Are They?

lanky316 said:
It's inevitably a standard "the school has a ghost" legend passed down by students but another potential Cromwell ghost is in the old family home Hinchingbrooke House. The house has supposedly been haunted by a nun and a Civil War type - sometimes a cavalier, sometimes a roundhead depending on teller - and stories are told from sixth former to year 7 to this day about him or her being seen in the house or the presence being felt but as with all these things it's vague and not much is really recent stories or even claims by recent students of things, nor has anybody really found much aside from the occasional medium being fed bogus information Acorah style to test them.

I did once do a totally scientific test though while working in there one evening however. A few of the youth theatre kids were talking about "the ghosts" and how eerie it was in the library, so with me and the six of them there I did the entirely unscientific thing of asking for a sign, a slight breeze seemed to flow through the library and almost turned the pages on one of their scripts so they (ignoring that the front door had been opened in the old place while someone went out to get breaktime snacks) looked at me as if to say "see". I called it a coincidence and then doubled down by saying we needed more to prove you're there.... Right on cue there goes the fire alarm and everyone has to leave the building. While we're outside and I'm getting terrified daggers the fire brigade turn up and point out that some engineers were doing something with wiring in the main school buildings and accidentally triggered it and couldn't get it to reset. Pure coincidences but I'm sure that led to more pupils spreading the legend!
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There would be quite a lot of difference between a Cavalier and a Roundhead though, purely in clothing alone. Which most people could tell one from the other, unless the ghost wasn't wearing uniform in which case they could be anybody. Which would make me think that someone saw something and the Civil War label has been slapped on it for convenience.
 
catseye said:
There would be quite a lot of difference between a Cavalier and a Roundhead though, purely in clothing alone. Which most people could tell one from the other, unless the ghost wasn't wearing uniform in which case they could be anybody. Which would make me think that someone saw something and the Civil War label has been slapped on it for convenience.
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I think I'm correct in saying that there wasn't that much difference in dress (and even hair length) between the Roundheads and Cavaliers and that the way we perceive both parties today (Cavaliers being more flamboyant and foppish etc) is more to do with a Victorian era view of them.
 
Floyd said:
I think I'm correct in saying that there wasn't that much difference in dress (and even hair length) between the Roundheads and Cavaliers and that the way we perceive both parties today (Cavaliers being more flamboyant and foppish etc) is more to do with a Victorian era view of them.
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I was about to say the same - for the average commoner foot soldier, they probably looked practically indistinguishable, whether they were Parliamentarian or Royalist.
 
I suppose that's true. If it was a foot solider. I was assuming that, given that the ghost was described as either a Cavalier or a Parliamentarian, that they were distinguishable as one or the other. Otherwise how could they tell it was a Civil War era ghost, as opposed to any generic person, as most foot soldiers wore pretty much ordinary dress?
 
catseye said:
I suppose that's true. If it was a foot solider. I was assuming that, given that the ghost was described as either a Cavalier or a Parliamentarian, that they were distinguishable as one or the other. Otherwise how could they tell it was a Civil War era ghost, as opposed to any generic person, as most foot soldiers wore pretty much ordinary dress?
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Maybe the helmet.
 
Eyespy said:
Lynx or the rotting fruit stench of vapes
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It's interesting that ghosts are only reported as having the smell of something that could be definitely tied to them in life. Grandad's pipe tobacco, female ghost's smell of perfume or flowers. When a lot of people actually smell of BO, wet dog and badly dried clothing. Maybe those smells aren't picturesque enough to last through to the afterlife.
 
catseye said:
It's interesting that ghosts are only reported as having the smell of something that could be definitely tied to them in life. Grandad's pipe tobacco, female ghost's smell of perfume or flowers. When a lot of people actually smell of BO, wet dog and badly dried clothing. Maybe those smells aren't picturesque enough to last through to the afterlife.
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I'm sorry, I was just reminded of this meme:

"I wonder if in Africa they have 'Lynx England,' that smells of cigarettes and disappointment."
 
It is true. I never saw Derek Acorah gagging saying "grandad Jones has just dropped his guts."

The smell of roses is meant to indicate the smell of a holy entity in Christianity if I recall correct!y. Maybe Padre Pio I can't remember.
 
I thought the Cavaliers and Roundheads wore different hats? In battle wouldn't this have been the main way to tell each other apart?
Where I live, it's a difference of about 2 miles between the different sides. Interestingly, sometimes if a guy is a bit of a chat up merchant (whether from that village or not), we call them a "silver tongued cavalier". It's just a phrase for a flirty guy around these parts
 
Weatherwax said:
Interestingly, sometimes if a guy is a bit of a chat up merchant (whether from that village or not), we call them a "silver tongued cavalier". It's just a phrase for a flirty guy around these parts
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maximus otter
 
Weatherwax said:
I thought the Cavaliers and Roundheads wore different hats? In battle wouldn't this have been the main way to tell each other apart?
Where I live, it's a difference of about 2 miles between the different sides. Interestingly, sometimes if a guy is a bit of a chat up merchant (whether from that village or not), we call them a "silver tongued cavalier". It's just a phrase for a flirty guy around these parts
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Officers wore sashes of different colurs; tawney orange or pale blue for parliamentarians and crimson red for Royalists.
 
Weatherwax said:
I thought the Cavaliers and Roundheads wore different hats? In battle wouldn't this have been the main way to tell each other apart?
Where I live, it's a difference of about 2 miles between the different sides. Interestingly, sometimes if a guy is a bit of a chat up merchant (whether from that village or not), we call them a "silver tongued cavalier". It's just a phrase for a flirty guy around these parts
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I'd guess also that soldiers wouldn't hesitate to nick good headwear etc from a dead enemy and wear it so further confusing distinguishing who was who.
 
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