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The Headless Donkey Of Cranworth (Norfolk, UK)

Mikefule

Justified & Ancient
Joined
Dec 9, 2009
Messages
1,279
Location
Lincolnshire UK
For a few years in my childhood in the late 1960s, I lived in a rented flat above the coach garages in the stable block of Letton Hall.

Letton Hall was a minor stately home in mid Norfolk (UK). It was formerly occupied by landed gentry, [edit, I originally wrote Lord] Baron and Lady Cranworth. By my time (late 1960s) it was occupied by the Eglington family. I have been told that old Mr Eglington had made his money in World War 2, possibly on the black market. I have no idea whether this is true, but the old gentleman, who was always kind to me, is now long dead, and the hall and stable block have become part of a Christian conference centre.

Recently, while doing some idle Googling of my old childhood haunts, I came across this story.

Extract:
Our story today comes from a lost village and involves a lost head: the village is Letton in Breckland, the head is that of a poor, unfortunate monster donkey.

While the deserted medieval settlement of Letton in Breckland has been swallowed by present-day Cranworth, the stories of strange equine creatures in the area lives on. For in addition to a huge, headless ghost donkey there have also been sightings of a coach driven by either invisible or headless horses.

In The Folklore of East Anglia by Enid Porter, a curious tale recounted by a farmer’s wife in Letton is in editions of the Eastern Counties Magazine of 1900.
The woman had been out late at night and, in the darkness, had heard footsteps behind her and on turning, saw “…a shape like a donkey standing on its hind legs, prancing and towering over her”.


There is considerably more in the article linked above, including reference to a phantom coach drawn by invisible horses and a phantom coach drawn by headless horses.

Here is another link to a slightly more flowery telling of the tale.

I have no memory of ever hearing any of these tales when I lived there, but I was very young at the time.
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For a few years in my childhood in the late 1960s, I lived in a rented flat above the coach garages in the stable block of Letton Hall.

Letton Hall was a minor stately home in mid Norfolk (UK). It was formerly occupied by landed gentry, [edit, I originally wrote Lord] Baron and Lady Cranworth. By my time (late 1960s) it was occupied by the Eglington family. I have been told that old Mr Eglington had made his money in World War 2, possibly on the black market. I have no idea whether this is true, but the old gentleman, who was always kind to me, is now long dead, and the hall and stable block have become part of a Christian conference centre.

Recently, while doing some idle Googling of my old childhood haunts, I came across this story.

Extract:
Our story today comes from a lost village and involves a lost head: the village is Letton in Breckland, the head is that of a poor, unfortunate monster donkey.

While the deserted medieval settlement of Letton in Breckland has been swallowed by present-day Cranworth, the stories of strange equine creatures in the area lives on. For in addition to a huge, headless ghost donkey there have also been sightings of a coach driven by either invisible or headless horses.

In The Folklore of East Anglia by Enid Porter, a curious tale recounted by a farmer’s wife in Letton is in editions of the Eastern Counties Magazine of 1900.
The woman had been out late at night and, in the darkness, had heard footsteps behind her and on turning, saw “…a shape like a donkey standing on its hind legs, prancing and towering over her”.


There is considerably more in the article linked above, including reference to a phantom coach drawn by invisible horses and a phantom coach drawn by headless horses.

Here is another link to a slightly more flowery telling of the tale.

I have no memory of ever hearing any of these tales when I lived there, but I was very young at the time.
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What a beautiful place to live!
 
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