I am now come into that part of Wales where we shall meet with  the most numerous, and most notable account of Apparitions. The middle part of the Bishoprick of St. David’s, where the most  important account of the Corpse Candles, and the Kyhyrraeth [fairy dogs], are  to be met with, than any other part of Wales, by far.   What I am now going to relate is concerning one of the  most terrible Apparitions that I ever heard of, related  to me by R. A. (a woman who appeared to me to be  a true living experimental Christian, beyond many)  in relation to herself, as follows: —   As she was going to Laugharn Town, one  evening, on some business, it being late, her  mother dissuaded her from going, telling her it was  late, and that she would be benighted; likely she  might be terrified by an Apparition, which was  both seen and heard by many, and by her father  among others, at a place called Pant y Madog,  which was a pit by the side of the lane leading to  Laugharn, filled with water, and not quite dry in  the summer. However, she seemed not to be  afraid, therefore went to Laugharn; on coming  back before night, (though it was rather dark) she  passed by the place; but not without thinking of  the Apparition: but being a little beyond this pit,  in a field where there was a little rill of water, and  just going to pass it, having one foot stretched over  it, and looking before her, she saw something like  a great Dog (one of the Dogs of hell) coming  towards her; being within four or five yards of her,  it stopped, sat down, and set up such a scream, so  horrible, so loud, and so strong, that she thought  the earth moved under her; with which she fainted,  and fell down; she did not awake and go to the next  house, which was but the length of one field from  the place, until about midnight; having one foot  wet in the rill of water which she was going to pass  when she saw the Apparition. She was very weak  that night; and for a long time after a very loud  noise would disturb, and sicken her. She owned it  was a just punishment for her presumption, and  disobeying her good mother’s advice.  Jones, Pembrokeshire

Editor’s Note: stone throwing is associated both with solitary fairies and poltergeists.

About the year 1758, at the house of a certain farmer, in the Parish of Llanllechyd, there was a great disturbance from an evil Spirit, casting stones into and about the house, beating and wounding the people. The stones were of different sizes up to 27 pound weight. Some Clergymen, from Bangor, came there to to read prayers, and they did their best with a good design, but they were also beaten and obliged to go away. Reading prayers was too weak a means to drive an enraged evil Spirit away. There was a necessity of some persons of a strong faith, who had the spirit and gift of prayer in some great measure. Most of the stones were river stones, taken out of the river which runs hard by. The disturbance was so great that the family was obliged to remove from thence. The person who related the story to the Rev. Mr. R. F.  told him, he was struck with a stone of about five pound weight, as he thought. Jones* Caernavonshire

Editor’s Note: White lights are often associated with fairies. This instance is interesting though in that the light seems to be of a ghost, a murdered man.

In the year 1767, Walter Watkins of the Neuaadd in the parish of Llanddetty (a man of considerable substance in the world, a man of virtue, sense and learning) gave me the following notable relation of an apparition, as follows. Some years past, being out at night towards Taf Fechan chapel, within sight and not far from his house, he could see a whitish kind of light near the said chapel. It increased till it was as big as a church tower, and decreased again till it became as small as a star. Then, it would increase to the former largeness (doing so several times), so that he wondered at it (and no wonder he did) but he felt no fear. He went to the house to fetch his mother and father to see it, and they all saw it in the same manner – to their great wonder (for, indeed, it was a supernatural wonderful apparition to human eyes). Sometimes after a neighbour was ploughing a field near the chapel. The plough stopped against a large flat stone, which the ploughers rose up. And, behold, there was a stone chest. In it was the jawbone of a man (a large one, for it encompassed the chin of the plougher, and it had the cleverest set of teeth that any man could have) and an earthen jug which was empty (supposed to hold the murdered man’s blood, put into the earth to hide the murder). Who it was could not now be known, but shall be known in eternity. However, upon this discovery it was remembered by some that a man named Philip Watkins (living at the said Neuadd) was suddenly lost and never heard of. His wife married another man, taking it for granted that he was dead indeed, (or pretending to think it was so). Some time after this woman asking a wandering sort of man, who used to be between the two houses, what news from Neuath? he jocosely said, Philip Watkins was come home, and was well. This affected her so much that she fell sick and died. It was in vain for the man to say afterwards that it was not true, and that he only jested. If she was sorry for having married again, it shewed a tender conscience; otherwise it looked like extreme guilt: there is a mystery in it which must be left undecided this side of eternity, which all things which have been done on earth shall be known; according to our Saviour’s saying, Luke 12/2. For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known; in the day when the secrets of men shall be revealed. After this the light was no more seen near the Chapel, though often seen before. The Spirits of men appear like light, because they are knowing beings, properly resembled by light. Jones*, Breconshire

Editor’s note: Up until 1914 the Wilkinson family lived at Mount Merrion house, outside Dublin. It was here presumably that Sir Nevile’s daughter (Guendolen or Phyllis, he had two?) saw her fairy.

The story of how Sir Neville Wilkinson, the Ulster King-at-Arms, came to build Titania’s Palace, the Queen’s doll-house, which is being exhibited in London just now in aid of the Middlesex Hospital, is delightful. One day, twenty odd years ago, this gifted painter was at his easel, when his three.year-old daughter declared she saw a fairy disappearing between the exposed roots of a cycamore tree near the house. She was sure there was a hidden fairy palace down there, so Sir Nevile began to build Titania’s Palace to entice the fairies above the ground. Sir Nevile, as an officer of the Coldstream Guards, is a crack shot at a thousand yards. He is in London just now to make a talkie film with Titania’s Palace as a subject. Anon, ‘Titania’s Palace’Dundee Courier (29 June 1929), 12

Stowmarket 1842. — S____ living for 30 years at the cottages in the hop-ground on the Bury road, coming home one night 20 years since, in the meadow now a hop ground, not far from three ashen trees, in very bright moonlight, saw the fairies. There might be a dozen of them, the biggest about three feet high, and small ones like dolls. Their dresses sparkled as if with spangles, like the girls at shows at Stow fair. They were moving round hand in hand in a ring, no noise came from them. They seemed light and shadowy, not like solid bodies. I passed on saying, the Lord have mercy on me, but them must be the fairies, and being alone then on the path over the field could see them as plain as I do you. I looked after them when I got over the style, and they were there, just the same moving round and round. I ran home and called three women to come hack with me and see them. But when we got to the place they were all gone. I could not make out any particular things ahout their faces. I might he forty yards from, them and I did not like to stop and stare at them. I was quite sober at the time. Hollingworth’s “Hist, of Stowmarket,” p. 248. 

Hollingworth Hist of Stowmarket (1844) 248 [Guderon 36-37]

The house in which A. W now lives was the scene of fairy visits and officiousness. A man lived there about 100 years since, who was visited constantly by a fairy (or ferrier or ferisher). They used his cottage for their meetings. They cannot abide dirt or slovenliness, so it was kept tidy and clean. They cut and brought faggots for the good man, and filled his oven with nice dry wood every night. They also left a shilling for him under the leg of a chair. And a fairy often came to him and warned him not to tell any one of it, for if he did the shilling, wood, and fairies would never come to him again. Unluckily for him he did tell his good luck, and then his little friends were never seen by him more. The fairy wore yellow satin shoes, was clothed with a green long coat, girt about by a golden belt, and had sandy hair and complexion.

Hollingworth Hist of Stowmarket (1844) 248 [Guderon 36-37]

Old Parish Clerk, Neighbour S___ is a brother of old B___ the sexton. He died at 82 — she is now near 80. Her father was a leather breeches maker, and her mother having had a baby (either herself or her sister she forgets which), was lying asleep some weeks after her confinement in bed with her husband and the infant by her side. She woke in the night, it was dimmish light, and missed the babe. Uttering an exclamation of fear, lest the fairies (or feriers) should have taken the child, she jumped out of bed, and there sure enough a number of the little sandy things had got the baby at the foot of the bed and were undressing it. They fled away through a hole in the floor, laughing as if they shrieked, and, snatching up her child, on examination she found that they had laid all the pins head to head as they took them out of the dress. For months afterwards she always slept with the child between herself and husband, and used carefully to pin it by its bed clothes to the pillow and sheets that it might not be snatched hastily away. This happened in the old house which stood where the new one now stands on the south side of the vicarage gate. A woman, as she heard tell, had a child changed, and one, a poor thing, left in his place, but she was very kind to it, and every morning on getting up she found a small piece of money in her pocket. My informant firmly believes in their existence, and wonders how it is that of late years no such things have been seen.

Hollingworth Hist of Stowmarket (1844) 248 [Guderon 36-37]

Stowmarket Fairies, (Feriers or Ferishers.) The whole of the Hundred is remarkable for fairy stories, ghost adventures, and other marvellous legends. Fairies frequented several houses in Tavern Street about 80 to 100 years since. They never appeared as long as any one was about. People used to lie hid to see them, and some have seen them. Once in particular by a wood-stack up near the brick-yard there was a large company of them dancing, singing, and playing music together. They were very small people, quite little creatures and very merry, But as soon as they saw anybody they all vanished away. In the houses after they had fled on going upstairs sparks of fire as bright as stars used to appear under the feet of the persons who disturbed them. Hollingworth Hist of Stowmarket (1844) 248 [Guderon 36-37]

Annie McCue summoned James and Denis Cunningham for assault and abusive and threatening language on 22^nd December. There was a cross-summons against Annie McCue, Bridget McCue, Felix McCue, and Nancy McCue for assault on the same occasion. Mr Blackader, solicitor, appeared for the McCues, and Mr McNally appeared for the Cunninghams. The evidence of Annie McCue was to the effect that on this date she was going home with her sister, and passing through a gate the defendants told them to go back and shut it, and they refused. Denny Cunningham spat in her face, and Jimmy struck her a box in the eye. To Mr McNally: I never struck a man called Goodman with an umbrella. This gate leads to a pass from the public road to Cunningham’s farm. Bridget McCue deposed that Denny struck her sister. She was also struck. Her father, who heard the noise, came to the rescue, and defendants ran away over to the railway bridge. Felix McCue deposed that when he heard his daughter’s screaming he rand down and heard the Cunninghams say that this was the place to do for them. He heard the shouts a quarter of a mile away. Annie’s eye was black. The priest would have settled the dispute, but the Cunninghams would leave it to him. It’s all spite since he (witness) bought the land. To Mr McNally: I am afraid of these men. Nancy McCue gave corroborative evidence, and in cross examination said she could not say if the Cunninghams were struck. Mr Blackader: When gentlemen go about the country spitting in girls’ faces they deserve what they get. Denis Cunningham was sworn and denied that he spat in the girl’s face. He could not say if his brother struck Annie. He was told by them ‘to go up to the lone bushes to his people the fairies’. They also said that his mother was ‘walking the railway at night’. James Cunningham deposed that he met Annie McCue who cursed his soul and struck him with a stone. He did not assault her, nor did he see Denny spit in her face. To Mr Blackader: He did not give her the black eye. Mr McNally raised the question of title, but their worships would not entertain it. The Cunninghams were fined 20s and 10s costs, and directed to enter into bail for 12 months, themselves in £5, and two sureties of £2 10s each. The cross cases were dismissed. The Chairmen remarked that the girls must not be exultant over this, but should keep themselves quiet and show they were decent girls. ‘Assault and Abusive Language’, Anglo Celt (4 Feb 1899), p. 4

Our Clonmel correspondent writes that an extraordinary case came before the magistrates (Messrs Joyce, RM; Merrick and Shine at Golden Petty Sessions this week. Head constable Scully charged three men named John, William and Daniel Murphy of Derrycloney, with having stolen £8 and a cheque for £9 10s from their brother, Nicholas Murphy, an old man of 80 years. The latter deposed that on January 12th he returned home to Derrycloney from Cahir when he was attacked by the three defendants, and his sister, Ellen Murphy, took a key from him and opened a box of his and took out 8 sovereigns. They also took an IOU for £9 12s from him. William held him whilst the others took the money. In cross-examination he said money disappeared sometimes out of his pockets, whether it was the fairies took it or not he could not say. Once or twice he felt it coming back to him again. The ‘Invisible people’ took a few pence from him now and again. The chairman said it was a terrible thing if the old man had been treated as described. They would adjourn the case to the the crown an opportunity of considering their further procedure. The case against Wm Murphy of forging a cheque £9 12s in Nicholas Murphy’s name was also adjourned. Anon, ‘A Belief in the Fairies: an Extraordinary Case’, Freeman’s Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser (19 Feb 1897), 6