The tale of the headless horseman
THE Battle of Bosworth has only been known by that name since the 1700s, prior to this it was known as The Battle of Redmoor, and probably little of the action took place in the town itself.
It is thought that the main battle took place in an area between Sutton Cheney, Shenton and Stoke Golding.
During the battle on August 22, 1485 a great many men were killed, foot soldiers and horsemen.
And one would have thought that some ghostly sounds and sights would have been repeated down the centuries as they have been from the Battle of Naseby 1645 in Northampton- shire.
But, other than the story that follows, nothing has been seen or heard.
Another battle or skirmish took place near to Market Bosworth during the English Civil War. This was on the July 1, 1644. Six men were killed during the action and they met their death on the site where Richard III met his in 1485.
It could be difficult to say from which our apparition comes.
The lanes and fields south of Market Bosworth are the site of this particular haunting. The ghost is a headless horseman so here we have an animal ghost too.
The people who have seen them - and most are not keen to have a second look – say that the body appears to be dressed in a military uniform but it is difficult to tell which period of history it depicts.
I would think it is safe to assume that this ghost lost his head either at the battle of 1485 or the skirmish of 1645, his horse must also have died at the same time.
The approach of the headless horseman is heralded by the sound of a horse’s hooves either by the sound they make thudding on the grass or the metallic sound on the road.
If you look towards where the sound is coming from, it is usual to see a horse and rider of this world but on occasions people have seen a rider minus his head.
Most people move on very quickly and it is only later, on reflection, that they remember the military attire.
Therefore the sound of an approaching horse, in these lanes can make you fear for what you are about to see and it is at night that the sound of a horse can be most fearsome.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, I quite often used to cycle along the lanes from Stoke Golding to Market Bosworth to attend the dances at St Peter’s Hall in the town.
The journey to Bosworth was always concerning because it is uphill on the approaches to the town making it impossible to speed along on your bike.
If it was dark and I heard the sound of a horse, and knowing the story of the headless horseman, I have to admit I did feel afraid.
Going home was much easier; you could speed down the hill and hopefully beat any ghostly horse.
The watcher in the night What are ghosts? A simple explanation is that they are the appearance of the dead in a form that can be seen by the living.
Ghosts are usually seen in a place they were familiar with when they were alive.
Many people have some belief in ghosts. Those who firmly believe think of them as benign spirits. Sceptical people think of ghosts as fearsome, horrible apparitions.
Nevertheless, most people think of ghost as pale, unhappy-looking shapes that pass through objects such as walls and doors.
Man has believed in ghosts since the beginning of time. Both the ancient Egyptians and early Romans have left accounts of ghosts being seen.
Probably every country in the world has records of strange ghostly happenings.
The Red Indians of North America have a dance call the Ghost Dance, which tries to contact the spirits of their ancestors.
Great Britain has more recorded accounts of ghosts and other strange happenings for its size than most other much larger countries. Why this should be is difficult to determine. It could be that our history and legends have been reached for far longer than many other countries. Even recent history is producing its ghosts. Take one of the adjoining counties to Leicestershire, the very large county of Lincolnshire.
Many of the airfields used in the Second World War and Lincolnshire, had a great many of them at the time, are said to have their ghosts, who originate from wartime personnel. Not just villages, pubs and hotels in the county have their ghosts.
A few years ago my wife and I stayed at Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa. The officers of 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, used the hotel during the war as their mess.
The night I stayed there I just could not get to sleep. The bedroom and different parts of the hotel exuded a strange atmosphere which was difficult to explain. This did not affect my wife, which was unusual because she can be susceptible to the presence of ghostly happenings.
A few years later a security guard at the hotel heard the sounds of a party coming from the direction of the Squadron Bar. This was in the early hours