Rochdale Observer

Boggart Hole possessed by dark history...

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In the final instalment of our spooky stories in the run-up to Halloween, investigat­es the tale of Boggart Hole Clough, and wishes you all a safe, spooky Halloween F you’ve ever felt like a creature in English folklore, are rumoured to turn milk you’re being watched a malevolent spirit sour, make dogs go lame, in Boggart Hole that tends to haunt topographi­cal and pulling your ears. Clough, in Blackley just features - for It is best never to give south of Middleton, example, a clough. them a name, or speak it, chances are that you are. The most common as it gives them power to

The ancient woodland story is that a farmer and become particular­ly spans 190 acres, with the his family were forced to destructiv­e - preventati­ve word clough being slang leave their home in the measures include hanging for a wooded valley, with 19th century after their a horseshoe over the steep sides. home, in Boggart Hole door, or leaving a pile of

The clough is said to Clough was plagued by salt outside your bedroom. date back to the Bronze the aforementi­oned spirit. Age, and as well as being As he was passing his Superstiti­ons about famous for local activists neighbour’s house with a boggarts persisted, especially who used Boggart Hole loaded cart his neighbour in the isolated rural Clough for open air meetings, asked if they were leaving communitie­s on the including a woman’s - the farmer replied “Aye fringes of towns like Heywood suffragett­e demonstrat­ion we’re flitting” at which where change was of 15,000 people in 1906, point, the words echoed slow to come and the and a failed attempt by back to him out of thin air. nights were black, slow Manchester City Council Spooked, the farmer and silent. in 1896 to stop meetings returned to his home, Most relied on the spoken by fining speakers, the where the strange spirit word, not being able clough has a darker history. would sometimes appear to read or write, and subject to help out with the washing matter was a bit more

It is often claimed that and cleaning - what a limited than it is today, so the Boggart Hole Clough helpful ghost - while other stories were passed down is haunted by - you times throw items around, generation­s and took root. guessed it - a boggart. pull bedcovers from people’s Generally speaking, isolated

A traditiona­l boggart is beds as they slept, woodland is best not a shapeshift­er as and laugh loudly while avoided at night, but in claimed in popular book banging around at night. this case, there’s a very Harry Potter, but is in fact Traditiona­lly, boggarts good, very creepy reason.

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 ?? Americo Rosa ?? ●●Boggart Hole Clough
Americo Rosa ●●Boggart Hole Clough

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