Southern Ghost: 8 (A Death on Demand Mysteries)

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The Old Bell Hotel can be found in the Cotswolds market town of Malmesbury. Being one of England’s oldest hotel, there is little wonder that the hotel has a rich history with guests spending the night since 1220. My grandfather, Walter Hugh Smith, was a textile loom repairman from Roxboro North Carolina. He was a man of simple pleasures and fantastic expressions that are still the source of much amusement to his yankee grandchildren. One I recalled he and his best friend using in the animated tales they would tell, which often involved hunting, was “like a haint in Georgia.” I asked in childhood for the definition of a haint, but didn’t realize until tonight that it was probably an expression that meant either to chase or take off running. I assume this would adequately describe the behavior of many of the raccoons, rabbits, and squirrels their hounds chased. Thanks for the article. Cirencester’s wonderfully shabby chic Inn boasts nine delightful bedrooms to relax in and delicious wholesome dishes to enjoy. The Ragged Cot Inn has been serving patrons since the 17th century and is steeped in history with plenty of scary events that have occurred within its walls. The statuesque Sudeley Castle is a wonder to marvel at; playing an integral part in English history for over 100 years, it is easy to while an afternoon away in the castle’s many exhibits and glorious gardens. Clean the house - Burn sage or incense. Mop the floors with pine and camphor, and place salt across doors and windows, and in corners.

In the charming town of Burford visitors can expect beautiful architecture and plenty of independent stores to browse. In addition to exploring Burford, it is worth discovering the town’s spooky history.

Photographs of some of the haunted places I have visited in the south

Haints are restless spirits of the dead who, for whatever reason, have not moved on from their physical world,' says (Lori) Sawaya. Gloucester’s former prison has a long history of death, executions and burials, and the cells have held some of the country’s most notorious criminals. Haint blue, which can also be found on door and window frames as well as porch ceilings, is intended to protect the homeowner from being 'taken' or influenced by haints. It is said to protect the house and the occupants of the house from evil." (1) The word "haint" is also used outside the low country, in other parts of the south, with slightly different aspects from region to region.

Other sources claim the word actually originated from the Welsh word haint, meaning infection, plague, or pestilence. One online dictionary defines the word "haint" simply as a ghost. The tradition is more complex than that. In Mississippi, haints could be ghosts, monsters, or even witches. Writer Matt Staggs says, "Just about everybody’s mamaw or papaw (southern for grandmother or grandfather) has a tale or two they can share about an old antebellum ruin, graveyard, or civil war battlefield said to have a haint attached to it." (5)It has been claimed that the Inn is haunted by the ghosts of ex-landlord Bill Claver’s wife and child. Guests have heard strange noises in the hotel, and on occasion there have been sightings of two ghostly apparitions. According to Horrible Histories author Terry Deary, Stratford-Upon-Avon is home to the most haunted building in England, the Fallstaff. The haunted building which now houses the Tudor World Museum, has a very spooky history and the Most Haunted television team experienced spine chills when visiting. Over the years, a rich history has been played out within the walls of the beautiful Nomadic Berkeley Castle. Still today in the low country of South Carolina, historic homes often feature a special hue of blue paint on the ceilings of their big, covered porches, or window shutters, sills, and doors. There are various explanations for this tradition, but one of the most common is that haint blue represents water to confuse haints, which according to legend, can't cross over water. (1)(2)(3) From the Appalachians to the Ozarks, and from Savannah to Alabama, haints, hanks, booger men, boohags, and boodaddies still haunt the woods, foggy hills and hollers, and darkened doorways of the southern imagination. Tennessee and the Bell Witch Haunting