Heptonstall’s cobbled streets and ancient buildings hide centuries of crime, tragedy and ghostly legends that continue to haunt this Yorkshire village, writes GEMMA JOHNSON
Just on the borders of Lancashire and Yorkshire lies Heptonstall. When walking through the streets, you can be forgiven for thinking that you have travelled back in time, to a simpler era.
The 13th century cobbled road is a key feature of this small village, winding through the weavers’ cottages. Pause for a moment and you can hear the gentle patter of horse hooves padding across the cobbles.
Traffic is restricted here, creating an atmosphere of peace and quiet, quiet enough to hear the voices of the spirits that remain, for Heptonstall has a reputation for being one of the most haunted villages in the UK.
The ruins of St Thomas a Beckett Churchyard are a central feature of the village, surrounded by moss-covered gravestones, the final resting place of over 100,000 bodies. But not all the souls that reside here are thought to be at rest.
There is a heavy feeling hanging in the air, one of being watched. Shadow figures dart across the arched remnants of the domed ceiling of the former church.
Footsteps echo on the stone slabs as mists hover above the mossy gravestones.
One of the residents of the graveyard is David Hartley, a notorious criminal from the eighteenth century, also known as the leader of the Cragg Vale Coiners. Hartley was a fraudster who specialised in counterfeiting, from which he profited greatly.
However, his misadventures finally caught up with him. He was hanged in 1777, his body then buried. He is thought to still roam the grounds of the graveyard and church, looking for the next opportunity to commit a crime.
A nearby cave has an equally unsettling backstory and is known locally as Tom Bell’s Cave. Tom Bell was an outlaw, a highwayman and a thief who lived in the cave in the eighteenth century.
Tom only emerged from the cave during the stillness of the night to steal from nearby houses and farms. Locals knew when Tom was near because he had a distinctive clanking sound, made due to the unusual clothing he wore, an iron mail suit.
Even more unusual was his choice of footwear, shoes with heels at the front and toes at the back to confuse anyone who might be chasing him. Tom disappeared, however in 1899 there was an excavation of the cave.
Amongst the various animal bones found was also a human skull. Local legend says that Tom still haunts the cave, protecting his ill-gotten gains from intruders.
The rattling of his iron mail suit can still be heard echoing through the streets.
The Cross Inn is the local pub at the centre of the village, built in 1617 and commonly known as a Coiners pub, meaning that it was also the gathering point for David Hartley and his notorious gang.
It is here where a violent confrontation occurred in front of the stone fireplace, which still remains today. Local man Abraham Ingham was accused of telling law enforcement about the activities of the Cragg Vale Coiners.
One evening in the pub, Ingham was accosted by several gang members who took hot coals from the fire and put them into his breeches. He died as a result.
It is thought that on still nights, the screams of Ingham can be heard echoing through the pub.
Heptonstall is frequently used as a film and television location. Well-known programmes such as Happy Valley were filmed amongst the cobbles.
Of the extras used in the filming, perhaps the spirits of Tom Bell, David Hartley or Abraham Ingham may have also made an appearance.
