The Pontefract Poltergeist - In search of a lost well, by Kester Lee

30 East Drive, Pontefract (Kester Lee)

In the United Kingdom at least, many elements of a reported haunting fail when historical research is undertaken.

In spite of claims to the contrary, in depth research rarely occurs. This allows for an alleged haunting to provide numerous witnesses prepared to vouch for its authenticity, witnesses to a haunting based upon an absolute lie, often propagated by those with a vested interest for doing so and other, not so innocent purposes.

To this end, we have found that the amount of time engaged in historical research far outweighs the time we spend upon paranormal research itself.

Fortunately, there are others that also recognise this, although they tend to be few and far between.

One such researcher that we’ve worked closely with over the past couple of years, Kester Lee, recounted to his disappointment with a paranormal investigation at Leicester Guildhall that he attended back in 2015 and, his subsequent dealings with the organisers.

More recently, at an investigation in Manchester he took part in, two film makers arrived unexpectedly, who later released a sensationalist video about an ‘incubus demon’ within days, that no way reflected what the family at the property claimed to have experienced, nor what happened that evening.

Due to these and other, similar experiences over the years, Kester adopted the methodology of observation, where accounts of ghosts, preferably written, are studied with the aim to then visit the location.

Those circumstances to which ghosts are said to have been encountered are emulated as far as possible according to who, where, when and what happened. His objective is to then evaluate the credibility of those accounts by means of observation, photography and audio.

With this in mind, Kester has recently researched the background to a supposedly attested fact at a property he is very familiar with, 30 East Drive, in Pontefract, West Yorkshire. Here are the result of his findings, subject to further revisions.

Was there actually a well beneath 30 East Drive?

L&M

The Pontefract Poltergeist

In search of a lost well

Those who know the story of 30 East Drive, Pontefract, probably have a fascination for ghosts and poltergeists.  Colin Wilson wrote the definitive book on the house entitled, ‘Poltergeist’ in 1980 having been in the position to interview the witnesses first-hand a decade after the events.  His work covers the story remarkably well, but he was never in a position to say why it happened.  

Poltergeists are unlike ghosts in that ghosts tend to have a connection with their location, poltergeists tend to move in and cause all kinds of disturbances for no obvious reason. While looking for an explanation for the events at 30 East Drive it has been assumed that there had been a rape and murder of a young girl by one of the local Black Monks – yes, they really existed and were called so by the black robes they wore.  

In the History of Pontefract by George Fox, published in 1827, it mentions an abbey of Black Monks, Cluniac Monks, brought in during the reign of William II as residents of the then hospital, by Pontefract Castle.  His source of information on this subject comes from the antiquarian John Leyland, born in 1503, died in 1552.  

It has to be mentioned that there is no record anywhere, so far, of a Black Monk guilty of the rape and murder of a child, and subsequently hanged on the site, and his body thrown down a well where 30 East Drive stands today.  

Over recent years that story has expanded into not one, but two monks having the innocent one die in place of his evil twin.  Where did this account originate from?  

The origin of the story has it that the Lady of the house, Jean Pritchard awoke one night to see a tall figure dressed in robes standing in her bedroom doorway. Contemporary to that experience Elsie May ‘Ma’ Mountain, the then next-door neighbour had her own experience in in her kitchen.  While washing the dishes one day she turned and came face to face with the apparition of a monk standing silently behind her.  His face was covered, like in the account of Jean Pritchard, with a cowl, but this time it appeared to be curious of her washing her dishes.  

It should be easy to conclude that the house was haunted by a local Black Monk based on witness testimony.  The difficulty is, the insertion of the claims from an unidentified local historian who is supposed to have suggested to the Pritchard family, prior to the arrival of Colin Wilson, that a deceased Black Monk is responsible for what was going on.  

That suggestion may have been overheard by the poltergeist who decided to play along and then reveal itself as a Black Monk.  Poltergeists are known for puerile pranks.  Furthermore, the rumour of a book allegedly discovered in a wall giving account of a murderous Black Monk has been attributed to this same unidentified local.  Who this person is, nobody is sure, but possibly the same person who invited Colin Wilson to visit the Pritchard family.  

Local legend now has it that the book was discovered in a Victorian built house to near The Cir, a circular road between East and West Drive, south of number 30 during the late 1960s or early 1970s.  It has been described as a thick book bound in yellow leather, the dimensions being 6x6x9 inches.  

This brings us to the point of this essay.  It seeks to answer one simple question, based on maps – what was there before 30 East Drive was built, and is there a well beneath 30 East Drive, Pontefract?

Chequerfield, Pontefract in 1953

On the 1953 ordnance survey map the location of 30 East Drive is easily identified, as indicated by the orange dot.  

On closer inspection it is apparent that number 30 had not yet been built.  The map was held as relevant and in circulation until 1957 by which time the house may or may not have been built, but the common speculation was that the house was built in the late 1950s.  One could assume it was built between 1957 and 1959.  

From what we see, East Drive was built in the Chequerfield part of Pontefract as a normal, modern, post war housing estate on the Southern side of Pontefract.  By using image overlay, 30 East Drive can be located on the antecedent 1938 map.  

1953 OS Map

Chequerfield, Pontefract in 1938

The 1938 O.S. map was overlayed to the 1953 and aligned by a contour line on the right of the map.  What is seen is largely an undeveloped area, probably put to agricultural use.  

To the north one can see urban Pontefract approaching Chequerfield.  Most notably the infectious diseases hospital which was disused by 1953.  

Further to the east is the site of the Battle of Chequerfield which occurred on March 1st, 1645. Here, Sir Marmaduke Langdale defeated the Parliamentary forces and reclaimed Pontefract Castle.  

To the north west and south east of where 30 East Drive would come to be are two letters, the letter ‘P’ which is presumably for a pump.  A third pump is located towards the south of the second one just mentioned.

1938 OS Map

Chequerfield, Pontefract 1907

On the 1907 map, below, the contour line is clearly seen and numbered 200.  By following it around one may notice a thin line where details are missing.  

Thankfully, this does not lead to any misrepresentation for the reader.  It merely indicates where one page of the map has been brought towards another page to cover a blank margin.  What is interesting is the presence of another letter ‘P’ beneath the first one mentioned while the other ‘P’ beneath the south east ‘pump’ is labelled, ‘W’ which will be relabelled as, ‘P’ in 1938.

1907 Map

Chequerfield, Pontefract 1892

Moving back to 1892 (see below) it becomes clear that ‘W’ stands for a well.  

This becomes an interesting prospect if the story of the Black Monk is true.  Could he have been disposed of down this well?  It is, however, far from Pontefract Castle, nor close to where 30 East Drive would be.  Furthermore, there are other pumps in the area, being closer, and must also have been wells before being modernised into pumps.  

What the map does, however, is confirm that ‘P’ stands for ‘pump’ and that the infectious diseases hospital at this time is not on the map.  A clear indication that it had not yet been built.  This suggests that the hospital was in operation from around 1907 until 1952, possibly a little earlier and a little later. 

1892 Map

Chequerfield, Pontefract in 1851

The next map dates from 1851.  There are earlier maps, but they are not particularly easy to find, nor commonly available.  The five maps so far used in this essay are available and can be independently checked.  What is clear, and expected, is the lack of man made features in 1851.  30 East Drive does not yet exist, Pontefract is a way off, the site of the battlefield is not mentioned, but labelled as Chequer Field.  

Field boundaries are displayed suggesting aggricultural use of the lands, but no clearly marked orchards as it has been suggested that was what the local monks used the land for.  

The most notable feature is that number 30 was on what was called, ‘Chequer Field road.’  That road still exists today as East Drive, and runs right besides the house.   At this point in time the already noted wells and pumps do not appear to exist at all.   

One can explain the location of pumps and wells based simply on where water was found.  Unlike today, water back then was found and drawn up, whereas today water is ‘pumped’ into millions of homes.  

Going back further in time it is difficult to suggest when the first well was sunk in the area, but one may fairly assume the first well was sunk no earlier than the 16th century when Leland wrote of, ‘…an abbay of blake monks.’  

If there was no well in the area then the narrative of a Black Monk being thrown down a well probably never happened, certainly not nearby, and it did happen that bodies were thrown down wells to poison one’s own water supply, but monks held all possessions in common so it is unlikely the monks would have permitted such an act.  

What remains is an unanswered question, why was there a haunting at 30 East Drive, Pontefract?  

The history of the surrounding land offers no visible clue, in fact it disputes there ever being a well.  It also disputes the sub-story of a small bridge over a stream formerly at the site of number 30.  The maps do not indicate any course of a stream.  Unless events are lost to earlier times of history where one reaches further into speculation and further away from any evidence.

1851 Map

Chequerfield, Pontefract in 1851, the West View

Looking further to the west on the 1851 map can be found a rectangular building marked, ‘pump’.  

Towards the north-west of it is a circle of dots possibly indicating a small quarry or possibly, an orchard.  

When overlayed on a contemporary map it is located in a part of Chequerfield called, ‘Friars Nook’.  A nook being a secluded place.  It is possible then that monks did frequent there as a place of quiet contemplation, but it also calls into question, has it always had a monastic connection or is the name a modern creation?  

It is not easy to tell, but it does encourage one to attempt to validate the reliability of the maps used here.  

1851 Map - West View

2020 Aerial view of the area, 30 East Drive to the top right

Andrew Kenrick Jones in his thesis, circa 1980, entitled, ‘The Maps of Yorkshire in the period 1577-1857, as sources of topographical information’ questions the reliability of maps within that period for topographical information, but he does make one very useful observation on pages 431-432.  Of the 550 maps printed for Yorkshire during that period, 85% can be described as publisher maps as opposed to surveyor maps in that the, ‘content of maps which are reprints or derived maps is to a large degree a duplication of features recorded on earlier maps’.  

The implication is on one hand that the maps used here are reliable based on the regularity of features, but equally unreliable in what could have been missed out.  

For that reason, a complete overlay should help the reader understand the features of the area in question.  What one sees is the reliability of the maps.  On the one hand the maps are reliably consistent, and on the other clearly show new features as they came into being.  Furthermore, the maps used here largely fall after Jones’ period of unreliability.  

What one can safely suggest is that there was never formerly a well, stream or bridge on the site of 30 East Drive.  What there was, was a road called Chequerfield Road from Waterloo Monument, passing by Chequerfield battle site up to the east side of Pontefract surrounded by fields.

The 1851, 1892, 1907, 1938 and 1953 maps combined.

Five Maps combined - 1851 to 1953 inclusive

We return here to Waterloo Monument.  One could be forgiven for being so focussed on the immediate location of 30 East Drive that one forgets to take a wider look.  

Waterloo Monument is approximately the same distance from Friars Nook although further south at approximately half a mile distance.  In the Pontefract: Geographical and Historical information from the year 1835, states that in 1818 a monument was raised there in commemoration of the battle of Waterloo.  

It goes on to describe the environs as,‘…pleasant, and abound with interesting and diversified scenery, are several noblemen’s seats.  The gardens and nursery grounds produce abundance of excellent fruit and vegetables for the supply of the neighbouring markets, and are famous for the superior quality of the liquorice, which is cultivated extensively’.

The problem with the extract is that one could make the mistake of thinking the environs was around the monument whereas in fact the environs is probably the whole town of Pontefract, but it still gives us a clue as to the agricultural nature of land around where 30 East Drive would come to be.  One of those noblemen’s seats might have been Edward Trueman as the monument was built on the grounds of The Grove, his home.  It is thought he lost his son in the battle of Waterloo.  Due to the lean in the monument it became known as the Cranky Pin and during a heavy gale it collapsed in 1943.  In 1946 the remains of the monument was demolished and the new Council house estate was begun.  That housing estate was known as the largest council estate in Europe and was to home servicemen and families returning from the second world war.

Benjamin Boothroyd in his, ‘History of Pontefract containing an interesting account of its castle, and the three different sieges it sustained  during the civil war with notes and pedigrees, of some of the most distinguished Royalists and Parliamentarians, chiefly drawn from manuscripts never before published’, 1807 gives us an interesting insight into the Black Monks themselves.  

In Part II, page 319 he wrote of the Priory of St. John which was founded by Robert de Lacy in 1090.  Nothing remained of the priory during his day but it was located near the castle on what is called today Monkhill.  The monks were not permitted to leave their confines but only to occupy themselves with prayer, silence, solitude, and work on their farm.  Their diet was meat and wine free surviving off a pound and a half of bread per day.  

The black gown they wore reached down to their boots and their cowls were also black.  As for how many Black Monks there were the number given is around 200 with little consideration to the population changes through time.  

Boothroyd goes on to account for another group of monks which arrived in 1221 during the reign of Henry III.  They settled in Friar Wood which is about 0.7 mile west of 30 East Drive close to the hospital.  They initially settled in the house of one Symon Pyper that is described as situated in the centre of a garden with a well.  That well was later removed along with the foundations.  This order was founded by St. Dominic and so called the Dominicans.  

Within their confines they wore a white cassock with a white hood except when they left.  Then they would wear a black hood and a black cloak over their white vestments.  Although dedicated to austerity they acquired considerable wealth which caused them to relax their discipline and so became particularly, ‘odious’ to many Catholics.  Their number at the house is given as low as, seven.

In conclusion one can say two things.  The first is that the stories of a well under the house is almost certainly not true.  

Following on from that the idea of a stream and small bridge is equally not true; the maps simply do not support the idea of a well ever being there.  

Furthermore, those that were executed and thrown down wells, were thrown down their own well, monks held their possessions in common which would have punished all the monks of the abbey, but as Boothroyd notes, the Cluniacs were not permitted to travel and so probably never left their grounds near the castle.  

That leaves the Dominicans, they did have a well located where they were living, but there are no records of one of their number committing a crime so terrible as to be hanged and then thrown down the well.  The second thing is that the alleged book that holds the secret as to who this monk is has never been clearly identified.  Originally it was supposed to have been found by builders in the wall adjoining two houses – Victorian houses in an area where the first houses were built in the 1940s.  

That leaves us with a few final observations.  Chequerfield rests between where a monument to a war once stood and where a battle once happened as a place to live for servicemen returning from war, but it is actually a very peaceful area with a great community spirit.  That suggests no reason why a poltergeist came to 30 East Drive.  Like many poltergeist cases, they just start for no obvious reason, and in this case, there is no evidence for a lost book, a well, or a terrible murder.  What Colin Wilson found was a normal family with all the hopes, troubles, and aspirations as any other family whose lives were interrupted by something nobody really understands.  

As a final word, having visited the house a number of times, something is still there.  On the first evening in 2012 a loud choking laughing was recorded at the top of the stairs; it was recorded again on the second visit when the area was cordoned off so freeing one of the problems of human contamination.  On two subsequent visits the word, ‘never’ was heard to interrupt our recorded conversations.  Both the weird unarticulated gargling, which we recorded four times in total and the voice, differ.  It was speculated to have been the voice of Joe Pritchard who died in the house in the late 1980s or early 1990s.  

Whether or not the poltergeist is, or was, a Black Monk is highly unlikely, but what is not doubted is that the house is haunted, and for a reason known only to the poltergeist.

Kester Lee

Ghosts of England 

2020