The British Isles are full of dark and creepy places, plagued with sightings of those spirits who have been unable, or unwilling, to leave the realm of the living.
Perhaps one of the more sinister of these locations is number 30 East Drive, Pontefract, a deceptively ordinary looking family home in Yorkshire.
However, within the walls of this 1950s era semi-detached lurks one of the most infamous, and vicious, poltergeists of all time: The Black Monk of Pontefract.
I spoke with Ghost Quest, a group of young paranormal investigators who approach ghost hunting from a skeptical perspective; attempting to explain creepy happenings with more earthly explanations before jumping to any ghostly conclusions.
You can watch Ghost Quest’s night of terror at the property below, but perhaps not while you are alone:
Based in Yorkshire themselves, it was inevitable their spooky search would eventually lead them to number 30 East Drive.
But what is it that evokes such terror at the mere mention of this property? More so than any crumbling castle or isolated country mansion?
As the story goes, the unholy monk began to stir in the late 1960s, menacing the Pritchard family from beyond the grave. He destroyed crucifixes and slapped people across the face; creating gruesome smells in his wake.
Dubbed 'Fred' by the Pritchards, the ghost often pulled humorous pranks; pouring milk over a skeptical aunt and donning a pair of fur gloves to mockingly conduct hymns sung during futile exorcisms.
However, his behaviour became increasingly malevolent, and it was soon clear this was no friendly lost soul. In a particularly frightening incident, the Pritchard's teenage daughter, Diane, was dragged violently up the stairs; leaving lacerations on her throat.
Diane was also shoved from her bed on multiple occasions, leading many to believe the phantom had fixated on the young girl in particular.
The parents of the house, Joe and Jean, claim to have witnessed a horrifying figure clothed in black monk’s robes floating above their bed. This was the first indication the spirit had been a monk when living.
Matters took an even more ominous turn when the blackhearted monk's origin story was apparently revealed. No longer could he be jokingly dismissed as just 'Fred.'
Paranormal investigator Tom Cuniff researched the case in depth, and found the town's gallows had once been situated just across the road from Number 30 East Drive.
Cuniff concluded the apparition was a Clunaic monk from the local priory, who had lived during the reign of Henry VIII. This monk had hanged for the rape and murder of a teenage girl; making the obsession with Diane even more insidious.
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