The Ghosts of Rosslyn Chapel

Rosslyn Chapel

Owned by the St. Clair or Sinclair family since 1446 Rosslyn Chapel located in Midlothian, Scotland is surrounded by many myths and mysteries.

The most famous legend connected to Rosslyn involves the Knights Templar * and their quest for the Holy Grail—which was the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper.

Knight Templar
Drawn by
Agnieszkaw@Dreamstime.com

One myth states this chalice is supposedly hidden somewhere within the chapel.

* The Knights Templar known for their prowess in battle and finances were a Christian military order that played an integral part in the early Crusades. However in 1307, rumors about the order’s secret rituals spread which led to their eventual downfall.

Templars burn at stake.

Philip lV of France deeply in financial debt to the Templars conveniently accused them of heresy and fraud and burned several of their leaders at the stake.

The Rosslyn Chapel was built in the 15^th century for the Prince of Orkney, Sir William St. Clair. He most likely was involved in the Order of the Knights Templar.

The chapel is known for its mysterious and intricate carvings that have stumped historians for generations. They reflect biblical, masonic, pagan and Knights Templar themes.

Some of these carvings are out of time and place—they were carved in the chapel 200 years before Columbus discovered America. They depict items only found in the New World-- American cactus and Indian sweet corn or maize.

Corn or Maize carvings.

Apprentice Pillar

One legend states an Apprentice who was a stonemason was murdered in the chapel. This young man is said to have carved a beautiful pillar while his master was away in Rome looking for inspiration. When his master returned, he found the post surpassed his own skill. In a jealous rage, he then killed the Apprentice.  

When the Prince of Orkney died he was buried in the chapel—after this, all male members of the St. Clair family were buried in vaults below the chapel, without coffins but instead in full knight regalia until the 1700s.

In the crypt located below the chapel, visitors for years have experienced a mysterious dark wind without an apparent source.

Chapel Crypt

Another legend states when a descendant of the Prince of Orkney dies the whole chapel appears to be on fire. Sir Walter Scott wrote about this phenomenon in his narrative poem Lay of the Last Minstrel.

The Chapel altars were smashed during the Reformation in 1592—since it was a Catholic church-- the chapel was then left to ruin until the 18^th century. In 1736, the ceiling and floors were restored which saved it from complete decay. In 1861, the architect David Bryce was commissioned to restore Rosslyn.

Today the chapel is widely known because of Dan Brown’s bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code. But it has been famous for longer than this—partly because of the ghosts seen at the chapel.

There have been numerous sightings of phantom monks in and around the chapel.

One curator witnessed a ghostly monk praying at an altar in the crypt. This monk was seen surrounded by four guardian knights.

In other sightings, witnesses have come forward to state they saw monks dressed in grey or black both inside and outside the chapel at night.

Other curators have reported hearing strange sounds when there is no one around.

A group of actors rehearsing for a play at the chapel in 2006 had one cast member claim to see a strange “fairy-like“ entity roaming the grounds and another actor stated he saw a ghostly figure in the chapel.

The year before another actor rehearsing a play inside the chapel heard a child’s voice in the crypt. He shouted down, “I am locking up.” However, when he went down, there was no one there.

Recently odd lights have been witnessed in the chapel.

Kannard's photo.

Here is a photograph and the enlargement that Brian Kannard took in the Rosslyn Chapel. The English paper The Telegraph published it in 2007. Kannard states he does not know if it is a ghost or not.

Enlargement of what he captured.

The Murder and Ghost of Pearl Bryan, Part l

A Haunting

Bobby Mackey’s Music World is a nightclub in Kentucky. It is often billed as the most haunted bar in the USA.

Pearl Bryan

It is stated that two murderers and their victim haunt this building.

The victim, Pearl Bryan was murdered in 1896. This crime was touted by newspapers of the time as “The Crime of the Century.”

A Gruesome End

Early in the morning of February 1, 1896 seventeen year-old Jack Hewling was walking along an abandoned lane on the Locke farm where he worked in Wilder, Kentucky. This area was right across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Through the morning mist he spotted what he thought was a bundle of clothes. As he drew closer he saw the outline of what appeared to be a person.

He then realized he was looking at the body of a dead woman. A sense of horror overcame him as he saw that just above the shoulders of this corpse was a bloody stump. The head was missing.

Hewling had just stumbled upon one of the most heinous murders of the 19^th century.

Residents who lived in the 3 mid west states involved in this crime: Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio became obsessed with newspaper reports that described every gruesome detail.

Unfortunately, a lot of these reports were more “myth” than reality.

Below are some examples of these sensationalized myths and rumors along with some true facts that newspapers across the U. S. fed to the American public.

Prominent Families

Pearl Bryan was the twelfth child of a prosperous farmer who lived in the small town of Greencastle, Indiana. By the age of 22 Pearl was considered “a catch.”

Scott Jackson

When her cousin, William Wood introduced her to a student, Scott Jackson who attended the Ohio College of Dental Surgery in Cincinnati, she fell in love.

Scott Jackson was a student but he was much older than Pearl.

He came from a prominent family so her folks did not object to his courtship.

In a whirlwind romance Jackson managed to seduce Pearl. She found herself pregnant and hiding this fact from family and friends.

She did confide in her cousin, William and he then alerted Jackson to the fact that he had “a problem.”

Secrets

Newspaper reports mentioned Jackson was not a typical dentist.

They mentioned he was a member of an occult group that met in a former slaughterhouse in Wilder, Kentucky.

In these reports it was stated that this group often sacrificed animals to pay homage to the devil and then threw their bloody bodies down an old well located in the basement of this building.

Rumors stated that this group also sacrificed mentally delayed children.

It was on this slaughterhouse site where Bobby Mackey’s Music World would be located years later.

Jackson upon hearing the news Pearl was pregnant told William to arrange for Pearl to come to Cincinnati to have an abortion.

Pearl told her parents that she was going to Indianapolis. She then met Jackson and his roommate, a man by the name of Alonzo Walling in Cincinnati. Walling was also a member of the occult group.

Pearl was 5 months pregnant. This would be the last time Pearl’s parents would see her alive.

A Botched Abortion

More sensationalism…

Unbeknownst to Pearl, Jackson intended to perform the abortion. He first gave Pearl chemicals hoping this would work--when it didn’t he took some of his dental tools and went to work.

But this second attempt did not work either. Pearl was now frightened and bleeding.

The two men then took her across the Ohio River into Kentucky where they murdered her in a secluded area near Fort Thomas and the abandoned slaughterhouse.

Using dental tools they ruthlessly severed her head from her body while she was still alive. This fact was determined later because of the presence of blood at the murder scene.

Her mother identified her body later by her clothes.

Depiction of Scott Jackson
murdering Pearl Bryan

The Trials

The investigation led to the arrests of Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling.

Their trails were two of the most bizarre trials in U.S. history.

During these court cases thousands of citizens from far and near stood outside the courthouse clamoring to gain entrance.

Many of these spectators believed all the myths and rumors that had been reported.

William “Will” Wood, Pearl’s cousin, was arrested as an accomplice to this murder but when he agreed to testify against the other two men the charges were dropped.

Walling testified that it was Jackson that had the idea to cut off Pearl’s head so they then could dispose of it in the Cincinnati sewers.

Another myth put forth was that Jackson kept a morbid souvenir of the murder. During the investigation Pearl’s long beautiful blonde hair was discovered in his valise in his room. Her head was never found.

Jackson and Walling were quickly found guilty and sentenced to death in 1897.

At one point, “life sentences” were offered to both men if they would tell where Pearl’s head was located. Both refused. 

Both Jackson and Walling were hanged behind the Newton Courthouse in March of 1897. These were to be the last two public hangings in Campbell County.

Jackson and Walling's
gallows

More Bizarre Myths

Many speculated that Jackson used Pearl’s head in a satanic ritual at the slaughterhouse. When he was finished he dumped it down the old well in the basement of this building.

Because of this it was stated that Jackson went to his death rather than to stir up the “devil’s wrath” by revealing this sacrifice.

Along this same line people felt if he had revealed the location of her head he would have also been forced to reveal the names of other members of the occult group and their secret meeting place--the slaughterhouse.

After the trial one Kentucky newspaper account stated that an “evil eye” or curse had befallen several of the police officials and attorneys that were involved in the case.

It seems that they all had a great deal of bad luck and met with tragic ends.

In Part ll of The Murder andGhost of Pearl Bryan, information is shared that the newspapers at the time glossed over. As well as an account of the murder closer to the truth.

Black-Eyed Kids

This phenomenon has been reported around the world. Whether these stories are real or, just myths remains a mystery. Regardless, many recent encounters with black-eyed kids seem to point to the fact something is occurring that cannot be explained.

A couple who were walking along an isolated beach in Mexico encounter, an odd girl who pleads with them to follow…

A woman, in an isolated home hears a persistent knock and sees two teens standing on her porch close to midnight…

A man sitting in his stalled car in an empty mall parking lot is approached by two teens who insist emphatically he gives them a ride…

A marine on base, who stays in his barracks instead of taking a weekend pass with his buddies is frightened by two young teens…

These are just a few locations where these unusual kids or teens have been seen. These stories and countless others about black-eyed kids are eerily similar.

The above witnesses experienced something strange that they could not explain easily afterward. 

They recount feelings of being put on guard or even freaking out. They stated that the teens they saw had odd completely dark eyes--their corneas were even wholly black.

These witnesses were approached when they were alone or just with one other person. The teens they encountered had olive skin and were dressed in dark clothing--sometimes hoodies. 

These young people all requested help or made pleas to be let in. When refused, they became more and more agitated.

The witnesses all got the sense that something wasn’t quite right--they even became frightened. They stated afterward, they would generally have responded to a child’s plea for help, but in these instances, they all felt the “flight or fight” response and refused these requests.

They noted that these young people’s voices had a strange “hypnotic influence” over them. The witnesses all mention that these teens, after being refused several times would just disappear.

Black-eyed kids tend to be males, but there are females seen.

The couple on the beach were approached by a black-eyed girl being carried--piggy-back fashion-- by a black-eyed boy who insisted the couple follow them, to help one of their friends. 

After they walked awhile, this man and woman both had second thoughts and turned back. They were amazed to see only their footprints in the sand when they retraced their steps. They turned and saw the girl and boy had just disappeared.

The man sitting in his stalled car was surprised to see two teens appear as if from nowhere, in the deserted mall parking lot. They approached his vehicle. 

They told him--he must drive them home. When he refused, they became even more insistent, now feeling afraid he declined again. He like so many witnesses stated that these teens just vanished.*

The marine admitted that when he opened his barracks door late one weekend night to two black-eyed teen boys, that he immediately became frightened. 

He stated that their eyes “seemed to be sucking him in.” He got the sense that he was “being hunted” in some way. He stated that he listened to his gut feeling and refused their request to enter--he then shut the door quickly.

The woman home alone was shocked to see two teens knocking on her door, close to midnight. Looking out her window, she asked what they wanted, they insisted she let them in--they needed to use her bathroom. 

A strong “feeling of unhappiness and evil” overtook her. Wondering why two young people would be out so late asking for help from a stranger--she immediately knew something wasn’t right. Even when they persisted, she refused them entry. **

These recent accounts and many more like them, makes one wonder if there isn’t more to these stories than just imagination. The people who experienced them I am sure would agree.

* The first two stories I shared, I heard on Darkness Radio in 2011.

** Many encounters with black-eyed children reflect that these teens seem desperate for an invitation to be “invited in” which plays on the theme, that evil must be invited in before it can enter.

Crows Connection to Death

Crows for centuries have been closely connected with death. The main reason is this bird feeds on carrion-- the flesh of the dead. Because of this, many cultures associate crows with death and dying. Some cultures in the past believed that crows were messengers of death. How this reputation came about is certainly understandable but is unfair.

If we look at examples in history around the world, it becomes clear why so many cultures have a tradition of associating crows with death. In early times, mans'  bodies were not buried; it was a common sight to see crows feasting upon human corpses. 

For centuries crows during times of war have been observed following soldiers onto battlefields where they wait patiently for the battle to be over so they can feed upon the fallen. In medieval Western Europe, during an outbreak of the Bubonic plague, people noted crows feeding upon the victims’ stacked bodies.

Because of this association with death, crows over time gained a bad reputation. But not all cultures viewed them in this light. 

Some Native American cultures see crows as a positive symbol because they believe the crow acts as a communicator or liaison between this world and the next. They are viewed as assisters that help the deceased cross over. 

The Tibetans held a somewhat similar belief-- they once placed pieces of bodies on top of temples so that crows could carry them to the next life. 

The early Celtics viewed crows as the mediators between the human and spirit worlds. They believed that crows were oracles that god used to speak to them. This belief probably came about because crows can be trained to talk. So to some cultures, crows are spiritual or supernatural in nature.

Over time this belief that crows were connected to death was used to teach lessons.

In the 13^th century Talmud, a vast collection of Jewish laws, there is a story where a crow teaches Adam and Eve to bury the body of their son. Adam and Eve, being confronted with this first dead body on earth after creation, did not know what to do with it. The story states the crow then kills another crow and buries it in front of Adam and Eve as a demonstration.

In an early Buddhist tradition, monks would sit in a graveyard and concentrate on decomposing bodies, again in time before bodies were buried correctly, later this was done through imagery and meditation. At one point during this guided meditation, the monk would see the image of a crow feasting upon his own corpse. The idea behind this was to keep death always in the forefront.

In a similar western tradition, the Benedictine monks founded by St. Benedict, who once claimed a crow saved his life by warning him about a piece of poisoned bread, believed death should always be kept before the living. 

The reason these two groups used the crow and its scavenging ways was to remind them that the presence of death is a part of the natural cycle of life. When we can see and understand the ephemerality of our lives, we learn to appreciate life daily.

The false belief that crows bring death has resulted in a variety of myths and superstitions being passed down from one generation to the next. One of the most prevalent of these myths is about crows in graveyards. People say they hang out in them because of their connection to death. After all, crows are big, black, and spooky. 

In reality, crows just find graveyards an ideal habitat. There is a lovely mowed expanse of lawn where they can easily spot earthworms to eat etc. There is abundant water with plenty of trees to keep watch from, and graveyards are quiet which crows like. There is another myth about crows flocking together in cemeteries; they do this for protection, not for any supernatural reason.

The Greeks felt that crows were a negative omen, often foretelling death. Because of this belief, they would say to the birds, “Go on your way, and bring me the good news.” One term used for a group of crows is “murder” this comes from Greek mythology as well. 

The Irish for generations believed that when a crow caws three times, they are announcing the death of an individual. It was also believed if a crow flew in a house and couldn’t get out, it was a bad omen.

Some superstitions state that a crow must fly into the house to foretell death. If the bird flies in a home in the morning, the person will die in a better manner than if the crow flies in at dusk. If the crow is covered in mud or injured, the person will have a long illness.

Today in our urban world, it is still almost impossible to avoid seeing crows near the highway picking at roadkill. This could be the reason why so many myths and superstitions persist about the crow being a symbol of death. 

In reality, crows are not to be feared. In fact, when they are observed carefully, people note they are vibrant and alive. They are always doing something creative, and they are very playful, which is an indicator they are intelligent. 

In a recent Nature episode entitled “A Murder of Crows” on PBS, it was shown crows make tools that help them retrieve food. Research recently indicates they are among the brightest animals in the world.

What is impressive is that crows seem to understand their own mortality. When one of them dies, people have observed the following phenomenon. They often fly around the deceased bird cawing; in fact, they seem to hold their version of a crow funeral. They are seen landing and forming a circle around the dead bird’s body. They stand still and silent for anywhere from a few minutes to over thirty minutes. 

The people who have witnessed this event state that it shocked them, for it was evident to them these crows were not just standing around.