20/02/2021
Hello all, apologies for the delay, but here is the next town showcase!
TOWN SHOWCASE: The Myths, Legends and Haunts of Aveton Gifford.
Aveton Gifford is an ancient town, with evidence of Neolithic occupation, a ridgeway, and even evidence for roman occupation or activity in the area.
The town is also host to some well-preserved medieval sites, such as the Church House, Cosy Nook, the Church, the weir, and of course the parish stocks. The ancient parish boundaries are still beaten, like many parishes in Devon, and some of the fields and places retain the names of the boundary marks. Tree Corner is one such, which is likely to be the location of a large tree from Saxon times, marking either a manorial boundary or the parish boundary.
As for the name, this is first mentioned in Domesday in 1086 as 'Avetone'. This name derives from the river name - Avon - and the farm/settlement located there - ton/tun. The river's name was actually initially the river Aune, and so the name was originally likely to be Auton, which is located on the earliest maps of the village. The Gifford suffix comes from the name of the family that owned the land in the 13th century, the Giffard family. The land was given to the family after Walter De Giffard helped William the Conquerer successfully invade and conquer Britain in 1066. They held the manor for about two hundred years, and the name stuck, creating the Aveton Gifford we know now!
Now for the myths, legends and other stories of the town!
There are several stories of the town, the first dating from the 1700s.
'The Skimmington Ride of 1737'.
A Skimmington Ride was a medieval practice where townsfolk would do a mock parade and serenade of a wrongdoer through the parish, usually with some sort of effigy being burnt or used as a symbol of the wrongdoer. There would be loud noise, with shouting and pots and pans being banged together very commonplace!
The Skimmington ride of 1737, refers specifically to one that happened in Aveton Gifford.
In this case, a man name Charles Jones had been living with a woman called Mary, who was his wife. However, the townsfolk believed that he was not married to her, which was considered scandalous behaviour!
One night, this all came to a head. A group of villagers broke down the doors of Charles' house, and assaulted Mary, demanding to know where Charles was - nicknamed the Black Bull.
Having not found him, they dressed two people up on a donkey 'in a ludicrous manner', who beat drums and sat back to back, and ran down the streets dressed in black and disguised faces, carrying rams horns adorned in gold and ribbons, and a mock child made of rags. They also threw small fireworks (squibs), screaming loud huzzahs and other shouts, before reading a 'scandalous' paper, presumably the townsfolk's vindication of Charles Jones.
Apparently, the whole parade lasted five hours, and in 1738, 40 villagers appeared at the court sessions at Exeter Castle, charged with disturbing the King's Peace, assault, and basically rioting. However, it seems that nothing much came of it, partly because many of the people couldn't or didn't show up (100 people took part in total!).
Whilst many were marked guilty and some not guilty, there was never a formal charge, and so Charles Jones may never have got his own back on the townspeople!
'Beelzebub's Castle'
This story is largely about a woman called Joanna Southcott. She was born about 1750 in Gittisham, and her father was a farmer there. She must have had family in (or her mother lived here) Ottery St Mary, as she was then baptised there.
Since she was born, she had an upbringing largely in the service to the church. However, by her early fourties, she was beginning to have visions, prophesising the future, which she believed were from God.
Eager to record these visions, she wrote them down as verses, which she then had published. It seems that many believed her and she soon gained quite a following, leading her to create a religious sect. Similar to many religious cults, they all believed that if they followed her and her prophesies, they would be saved when the end of the world came. In thanks for their support, all members of her sect were given a signed certificate with a red seal on the back.
Then, around the turn of the 19th century, she moved to London, setting up two chapels for her and her followers, and in 1802 came out with one of her most famous prophecies- that she would give birth to a child named Shiloh, who would be the second son of God. 12 years later, she started to show signs that she was pregnant, which likely excited her followers.
But, this story has a tragic ending. In the cold December of 1814, unfortunately, she died at the age of 64 and was interred at St Johns in the Wood. Confused at her death, an autopsy of her body was undertaken, which found her cause of death and the symptoms of pregnancy to be a malignant growth - dashing the hopes of many of her followers.
This story does not end here, however! 60 years later, a storm over London caused a lightning strike of her gravestone, shattering it to pieces - a divine retribution, perhaps?
So, as for the relation to Aveton Gifford? Oral tales tell us that she allegedly spent a period of time living here - likely to be during her childhood or before she moved to London. During this time, she lived in a house known as Endsleigh Place, on Fore Street.
It seems that the locals really didn't take to her, for her presence in the town is memorialised by the nickname for Endsleigh Place - Beelzebub's Castle. For what reason exactly this name may be down to, what dark reason (or not!) for which she managed to make it be named, we will never know!
'The Ghosts of South Efford House'
South Efford House is named, similarly to North Efford, about the Efford - the 'Ebbing Ford'. South Efford House is of unknown origin, but 1760 is inscribed onto the Victorian addition, and there is documentation of Richard Hobbs owning it in the 1770s. Complications in inheritance unfortunately meant it was sold from the Hobbs family to Christopher Savery in 1787, and then to the Chancery Courts in 1828. The Hobbs family also seemed to be engaged in frequent tragedy and debt, which may have also contributed to its sale. The Saverys managed to develop the house, enclosing the marshland next to it and using the lime kilns nearby to supplement their income - but eventually became bankrupt in 1818, the proceedings of which went on for over 10 years!
As for ghosts, the first sighting occurred in the 1930s. Mark Cassidy was staying at the house with his mother at this time. One morning, the maid went downstairs to the kitchen to start the day, but realised she couldn't get in. The family were awakened to help, but to no avail. They then tried another door to the kitchen, which successfully opened. Unfortunately, when they entered, they found a terrible commotion had occurred. The huge pine kitchen dresser had moved across the entire room, blocking the door they had tried to enter initially. After talking to other members of the household, nobody had heard the movement during the night, making it more mysterious! Mike's aunt, so spooked by it, refused to ever stay there again!
Furthermore, the old Ferryman's Cottage, one of the wings of the house, is allegedly haunted by one of the old ferrymen. This person has been seen by multiple people, a scary experience to many! It appears that he may have died of grief when the steps from the house to the ferry were removed. He allegedly returns to the building with a crowbar every now and then to try and pry open the door that was built over to stop ferrymen falling down the steps.
In addition, stories told by Alan Edgecombe testify that a penny-farthing bicycle on the top landing of this wing would be heard moving by visitors - Spooky!
Furthermore, there are more experiences. In the 1980s, people reported sightings of a cloaked gentleman seen in the garden and different parts of the house. On the top floors of the house, women, men and a child have been seen, probably travellers waiting for the ferry.
A previous owner also had an interesting finding. After following a ghostly candle one night, along a corridor and down some stairs, he had an idea. When updating the house, he decided to intrusively 'investigate' areas where ghosts had been seen walking. He managed to uncover several interesting finds - he found several bricked up doorways, a staircase, and even a bricked up windowless room!
Two more ghosts have also been seen. One includes a foul mouthed uniformed naval officer who allegedly died cursing the villagers, and a tragic ghost of a hanging servant over one of the staircases.
Whilst some of the stories of Aveton Gifford are lesser known, the ghosts of South Efford have made international papers, in the Mercury of Hobart, Tasmania, the Cairns Post of Queensland, Australia and several other British papers!
Whilst you walk through the ancient town, maybe spare a thought to those of the town that may have come and gone. Whilst this interesting and possible dark history have led many to visibly outstay their welcome; there may be several more who may wander the earth. Those buried in cists along the river banks, the woman who was found dead somewhere in the town in 1766, the Neolithic and Roman people who may have lived here, those who may have died in the lime kilns, aswell as those who have been and gone more recently.
Be aware, however, for some may not be as friendly, and allegedly a big cat stalks the countryside around these parts. May you forever be watchful!
I hope you have enjoyed these stories!
If you have had an experience here, or elsewhere in Devon, please let me know.
The next posts will be Badworthy, Bantham and then Belstone!
See you soon!
(Thankyou to Ken Doughty, Paranormal Database, Aveton Gifford Parish Project Group and Devon Heritage for the information!).
