THE ANCIENT RAM

THE ANCIENT RAM INN
STROUD
GLOUCESTERSHIRE


DECEMBER 2009


GROUP ... PARANORMALRESEARCH UK





The inn can be dated to 1145, possibly earlier. It started life as a house which was used by the Masons building St Mary's Church, just across the road. After the church was finished, the house became known as Church House and was home to the Bishop or Vicar for the Church.




It is claimed that there are two tunnels leading from the inn to the church and to Lacock Abbey. There are said to be located in the fireplace. These tunnels have also been used by Highwaymen.








This site is also associated with an ancient pagan burial ground dating back over 5000 years. This doesnt sound as far fetched as first thought, as most church's are built on pagan sites and as the church is only across the road, this is possible. This site is also associated with Devil Worship, ritual sacrifice of children and murder.







Although this black and white building has changed very little, ancient maps show the original building could have been three times larger than today's building.

This building has been known by three different names ...
1145 - 1350 CHURCH HOUSE, used by the church
1350 - 1820 THE OLD TAN HOUSE, owned by different owners to house Tanners, Cloth Makers, Card Makers and a Mayor.
1820 - THE ANCIENT RAM INN





PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

EDWARD - tall, strong man. Powerful and nasty spirit. Often seen holding a staff.
MICHAEL - a very nasty man, murderer. Seen in the Bishop's room.
MARY ANN - nice old lady who sits in the chair next to the fire in the Bishop's room.
ALICE - nasty black witch.
INCUBUS and SUCCUBUS - a male and female spirit who lure their sleeping vicitms into sexual
intercourse.
2 CATS - one is a dark, big nasty cat, thought to belong to Alice, seen mostly upstairs.
The other is smaller, black and roams everywhere else.
DOG - described looking like a Doberman or Rottweileer.
CHILDREN - many children heard and seen around the building.
HIGHWAYMEN - at least two highwaymen hide in the attic.
THE BLUE LADY - thought to be Lady Elizabeth. She was murdered and buried beneath the
bar area. Appears on the 1st floor landing.
CAVALIER - thought to have ben murdered and also buried under the bar area.
HANGING BODIES - seen in the barn and a woman's body seen hanging in the witch's room.
BIKER - this man died quite recently in a motorcycle accident outside.



INVESTIGATION

This investigation was a little different to any PRUK has undertaken before. This time we were working with a film crew from Sky tv and we had our very Captain Jack.






My first impressions of the building was how fantastic it looked from the outside. But as soon as you enter the property, you first notice how dusty and cluttered each room is. The temperature outside was very cold but it was just as cole inside, mainly due to the poor state of repair to the property. But this is known as one of the UK's most haunted locations and we couldnt wait to start.



We sat and listened to the owner, John Humphries, tell us the history and hauntings of the building and then he gave us a tour of the building about 10pm.

This is our first room. This room, the bar room, has what is claimed a grave. This room is associated with ritual child sacrifice, murder and an ancient graveyard and tunnels.
This grave is said to belong to Lady Elizabeth, who was murdered and buried here.
Children are also seen around this area.



We stood here asking out loud and running an EVP session. But nothing happened, so we moved to the other side of the room towards the fireplace. This fireplace is said to be the entrance to a tunnel. This tunnel was used to carry a corpse to the church, monks were said to use it as they sneaked in from the local abbey for a pint or local highwaymen wishing to enter or leave unseen.



We stayed in this area for quite a while but no evidence was caught.




Our next point of call was the barn which joins onto the building. John claimed that post holes dating back centuries had been found under the floor. The story associated with this room didnt start until John re roofed this part with a roof he had bought from a local farmer who was dismantling his old barn. Once this roof had been fitted, John started seeing bodies hanging from the beams. After some time in this room, taking photos and conducting EVP, the only things we could see and feel was the dust and the cold weather, nothing else was caught by us on this night in the barn.









As we climbed these narrow stairs, you are again reminded of the clutter that fills this building.









One the first floor, this room is called THE WITCHES ROOM or BEAUFONT ROOM. The spirit of a woman is said to have been seen in this chair and she doesnt like other people sitting in it. Nicola kindly volueetered to sit in the chair but nothing. We stayed for a while but again nothing happened.





As we moved back onto the landing, we looked in a couple of other rooms.









John told us that several spirits are seen around here including the blue lady. But tonight, they must have been
somewhere else. It was now about 1am.









We continued to THE BISHOP'S ROOM. John told us to stand back as he had to knock on the door three times with a large staff before entering this room. To me, it just looked like a touch of showmanship but we all watched before we were told to enter.




This room was indeed strange, whether it was down to the large dark fireplace or the paintings on the wall that seemed to follow you around the room, I dont know. What I do know is that I was freezing. John told us about the spirits in this room: -- a ghost of a Calavlier, 2 highwaymen who hid in the attic above, the blue lady, 2 monks, the ghost of a woman seen hanging from the roof and there are two haunted paintings. John claimed that evidence had been found of devil worship in the chimey of this fireplace.







John stayed for a while but left us to roam the building on our own. So with our film crew and Captain Jack to guild us, Phil, Nicola and myself set about finding the spririts.

After Phil had done a piece to camera for the show, we settled down to a investigation. We started an EVP section with recorders and camera's rolling. We all took it in turns to ask questions and some of us thought they heard noices on the landing but when they went to loo, nothing was there.


Me and the cameraman thought we heard footsteps from the attic above. The access to the attic was at the far end of the room and so I climbed up but as soon as I looked into the attic, the noice stopped and I could see nothing.






By this time, some of us were just sitting down and Captain Jack was making us laugh. Then one of the film crew heard a noice and said he saw the outline of a tall man standing behind me. The knuckles on his hands had a blast of cold air across them. Nothing showed on camera and I heard and felt nothing. Other noices were heard inside the room and again on the landing. But no evidence was caught.



The film crew left us now as they had some other filming to do and this left me, Phil and Nicola upstairs. We had been asked here as part of a fun car show but we also wanted to use this time to do a serious investigation as well. Time was now against us but we did as much as we could. If we had been here on our own all night, we would have done things diffent but this was such a golden oppunity, we continued in our normal fashion.





So about 2.30am, we decided to go back into the Witche's Room.

Nicola sat in the chair again and we took it in turns to ask questions. But nothing happened. Phil left us as we thought just females in the room would make a difference. But no.

We finished just before 4am.


I thought after hearing the stories regarding this building, that we would have had more activity than this. Apart from some noices and perhapes a shadowery figure standing behind me, it had been a very quiet night. But it was so much fun going out with a film crew and it was the closet I will ever get to Captain Jack.