 |
| Copyright Janet Cameron |
When
the lights goes out and all is quiet - don't linger in these little
back lanes of Brighton - for there may be something else lurking -
something sinister and very strange.
The
layout of the lanes in Brighton's Old Town still survive in their
original format from the eleventh century. Originally, they were the
site of the little fishing settlement of Brighthelmstone. They were
burned down by the French in 1514, but once was enough for all those
who loved Brighton.
So, when the French tried it again in 1545, the
alarm was raised and plucky Englishmen from all surrounding areas
descended on the lanes and fought off the foolhardy French. Today the
lanes are an enchanting labyrinth of delightful shops, pubs and inns,
bustling with Bohemian activity, and many with a spooky story to
tell.
The
Medieval Monk
A
medieval monk is said to drift along Black Lion Lane, one of the Old
Town's most interesting twittens, and disappear through an old arched
stone wall. Some people believe the monk was bricked up inside as a
punishment for having an affair with a young girl. It's also been
said that this is unlikely because the wall is only 200 years old, so
the medieval monk couldn't be bricked up in there. All the same,
ghosts walk through walls and doors and appear to climb stairs that
aren't there, so maybe he was bricked up in an even older wall that
no longer exists, but was replaced some time later.
Dying
for Love
Another
account claims the ghost of a nun haunts the area. It's said that in
the twelfth century, a priory stood here, St. Bartholomew's, and
soldiers were ordered to guard the building to protect the nuns from
the local ruffians. A nun and a soldier, who had been assigned to
guard duty, fell in love and began an affair, and they decided to run
away together. Unfortunately for them, they were captured by the
young man's fellow soldiers and the soldier was executed.
The
nun was bricked up alive in the wall and abandoned to starve to
death, and it can be assumed this was carried out by holy orders. It
was a usual practice to brick people up to avoid bloodshed which was
against religious convictions. It's hard to imagine how it's less
sinful to leave someone bricked up alive to suffocate slowly to death
than to arrange a quick execution. It must have been little
consolation to the poor, young woman that, as she suffered, the other
nuns were praying for her soul.
The
nun's ghost is also said to walk through the 200 year-old-wall in the
photo, but again, as before, the wall may have replaced another wall
considerably older, or it could have been a different wall in a
different place and the route followed by the ghost has some other
explanation.
