Creepy photograph of a former student?

http://www.fearnet.com/news/news-article/spirit-suicidal-student-haunting-texas-high-school?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Newsfeed&utm_content=suicidal%20ghost&utm_campaign=Reality%20Story

The tale of Dorothy Matley, from the book folk tales and legends of Derbyshire.

A tale of Dorothy Matley, swallowed by the earth.

Dorothy Matley lived in Ashover during the 17th century. By all accounts she was known as a local character, friends and neighbours found her good company but she had a roguish side to her. 

She had an unusual job for a women, she worked at the local mine with her tub and sieve separating ore and breaking it with a hammer, before then separating other minerals like lead, calcite and fluorspar. This job was normally reserved for men and is maybe where Dorothy picked up her foul mouth and thieving ways. 

Apparently if Dorothy was caught pilfering from pockets, as she sometimes did she would use the same expression " I would make god the earth swallow me up if it be so!" 

This would be her protest to any accusation that was sent her way when things went missing.

On March 23rd 1660, she may have regretted uttering those words.

For whilst Dorothy was busy at the mine washing ore, a young lad working not far from her removed his trousers so not to get them wet whilst he worked. The young man accused her of stealing two penny's from his trousers after he returned to them to find them missing. 

Dorothy vehemently denied having anything to do the youths money, and as usual invited god to swallow her into the earth if she was telling a lie. 

As a local writer John Bunyan later recorded, "she also used the same wicked words other times that day..." 

As the argument between her and the youth carried on and voices were raised a local man, George Hodgkinson stopped with some local children to spectate. As they stood the two children started to feel uneasy and walked away from the scene, and as the remaining crowed looked on Dorothy started to scream. She began to spin and sink into the ground along with her tub and sieve at her feet. Hodgkinson stared frozen to the spot at the chaos in front of him as Dorothy disappeared into the ground sinking ever further. Her lifeless body was dragged from a 12 ft deep pit later that day, but her tub and sieve were never found. But in her pocket was found two Pennie pieces.

In the Ashover parish register their is an entry " 1660. Dorothy Matley, supposed wife of Jon Flint of this parish, foreswore herselfe ,whereupon the ground opened and she sank on March 23rd, and being found dead, was buried on March 25th" 

Reports of sinkholes have been in the news lately, along with reports of flooding in areas of the uk. Was Dorothy victim of a sink hole, part of and unstable 17th century mining operation? Or excess underground water making the ground unstable. Strange the earth picked the very person to tempt it so, by swallowing her up. 

Where did my interest come from?

People ask me ( as well as my husband) what is so interesting about horror, death,spirits, ghost, paranormal and general macabre? I tried to go back in my mind to a point where it all might have began. Recently, my memory came back with an answer. I think I was nine years old, and one day whilst walking to school I saw a dead man, the sheet had half blown of his corpse at the crime scene, he’d been stabbed right across the road from my school. I stood and stared for a moment. But after my mind processed what I actually saw. It was, to me, a shell without something important…something that makes us living people…us. I think that’s when I bought my first book on the paranormal. ( luckily not a bible) it gave many theories from many cultures and times. It intrigued me how so many people had a belief of what happens to a person. 
After that poor man died, some mums at the school gates muttered things about still seeing him wander the grass verge. That just piqued my interest more! What did they mean they saw him?.. And so my curiosity continues to this day. I’ve met witches,mediums,believers in search of why people think they see things. I’ve had my own experiences which I’ve analysed as sensory deprivation….possibly. I have friends that are desperate to see ghosts! Friends that think they have a spirit guide. I’ve had 3 separate accounts of a small white haired old lady following me, may be Emma, my grandmother. Again I may have saw her once, but it was my wedding night, and I was missing her very much at that time, wishful thinking?? 
My search continues, and I quite enjoy doing it. Any feed back or articles etc would be welcome 

x
Julie.

The Winnats Pickaxe Murder pt:2

Before long the 5 men could hear the sound of horses coming up the pass.
For Clara this setting was too similar to her dreams and she started to panic, re-assured by Allan they rode on until they were ambushed by the miners and taken to a abandoned barn. Allan handed over all the money they had saved, which amounted to £200. The miners looked on pitilessly as the couple begged for their lives. Then Allan, consumed with rage confronted the miners and started to beat them with his fists, seconds later the miners had slaughtered him with their pickaxes. Clara let out an uncontrollable scream, the last sound she would ever make as she too was murdered by the savage miners. After much debate the heartless miners buried the bodies and split the money, releasing the horses onto the moore. 
The miners may have been free of legal justice, but not free of from natural justice. John Bradshaw, was walking near the scene of the kidnap in the pass when a rock fell and crushed hid skull. Thomas Hall, became depressed and hung himself. Nicholas Cook fell from a high path near the pass and was killed. Francis Butler died a miserable death after 4 failed attempts to take his own life. James Ashton though out living the other cursed miners, found every business venture failed, and it is said every horse he bought died, on his death bed he confessed to his horrendous crimes. 
In the 1760’s miners were digging a new shaft in the pass when they discovered 2 skeletons, the remains of the young couple, that would spend the rest of eternity in the Derbyshire hills on Winnats pass.

The Winnats Pickaxe Murder

In the 18th century the Peak Forest was Derbyshire’s “Gretna Green”, where any couple might marry immediately, at any time of the day, without any interference from the authorities. In April 1758 one young couple,desperate to marry,despite their families’ objections, came to Derbyshire to fulfill their dream. Unfortunately it turned into their worst nightmare.
The young couple were Alan and Clara, whose last names were never known. Their courtship was fraught was problems. Clara’s family were totally Appleseed to the relationship and so the couple only met at night when Allan would slip out to be at his lovers side, but where on occasion Clara’s brother would catch him and threaten him never to come back.
Eventually the couple decided that enough was enough and Allan plucked up the courage to ask the father for his daughters hand in marriage. The angry father as predicted answered “No!” 
This only left the couple with one option to stay together, to elope. At an arranged day and time they stole away across the border to Derbyshire, making their journey as meandering as possible so not to be tracked down. 
The couple eventually stopped in Stoney Middleton on a public house called “The Royal Oak” . They chose such a place to keep their anonymity. The landlady brought the couple drinks, while they ate their food they had packed in their saddle bags. Whilst eating Clara had admitted she had been troubled by terrible dreams of her love Allan being murdered in front of her, and that she awoke in a cold sweat. Allan reassured her that they must continue their journey, and that she needn’t worry.
By the time they reached the Castleton inn they were hungry and tired, it was the last stop before they could finally reach the peak forest were they were to be married.
Whilst enjoying their rest a group of drunken miners started arguing and shouting and were forcibly removed by the landlord. The miners ,meanwhile, still seething from being ejected, soon started talk of the nervous young couple sat across from them and the obvious air of reasonable wealth they had. Talk soon turned to robbing the young couple. 
Taking a pick axe ,the 5 miners waited in the entrance to Winnatts pass …..

Daft Sammy of Derbyshire

Samual Eyre lived near Castleton in 1806. At an early age he went onto the lead mining industry like most local boys did, but it turned out this job wasn’t for him. His real love was the Castleton area, wether it was mines, caverns or beauty spots he loved to ramble the area.
Sam would regularly way lay strangers in order to extol the virtues of this wonder part of Derbyshire. He would share information about particular beauty spots to visit and even tit bits of local gossip and stories of times past.
Although Sam became known as “Daft Sammy” throughout the peak as time passed he was not a foolish person and became a clever business man. He soon realised that with his intimate knowledge of the Castleton area he could make money doing what he enjoyed best, and it certainly made a change from working in the lead mines.
Sammy soon became official tour guide, but he never asked his clients directly for money, he had such an enchanting way of story telling that he often received tips in his pocket and a round of applause. 
On the odd occasion when taking clients to his his favourite place which was peveril castle, his mother would tag along and heckle for laughs, he would comment that if they could spare some change for the wild old lady he would be grateful. 
However to some residence of Castleton he was becoming a nuisance over time,Sammy loved his food and realised having little money would call upon his neighbours to feed him if he gave them a song. His singing was so bad that thy would feed him just to save their ears! 
In his later years he could still be seen helping attractive rich traveling ladies with their traveling luggage up over Mam Tor slopes with a windsom grin and compliments he would earn a few Pennie’s. 
Daft Sammy died in Chapel-en-le-frith workhouse in January 1868 aged 61. He had been there for just a month after being no longer able to support himself. The people of Castleton with fond memories of dear Daft Sammy, raised enough money to erect a gravestone in the church yard.
Sacred to the memory os Samual Eyre known by the name Sammy Scutt or Daft Sammy. He supported himself in life as the the acting guide of Castleton.
….and the first know tour guide in England. 
Reminds me of someone….hmmmmmm