English Screaming Skulls Legends

According to legends, there was once “screaming skullss” that plagued English country homes. Eccentric families would keep the skulls of their deceased loved ones inside their homes as keepsakes. Not only was this an odd thing to do, but it was also frightening. There were times when the skulls would allegedly scream and disturb the peace of the household. Legend says that the spirits of the dead would return to haunt their living relatives through their skulls. This supposedly happened whenever the families neglected to fulfill the spirits’ dying wishes.

One such screaming skull case happened during the rule of Elizabeth I. In Yorkshire there lived a maiden named Anne Griffith who loved spending time at Burton Agnes Hall. She died an untimely death and as she lay on her death bed, she asked her sisters to keep her head in her beloved hall forever. They swore to her that they would, but they didn’t take her seriously and thought her unexpected request was only coming from her delirium. After she died, they didn’t keep their promise, and put all of her remains in the family vault. They came to regret this.

Shortly after Anne’s death, a terrible wailing — almost like a banshee wail, could be heard every single night. These horrific screams and wails kept the entire household up each night and disturbed them all greatly. The sisters finally consulted a priest, and he suggested that they fulfill their vow to Anne. As gruesome as it was, the family had to go inside the vault with the decaying smell in the air in order to find Anne’s remains. Strangely, Anne’s head was already detached from the rest of her body, so the family wouldn’t have to do the gruesome act of removing it themselves.

They finally took the head and placed it in Anne’s favorite hall like she asked on her deathbed. The screams were never heard again, and the family was able to finally get some peaceful sleep each night.As bizarre as this story is, there have been others like it over the centuries.

English screaming skulls are fascinating legends. Perhaps the “screaming” that the families “hear” is only their imaginations acting up through their own subconscious guilt. No matter what the truth is behind screaming skull legends (if there is any), they are truly interesting to hear about, and they make great campfire ghost stories.

Filed Under: Featured • Urban Legends

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