Tomband, Norwich

I received another email from Dawn the other day and she sent me some information about the Tombland of Norwich. I am really looking forward to checking this out!


By day Norwich's Tombland district is a major draw for tourists and locals alike, housing numerous historical buildings and being flanked between the majestic Cathedral and Elm Hill. The immediate area also boasts many excellent cafes and restaurants.

Situated at one end of Tombland are the Maids Head Hotel and Samson & Hercules House. Booth have ghost stories associated with them, and when you explore their heritage a little further it is perhaps easy to understand why.

Maids Head

 

 The Maids Head dates back to the 13th Century, when it was called the  "Murtle Fish".  The name is said to have changed following a visit by Queen Elizabeth I to Norwich in 1578. Rumors that she stayed at Maids Head are contradicted by tales that it was full at the time and so she stayed elsewhere in the vicinity. Like most places visited by the Royal Party in 1578, the Black Death or Plague was destined to follow in its wake. It has been suggested that a member of the large party spread the plague as they travelled from place to place and Norwich was no exception. From August 1578 to February 1579 almost 5000 victims of the plague were recorded in the city. In total almost half the entire population of Norwich may have perished from the Plague during this time.  While rats thrived in the narrow alleyways, the grim cry of  "Bring out your dead" rang throughout the city. As the number  of bodies grew in colossal number, formal burials were abandoned in favour of mass-graves or "plague-pits". Cartloads of bodies were taken to the Cathedral Close, which became a large burial area. The graveyards behind St. George's church are so high as they were raised to accommodate the huge number of bodies.

St. George's Church

It is alleged that the church played an even more sinister role during this time, being the site where opportunistic looters of the dead and dying were taking if caught. As the story goes, after being bound at the ankles and wrists the looters were taken to the top of the church and then dropped head first onto the unforgiving ground some 80 feet below. Their bodies, whether dead or still alive, would then be tossed into the plague pits.

One of the largest plague pits in Norwich was dug beneath the site of the Samson and Hercules, which was for many years a nightclub under various names. Imagine Spending a Friday or Saturday night dancing the night away atop of 5000 plague victims! Yikes! This uniquely grim feature, along with the close proximity to the Cathedral, may be the root cause of numerous tales of hauntings and disturbances in the buildings throughout the years. these include the apparition of a "Lady in Grey". Which is thought to be the ghost of a young girl who apparently starved to death in  the Augustine Steward House after it was boarded up when it became contaminated with the plague. Which was a common practice. Whenever someone in a home came down with the plague the entire house would be boarded up with all of the occupants still inside. Once everyone was dead (usually after a month) they would then go in and remove the bodies. However it is said that this young girl was some how immune to the plague, she survived the plague only to die from starvation.

Augustine Steward House

The Maids Head has also been the location of reported sighting of an elderly lady dressed in grey. Staff and guests who have witnessed her move around the hotel, often accompanied by the scent of lavender. They speculate that she was once a chambermaid employed by the hotel. The ghost of an elderly man believed to be a former Mayor has also been spotted vigorously shaking his head in the courtyard.

Ghosts and spirits are often awaken when remodeling has been done disturbing their peaceful rest. Other ghostly goings on that have been reported in the ancient Tombland district include the ghost of a strangled girl, soldiers, rebels and the sound of the hooves of Oliver Cromwell's slaughtered cavalry and many strange shadow figures.