Wyrd Wessex

In 1835, a hardworking Quaker named Joseph Proctor moved his family into a three-storey powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. It should have been a crowning achievement for a man of "the plain truth," but the ground itself had other plans. For eleven years, the Proctor family lived in a state of siege, trapped in a house that could throw its own voice, walk through nailed-shut doors, and watch the children through "eyeholes" that held no eyes.

In this episode, the Wyrdos dig through the private, redacted journals of a man who tried to manage a supernatural catastrophe with a pen and ink. We aren't just looking at bumps in the night; we’re investigating how industrial progress collided with a "Wyrd" legacy that the locals had whispered about for centuries. From the "Willington Witch" to the physical displacement of furniture in a locked house, we explore the heavy price of living over a witch's hearth.

Finally, we navigate the fallout of Britain’s most detailed industrial haunting. We look at the disastrous 1840 investigation of Dr Edward Drury, the "mimic" that stole the family’s own voices, and the chilling final night where the ghosts seemingly helped the Proctors pack their bags to leave.

In this episode:
The Plain Truth: We explore Joseph Proctor’s obsessive diary and why he felt the need to heavily redact his own experiences for forty years.
Industrial Infrasound: Craig attempts to "debunk" the haunting with a theory about railway vibrations that hits a very spooky brick wall.
The Eyeless Lady: The terrifying account of the nursemaid and the children who encountered a transparent visitor who "looked so hard" at them.
Drury’s Folly: Why a skeptical doctor brought a brace of pistols to a ghost hunt and left the Mill a broken, trembling man.
The Monkey in the Blue-Room: We break down the bizarre physical encounters with "funny cats" and a vanishing monkey that tickled the children’s feet.
The Final Move: The cinematic and cruel "spiritualistic repetition" of the family's final night and the rumors that the haunting followed them to North Shields.

It turns out the "Wicked Spirit" didn't want the Mill—it wanted the people inside it.

Stay Wyrd.

Help keep the lights on and join our Discord here: buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Buy our merch here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Written by: Craig Brooks Hosted by: Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens Edited by: Craig Brooks

Intro music: Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix Outro music: Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this solo episode, Craig recovers from a 3:30 AM start to bring you the sights and sounds of Beltane at the top of the Cerne Abbas Giant. From the "Need-fire" rituals of the ancient world to the modern-day clatter of the Wessex Morris Men, we explore why this Dorset hillside remains the heartbeat of May Day in the West.

We dig into the latest National Trust research that has redefined the Giant as a Saxon titan, discuss the Victorian "modifications" to his 11-metre phallus, and look at the folklore of the "Silver Well" at the bottom of the hill.

Finally, Craig recounts a face-to-face encounter with the Dorset Ooser—a terrifying, sightless mask with a soul-penetrating stare that even the local dogs couldn't handle. We look into the mystery of the original mask’s disappearance in 1897 and why this "horned bogeyman" still haunts the fabric of Wessex.

Stay Wyrd

Help keep the lights on and join our Discord here: buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Buy our merch here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Written and hosted by Craig Brooks
Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix
Outro music by Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"That promise of wealth that just kind of vanishes whenever the fair folk are involved."

Welcome back to WyrdLore, our bonus show dedicated to the strange tales and local legends that are just too "Wyrd" for the main show. In this session, Craig and Andy navigate the treacherous waters of British folklore, from the rugged cliffs of Cornwall to the silted ditches of Suffolk.

We’re diving into Four Folklore stories that explore what happens when "the good neighbours" stop being neighbourly. We track the research of Robert Hunt, dive into 13th-century chronicles, and discuss the eerie evolution of spirits from protectors to child-snatching monsters.

In this WyrdLore session:

The Kidnapped Pixie of Zenna: A gritty Cornish brush with the little people. We discuss why testing the Fae is a recipe for a beating and the "recurring theme" of vanishing wealth.

The Silent Guest of Orford: A 13th-century cryptid? We look at Ralph of Coggeshall’s account of a "Wild Man of the Sea" caught in a net who refused to speak—or eat.

The Hailing of the Dead: That eerie, "Mist-like" feeling of zombie sailors descending on a town and the silhouettes that disappear into the surf.

Peg O'Nell and the River Hags: From the Tiddy Munn to the child-snatching Jennies. We discuss the dark evolution of water spirits and the possible link between Suffolk's "Grindels" and Grendel himself.

Help keep the lights on and join our Discord here: buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Buy our merch here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks

Main theme: NRA-LAB Intro

Don't open the WyrdLore!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you pit the high-octane, animistic folklore of the Scottish Highlands against the traditions of the English countryside? This week, Wyrd Wessex hosts Andy and Craig welcome back the legendary storyteller and author Eileen Budd for a cross-border "Céilidh" of the weird.

In this episode, we explore the "Three Realms" of the Scottish unseen and discover that while our names for the monsters might differ, the ancient roots are often one and the same. We dive into the shadowy edges of the river where cannibalistic mermaids lurk, the evolution of dragons from snakes, and the terrifying reasons you should never—under any circumstances—tell a Boggart that you’re moving house.

Highlights of the Episode:

The Three Realms: Eileen breaks down the Scottish architecture of the Sky, Sea, and Earth—and why the Aurora Borealis might actually be a group of spirits who fell out of the sky and turned into seals.

The Grant vs. The Kelpie: Craig defends the English waterways with the Grant—a yearling colt that walks on its hind legs with glowing eyes—to counter the protective (and predatory) water-horses of the North.

The "Predator" Dragon: Andy explores the Lambton Worm and a local Hertfordshire dragon that lived in the roots of an ancient Yew tree, while Eileen explains why Scottish snakes are really just "dragons in training."

The Luck of Edenhall: Andy tells the medieval tale of the stolen fairy glass of the Musgrave family and the 700-year-old curse that warns of the family's downfall should the glass ever break.

The Kellas Cat: Eileen shares a first-hand report of a real-life cryptid sighting from January—a hybrid beast the size of a Labrador staring back from the headlights.

Find out more about Eileen Budd, her books, and her seasonal folklore series:
https://www.eileenbudd.co.uk

Stay Wyrd!

Help keep the show alive:buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex
www.wyrdwessex.co.uk

Buy our merch here

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix
Outro music by Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a dark stretch of the I-77 in 1966, a hardworking salesman named Woodrow "Woody" Derenberger was pulled over by a craft that looked like a "charcoal burner" and a man with an impossible, unblinking grin. That man called himself Indrid Cold, and while the world eventually turned him into a sinister "Grinning Man" urban legend, the reality for the Derenberger family was a decade-long descent into social and financial ruin.

In this episode, the Wyrdos dig through the wreckage left behind by the man from Lanulos. We aren't just looking at the lights in the sky; we’re investigating how a genuinely unsettling brush with "High Strangeness" was reshaped by predatory 1970s publishers into a generic "Space Gospel." From the suspicious ghostwriting of Visitors from Lanulos to the devastating domestic fallout that hounded Woody’s children for fifty years, we explore the high price of being "chosen" by the phenomenon.

Finally, we navigate the bizarre later years of the mythos, where the story takes a turn for the truly surreal. We look at the mysterious links to the Pentagon’s "Valiant Thor," the presence of Men in Black with "neuralizers" at the front door, and a modern twist: an interstellar death announcement made via a Facebook notification.

In this episode:

The Naked Truth: Craig shares a personal (and far too revealing) story from his days in Swindon that gives "creepers at the window" a whole new meaning.

The Ghost in the Machine: We examine the 1971 first edition of Visitors from Lanulos and how ghostwriters potentially stripped the truth to sell a "pulpy" sci-fi narrative.

The Price of Contact: Why Woody is the ultimate counter-argument to the "he did it for fame" trope—and how his career and marriage tanked after speaking out.

The Interstellar Roll Call: We break down the absurdity of the alien names—from "Kimmulus" and "Mystique" to the strangely mundane "Tony and Daryl."

The Star Wars Ending: The claims that Indrid Cold and his sons attended Woody’s funeral in person to say a final goodbye to the salesman who told their story.

The Facebook Obituary: A look at Tanya Derenberger’s final accounts, featuring alien dogfights, "Hat Man" sightings, and social media obituaries.

It turns out the "Grinning Man" never really left—he just traded his shimmering green suit for a Facebook profile.

Stay Wyrd

Help keep the lights on and join our Discord here: buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Buy our merch here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix
Outro music by Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.