This is the second Tales Of The Weird book that draws its material from Cornwall. Passey, whilst researching the first book, Cornish Horrors: Tales from the Land’s End, found loads of different stories set in the county. There were too many for that first volume, hence this second bite of the poisoned cherry…
The Spectre Ship Of Porthcurno – Robert Hunt
A very brief story of a ghost ship that would sail up the beach, across the land, and then disappear. It is linked to a man who lived in Chygwiden and who was rumoured to be a pirate or buccaneer. He loved to go to sea in the most stormy weather and always seemed to survive.
The Wrecker And The Deathship – William Bottrell
A man appeared in a village from places unknown. He was wealthy enough to live by independent means and soon married a widow. There were a suspicious number of boats wrecked on the rocks beneath his house. This would come back to haunt him in his dying days…
The Toll Of Charon – Richard Dowling
A melancholic and grim tale about a girl who is left alone in Cornwall after her father passes away. They were not from the area originally, so she had no family or other support network.
She decides that her only option is to follow her dream of selling songs and music, so heads off to London to seek her fortune…
The Ghost Of The Treasure Chamber – Emily Arnold
I liked this story about a girl who is sent from India to Cornwall to live with relatives to help with her health. On the boat over she meets a clairvoyant and is persuaded to have a session with her. She sees a man in armour in her vision and it scares and unnerves her slightly.
She settles in with her family in their house, but soon learns that they will have to leave in the coming months to service debts, unless the family legend is true…
Dr Wygram’s Son – G. M. McCrie
A very strange tale about a doctor’s son who is laid low with an illness. His father decides to treat him with a most unusual type of cure. The narrator of the story has promised in the past to be of assistance and hurries to the house in Cornwall to fulfil that.
The Man Who Coined His Blood Into Gold – J. H. Pearce
A moral tale of greed and a reminder of why you shouldn’t trust the little folk in everything that they promise. The story is set in that most Cornish of places, a mine. (No not a pasty shop).
A Pair Of Hands – Arthur Quiller Couch
A tale of a house and a maid, oh and a ghost. It is only a little ghost, who is hardly any trouble at all and had a rather sweet nature.
Aunt Joanna – Sabine Baring-Gould
An elderly, deeply religious and quite crotchety lady is neighbours to a couple. She passes away one night and they take on the responsibility of making arrangements for her funeral. Whilst sorting things out they make a discovery that surprises them. After she is interred, they are haunted by her ghost as she searches their house for what was once hers…
Father Brent’s Tale – R. H. Benson
A disturbance on the river sounds like a large ship passing. He can see where the bow wave has washed but there is nothing to see at all. What ever it was that passed by though has severely disturbed the boy in the house…
The Ghost of Carnaquilla – Elliott O’Donnell
This story reminded me of one of my favourite childhood stories, Stig Of The Dump. I liked it, but I didn’t find it very chilling or ghostly.
The Misanthrope – J. D. Beresford
A weird tale about a man who had chosen to isolate himself from humanity. He has a skill that means when he looks at people in a particular way, he sees their true character. Quite cleverly written.
Negotium Perambulans – E. F. Benson
A man who is living in a rebuilt church is found dead in that building one day. But how he is found and what is seen sends terror throughout the locals, who decide never to go near the place again.
Then, a Mr Dooliss comes and decides to rebuild the church, but is very reluctant to welcome visitors. Know one knows if the thing that is seen before will return…
The Iron Pineapple – Eden Phillpotts
This is a very odd story about a man who is driven by his obsessions, and that leads to a series of events…
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