England's most haunted village locals fear the 'Hanging Schoolmaster' and 'Screaming Man' ghosts

A university academic has uncovered the origins behind the mysterious reputation of what is often called. Pluckley, Kent, is said to be home to over a dozen ghosts, and for more than 70 years, it has held the title of England's spookiest village.

Dr. Simon Moreton, an associate professor of creative economies at UWE Bristol, was determined to uncover how Pluckley gained such notoriety. and the Screaming Man of the Clay Pit are said to haunt the village.

Through extensive archival research, including a deep dive into newspapers, birth and death records, marriage certificates, and parish documents, Dr. Moreton has traced the origins of the village’s ghostly folklore.

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"I've been captivated by Pluckley's ghost stories since my childhood," Dr. Moreton explained. "My late father's ancestors came from the village, so this research has been both personal and professional for me. Along the way, I even discovered that one of the ghosts is a distant relative—Sarah Sharp, the Watercress Lady."

Pluckley, located on the northern edge of the Weald between Maidstone and Ashford, was an Anglo-Saxon settlement and is home to several historic buildings, including a 14th-century church. The village gained wider fame in the 1990s when it served as the setting for the TV adaptation of HE Bates’s novel The Darling Buds of May, starring and Pam Ferris.

While the village is rumoured to be home to anywhere from 10 to 17 ghosts, its claim to being the most haunted was first made in 1950 and later bolstered by a mention in the 1989 Guinness Book of World Records.

"Storytelling is a fundamental human activity, and whether or not you believe in ghosts, Pluckley’s reputation shows just how fascinated we are by tales with a spooky twist," Dr. Moreton said.

"What’s exciting about this research is how one individual, passionate about ghost stories, managed to shape the identity of an entire village through his storytelling."

Dr. Moreton’s findings show that 10 of Pluckley’s ghost stories were initially recorded by local man Frederick Sanders. Sanders, an avid ghost hunter, documented these tales in self-published books, letters to the local press, and ghost hunts. At least four of these ghost stories can be traced to real historical events.

Sarah Sharp, who tragically died in a fire in August 1911, became known as the Watercress Woman. Mary Ann Bennett, who took her own life in 1862, became the Lady of Rose Court. Richard Bridgland, who died in an accident at the Pluckley Brick and Tile Works quarry in 1899, is remembered as the Screaming Man of the Clay Pit. Finally, Henry Edgar Martin, a papermaker who took his own life in August 1919, became known as the Hanging Schoolmaster.

"The way these stories are told and retold reveals a lot about how we use the past to understand our present," Dr. Moreton said. "Local rumors take on a life of their own, personal tragedies turn into sensational gossip, and sometimes, social prejudices cloud the real lives of the people behind these stories. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that real people and real places are behind these tales, and they deserve our respect."

Dr. Moreton's paper, Frederick Sanders and the Origins of the Most Haunted Village in England, is published in the journal Folklore.

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