Screaming Skulls
Many old houses in England have in their possession a human skull, of which they are superstitious and fiercely protective. Usually displayed prominently to guests, the first records of such skulls date from the eighteenth century, when the field of antiquarianism began to flourish. The houses with these unusual heirlooms usually had a fascinating story of how the skulls came to be there, the date of origin always beyond living memory. The skulls acted as a sort of talisman, and their presence in the house was linked to the resident family’s prosperity and health, and even protection from the supernatural.
Were a skull to be removed from its rightful place, however, all hell would break loose. Family members and livestock would die, crops would fail, objects would be mysteriously broken, and ear-splitting shrieks would haunt the vicinity. It seems the skulls were operating a Mafioso-style protection racket, for the misfortune and cacophony would only cease once they were put back safely into their niche or pedestal in the house. Across England, there are numerous tales of skulls being removed, the ensuing chaos, and the final resolution of the problems. The term ‘Screaming Skull‘ was coined in the nineteenth century.
Perhaps the most famous Screaming Skull of all was at Bettiscombe Manor, Dorset, the ancestral home of the Pinney family. Azaiah Pinney was said to have been sentenced to be hung, drawn, and quartered for participating in the 1685 Monmouth Rebellion (a plot to overthrow the Catholic King, James II), but escaped to the West Indies. Azaiah became a rich plantation owner on Nevis, and many years later a descendent returned to Bettiscombe with a black slave. The climate did not suit the slave, alas, and he passed away, with the dying wish that he be buried back on Nevis.
The slave gave the warning that if his request were defied, the house would know no peace. It was ignored anyway, and he was buried at the local church. Bettiscombe was instantly cursed with terrible luck, ghostly screams, and nocturnal crashes. Fearing the dead man’s curse, the Pinneys removed the skull from the body to the Manor, and peace was restored. They secreted the skull in a niche up the chimney breast, lest it be stolen by a burglar with an eye for a curio. It is also said that anyone who steals it will be dead within a year.
The story of the Screaming Skull was first investigated by J.S. Udal, a Dorset antiquarian. After examining the skull in the 1880s, he believed it to have belonged to a female, a hypothesis corroborated by other local stories that it was the relic of an anonymous woman murdered in the Manor’s attic. The true provenance of the skull may never be determined, but the more elaborate story offers a fascinating mixture of national history, family folklore, and superstition. The mysterious skull is still in residence at Bettiscombe Manor, and hence has not been heard screaming for many years.