SOME MYSTERIES.

There is a certain Feltwell lady who in her young days lived here with her grandmother and tended her to the very end with every love and care. It is now many years since the Grandmother died, but twice during those years she has appeared to her Grand-daughter and said-"Come along X-." On the second occasion she also said-"You will come next time."

In Long Lane lived Robert and Mary Cock. She was formerly Mary Jane Hudson and was the first to die. Robert was not a good husband and did not treat his wife over well. According to a tale told by their grandson, Mr. A. Cock of the Blade, when Mary Jane was dead Robert met her face to face one day in Long Lane, near the Square, and received a blow which struck him to the ground.

Henry Heading, a farmer, whose farm premises were in Long Lane, Feltwell, died over 70 years ago. Since his death he is said to have been seen at various times in Long Lane. One person who stoutly declared that she had seen him was able to give a full description of the clothes he was wearing and how they were worn. But unfortunately for the exactitude of her story she also declared that it took twelve parsons to read him down. Evidently a most robust ghost. He was the son of Henry Heading, corn-miller, who owned the two windmills on the Wilton Road; he lived in High Street, at Cambridge House, with his wife and an adopted daughter, a Miss Crow. He was a dapper little man; always nicely dressed; neat and tidy; he had hands, so I am told, which were rather remarkable for a man of his calling; they were beautifully kept, small and dainty. His sudden death came as a shock and seems to have upset everybody. A boy named Fred-, while working in one of the farm-buildings in Long Lane, heard, or thought he heard, some tins rattle. Being rather alarmed he spoke to a man known as Ike-, who also worked there. Next morning Ike hid himself up, and when the boy arrived, rattled the tins. The boy fled home panic-stricken and for hours was speechless. The following day the boy's father rose early, hid himself in the building, and when Ike arrived for work, rattled the tins. Ike turned and bolted from the place like one demented. The boy Fred-, who was scared out of his senses; and the man Ike-, who-was hoist with his own petard, are both dead.

Some 4 or it may be 5 years ago, an account was given in the Thetford and Watton Times of Mary Barley, who died at Feltwell in the year 1875 at the ago of 67 years. Few people now can remember her, but she is said to be seen at times in the Borough; though why she walks, that is if she does walk, was not explained in the account given of her. Possibly there is a hoard of money, buried or hidden somewhere, which she is unable to leave. She lived in a house in Short Beck.

If a ghost you should meet; as you walk down the Street
The Street of Short Beck as it's known.
Just hold your head high; and don’t cry Oh! My!
Or with fear you'll be chilled to the bone.

These Ghosts are so clever; they always endeavour
To frighten you out of your wits.
But the Ghost in Long Lane; you should treat with disdain,
Or you'll suffer some panicky fits.

Now, what I would teach you; and to learn I beseech you;
If a Ghost you should meet-Don't take fright.
It then cannot harm you; and need not alarm you
As politely you wish it-Good Night.

The late S. Baring-Gould, an authority on folklore, says that "the belief in ghosts is so prevalent, so widely extended, and so many more or less authentic stories of their appearances exist, that a whole book might be filled with them. What is more to the point is that though most educated individuals repudiate the notion, they nevertheless retain a sneaking conviction that there may be some truth in the many stories that they hear; and they endeavour to explain them on natural grounds."

Added August 2000 from Ed Zizulka
I was stationed at RAF Mildenhall in 70-73. One of the men in my unit was housed at RAF Feltwell and one night when he came on duty he told a fantastic story. He was not eager to tell it as he thought I'd think he was crazy. He said that although the airfield was closed to air traffic he had heard a plane land,  and taxi up near the barracks and that it kept its engines running. Suddenly some RAF personnel came into his barracks but he said they wore the flying gear of WW2. They came in, looked around and then went out as he stood there dumbfounded. He then ran outside and there was a shot up Lancaster Bomber with the crew all running about doing things to the plane. Suddenly they all climbed in and that it took off and vanished. I related this story to a local resident and he said that the Sgt had seen the Ghost Bomber.

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