31 Days of Hallowe’en Tales: Day 13 – Tales of Boggart House Farm

On Friday the 13th we release our 13th Hallowe’en Tale, and it’s one of the most gruesome yet, featuring an adulterous woman who commits a terrible act to hide her sin.

In a series of articles from The Fleetwood Chronicle noting the history of certain Fylde Farmsteads, I came across one of particular interest from 1st January 1926. This report contained some interesting information about old Boggart House Farm, near Warton.

There are a number of strange tales associated with this little thatched farm. Firstly, on stormy nights a great phantom ship could be seen surging out of spectral waves and smashing into the cottage. The ghosts of its crew were said to run about the wreck, whilst the night was filled with the sound of snapping timbers and rattling chains.

There is also a ghastly tale recounting how an adulterous woman, who once lived at the farm, roasted her illegitimate child alive in the kitchens to hide her sin from her husband. The house was said to be haunted by the dreadful screams of the child so wronged by its mother.

It was seen by visitors to the house sitting on the hearth, huge and terrifying and as dark as midnight.

Lastly, a great black hound or shuck was seen within its walls and is thought to be the very boggart from which the farm took its name. It was seen by visitors to the house sitting on the hearth, huge and terrifying and as dark as midnight. The owners of the farm did not have a dog of that description and could not explain its presence.

Boggart House was located on the road that led to the “Riverside Pub”. This probably refers to The Guides House pub which sat on the edge of the Ribble estuary. According to the Gazette: “A guide would escort parties through a ford at low tide to Hesketh Bank, near Southport. When Preston Dock developed, walls were built in the River Ribble to keep the channel clear of silt. It could no longer be forded as the cleared channel was too deep and the detour through Preston became the norm’.

Sadly, Boggart House Farm and The Guides House are no longer standing. They, along with many buildings in the area, were demolished by the RAF during World War 2 and replaced with landing strips for war planes. The land is now occupied by the BAE Systems site.

Read our previous Hallowe’en Tales

Day 1 – The Curse of Carleton Crematorium.
Day 2 – The Witch Ducking Stools of Poulton-Le-Fylde.
Day 3 – The Ghost-Seer of Weeton.
Day 4 – Smuggling, Drowned Nuns and Fallen Acrobats at Raikes Hall
Day 5 – The Hauntings at the Old Coach House
Day 6 – Old Scrat
Day 7 – A Goblin Funeral at Extwistle Hall
Day 8 – The Ghost of Lady Macbeth
Day 9 – The Mermaid & The Sea Serpent of Marton Mere
Day 10 – The Banshee of Poulton
Day 11 – The Possession of the Lancashire Seven
Day 12 – Lady Fleetwood of old Ross Hall

Zowie Swan is an author, musician, folklorist and local historian specialising in the folklore of Old Lancashire. She works as a storyteller in theatres, libraries and community heritage groups across the county, seeking out working-class voices and experiences. As the founder of Fylde Folklore Society and the host of Weird North podcast, her mission is to make folklore accessible to all. Web: www.zowieswan.com FB: www.facebook.com/share/19LE1xg7w6/ Insta: @zowieswan_author