Seend - A Ghosty Funeral Cortege

The village of Seend is situated on the A361 between Devizes and Trowbridge.

I would venture this pretty little village could be forgiven if it were to described itself as opulent; grandiose and maybe just a little ostentatious in its unabashed display of its lavish 18th century manor houses, many of which are enclosed by towering wall gardens and infinite driveways. These beautiful buildings line the High Street, which is a busy route for the A361. It maybe as a result of Seend's busy thoroughfare, that the village’s oldest haunting may have been compromised; disrupted or interfered with in someway.

Just off the High Street is a lane, some 200 yards long, that leads down to the 15th century (although it has Norman foundations) church of the Holy Cross. It is at a pair of arched, rustic iron church gates, that a spectral funeral cortege, comprising of several individuals, ends its solemn march.

Earlier accounts by villagers tell of having seen the ghostly procession cross the A361 from the village and disappear into the lane. It maybe possible, as mentioned earlier, that the constant traffic flow has somehow interfered with the ghostly “recording,” and the “crossing” of the A361 is no longer in evidence. However, the final part of the haunting from the lane to the church gates, is still witnessed to this day.

Descriptions have varied little over the years. Commonly; the party is described as consisting of several hazy, ethereal like individuals, dressed in what is believed to be the style of the 18th century.

One such account took place in 2006 when an elderly couple were leaving the church one summers evening after tending a relatives grave. As they left through the church gates and started back up the lane, they noticed several people walking slowly towards them. Well aware of the tales surrounding the lane, they stood 'transfixed' as the procession silently approached them diminishing with every step, until nothing was left but an empty lane.

The lane leading down to the church is flanked by high brick walls which conceal the manor houses beyond. The lane itself has a certain seclusion about it; a lonely spot away from the main road, cut-off from the thunder of the traffic. A place I would advocate, may quite easily harbour a haunting or two.