Folk beliefs and legends of Bay Roberts and area.

              Edited by Lisa Wilson
Illustrations by Graham Blair
FOLK BELIEF & LEGENDS
Edited by Lisa Wilson
Foreword by Dale Jarvis
Illustrations by Graham Blair
In cooperation with the
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
and the Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation Inc.
St. John’s, Newfoundland, 2014
OF BAY ROBERTS & AREA
My late father-in-law, George Jones, was born in Riverhead,
Brigus, but his grandfather was one of the Littlejohns of Coley’s
Point. As a boy, George would walk from Brigus to Coley’s Point to visit
his grandparents. His pop would fill his head with ghost stories, in
preparation for the long walk back to Brigus in the dark.
“There is a ghostly funeral there, every morning at 4 am,”
George would tell me, every time we drove from Clarke’s Beach down
to Bay Roberts, pointing at the cemetery at the top of the hill between
North River and Bay Roberts. “My grandfather told me that.” And now,
every time I drive past that graveyard, even in the safety of daylight, I
remember that story, and his retelling of it. I don’t know if he believed
it, but it was a story that had lingered in his memory for all those years,
and which now will linger in mine.
The Bay Roberts area is rich in folklore, legends, traditional
cures, fairy stories and folk beliefs. While electric streetlights and fast-moving
cars may mean that the spirits haunting old cemeteries are less
FOREWORD
likely to be seen these days, the old stories still exist. But like phantoms,
stories are ethereal, intangible things. They can easily slip from sight,
and from memory. They need to be coaxed forth, and shared and retold
if they are to continue from one generation to the next.
This process of sharing stories and traditional knowledge is
what folklorists like myself call “transmission” and it is a process that is
an important part of the work of the Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation
Inc., and the Intangible Cultural Heritage office of the Heritage Foun-dation
of Newfoundland and Labrador. Together, our two organizations
have been working on documenting the folk beliefs and legends of the
area in the hope that this knowledge will be transmitted onward, to the
next generation of tradition bearers.
The stories in this collection come from a couple of different
sources. Many were contributed by the students of Mrs. Kimberley
Welsh at Ascension Collegiate in Bay Roberts. Folklorist Lisa Wilson
and myself visited the school, talking about local folklore and super-natural
belief. We talked with the students about doing primary folklore
research. To help them out, we developed a one-page questionnaire, for
them to take home and use while interviewing parents, family members,
friends, or neighbours. They came back to us laden down with stories,
many of which are presented in this booklet. The other stories here were
taken from a series of oral histories conducted by Lisa Wilson, largely
with seniors from the Bay Roberts area.
We are certain that this collection represents only a small part
of the oral traditions of the region, and that there are many more stories
out there waiting to be told. We’ve included the questionnaire at the end
of the book, hoping that you will go out, ask some questions, and tell
some stories of your own.
Happy hunting and sharing!
DALE JARVIS
Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
“My pop had a friend who was believed to be the seventh
son of the seventh son. It was believed that he had
healing powers for almost anything.”
— Eve Williamson, Bareneed
During the 12 days of Christmas Betty Jerrett’s grandmother used
to visit 12 friends, in 12 different households, to collect 12 pieces
of Christmas cake. This was done to ensure that she had good luck
throughout the 12 months of the year. Traditions such as these, based
on superstitious belief, often helped to shape certain behaviors in outport
BELIEFS
communities. While superstitions are less common now, some people
still do their best to avoid bad luck. Here are some other examples of
superstitious belief provided by residents of the region.
. . . . .
“Exit through the same door you entered from on Fridays, or bad luck
ensues.”
— Olivia Bradbury, Bryant’s Cove
. . . . .
“The seventh son of the seventh son could cure and kill things.”
— Cassidy Mercer, Spaniard’s Bay
. . . . .
“Before someone’s death or a bad happening (mostly leading to death),
Nan says she can see a face on the tree. Within a span of three to four
days, they will be dead or critically ill.”
— Cassidy Mercer, Spaniard’s Bay
. . . . .
“Cross your socks when you take them off before bed to prevent bad
dreams.”
— Olivia Bradbury, Bryant’s Cove
BELIEFS | 07
“You didn’t like a black cat crossing in front of you. And the crows, even
now, if we’re driving we’ll cross out the crows. Just your finger like this
and cross the air. I’ll say lots of times when we’re out I’ll say, “They’ll
think we’re nuts, b’y”.”
— Gerald French, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“I’ve been crossing out single flying crows that cross my path for over
40 years, whether driving in my town or on the TCH. Here’s the rhyme
that goes with it: “One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a kiss, four for a
boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a story that’s never been told.”
My cousin who lives in South River told me that when I was about five
years old, and warned me to cross out all the single crows because they
brought bad luck (sorrow), but anything more than that is okay.”
— Paula Roberts, Clarenville
. . . . .
“My nan and pop are visiting from the South West Coast (Port-Aux-
Basque) and I asked them about some of the superstitions that were
popular when they were younger. Nan told me that when she was little,
if there was thunder and lightning, my great nan would cover the mirrors
with towels or blankets and open the windows. The reason for doing this
was to keep the lightning from reflecting off the mirrors and possibly
catching something on fire. The windows were left open so that if the
lightning did come in, it had a way to escape. My nan told me they were
the first house in their community to have a phone. Nan remembers
lightning coming in through the window and hitting the phone. It really
blew the phone to the opposite side of the house. Nan couldn’t believe
that the phone was literally pulled off the wall and thrown to the other
end of the house. The covering of the mirrors and opening windows is
no longer done during thunder and lightning storms. It got lost through
generations.”
— Charlie Spicer, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“My sister, she was born on Friday the 13th, she’s very superstitious
about the 13th if it came on a Friday. It was always supposed to be an
unlucky day.”
— Eliza French, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“Weather lights, only what we call galls, like a short rainbow, that’s
against a certain weather. They only come up so far. Wind galls they
calls them. With all the wind we’re having there must be some of them
around now. Always weather signs, oh yes. The weather signs, that’s
what they went by. They didn’t have... only a weather glass and a lot of
people didn’t have that. That’s how they sailed to the Labrador. Just by
their knowledge. They never went to any navigation school, and some of
them couldn’t sign their own name. They didn’t have the opportunity.”
— Greta Hussey, Port de Grave
. . . . .
“The weather lights used to be seen when people were out getting
caplin early in the morning or late in the night. The light would come
down over the Port-de-Grave hills and disappear in the water.”
— Sarah Barrett, Coley’s Point
“I heard that if you had a sty on your eye you take a gold
ring and cross your eye, it would go away.”
— Brittany Roberts, Brigus
Old time remedies and cures have been handed down through
the generations to tell us how to ease the pain and discomfort of
certain illnesses. Whether it’s a cure based on superstitious belief or
an herbal remedy from local plants, these traditional practices can
inform us about some of the ways that people coped in times when
CURES & REMEDIES
health care was scarce due to isolation. During a visit with Greta
Hussey of Port de Grave, she remembered a number of remedies that
her family would use when she was a child. Dockwood for instance,
can be used to treat the burns from a run-in with stinging nettle. “You
just rub dockwood leaves together to create a juice,” she explained,
“and then rub the juice on the burn.” And that is just one of many that
she had to share...
. . . . .
“Oh sure, that’s all we used at one time. You had to pay a doctor and
nobody had any money. For instance, I’ll give you a demonstration, see
that scar there? I scalded that by reaching over one pot into another
one, and now, there used to be water running out of that. In the night, I
got a raw potato, this is what an old gentleman in Hibb’s Cove told me,
and put on it. Draws the fire out and it looks like it’s doing a fine job.
That’s one remedy we used, and Maxine my daughter, she scalded her
leg. Now, I grated the potato on that, put a patch over it. Never had a
problem afterwards with it.”
— Greta Hussey, Port de Grave
. . . . .
“There was hardly a day while I was going to school where I didn’t have
a nosebleed. I don’t know why it was. There was an old lady said to me,
she said “Gus, if you can get a girl to give you a piece of green ribbon to
put around your neck,” she said, “your nose bleeds will be over.” I said,
“How come?” She said “I can’t tell you how come but I’m telling you
what to do to stop it. Anyway, I said to this girl about what the old lady
told me, and she gave me the piece of green ribbon and tied a knot to it
around my neck and I never had a nosebleed after.”
— Gus Menchions, Spaniard’s Bay
CURES AND REMEDIES | 11
“I have picked to do my write-up on special charms, superstitions
and remedies that are used in my community, Coley’s Point. I have
known a few of them, but I went to my grandparents to see if they
knew any more, and they knew a lot of them. They said that there are
several people in the community who can charm warts away. There is
another story that says that if you put milk on a wart and let a black
dog lick it off, it would take away the wart. Some people can charm
toothaches by writing something on a piece of paper and then they
would tell you not to look at it and the toothache would get better.
Also a remedy for curing hiccups is to hold your breath and take ten
sips of water or if someone frightens you they will go away. Wear
white socks to bed to cure cramps in your legs. For cuts you could
take some turpentine off a tree and wrap it up around the cut or they
would cut off a piece of chewing tobacco and wrap that around the
cut. My grandparents Gertie and Clayton Russell helped me with
this project. They were both born in Coley’s Point and still live there
today.”
— Sarah Barrett, Coley’s Point
. . . . .
“Oh yes, that’s all they used back in them days. Goose grease and
camphorated oil when you get a cold on your chest. You’d be greasy for
a month. You cook a goose anytime for the winter, and you save the fat
from it, and render it out. Then they used to put the camphorated oil
with it and I’m telling you, you didn’t have a cold too long. You weren’t
tight on your chest too long when that started to work.”
— Alice Mercer, Clarke’s Beach
“Mix Buckley’s and kerosene oil, drink, and it’s supposed to clear
lungs. Rub goose grease on your chest for a cold. Bread poultice is for an
infection.” — Olivia Bradbury, Bryant’s Cove
. . . . .
“If you had a pimple or wart or an infection you’d put a poultice on it
and it would clear the infection. Poultice: a piece of bread boiled and
warmed and wrapped in gauze.”
— Brandon Cross, Shearstown
. . . . .
“If you had an infection on your skin you would mix bread, salt and hot
water. It’s called a poultice. Wrap it around the infection and it would
dry the infection out.” — Brittany Corbett, Clarke’s Beach
. . . . .
“Years ago people would make bread poultice (bread and milk) to heal
boils and skin infections. It would help pull toxins from the skin.”
— Jordan Coombs, Bryant’s Cove
. . . . .
“Stinging nettle soup or tea can be used as a blood cleaner.”
— Rex Hussey, Port de Grave
CURES AND REMEDIES | 13
“Pop got a hook in the arm, it got infected. Pop’s father took him to
a little community in Labrador. The doctor said he will probably need
his arm amputated. Went back to where they were fishing, put a bread
poultice on his cut, and put maggots on arm. When took off maggots, had
all the infection gone and he was fine.”
— Cassidy Mercer, Spaniard’s Bay
. . . . .
“Simple things for the ordinary boils. Fishermen had sores called pups
on their wrists with the chafing with the oil clothes and we used to make
various poultices: flour and molasses, and one thing and another, and
put on it. But we found an instant cure for it: they used to get Sloan’s
Liniment then. You can’t buy it now, I suppose you might in the States.
Open the pustule, put it on, and no more pups, thank god. Pups they
were called, water whelps. Some called them water whelps, but they
were boils on the wrists. Home remedies, and I’ve seen them using...
everybody smoked then, they smoked leaf tobacco, you know, the plugs
of tobacco and I’ve seen them peel off the outer skin to stop the blood,
on their hands.”
— Greta Hussey, Port de Grave
. . . . .
“Ginger, it’s a remedy for pain. You have a toothache, so you take a
little bit of gauze, and you put a little bit of ginger, fold it over, and just
lay it on your gum and the pain will go.”
— Audrey Sparkes, Bay Roberts
“I haven’t used ginger for ages. My grandmother used to take it, prob-ably
about that long, fold in gauze, make sure you wet it. Don’t put it in
your mouth dry. You’ve got to mix it. You put it in a cloth with a couple
stitches in to make a little bag, about that long probably, and put it on
your gum. Debbie come out here two or three years ago, and she had a
toothache and I said, “I’ll do something Grandmother did 40 years ago.”
I made one, put it on, and next thing she was here asleep.”
— Wilbur Sparkes, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“Wilbur’s father had very bad arthritis, and his vein used to knot in his
arm and then would be useless. So anyways, this night he was stoking
up the stove because we had a coal stove and he said, “Everybody go to
bed now. I’m not going to bed because my arm is paining.” So we made
this big poultice, put it on. We got a big scarf, put it on, strapped it to
his body. “Now Dad,” we said, “go to bed.” So he went to bed and went to
sleep, when he woke up in the morning, the pain was gone. His arm was
a bit stiff but as the day went on his arm, you know, the motion came
back in his arm.”
— Audrey Sparkes, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“We also used to use the soft bread poultices. Just soak a piece of bread
and put it in... with a bit of sugar on it. We used to use that you know,
years ago. That would draw it out. They knew a lot of stuff years ago.
My grandfather and them knew, they knew. Juniper for instance, not
juniper the big trees, but the low-lying juniper with the blue-looking
berries. When you’re picking for blueberries, watch yourself. Well every
year he’d go down and pick so much of that. And when the cows would
calf, that’s what he’d give them. Boil that up, some of that, and that was
CURES AND REMEDIES | 15
a present cure. Juniper. But all that stuff, I don’t know. I often wonder
what juniper would do. ... They had their own beliefs, they believed that
this was good, and that was good. I’m not an expert on it, but I know my
grandmother, ginger and stuff like that, she was right in the middle of
it.”
— Wilbur Sparkes, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“They’d rub in mustard. You’d rub your throat with it if you had a bad
cold. Some would make mustard plasters but you had to be careful with
them and I didn’t know too much about them. I know my sister used to
use them.”
— Greta Hussey, Port de Grave
. . . . .
“Placing advil in your sock can cure headaches.”
— Quintin Parsons, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“I remembers my grandmother and my grandfather French. They were
Frenchs, and I remembers mom telling one time, she had the mumps
and her throat, she couldn’t swallow. Anyway, doctor came over and
that’s what he told her. I remembers Mom telling me how this old lady
came in and lived just out the road from them and she said, “Nate, go
out and get a bucket of small potatoes.” And Mom said, “I had no idea. I
was about 11 or 12 and I had no idea what they were going to do.” But
they boiled them and she said they made what they called a plaster, a
poultice, and put it around her neck. In this day and age you don’t hear
tell of mumps, I had them one time. And when they wouldn’t use that,
they’d put slices of fat pork. They’d boil it in hot water, sprinkle pepper
over it and put this up around your throat. This was supposed to keep
the glands softened. Whether it done any good, or whether it did, I don’t
know.” — Olive Strickland, Spaniard’s Bay
. . . . .
“Now, on times, I think I must have been born like it. Anyhow, I got
a cold. I wasn’t very old. I must have been a year old, and my grand-mother,
my dad’s mother was living with us at that time. She said to my
mother, “Elsie, she’s going to die anyhow, she’s going to choke with that
cold on her chest she’s got. So,” she said, “can I try an old time remedy?”
And Mother said, “I don’t care what you try as long as you save her.”
So she mixed up molasses and a little tiny drop of kerosene oil from the
lamp, because in them days they used lamps to light the houses. Just
a drop or two in the drop of molasses. Boiled it, and when it cooled,
gave me a taste. And Mom said I was no time and that got down in my
stomach. When I coughed, and believe you me, she says I coughed up a
load. So yes, lots of old time remedies.”
— Alice Mercer, Clarke’s Beach
Cures For Warts
“There was an old woman in Island Cove who took away warts by say-ing
words.” — Morgan Hayes, Ascension Collegiate
CURES AND REMEDIES | 17
“Cut a potato in half. Bury one half and forget about it. The wart goes
away.”
— Olivia Bradbury, Bryant’s Cove
. . . . .
“There was an old lady in the community that would ‘charm’ away
warts. She never did tell anybody how she did it, and the people she
done it for didn’t tell anyone either.”
— Ryan Adams, Upper Island Cove
. . . . .
“Rub a potato peel over your wart, put it in a paper bag, then throw it
away. The wart will disappear.”
— Josh Russell, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“My nan had a friend who she would call and ask to make her daugh-ter’s
warts go away and the next day they would be gone. Therefore my
nan thought she was a witch.”
— Josh Russell, Bay Roberts
“There is a very very old lady who once lived in Island Cove and people
believed that she could cure diseases and could ward off evil spirits. She
could also remove warts from people’s hands and cure toothaches. For
these reasons she was considered to be a witch.”
— Jesse Rideout, Upper Island Cove
. . . . .
“The old lady that lived in our community used charms to remove
warts. She put chalk markings on the back of the stove and she said as
the marks go away, so will the warts.”
— Jesse Rideout, Upper Island Cove
. . . . .
“Go to a grave of a family member who had most recently died. For
however many warts you have, pick up a rock for each wart. Put the
rocks in a paper bag and then throw the bag away. Your warts will then
disappear.” — Shelby Batten, Bareneed
. . . . .
“Throwing salt over your shoulder to get rid of warts.”
— Selina Seymour, Bareneed
“This ship, on a foggy night, can be seen out in the bay
with people jumping overboard.”
— Alicia Linthorne, Upper Island Cove
The Badcocks of the east end of Bay Roberts were one of the first
families in their community to have electricity. Around this time,
most households were still using lamps to light up their kitchens. Many
residents of the community can still recall when friends and family
would crowd together by the lamplight to tell stores into the night... and
some of these stories were ghost stories. Tales of ghost ships sailing past,
abandoned houses with shutters flapping in the night, and women in
white roaming on the cliffs, searching for something they’ll never find.
Some of these stories seem to be supernatural in nature, while others
Ghostly Stories
could be explained away as a trick of the light. As Wilbur Sparkes said,
“You have to remember, there was no light in Bay Roberts then.” He
then went on to repeat something he once heard: “A man told me this,
he said: I’ll tell you about the ghosts. All the ghosts left when the electric
lights came. Now there’s a bit of psychology.” But as you will see from the
stories here, not everyone would agree that all the ghosts left when the
streetlights arrived.
. . . . .
“It was in June and this old man died up here in Mosdell’s Lane and my
grandfather, they were fishing, so my grandfather come up to the wake.
Well you know where Mosdell’s Lane is here, just below the church,
handy to the church. So at about 2 o’clock in the morning, they were
going fishing, so he had to go home. He left there at 2 o’clock, right here
at Mosdell’s Lane, and he walked down the front road. When he get half-way
down the front road, it was a beautiful night, moon shining, he said
you could read a book. When he got on top of Aunt Jane Churchill’s hill,
we used to call it, the house was up in the garden. That was an expensive
house at one time. We used to play hide and seek around there when we
were going to school, get down there, throwing rocks, we’d be hiding
away from the rocks. But anyway, when he got on top of the hill, when
he looked down, right down at the bottom of the hill, there was this
white thing, and he stopped. And he said, “Now, that’s the Devil,” he
said, “trying to tempt me. But,” he said, “I’m going on.” Anyway, he come
on down and when he got there this thing was standing on the bank,
looking out at the water. When he got up to it he said “Goodnight.” No
answer. So he went back by about 10 feet. “Well,” he said “I’m not going
home till I find out what it is.” And when he went back, this was Aunt
Jane Churchill, out in her night clothes. Not one thing on, only white.
White nightdress, white shawl on her head. Imagine. That was the idea
of some of the ghosts that they saw. He always used to tell that.”
— Wilbur Sparkes, Bay Roberts
GHOSTLY STORIES | 21
“My mother was telling me one time that they were at a dance in
Spaniard’s Bay. There was a girl at the dance who apparently wasn’t
all that attractive to males, and she mentions, she says, “I would dance
with the devil himself tonight, if he was here.” A few minutes later, this
guy came along and asked her for a dance. And when they were dancing
the waltz she looked down and he had hooves.”
— Mike Flynn, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“Now, I don’t know too much about her, but she was the mail boat
going from Holyrood to Bell Island and she caught on fire and burned
but they got her in one of the beaches on Kelly’s Island near the cross...
you know there’s big Bell Island, little Bell Island, and Kelly’s Island.
Kelly’s Island is the farthest one up. That’s why she was bringing the
mail down, because people lived there. There’s a woman in Hibb’s Cove
taught school on that island one time, they tell me. And the boat, she
caught fire and afterwards they would see her ghost coming down the
bay. It was common knowledge for people. My father was out and he
looked and says, “Oh, there’s the Blue Jacket coming,” and he’d swear
she’d cut him down before they got to where she was going down. Now
you don’t know what lights in the bay, really, but there was a girl
married just down next door to us, and the Blue Jacket was seen that
night. Because you could see it from our door in Hibb’s Cove. Since then
I’ve often wondered about, there’s woman called out, probably eight or
ten years ago, and she said, “There’s a boat and fire out in the bay!” They
searched and couldn’t see a thing. We hadn’t known about the other one
that could’ve been because of course there would have been a search and
rescue out. They did go out I think, but there was nothing to be seen
and nobody reported. So who knows, that you can only surmise. But the
other with my father...?”
— Greta Hussey, Port de Grave
“They said another night, there was a man going in through Barnes
Road and it was that dark he said, “I wish Jack o’ Lantern would come
and light for me!” And you know, this big light come and he got such a
fright.”
— Gerald French, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“This story is called Ghost of the Church Hall Basement and it was
told to me by my father Wade Bradbury, who is 45 years old. It was
about 10 years ago. Two workers were seeing to repairs in the church
hall basement in Bryant’s Cove. After several hours, one worker said
goodbye to the other and left to go home for the day. Not long after,
this worker came to the realization that he had forgotten his lunch can,
so he returned to the building to retrieve it. Upon entering the dim,
empty basement he saw his partner standing with his back to him.
Thinking he’d forgotten something also, he called out his name. When
the figure turned, he saw that it was not his partner at all. It was an old
wrinkled man with long wispy hair. The worker could see right through
him to the back wall. After the experience the man would not return
to work for weeks. However, he faced an abundance of ridicule for his
fear and returned to work out of humility. He never spoke of any more
paranormal events.”
— Olivia Bradbury, Bryant’s Cove
. . . . .
“This story took place in Upper Island Cove. Once there were two
fishermen. They were very good friends and one winter, one of the
fishermen found himself without any food and he was sure to starve.
Before spring came around, his buddy shared half of his only barrel of
flour, which kept him from dying. The following spring, the man who
GHOSTLY STORIES | 23
received the flour had been fishing and had struck a jagged rock off the
coast of Island Cove and drowned in the sinking of the ship. About a
week after, his friend who gave his friend the flour was fishing in the
same area his friend died at. The fog rolled in over his boat and he could
see very little and didn’t know where he was going. Suddenly a large
light flashed in the water near the rocks where his friend drowned. A
ghostly figure of his friend appeared and said to him, “The rocks, the
rocks,” in a very ghostly voice. The fisherman always said that his friend
repaid him for the flour by saving his life.”
— Jesse Rideout, Upper Island Cove
. . . . .
“In Bryant’s Cove, there is an old school that is now over 100 years old.
It is said to be built on an indian burial ground. On some nights when
you are walking or driving by, the lights will turn on but there is nobody
inside. A long time ago when a student was in school, he went down to
the basement and looked in one of the closets and when he opened the
closet door, he seen a man inside. The student was so scared that he
never went back to that school. Also, one night while a group of people
were outside the building, a couple of years ago, they looked in one of
the windows and they seen a figure looking down at them through the
window.”
— Jordan Coombs, Bryant’s Cove
. . . . .
“In Butlerville it’s believed that there was a man who hung himself
and if you go to that spot at a certain date and time, you can see him
getting ready to hang himself and then doing it.”
— Eve Williamson, Bareneed
“Muddy Hole, Shearstown. Many of years ago a man hung himself on
a tree. They have the tree cut down now but apparently if you go down
there at night sometimes you can see him hanging himself and if you
look away he will pop up behind you.”
— Brandon Cross, Shearstown
. . . . .
“In Bareneed just up the road from my house there is an old woman
believed to be a witch. They believe that, because a neighbour said they
saw her set her yard on fire and then she called the dead. But the next
morning her yard was fine.”
— Eve Williamson, Bareneed
. . . . .
“There was an old lady named Ms. Tilley who lived in my great uncle’s
house now, but the lady who lived there before died in it. One night my
mom and dad were babysitting my cousins and they heard the back
door open, chairs moving in the kitchen. They went to see if it was my
uncle but nobody was there. They went back into the living room to
finish watching their movie. Then they heard footsteps in the hallway
and the bathroom door shut. They only thought of it as the wind, and
continued watching the movie. Then the next morning my father told
my grandmother. She said that old Ms. Tilley’s ghost had visited my
mom and dad that night. My father asked my great uncle about her and
he said that she visits them every night.”
— Brittany Corbett, Clarke’s Beach
GHOSTLY STORIES | 25
“At Clarke’s Beach Pond where the metal bridge is, there is a hill that
leads into a pond and behind is a forest where dirtbikes and quads go
past. Years ago a lady was kneeled down by the pond washing her old
clothes because back then there was no washing machines to clean your
clothes like there is today. She lost balance and fell into the pond and
because she didn’t know how to swim, she had drowned. It is said that if
you go on the bridge where you can see where she drowned you can see
her ghost with red eyes on the hill washing clothes.”
— Josh Russell, Ascension Collegiate
. . . . .
“The trestle in North River was known to be haunted. In the night you
should stay away because there was a girl killed on it. She haunts the
trestle and she will try and kill you.”
— Brittany Corbett, Clarke’s Beach
. . . . .
“My scary story is when me and my family were in the Carbonear
Hospital before my nan passed away. We were all sitting around nan’s
hospital bed trying to get over the fact that nan never had much time
left. So we decided to turn on the radio which was unplugged. As mom
was walking over to the radio to plug it in and turn it on, all the lights
in the room flashed and the unplugged radio played my nan and pop’s
wedding song.”
— Brady Titford, Spaniard’s Bay
“Down at the east end of Bay Roberts past my house, there is a hill/cliff
called White Rock. People say that it is haunted by a woman in white.
Apparently a woman floats down and over the cliff and crosses the road
into the marsh, but the only time you can see her is pretty late at night.”
— Kyle Mercer, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“Catherine Snow was a young woman who married John William Snow.
They lived in Barneed near Port de Grave. Their marriage however was
told to be unhappy and the couple had frequent fights. According to reports,
Catherine would fight back and throw things at her husband. Then one
night John Snow disappeared. The neighbours had suspicions that he had
been murdered. There was an investigation and dried blood was found at
John Snow’s fishing stage. Once the investigation was finished Catherine
Snow was convicted with murder and was given a death sentence.
Catherine was the last woman to be hanged in Newfoundland, and even
up to the very moment she was killed she vowed that she was not guilty
of her husband’s murder. My nan lives in Bareneed and has all her life.
My nan is now 66 years old but when she was a little girl she was always
told to watch out for Aunt Kit on Dick’s Hill in Bareneed. Aunt Kit is
the ghost of Catherine Snow. People of Bareneed said that at night you
would see Catherine Snow in a white gown walking around Dick’s Hill,
the hill where her and her husband John had lived. People believed that
she would walk the hill in search of what happened to her husband to
prove herself not guilty.”
— Shelby Batten, Bareneed
. . . . .
“A local ship story that I heard was about an old schooner that was
anchored off in Harbour Grace a long time ago. People thought it was
GHOSTLY STORIES | 27
haunted because on some nights when you would go by the schooner, you
would see a light in the wheelhouse, but nobody was on it so they said it
was haunted.”
— Jordan Coombs, Bryant’s Cove
. . . . .
“It is said that a fisherman’s wife would go down to the dock and wait for
him to come back everyday even though he died in a shipwreck. One day
someone saw a man walk towards the woman and sit down, five minutes
later they had both disappeared.”
— Eve Williamson, Bareneed
. . . . .
“There used to be the front road school and we went up to our W.A.
meeting, myself and two other ladies. See, I had just moved. I wasn’t
familiar with anything. We were walking home and there’s a rock there,
Wilbur knows where it is, and it was called the drummers rock. And we’re
walking home and it is a wild night, and this noise, and one said to the
other, “The drummer is playing on the rock tonight.” I was ready to fly but
I just walked on with them.”
— Audrey Sparkes, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“A rock on Bareneed Road near where the Dawe building is now. There
was a grove of trees behind the rock. People walking by late at night said
they would see a white dog and they would be pushed down or knocked
off their bikes.” — Sarah Barrett, Coley’s Point
“Apparently a boat ran aground and a dog died in Coley’s Point. It is
said some people sometimes hear or see the dog.”
— Courtney French, Coley’s Point
. . . . .
“The cliff in Butlerville. Said to have been a baby left there by its
mother one summer. Eventually it died and now it’s said on summer
nights you can catch the baby crying.”
— Emilee Butler, Shearstown
. . . . .
“There is said to be a woman who died and was buried in the Harbour
Hill Graveyard. She got up from her grave, walked around the
headstones, then jumped off the Port de Grave cliff. Told by Gilbert
Russell from Bay Roberts, age 58.”
— Josh Russell, Clarke’s Beach
“On Island Cove’s shores there is a massive rock formation. In the
early 1800s a fishing vessel struck the rocks and everybody on board
died. It has been said that on misty, foggy nights sailors walk through
the valleys of Upper Island Cove looking for their fellow sailors.”
— Jesse Rideout, Upper Island Cove
GHOSTLY STORIES | 29
“The church hall basement in Bryant’s Cove is rumoured to be haunted.
And a house on Flings Lane one night during a card game, there was
talk that the devil walked in.”
— Ryan Adams, Upper Island Cove
. . . . .
“I remember I was out first year teaching, in ‘47, and Uncle Cleveland
Green, he sat down at the ghost stories and he’d make himself afraid,
and never told one word of truth in his life. The White Rock, do you
know where the White Rock is? Down on the Back Road, it’s still there,
I could show where it is. There’s a rock, a white rock. Turn the corner,
it’s in the middle of the road. They called it the White Rock. Uncle Tom
Menchions, he said when he untackled the horse in the yard, he said
there was a woman’s veil on the shaves*. Oh my, oh my.”
— Wilbur Sparke’s, Bay Roberts
[*The Dictionary of Newfoundland English states: Shav(e)s: The shafts
of a horse-drawn sled or other vehicle.]
. . . . .
“On Cranes Road a family going to Island Cove in winter perished
while traveling. People see them sometimes in the winter, in the form
of a white light.”
— Cassidy Mercer, Spaniard’s Bay
“I was told that when I went berry picking to take bread
crumbs and turn my clothes inside out so the fairies
would not get me.”
— Shelby Batten, Bareneed
Growing up in outport Newfoundland many children are warned
against wandering into wooded or boggy areas. Many believe
that this is where the fairies make their homes. Quintin Parsons of Bay
Roberts recalled that he was warned against going into the woods alone,
or he would run the risk of being taken by the fairies. Brittany Corbett of
Cupids on the other hand, was never allowed to go down behind the garden
because the fairies lived by the train tracks. But what would happen if you
did encounter fairies? Eliza and Gerald French remembered a story that
Fairy ABDUCTIONS AND CHARMS
FAIRY ABDUCTIONS & CHARMS | 31
her mother used to tell. A girl from Brigus was passing through the marsh
when she suddenly felt a smack in the face. She didn’t know what hit her
but later in the night, a spot on her cheek began to swell and she had to go
to the doctor. When the doctor cut open the bump, it was filled with gouly-
-twigs from a low lying marsh bush. This strange injury was blamed on
the fairies and she was told never to go past the marshes again. She was
spared abduction, but not everyone is so lucky.
. . . . .
“At a certain time of summer in Butlerville people say you can hear the
ghosts of dozens of babies crying in the hills near a spot called Fox Hole,
which is a hole that goes to an underground den. In one version of the
story the crying babies are supposed to be those taken by fairies in the
fairy paths, patches and woods.”
— Cameron George, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“My uncle Tom Spracklin went out blueberry picking one day and
got taken by the fairies. He had been nagging his mom all day to go
blueberry picking. She said he could go but she warned him about the
fairies but he was gone before she could say anything. He was gone for
several hours and his parents were out looking for him, he came back
that evening in a daze. He stayed like that for a couple of days. He
wouldn’t stop talking about the beautiful music they were playing, and
how all the fairies were dancing and playing beautiful music, but he
couldn’t remember what kind of music they played or what the fairies
looked like. He’s dead now but after that experience he was never the
same again.” (Location of story: Cupids Meadow, Brigus)
— Morgan Hayes, Ascension Collegiate
“The title of this story is My Great Grandmother Attacked by Fairies and
I learned this story from my Nan Mary Greeley. When my Grandmother
Mercer was a little girl, she was at her grandparents house in the
garden taking up potatoes with her grandparents. It was after supper,
kind of foggy, in the late evening. After they took up the potatoes,she
put the potatoes on a stick and had a fire, like today when you roast a
marshmellow at a fire. All of a sudden, she felt a huge pain in her jaw.
After a while her grandparents took her home and wrapped a towel over
her face. When this occurred a strange type of fluid like water came
through the towel. The next day they took her to St. John’s General
Hospital where she had her jawbone removed. She was in there for 13
months as a patient. The true story behind what caused it to happen
was a doctor from Harbour Grace said it was caused by the fairies.”
— Ryan Adams, Upper Island Cove,
. . . . .
“My Nan Earl told me this story. When Nan was really young, she was
only about six months old. Back then they would take you and if it was
nice out, they would wrap you up or just take you and lay you outside
for some fresh air. Nan was outside for about two hours and when Nan’s
mom came to check on her, her face was really grey and she looked
really old. So my Nan’s mom was really creeped out and apparently back
then, if the fairies took you, you were able to take them with a shovel or
just take them and throw them. If you were thrown, the fairies would
let you go. So anyways, my Nan’s mother took her and tossed her in a
snowbank and when Nan’s mom came back and picked her up she was
back to normal.”
— Brandon Cross, Shearstown
FAIRY ABDUCTIONS & CHARMS | 33
“A long time ago around the 1930s, a man had gone into the woods
blueberry picking. He had been gone for the full day and almost all
night. His parents were very worried. They went up into the woods
calling his name and looking everywhere for him. After a long while
they returned home to call the police. He was face down on the
porch. His parents saw that his clothes were full of holes and barely
together. When they flipped him over they saw he was disfigured,
almost unrecognizable. His left eye was gouged out. He couldn’t talk
because his tongue had been ripped out and every single one of his
nails were hauled off. His mother was petrified and ran inside to call
the police. Once they arrived they examined him and handed him a
piece of paper. They asked him what happened. He took a moment
to write and when he flipped the paper around there was one word
there: Fairies.”
— Eve Williamson, Upper Island Cove
. . . . .
“My grandmother told me a story about when she was a little girl.
They lived up in North River and like all kids back then, loved to
explore and play outside. Her mother would say to them, “Don’t go
up there because the fairies may get you.” Indicating not to go to the
field on Springfield Road or by the old train track because those spots
would be known as the places where the fairies have taken people for
what seemed to them to be 10 to 15 minutes, but could actually have
been anywhere from three hours to three days. Her mother saying
this was enough to scare the kids from going to these places.”
— Courtney French, Coley’s Point
“My nan told me that the fairies are in a graveyard. I also called
my dad to tell me more about it. He said an old man told him that
in certain houses in certain places there are fairies that live there.
People that lived there always heard noises, footsteps and breaking
dishes in their house at night. It was believed that this happened
because those people built their houses in the middle of the fairy’s
path.”
— Selina Seymour, Bareneed
. . . . .
“My aunt’s friend, she went out with her friend berry picking and
they had split off for a bit and they were supposed to meet back in
a few minutes, but she didn’t show up. So she went looking for her
but she couldn’t find her so she went home, and her family went
looking and they couldn’t find her. About a week passed and they had
continued the search for that week. They found her back where she
had “vanished” and she was confused and she had no idea where she
was. They took her home and a few days later she passed but she was
never the same for those few days before her passing.” (Location of
story: Country Road).
— Devin Butler, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“When my dad was around my age, Dad was up blueberry picking
on a hill behind his house with his old dog. He was about to go home
when his dog suddenly started growling at something looking over the
hill. Then my dad heard a voice telling him to go home. He thought it
was just someone pulling a prank so he continued to pick berries when
he heard the voice tell him to go home again. This time he decided to
follow the voice. It led him over to the hill and he stopped and realized
FAIRY ABDUCTIONS & CHARMS | 35
he was being led into the woods. He said he was just being led by the
fairies and he just then turned and ran home. He never heard the
voice again.” (Location of story: Brigus).
— Kyler Morgan, Ascension Collegiate
. . . . .
“We were told not to go to Barrack’s Lane berrypicking because there’s
an old woman that has the fairies in her backyard and even has little
houses in her backyard made for them. They would turn their clothes
inside out so the fairies wouldn’t get them. Told by Gilbert Russell from
Bay Roberts, age 58.” — Josh Russell, Clarke’s Beach
. . . . .
“Where my house is located now was once all barren land that leads
to a steep valley. My parents always forbade me to walk in the valley
because they said many many years ago children walked down into the
valley and were never seen again. The old people always said they were
taken by fairies and still live in the valley with the fairies.”
— Jesse Rideout, Upper Island Cove
. . . . .
“Well, one time my mother said that her brother was going along just
down by the cable office, in the night time, and this little tiny small woman
was walking in front of him, and all of a sudden she disappeared.”
— Gerald French, Bay Roberts
Charms Against Fairies
“Don’t go into the woods without bread in your pocket and odd socks on
to protect yourself from the fairies.”
— Kerri Neil, Spaniard’s Bay
. . . . .
“When I’d be at Butlerville at my friend’s house we’d go for a hike and
she would put everything inside out because of the fairies. Her aunt was
taken by fairies before.”
— Brittany Roberts, Brigus
. . . . .
“In Island Cove, they say wear your pockets inside out, carry bread
crumbs and/or silver to keep fairies away.”
— Alicia Linthorne, Upper Island Cove
. . . . .
“Charms for fairies: silver coins, turning clothes inside out, wearing the
“greek eye” which wards off evil.”
— Erica Vardy, Ascension Collegiate
FAIRY ABDUCTIONS & CHARMS | 37
“My grandmother said when they would go berry picking as teenagers
they would be told to take a cake of hard bread or turn their coat inside
out so the fairies wouldn’t try to take you away.”
— Sarah Barrett, Coley’s Point
. . . . .
“There is this grove down by my house and my mom tells me that fairies
live there. If I was to go down there, the fairies would take me and carry
me away. She would say if I hear rustling sounds, they were coming for
me. Bread crumbs or clothes inside out to make fairies stay away from
you.”
— Kyle Mercer, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“In Butlerville there is the story about a man who went berry picking on
the cliff with little silver bells in his pocket to ward off fairies. He assumed
they were real silver but they weren’t and when he stepped on a fairy trap
the fairies came and shoved the bucket he was picking berries with down
his throat. It is said sometimes you can still hear the bells ringing when
you go berry picking in the same spot.”
— Emilee Butler, Shearstown
. . . . .
“When my Great Grandmother Gladys was younger, she and her friend
went blueberry picking up on the ridge. While they were berry picking
they got seperated. My grandmother was gone for hours. When her friend
couldn’t find her, she went and got more people to help her look. They
eventually found her sat on a rock in the woods. She was in a daze. When
they tried to get her to leave, she started crying and bawling and saying
she wasn’t going to leave. After hearing this, my grandmother’s friend
took of all her clothes and put them back on her inside out. After doing
this she was completely normal again.”
— Cassidy Mercer, Spaniard’s Bay
VISITS FROM THE OLD HAG | 39
Visits From the Old Hag
“I have heard that while you are sleeping that this old
woman comes and sits on your chest and you can’t move
or breathe until someone else wakes you up.”
— Sarah Barrett, Coley’s Point
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night to find that you
can’t move your arms or legs? Was there a heavy feeling on your
chest? A presence on or near your bed? Maybe it was just a dream, a night
terror, or perhaps it was a visit from the Old Hag. The Old Hag is an
infamous character in Newfoundland folk belief who preys upon people
who are fast asleep. According to hag lore, she takes on many different
forms and spends her nights going from bedroom to bedroom to sit upon
the chests of unsuspecting people, drawing out their breath. Who or what
is she, exactly? An incubus? A ghost? A nightmare? Nobody knows for
certain, but many have seen her and have lived to tell the tale.
. . . . .
“Old Hag is a condition that occurs while sleeping. This happened to me
once while I was in bed. I woke up and was aware of all my surroundings
but I couldn’t move or scream. I believe it wasn’t a dream.”
— Jesse Rideout, Upper Island Cove
. . . . .
“I had two different experiences with the old hag while sleeping. Once
when I was so young I never heard of an old hag visit. In this experience
it was an older man, like a grandfather. He came in my room. I woke up
on the floor... but he wasn’t hurting me. It was like he was protecting
me. The other experience was very different. Unlike the man, the old
hag was sitting on me. I couldn’t breathe or move. It seemed to last for
hours. I don’t remember much of these. I tried to forget them since they
happened. I never spoke of this to anyone.”
— Erica Vardy, Ascension Collegiate
. . . . .
“There was one time not too long ago, actually a couple of months ago,
I had a visit. I was laid down in bed, couldn’t talk or move and it felt like
there was something on my chest. They say that if you spell your name
backwards you’ll wake up.” — Brandon Cross, Shearstown
VISITS FROM THE OLD HAG | 41
“I was in bed and could not move and it looked like there was a person
at the foot of my bed.” — Shelby Batten, Bareneed
. . . . .
“It was scary when I had her. I was awake but I couldn’t move and
talk. I was facing the opposite side of my door and I had a feeling that
someone was there.” — Kyle Mercer, Bay Roberts
. . . . .
“Grandmother had the illusion of someone sitting on her chest. She
could not scream or move but did not see the Hag and believes it was a
dream.” — Olivia Bradbury, Bryant’s Cove
. . . . .
“I woke up and I couldn’t move and there was a weird smell, like old
clothes, and it felt like someone was in the room with me. I believe it
was just a dream.”
— Ryan Adams, Upper Island Cove
. . . . .
“The Hag was choking my father and he couldn’t scream for help or
breathe. He could feel the hands on his throat. He thinks of it to be a
dream.” — Brittany Corbett, Clarke’s Beach
“When my nan was my age she had a visit from the Old Hag. She said
the ceiling looked like it was coming down and she could hear the Old
Hag but she couldn’t move or wake up.”
— Eve Williamson, Bareneed
. . . . .
“When I got home I quickly went to bed and fell into a deep sleep. In my
dream I had a nightmare about the old hag coming into my room with
a strange object. She came through the door and sat on my bed and just
looked through the window. I couldn’t move for a few moments which
felt like forever. She looked at me, her face was just darkness. She said
something and I don’t remember what. She got up and placed something
on the coat hook on the back of my door: a dream catcher. When I woke
up it was actually on my door. Ever since a dream catcher was placed
behind my door, I rarely ever have nightmares.”
— Aaron Parsons, Bay Roberts
Strange Dreams
“Told by Peggy Mercer. She felt like she was being chased by someone
and couldn’t get away from them. When she snapped out of it she was
in the kid’s closet. This happened when she moved into a new house at
Central Street, Bay Roberts, 30 years ago. After she went back to sleep
she kept having dreams of it.”
— Josh Russell, Clarke’s Beach
VISITS FROM THE OLD HAG | 43
“This happened four years ago to my mom’s dad, my grandfather. He
had taken sick one night at my mom’s house and I had to go to my dad’s
house. I almost fell asleep. This was around midnight. I was watching tv
and I started dreaming and in my dream, I was watching my grandfather
close his eyes. That was the last thing I remember. I woke up to the
phone and I told my brother Pop was gone before my dad had told us.”
— Cody Smith, Tilton
“They say in Spaniard’s Bay there’s an island called
Kelly’s Island and apparently there is treasure buried
there from when Spaniard’s Bay first came to be.”
— Brandon Cross, Shearstown
When I asked for stories about buried treasure, Gus Menchions
of Spaniard’s Bay thought back to when a mysterious man, a
Captain, would spend his time down at Mad Rock. “He was a captain in
the Boer War, that wasn’t yesterday. His name was Locke Thomas. He
could tell some stories.” Gus had met the man several times, and spoke
Tales of
Pirates
and Buried
Treasure
TALES OF PIRATES AND BURIED TREASURE | 45
to him often, but still, nobody seemed to know what he was doing down
there. Legend has it, he was digging for gold, and gold he did find. Once it
was pulled from the ground, he whisked it away from the community on
the train. Locals tend to think that the Mad Rock treasure, the one taken
out of the country by Mr. Thomas, isn’t the only stash of gold in the Bay
Roberts area. Peter Easton was thought to be a busy man when he was
sailing around Conception Bay. Some even believe that he continues to
roam the shores as a ghost, protecting his hoards through the centuries.
. . . . .
Olive, Gus’ daughter, shared what she could remember of the Locke
Thomas story. It was a tale she was told many times as a child:
“There was a man who came to town and settled for awhile. He bor-rowed
a horse and cart to travel up the road and he said, “I believe my
heart has shifted to the other side, there was that many bumps and
potholes!” He was down there, I’ve heard Dad telling, in this little shack
he had built, down towards Mad Rock, wasn’t it? Down Juggler’s Cove.
Anyway, he got two men, he went out and he bought a roll of canvas like
sail, for sail, and they said he had a box or something this length, dad
said, and he had it wrapped up. He had the rope wound around so tight.
When it was done up all you could see was this lead, with rope around
it side by side. Well, they said, it took him and two more men all they
could do to get that up on the dray. He carried it up and he got aboard
the train. No one ever heard tell of him after. He went on. He got that
money that was buried in Scotland’s Head. You gotta take it up on the
night, and I say that no one knew what he was doing down there. He
was a Dutchman or Englishman or something. It had to be something, it
was all they could do to lift it aboard.”
— Olive Strickland, Spaniard’s Bay
“Well I’ll tell you, the buried treasure on Green Point, it’s not there
anymore. In 1970, that’s not too long ago, that was taken up. It was
found by somebody. How much am I allowed to say about that? Anyway,
it was taken up and shipped out of the country somewhere but I can’t
say anymore about that. I wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget it, because
the person who told me, and he’s dead and gone. He said, “I acquired one
piece of the money.” But I tell you, there’d have been more than one. We
were walked over time and time again and didn’t know it was there. We
knew it was somewhere, or we thought we did. Oh ever since we were
born it had been talked of. It was talked about another one in Ship Cove
Pond, in a barrel but after awhile, the barrel was gone, you know. See
it was close comfort for the pirates. This is where they used to run from
the ones that was after them. Oh, I’ve got all of that stories. But the
one about the money, they came from Quebec one time and a guy tried,
but they didn’t go in the right place. See, their instructions was to walk
so many steps in a certain direction and turn in another direction and
there was a big rock there with arrow into it. They tell me that the arrow
is pretty faded now, but they knew where it was, I suppose. The pirates?
It was Easton and his crowd. Peter Easton.”
— Greta Hussey, Port de Grave
. . . . .
“If you go looking for Peter Easton’s treasure in the middle of the night
on the south side of Harbour Grace on the beach, and you get really close
to it, Peter Easton shall appear, turn off your flashlight and disappear.
They say no one has been able to find his treasure yet.”
— Alicia Linthorne, Upper Island Cove
Read through these questions and try to answer them... have you
ever heard stories like this? Now ask some of your family members
these same questions. Maybe you’ll hear a few spooky stories from the
past that you’ve never heard before.
1). Is there a place in your community that people say is haunted? ....a
haunted cemetery, a haunted walkway, a haunted cliff or rock, a house,
or other building? What are the ghostly stories connected to these places?
2). When you were growing up, were there any places you were told not
to go because the fairies would get you? Where was this and what are
the stories you were told?
3). What are the local stories about shipwrecks? ...buried treasures?
What about ghost or weather lights seen on the water?
4). Are there any people who are believed to be witches in the commu-nity?
Why do people think this? What kind of powers does this person
have?
5). Have you ever had a visit from the Old Hag while you were sleeping?
What happened and do you believe that this experience was real or just
a dream?
6). Do you know of any special charms, superstitions, cures or remedies
that are used in your community?
Finding Local Folklore:
Folk Belief & Legends in Your Community
ISBN 978-0-9937456-0-7