Haunted Places

Scrooby

Location: Nottinghamshire

Origin: 18th Century

Background: Scrooby is a village on the east side of the Great North Road, on the south bank of the River Ryton. The toll keeper and his wife were murdered in 1779 by John Spencer. This is his story.

Story: I'd been at the house the night before playing cards with William, the toll keeper. I came back the next morning and got in the house saying that a drove of cattle wanted to pass through. They were such trusting souls. I killed them both and got away with as much money as I could find. I was dragging one of the bodies to the river when a man came by and I had to escape.

I was caught a few days later and executed at Nottingham Summer Assizes. They hung my body from a gibbet at the north end of the village of Scrooby. I occasionally return to re-enact my crime.