| Screaming Skull | |
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Members |
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First Appearance |
English Folklore |
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Created by |
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Origin[]
A screaming skull is a paranormal object, a human skull which per legend speaks, screams, or otherwise haunts its environs. The legend is mostly found in England and other English-speaking regions.
The Bettiscombe screaming skull of Dorset, England, is attested at least as early as 1897 in the book The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain. That book details an alleged visit to Bettiscombe in 1883 by curiosity-seekers to investigate a skull which, according to legend, was of an African slave once owned by the owner of the house. The slave had supposedly died determined to be buried in his homeland, and any attempt to bury his skull elsewhere would cause the skull to scream aloud.
Reported Skulls[]
- Bettiscombe Manor, Bettiscombe, Dorset
- Dickie – Tunstead Farm, Tunstead Milton, Derbyshire
- Skull of St Ambrose Barlow – Wardley Hall, Greater Manchester
- Skull of Anne Griffith – Burton Agnes Hall, Yorkshire
- Skull of Theophilus Brome – Higher Chilton Farm, Chilton Cantelo
- Two skulls – Warbleton Priory ruin, Rushlake Green, Heathfield, East Sussex
- Two skulls - Calgarth Hall, Windermere, Cumbria
- Skull of Neville De Beauchamp - St. Andrews
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Screaming Skulls from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain (1897)
- The Screaming Skull (1911)