“And Brokilow Bridge where as boys we caught frogs. They say this was haunted, but what was feared most Was “Bolembeck Lane” with a real active ghost Peggy Whooper her name, no one knows how she died, But most people think murder and some suicide.”
– Frank moody, “My lifetime of memories in Laxton.”
Paul Tinker 2018
We continue our journey across the county and found ourselves in the important village of Laxton. LAXTON is the last village in England where the medieval open-field system still survives and a castle does not. We will stay in the village for 2 stories of the most unusual.
Mr Reg Rose of Lilac Farm has had a life-long interest in farming and the surrounding countryside, he began the Laxton Heritage Museum on his farm and is an international attraction. As a young boy, Reg spent much time talking with the elders learning all he could driven by curiousity and a passion for history. “I’ve memories of people who were born in the 1850s and their experiences of over 100 years ago, was from these old characters I heard about the local ghosts and legends.”
Google Maps
From the accounts Reg gathered, people used to go a considerable distance out of their way not to meet the ghost of Peggy Whooper. A young farm girl named Peggy Whooper was terribly murdered on Bolembeck Lane, near a bridge that became known as “Peggy Whooper’s Bridge.” Travelers passing the bridge often felt uneasy; horses would shy mysteriously, sometimes throwing riders without warning.
Another spot notorious for unsettling encounters was between Parson’s Hill and Brokilow Bridge, where people reported sightings of the “Brokilow Boggan”—a large, ghostly wolf-like creature. Many, including the storyteller’s father, claimed their horses sensed the presence of this creature even when it couldn’t be seen.
The “Boggan” became part of local lore, inspiring men to offer protection to women walking home from dances held at the Dovecote Inn and Post Office Farm. David Haslem the author of ghosts and legends of Nottinghamshire makes the point, that the particular use of “Boggan” used to describe the phenomena here, is a local dilection.
Want to continue your handshake with the mysteries of Nottinghamshire? We have a 12 part series of articles ready to roll out and a supplementary audio series.
Phenomenal Nottinghamshire
Coming up!
Find “Phenomenal Nottinghamshire” on your favourite podcast app in bite-size audio delves! https://kristianlander.com/?p=3592
Exploring the curious. Looking to learn more about life's mysteries! Researcher and writer of the curious. Filmmaker & observer of the daily tussle.
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