The Lamb Inn & The Biting Poltergeist
On the Astonishing Legends blog, we’re no stranger to strange poltergeists. We’ve covered the Humpty Doo Poltergeist from Australia and the German Poltergeist who slunk around an office instead of a home. But, tonight’s story might be one of the strangest poltergeist tales we’ve covered: the Biting Poltergeist of the The Lamb Inn in Bristol.
The Lamb Inn housed the Giles family, who would fall victim to this violent poltergeist, but it stood for over a hundred years before it happened. It was built in 1651, and would remain standing until it was demolished in 1905. It stood between Gloucester Lane and Lawford Street, but nothing remains of the building today apart from a few photos and this haunting story
Beginning in November 1761 and lasting all the way to December 1762, the activity at The Lamb Inn was neither subtle nor short. Similar to many Poltergeist cases throughout time, the case centered around a family with two young children, sisters Molly (13) and Dobby (8) Giles. The activity began innocuous enough with scratches, rappings, and taps emanating from within or near the sisters’ bedroom. The activity then escalated and items began to move independently and without human intervention. But then, things took a violent turn.
Molly and Dobby suffered severely from pinches, cuts, and bites from an unseen assailant. Pinching or scratching is reported in some intense cases of poltergeist or haunting cases, however biting seems to be quite unique. According to Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained, Molly once had 40 marks on her body: “all about two inches and a half long, and about the thickness of a shilling the deep; the skin not jagged, but smooth, as if cut by a pen knife.”
This was obviously quite disturbing and the family sought help. Mr. Henry Durbin investigated the case and later wrote a pamphlet on the case that wouldn’t be published until 1800. According to the pamphlet, Durbin, among other investigators, made efforts to observe the phenomena and ensure that the abuse wasn’t coming from someone. On January 30th, Durbin claims to have witnessed a bite: “I saw Dobby wiping her hands in a towel, while I was talking to her, she cried out [and] was bitted in the neck. I looked and saw the mark of teeth, about eighteen, and wet with spittle.” Interestingly enough, Durbin was not a paranormal investigator by trade and was instead a local druggist from town.
According to Durbin’s writing and other reports, the poltergeist itself seemed somewhat sentient, and capable of intelligence, not unlike the Bell Witch. In fact, he began to bring in experts who spoke multiple languages and was said to be able to communicate with the spirit. Sadly, the father of Molly and Dobby, Richard Giles, died on May 16th, 1972 after traveling back from Bath on horseback. His horse's saddle broke. It was said an old woman stood nearby and watched the accident, but he did not speak to her. The poltergeist that terrorized the house allegedly told Durbin that witchcraft had actually killed Mr Giles.
The poltergeist claimed it was called forth by a witch hired by one of Giles’ rivals. It also claimed that witchcraft took Giles’ life.
The family resorted to leveraging apotropaic magic at the behest of a “cunning woman” who said the events in the household may have been the work of a witch. The activity cooled and the family continued on.
If you don’t believe any of this at all, there are a few theories behind the haunting. Some believed Mrs. Giles concocted the story to try and lower the value of The Lamb Inn. This wouldn’t be too far fetched, as the price did drop and her mother, Mrs. Nelmes, did buy The Lamb Inn for a steal.
The blog image depicts a 1917, this image of a human jaw with teeth appeared in an advertisement for "Newton Painless Dentists" of Pendleton, OR. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1928.
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