[Clare’s Appendix no. 9]
I have often seen these vapours or what ever philosophy may call them but I never wit nessd so remarkable an instance of them as I did last night which has robd me of the little philosophic reason[in]g which I had — about them I now believe them spirits but I will leave the facts to speak for themselves — There had been a great upstir in the town about the appearance of the ghost of an old woman who had been recently drownd in a well — it was said to appear at the bottom of neighbour Billings close in a large white winding sheet dress and the noise excited the curosity of myself and my neighbour to go out several nights together to see if the ghost woud be kind enough to appear to us and mend our broken faith in its existance but nothing came on our return we saw a light in the north east over eastwell green and I thought at first that it was a bright meoter it presently became larger and seemd like a light in a window it then moved and dancd up and down and then glided onwards as if a man was riding on hors back at full speed with a lanthorn light soon after this we discoverd another rising in the south east on ‘dead moor’ they was about a furlong asunder at first and as if the other saw it it danced away as if to join it which it soon did and after dancing together a sort of reel as it were — it chaced away to its former station and the other followd it like things at play and after suddenly overtaking it they mingled into one in a moment or else one dissapeard and sunk in the ground we stood wondering and gazing for a while at the odd phenomenon and then left the will o wisp dancing by itself to hunt for a fresh companion as it chose — the night was dusky but not pitch dark and what was rather odd for their appearance the wind blew very briskly it was full west — now these things are gennerally believd to be vapours rising from the foul air from bogs and wet places were they are generaly seen and being as is said lighter then the common air they float about at will — now this is all very well for Mrs Philosophy who is very knowing but how is it if it is a vapour lighter then the air that it coud face the wind which was blowing high and always floated side ways from north to south and back — the wind afected it nothing but I leave all as I find it I have explaind the fact as well as I can — I heard the old alewife at the Exeters arms behind the church (Mrs Nottingham1) often say that she has seen from one of her chamber windows as many as fifteen together dancing in and out in a company as if dancing reels and dances on east well moor there is a great ma[n]y there — I have seen several there myself one night when returning home from Ashton on a courting excursion I saw one as if meeting me I felt very terrified and on getting to a stile I determi[n]d to wait and see if it was a person with a lanthorn or a will o whisp it came on steadily as if on the path way and when it got near me within a poles reach perhaps as I thought it made a sudden stop as if to listen me I then believed it was some one but it blazd out like a whisp of straw and made a crackling noise like straw burning which soon convincd me of its visit the luminous haloo that spread from it was of a mysterious terrific hue and the enlargd size and whiteness of my own hands frit me the rushes appeard to have grown up as large and tall as walebone whips and the bushes seemd to be climbing the sky every thing was extorted out of its own figure and magnified the darkness all round seemd to form a circalar black wall and I fancied that if I took a step forward I shoud fall into a bottomless gulph which seemd garing all round me so I held fast by the stile post till it darted away when I took to my heels and got home as fast as [I] coud so much for will o whisps.
[N15, 129-32]
1 Mrs Nottingham: The name Betsey Nottingham occurs in H23 at Peterborough and Northampton 10.