The Storyteller: Withered-armed taxman killed his tormentor

Last time I told you about the recent investigation my group carried out at The Old Exeter Inn in Ashburton, with some very interesting findings, which I cruelly kept you waiting a whole week to read about. 

Well, we are planning to visit again, so hopefully we can add to that. 

For now, this is a summary of what the various mediums, and sensitives, picked up throughout the night, and then shared with me at the debrief, once everyone had been shown around the whole building. 

It always amazes me how my group tunes into similar things, even though they have no prior knowledge of the location, and they walk around independently, or in small groups with no discussion until the end of the night. 

Sometimes they also sense what has been experienced by others over a period of time, or part of the known history of a building, without prior research and that’s where I want to start with sharing our findings...

The Old Exeter Inn makes much of its rich history, especially the fact that it was a favourite haunt of Elizabethan seadogs like Drake and Raleigh and although those specific names didn’t crop up, a sense of the pub being frequented by seafaring types came across, along with the idea of locals being pressganged into joining the navy. 

Although Ashburton isn’t near the sea, hard working farm labourers from the surrounding area would have been prime targets for being put to work on ships...

Above: Inside St Andrews Church, opposite the pub, who Elijah collected taxes for

That wasn’t the only link to the water. Several felt an undulating sensation, like being on a ship at sea, something that even the current owner has commented on, particularly in the top floor attic space and on the main staircase. 

Possibly this can be put down to the fact that much of the timber used to build the original structure was taken from old sailing ships...

Sticking with an historical theme, some new members of the group, who hadn’t been on an investigation with us before, picked up on the presence of some cavaliers from the Civil War period. 

They felt it was a ‘safe space for the Royalist cause’. Now this is an interesting choice of words, for during my wanderings around the town, prior to our collaborative Ghost Walk for Halloween with Stephanie Austin, the local author, she had pointed out several properties that would have been safe havens for Royalists, as signified by the fact that they displayed small figurines on their roofs of riders on horseback, denoting that sanctuary was to be found within. 

Who’s to say that a local hostelry didn’t have sympathy for their king and his men too?

The main sighting that’s frequently experienced, by both the owner and staff, most often on the staircase leading to the living quarters above, is that of a young girl seen carrying a book and wearing a white nightdress. 

During the course of the investigation, several young females were picked up on, including one carrying a candle, possibly to read her book by, and one that was pregnant. 

Different mediums shared these impressions with us, and although we don’t know if this is the same female seen each time, maybe if she had lived in the house for a lengthy period, wouldn’t it be interesting to think that we were getting a snapshot of each stage of her life? 

My partner, Sarah, could sense a young girl and a young boy playing on the stairs. They were about the same age, but seemingly from different time periods, so it’s heartening to know that it’s still possible to make new friends in the spirit world. Maybe the comedy series “Ghosts” has some basis in truth? 

Several members of the group were a bit spooked by the many eerie dolls scattered around the upstairs space, obviously they are doing their intended task if the spirits of young children are happy spending time there.

Other scenarios that were picked up on included the presence of horses being led to an outside area which is now an enclosed beer garden, but once upon a time was a stable block. 

A very mixed energy was sensed, suggesting someone not sure of their sexual orientation, maybe a cross dresser or even a drag act in the bar areas and on the upper floor, possibly a former owner or someone who had access and allowed to change up there. 

A more disturbing story emerged when one medium could see a dark liquid on the floor of the kitchen. Another sensed a male being struck on the head and dying from their injuries in one of the bedrooms, forcing us to conclude that the liquid was probably their blood and that the premises had been witness to at least one murder during  its long history.

Above: The Royalist symbol of sanctuary, a rider on a horse, on top of a roof

Throughout the whole evening, I was eager to know what had dragged our friend Sarah off on a tour of the streets of Ashburton as soon as she’d set foot in the pub. 

It turned out to be a male energy, and The Old Exeter Inn had been his local, where he was often to be found after finishing his work for the day. 

It turned out that his job was a taxman, collecting an ale tax for the local church across the street and he took poor Sarah, and her relatives, on a tour of his regular route around the town, but there was one place in particular he was keen to show her. 

Stopping outside a seemingly random house, he wanted to confess that once he had inadvertently killed a young boy. 

Identifying himself as Elijah, he showed them he had a withered arm, and many of the local kids used to make fun of his deformity. 

On this particular day, one lad was making Elijah’s life such a misery, as he went about his business, that in the end he lashed out, just intending to shut him up. Instead, the boy fell to the floor, banging his head on a rock. 

At that moment, a woman came out of the house, disturbed by all the commotion, and Elijah fled. The woman tried to help the boy, but he died in her arms. Communicating with Sarah, from spirit, was Elijah’s way of confessing his sins...Now this is where it gets a bit weird, with odd similarities to the present day...

As we walked the streets on Halloween, telling stories and pointing out particular places of interest to our eager audience, we arrived at St Lawrence’s Church just as the caretaker was locking up. 

He kindly offered us a sneaky look inside the tower, sadly, although I was keen, it was getting late and we had to wrap up the walk so we politely declined, but the odd similarity to Elijah’s story was that here was another gentleman, who worked for the church, and had a withered arm...

I’ve saved the best bit to last...as Sarah described the location of the house they had been led to, Elaine, who had facilitated the whole event, suddenly said it sounded like her house. A search on Google Maps confirmed it, yet none of us knew where she lived. 

To make the whole thing more bizarre, Elaine said there is a bump in the pavement, right outside her house, that, over the years, schoolchildren running or cycling past, have taken a tumble over, and she  has come out to tend to their injuries...just like the woman did when Elijah killed the little boy, all those years ago...you really couldn’t make it up.