A screaming skull is a

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...

object, a human skull which per legend speaks, screams, or otherwise haunts its environs. The legend is most 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.

Known skulls

*Bettiscombe Manor,

Bettiscombe Bettiscombe is a small village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated in the Marshwood Vale west of Beaminster. Dorset County Council's 2013 mid-year estimate of the population of the civil parish is 50. History The parish church, ...

, Dorset *Dickie – Tunstead Farm, Tunstead Milton, Derbyshire *Skull of St

Ambrose Barlow Ambrose Edward Barlow, O.S.B. (1585 – 10 September 1641) was an English Benedictine monk who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. He is one of a group of saints canonized by Pope Paul VI who became known as the Forty Martyrs of En ...

–

Wardley Hall Wardley may refer to: Organisations *Wardley (company), a fish food manufacturer *Wardley, a former merchant banking division of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (), commonl ...

, Greater Manchester *Skull of Anne Griffith –

Burton Agnes Hall Burton Agnes Hall is an Elizabethan manor house in the village of Burton Agnes, near Driffield in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was built by Sir Henry Griffith in 1601–10 to designs attributed to Robert Smythson. The older No ...

, Yorkshire *Skull of Thephilus Brome? – Higher Chilton Farm,

Chilton Cantelo Chilton Cantelo is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Yeo north of Yeovil and east of Ilchester in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 445. The parish also includes the village of Ashing ...

*Two skulls – Warbleton Priory ruin, Rushlake Green, Heathfield, East Sussex *Two skulls - Calgarth Hall, Windermere, Cumbria

In fiction

* "The Screaming Skull" (1911) – short story by

F. Marion Crawford Francis Marion Crawford (August 2, 1854 – April 9, 1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels, especially those set in Italy, and for his classic weird and fantastical stories. Early life Crawford was born in Bagni di Lucca, in th ...

* ''

The Screaming Skull ''The Screaming Skull'' is a 1958 independently made American black-and-white horror film, produced by John Kneubuhl and directed by Alex Nicol, starring John Hudson, Peggy Webber, Russ Conway, Tony Johnson, and Nicol. ''The Screaming Skull'' m ...

'' (1958) – American horror film *''

Carrie's War ''Carrie's War'' is a 1973 English children's novel by Nina Bawden set during the World War II, Second World War. It follows two young London Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II, evacuees, Carrie and her younger brother Nick, ...

'' (1973) - novel by

Nina Bawden Nina Bawden CBE, FRSL, JP (19 January 1925 – 22 August 2012) was an English novelist and children's writer. She was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1987 and the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010. She is one of very few who have both se ...

* '' The Great Ghost Rescue'' (1975) – novel by

Eva Ibbotson Eva Maria Charlotte Michelle Ibbotson (née Wiesner; born 21 January 1925 – 20 October 2010) was a British novelist born in Austria to a Jewish family who fled the Nazis. She is known for her children's literature. Some of her novels for adult ...

References

External links

*
In Search of Screaming Skulls
– directions to main locations *{{cite book, title=Skull Superstitions, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iu4gMwEACAAJ, year=1877, author=William Andres, publisher=Hull English folklore English legendary creatures