Ghosts of St Nicholas Church

Ghosts at St Nicholas Church, Brockley

This church is supposed to be haunted by "Little Lady in Brown", the spirit of a former cleaner at the Church who died around 1900.

Several visitors to the church claim to have witnessed the spirit in either the vestry or the church aisle. A renowned ghost hunter of the 1940's, Elliot O'Donnell performed an all night sitting in the church and failed to seen any evidence of the ghost, however, he was interrupted a few times during the vigil by whisperings and little footstep sounds, but could not conclusively attribute these footsteps or whispers to the Brown Lady. It has even made international news, with a correspondent for the St Petersburg Newspaper, dated 1st November 1947 reporting the tale. Please click HERE to see an original copy of the newspaper article

There is also supposed to be the spirit of a condemned parson of the church, John Hibbestson, who in 1776 witnessed the squire of Chelvey Batch, James Stevens, have a nasty fall from a horse.

The parson nursed James back to health, but with an ulterior motive of wheedling his way into the Squire's favour. the squire altered his will to include the parson, leaving him with a considerable amount of the Squire's wealth. Once this will has been officiated, the parson made sure that the Squire met an untimely end by murdering him in cold blood.

It is also alleged that the parson was into devil worship, and it is rumoured that when the parson died, a terrifying beast was seen entering the property of the parson to claim his soul for Hell.

St Nicholas Church, Brockley Coombe

St Nicholas Church, Brockley Coombe

St Nicholas' Church, Brockley

This church dates back to the 12th Century and is currently a grade II listed building and registered with the Church Conservation Trust. It gained this status on the 1st April 1989.

It is therefore a church of the Norman Period, with a pinnacled style tower constructed around the 15th Century. The font is Norman and the stone pulpit dates from around 1480.

The Pigott Family - famous in the area, invested heavily in the Church and gave it a complete overhaul in 1820. The Pigott family originally were of Irish descent where they had originally been granted lands and the estate of Dysart in 1562. Family connections through a wife saw the Pigott family gain the manor of Brockley, In 1683, one of the Pigott's gained the title of Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset as a reward for seeking out the disaffected peoples of Taunton. He, however, lost this commission in 1688 for refusing to agree with the repeal of the Test Act and Penal Laws. Reinstated again in 1691 he declined to act with the Bridgwater Militia on account of his connections to Ireland.

In 1702, supported by family connections from Lord  Poulett, the Pigott family gained a Knightship of Somerset. Thus set up the Pigott family with their many influential contacts around the County.

In 1842 a Royal Coat of Arms by William Edkins was installed at the church.