There’s also the charging horseman who has been seen upon his galloping horse in Shaw Green Lane and the Burgage; and the Headless Horseman who, according to local legend, was a royal dispatch rider who was beheaded after interrogation of the Roundheads of Prestbury. Over the years, a rich history has been played out within the walls of the beautiful Nomadic Berkeley Castle.

The Tudor House Hotel is a gorgeous oak beamed wonder, with views spanning the River Avon, that sits in the middle of Tewkesbury’s high street. The 16th century Tudor building has a rich history so there’s a little wonder that a few spectres have decided to linger long after death. In Mississippi, haints could be ghosts, monsters, or even witches. Writer Matt Staggs says, "Just about everybody’s mamaw or papaw (southern for grandmother or grandfather) has a tale or two they can share about an old antebellum ruin, graveyard, or civil war battlefield said to have a haint attached to it." (5)

The most frequent reports are of the ‘Grey Lady’ who has been spotted walking the corridors of the hotel on several occasions, and then vanishing. She is believed to be a ghost of a maid who once worked there and upon cruel treatment by her mistress, became severely depressed and jumped out of a window on the top floor before plunging to her death in the garden below. Guests have also woken up to the banging of a kettle drum thought to by a small drummer boy. Woodchester Mansion, a 19th century Victorian gothic masterpiece, lies hidden in a secluded Cotswolds valley. An architectural dream, the Grade I listed building was mysteriously abandoned mid-construction. One online dictionary defines the word "haint" simply as a ghost. The tradition is more complex than that. The old Spanish fort Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, the oldest and possibly most haunted city in America. Buy a fine art print.

Southern legends of haints, ghosts, witches, booger men, boohags, and boodaddies Origination of haint beliefsNewark Park is nestled in an unspoilt corner of Gloucestershire countryside. Most famous for its impressive views, the Tudor Lodge and its scenic surrounding gardens also have a set of spooky tales to tell. Mystery lies behind the pretty Regency facades of Cheltenham, and the town is home to many unexplained supernatural events including one of the most documented and highly researched cases in British paranormal history: The Morton Case.

Bottle tree - The bottle tree originated in Africa and migrated to the US with the enslaved people. The bottles are said to catch wandering spirits at night, and hold them until they can be destroyed by the sunshine of daytime. Slamming doors, heavy footsteps and menacing shadows are part and parcel of a ghost hunt in Gloucester’s Littledean Jail. Known as the Alcatraz of the Forest, the controversial correction house has been used as a courthouse, police station and prison during its 225 year history and therefore infamy exudes upon visiting.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community. Sorry for the long winded story, but “Haints” do get my attention. I’ve never encountered one in all of my years, but still keeping an open mind. The statuesque Sudeley Castle is a wonder to marvel at; playing an integral part in English history for over 100 years, it is easy to while an afternoon away in the castle’s many exhibits and glorious gardens.

I hunted with my Uncle Ed that day, my father took Duke and went to Faison to hunt with one of his old friends. That evening. they wanted to coon hunt, I passed on hunting that night. I was the one that drove to Mt. Olive. Sudeley Castle is the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within its grounds: Katherine Parr. Katherine’s ghost is said to still wander the corridors of the castle and there have been frequent reports of a tall lady in a green dress seen around the castle nursery. Clean the house - Burn sage or incense. Mop the floors with pine and camphor, and place salt across doors and windows, and in corners. The 1941 movie King of the Zombies contains several mentions of the word “haints.” It’s not a great movie, nor is it really about ghosts, but it was interesting to hear the words “haints” and “hainted” used in the dialogue. Gate to Savannah's haunted Bonaventure Cemetery. Fine art photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a print here.Echoing Jonathan McMillan’s comment regarding the tradition of keeping cash on hand to “keep the haints off of you”. My grandfather (who was raised in central Georgia in the late 1800s) would also make the statement when slipping us a couple of dollars. many Southerners suggest that blue porch ceilings originated out of the fear of haints. Southerners, especially in the area of South Carolina, have a name for the ceiling paint used on porches – the soft blue-green is referred to as 'Haint Blue.' Haint blue, which can also be found on door and window frames as well as porch ceilings, is intended to protect the homeowner from being 'taken' or influenced by haints. It is said to protect the house and the occupants of the house from evil." (1) Haints and Witches and Legends...Oh my! Tennessee Folklife Myths and Legends blog post by Tennessee State Library and Archives.