Clare Melford

According to Delia Hartston, a small Suffolk village where Alexander Roby claimed that 'nine teeth', of great beauty, had been erected for some undefined event of great significance due to take place in December of 1925.

The investigators arrived in Clare Melford on December 10th, 1928 and visited the Railway Tavern. In conversation with the locals, including landlord Dick Blair, they heard the story of the 'night of the curse', New Year's Eve 1925, on which five local residents died mysteriously in their beds. The victims were four elderly people and a young child.

They were also told about nearby Springer Mound, on Harold Jennings' property, which Saunders and Browne visited the following day.

Local History

Andrew Saunders has researched the history of the Clare Melford Area.

Clare Melford

Clare Melford is a tiny village midway between Clare and Long Melford. It basically comprises of a pub and a few houses. It is in the parish of Long Melford. There is no history of interest specific to it - nothing supernatural or any mention of a stone circle, apart from the standard EastAnglian ghost stories, in which ghostly dogs such as the hideous Black Shuck are a local specialty.

Clare, Suffolk

Clare is the name of a small town on the north bank of the River Stour in Suffolk, England. It is 22 km from Bury St Edmunds and 14 km from Sudbury.

The town possibly owed its earlier importance to its position on an ancient road running from Dunwich in East Anglia into the Midlands. At some time in its history the great double-ditched "camp" on Lower Common was built. It is of unknown origin, but probably marks the first permanent settlement in the area.

After the Norman Conquest its importance continued and a castle was built about 1 km to the south of the "camp" and the town given, along with many other manors, to Richard Fitz Gilbert, Earl of Brion in Normandy. These lands became know collectively as the 'Honour of Clare' and Fitz Gilbert styled himself Earl of Clare.

This 13th Century stone castle keep sits upon a 70ft high motte overlooking the town on the banks of the River Stour. Parts of the inner and outer baileys still exist. The castle is part of the Clare Castle Country Park which has the distinction of containing the only (now decommisioned) railway station built within a castle in the UK.

Adjacent to the park is the first house of the Augustinian Friars in England, founded at the behest of Richard de Clare, Earl of Gloucester: Clare Priory, established in 1248 and still used as a retreat centre.

In the 13th century the town was made a borough by grant of one of the Clare lords, although no charter survives to indicate the exact date.

The parish church of SS. Peter and Paul is one of the largest and most beautiful in East Anglia. It is principally of the 15th and early 16th century.

Long Melford

Long Melford (or Melford, as it is more generally known) is a large, ancient village in the county of Suffolk, England. It is on the border with Essex, which is marked by the River Stour, approximately 16 miles from Colchester and 14 miles from Bury St. Edmunds.

Long Melford is fairly unusual for a village in that it has a parish church (Holy Trinity - which boasts a celebrated example of a stained glass three hares motif) of dimensions more suited to a cathedral. It has two stately homes (Kentwell Hall and Melford Hall), both in excellent states of repair, all built from the proceeds of the wool trade in the Middle Ages.