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The Ringlestone Inn

The Ringlestone Inn dates from 1533, the year that saw the annulment of Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could wed Anne Boleyn. Originally, even before the Norman Conquest of 1066, Ringlestone (or ring of stones) was known as Rongoston.

So, it's unsurprising there are sinister presences haunting this fine old building, which was once a Church-owned hospice, offering shelter to monks who had to flee when the monasteries were dissolved by the King. Although not the provenance of ghostly manifestations, two famous landladies at Ringlestone deserve a mention. Mother and daughter, Florence and Dora Gasking took over the inn in 1952 but were intimidated by gangs of rowdy youths, particularly on one occasion in 1963 when 300 descended on the pub with 50 motorbikes. As a result, the two women became suspicious of all strangers and took to brandishing a shotgun to repel anyone except for carefully chosen customers who communicated their identity by a system of'secret knocks'. Once, Florence was reported to have flung a concrete block through a window at a passing car. The two women became increasingly eccentric, attracting national media attention and a fearsome reputation. They sold the inn in 1967 and Florence died around 1974. An account of the women's activities appeared in the Kent Messenger dated 11 March 1977.

The manager of the Ringlestone Inn, Jane Horder, provided the following information. However, she insists on pointing out that all of these ghosts are friendly and none of them has ever done harm to anyone. Mosborough | Aldington | Barnsley | Barnsley | Bartholomews | Bickley | Bolton | Buckinghamshire | Chester | Cornwall | Derbyshire | Devon | Dumfries | Eastwood | Eckington | Ecton | Holywell | Ireland | Norfolk | North Yorkshire | Northampshire | Northumberland | Nuneaton | Oxfordshire | Oxfordshire | Pluckley | pontefract | Ringlestone | Ringlestone | Ringlestone Road | Scotland | Sheffield | Shipwrights | South Yorkshire | Sussex | sussex | Wilton Row |