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Round Barrow(s)
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The story is probably retold in many books, but certainly in Devereux's 'Haunted Land' and forms part of his article in Fortean Times here.
Just one word of caution - Devereux claims 'the figure clearly saw' Dr Clay. Is this really apparent in his actual statement above - the figure turned to him, but does that mean it saw him?. It doesn't particularly tally with the Doctor's theorising which followed his experience: Peter Underwood, a writer on the supernatural, described in his 'Ghosts and how to see them' in 1993 that Dr Clay felt such images were 'a cinema of time' replaying certain emotion-charged moments at particular times to particular sensitive people. He also had had a vision of his brother when he was killed in the first world war, for whatever relevance you may see in that. A search of the internet revealed Clay was in charge of at least one dig in Wiltshire - I wonder if his colleagues knew about his unorthodox experiences?
Kathleen Wiltshire also records the tale in her 1984 'More Ghosts and Legends of the Wiltshire Countryside', though she doesn't say specifically where she heard it. A number of local people were asked about the sighting: an old shepherd was said to say "Do you mean the man on the horse that comes out of the opening in the pine wood?"
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Posted by Rhiannon
23rd September 2003ce
Edited 26th January 2005ce
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