In and around the village have been discovered remains of iron age farms, one of the largest Roman Villas in England, much Saxon and plenty of Norman and medieval archaeology. Flint arrowheads and other stone age tools often turn up in gardens too.
It should come as no surprise that some of its past residents are still around.
GET READY TO MEET SOME OF OUR OLDEST INHABITANTS
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1. A Roman Soldier
Location: Brook Road, coming up the hill towards the village
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2. The Man In Black Location: Brook Road, crossing from The Vicarage drive to the cottages opposite - though he has been seen in The Street.
The black of his wide brimmed hat and ankle length coat is relieved only by the whiteness of his long, thin face and clergyman's collar.
Our Ghostly Vicar is seasonal. He appears only on pitch-black nights in mid November. Catch him in your headlights, stop and watch him disappear as soon as he reaches the other side of the road ... Spooky! |
More Romans
As mentioned above, we have the remains of a Roman Villa on the outskirts of the village - and no doubt our Soldier had some connection with it. Here's an account of one witness' experience (name withheld at his request) :
"I was about ten years old and walking along the causeway one night (circa
1936) to the barn & found a group of villagers at the ford (where the
Roman River goes under the road now) closest to Tey, saying they could hear
marching/metalic noises on the meadow across the road from the barn. While
it was unkown at the time - it was coming from the Roman Villa site
(discovered some 50 years later)."
3. The Old Man of Brook Road
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Another eye witness' account (Who wishes to remain anonymous)
"I have seen this ghost twice ... by the Rectory ... The first time, it was raining but in the
moonlight I could see him plainly, an old old man, he had a sack covering
his shoulders instead of a jacket, he looked dishevelled, unkept, he
shambled off and faded from sight." |
"The second time a was a clear fine night, it was the same old man but this
time I could see that he was dressed in faded corduroy jacket and
trousers, the jacket was buttoned up askew, middle button being buttoned to
top button hole. As he came towards me, he was so real, so absolutely real, I said 'can I help you'. He moaned and shielding his head with his arms as if afraid of being hit, he faded away in front of me....." |
4. The Monster in the Lake ..
Location: Rectory Lake, The Barn, Brook Road.
"The Lake" is really just a large pond and has also been know as The Moat .. but the legend of it having a secretive tenant is centuries old. In the 1930s, the monster featured in a song written for the village concert. Here's the first verse:
Is welcome to the moat,
The Monster's little brother,
On dry land or afloat,
With his face so large and smiling,
And his neck so short and fat,
He seems so fond of the Rectory Pond,
And we're very much pleased at that!"
"Monster fever" seems to have gripped the village in the inter-war years, as shown by these cuttings from a local newspaper (Halstead Gazette) from December 1932:
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Strange News from Great Tey "The story of Mr.A is as follows: He was walking along the shore ... contemplating the erection of a bridge. Deep in mathematical calculations, he was somewhat surprised to see a long black back rear itself out of the water to the height of five feet. The creature had a small head, two dark, beady eyes, one nose and was wearing a top hat ....the witness decided to go home for his camera ... he saw no sign of the creature on his return. A sense of annoyance caused him to hurl the camera into the water. A violent stirring was observed, followed by the sound of crunching ..." |
"Mr. B says he was passing over (the lake) in his aeroplane, when on looking down he observed, some fathoms beneath the surface, a huge form ten or twelve feet long. Being fascinated .... he just missed the Church tower and succeeded in landing in the School playground ..."
" ... the third witness was most remarkable. Moving along the shores of the lake one morning, reciting French poetry ... a long dark neck raised five feet from the water, having two dark beady eyes etc. and wearing a top hat ... the creature put to him - in perfect French ... "Please Mr C. is this Little London? If so, why not?"
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who lived nearby and was told: "I don't believe a word of it ... it must be Henry."
Is the monster just an age-old story
made up to frighten children?
Was it perhaps an elaborate and very clever hoax?
I wouldn't suggest either explanation to anyone
in Great Tey ... not if I were you!
We have lots of other spooks and bumps-in-the-night.
These have been the few we'll admit to!
