Part 4: Haunted Devon, UK: True Story Behind Hound of the Baskervilles

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys

all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the fourth of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob   

  The true story behind the Hound of the Baskervilles

Photo: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the former Duchy Hotel at Princetown, now the Dartmoor visitor centre

This is the story that inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write The Hound of the Baskervilles when he was staying at the former Duchy Hotel in Princetown, which is now the Dartmoor visitor centre.
Legend has it that evil Squire Richard Cabell was much feared during his lifetime around Dartmoor - but he war even more fearful in death when he led a pack of black hounds.
To this day you can see where he was buried in Buckfastleigh Church and his coffin was secured with a giant slab to ensure his hounds wouldn’t ride on the moor.

Photo: The Cabell tomb in Buckfastleigh church (Image: Lincoln Shaw)

Legendary Dartmoor says you can still see the spooky 'sepulchre': "As you walk up the main pathway you will find a huge building that defies description. Known locally as ‘the sepulchre’, this ‘penthouse tomb’ would probably be more suited to Colditz.

"If it reminds you of a prison then you are not far wrong because in it are the incarcerated remains of the Cabell family and in particular Squire Richard Cabell.

"If you peer through the heavy metal bars you will see a tomb with a gigantic white slab on top of it. The building and the heavy slab will give you a hint that we are not dealing with the normal family burial plot. It will strongly suggest that somebody is trying to contain something and there we have the legend.

"Squire Richard Cabell lived during the 1600s and was the local squire at Buckfastleigh. He had a passion for hunting and was what in those days described as a ‘monstrously evil man’. He gained this reputation for amongst other things immorality and having sold his soul to the Devil. There was also a rumour that he had murdered his wife.

"On the 5th of July 1677 he passed away and was laid to rest in ‘the sepulchre’ but that was only the beginning of the story.

"The night of his internment saw a phantom pack of hounds come baying across the moor to howl at his tomb. From that night onwards he could be found leading the phantom pack across the moor usually on the anniversary of his death.

"In an attempt to lay the soul to rest the villagers built a large building around the tomb and to be doubly sure a huge slab was placed on top of the grave to stop the ghost of the squire escaping. Even after taking these measures people have reported a strange red glow emanating through the iron bars. Other folk have reported seeing a whole host of demonic creatures gathered around the grave trying to get the promised soul for their master."
SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420