The story of the Screaming Skull of Bettiscombe starts in 1685 when Azariah Pinney joined the Monmouth Rebellion in an attempt to overthrow the Catholic King of England, James II. The forces of the Duke of Monmouth were quickly crushed and were set to be either executed or exiled for treason. Azariah was spared from a death by hanging because his sister bribed the Chief Judge to have him exiled instead. Azariah was sent to West Indies as a slave at the age of 24.

Azariah's grandson, John Frederick Pinney, was able to return to his ancestral house in Bettiscombe, a hamlet in Dorset, England. He brought along with him a slave, "Old Bettiscombe", from the West Indies. Not much was known about Old Bettiscombe's life in West Indies. He died shortly after arriving in England and pleaded to his owner to bury him back in his home land. Instead, Old Bettiscombe was buried in the local churchyard.

Soon, passers-by were terrified by blood-curdling screams from the grave. Poltergeist activity was noted at Bettiscombe Manor. Doors started banging and wild screams could be heard echoing through the corridors. Tremors could be felt through the house. The Pinney Family had the body dug up and shipped it back to the West Indies.

However, a skull is still kept at Bettiscombe Manor. People aren't quite sure about the origin of the skull. Many believe that the Pinney Family kept "Old Bettiscombe's" head and only had the body transferred back to the West Indies. The present owners of the house claim that this skull was found in a Celtic shrine also on their property and was brought in for good-luck in the 1700s. The family story has merit because it was examined and was found to be 2000 years old and it seems to be a female.

On one occasion, the family tried to get rid of the relic by throwing it in a pond. As a result, the same disturbances started occurring in the house again. Doors moved for no reason, the house shook and screams could be heard in the corridors. This grew so disturbing that the owners spent half the night wading through the pond trying to find the skull. After it was returned, the poltergeist activity ceased.

The skull was carefully kept locked in the attic of the house and no one is now allowed to move it. There have been no reports of any disturbances since that time.

Sources:

* Heads and Tales: The screaming skull legends of Britain (1996)

* The Pinney Surname Resource - Pinneys in History

* Monmouth Rebellion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

* Screaming Skulls. (Page 1)

* Bettiscombe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia