The Ghost Battle of the 17th Century

The Battle of Edgehill

On the October 23rd of 1642, the Battle of Edgehill took place. King Charles leads his supporters in the first Battle of the English Civil War against the Earl of Essex who commands over the Parliamentarians (supporters of Parliament). Each had ran into each other at the village of Wormleighton. It is a bloody battle with a heavy flood of deaths on both sides that lasts 3 hours until the day ends. Both sides are exhausted and are unable to continue the next day so the Parliamentarians withdraw to Warwick. The official Battle has ended.

Charles Landseer The Eve of the Battle of Edgehill, 1845
Great guys, have kids at the battle! Civilians too!
Let's have everybody there

Another battle had just begun. 

Nights after the Battle of Edgehill a battle was seen as phantoms of soldiers from 2 armies reenacted the Edgehill battle in the sky multiple times over weeks. The sightings gained much popularity, so much so that the King sent a Royal Commission to confirm the reports. The Commission saw the ghosts and recognized a few people in the sky including Sir Edward Verney, the King's heraldry holder (Standard Bearer). Vernary was at the battle of Edgehill and refused to let go of the heraldry of the king to the Parliamentarians and resulting from this his hand was cut off, still holding it (ugh). Vernery died at the battle and his body was left unidentified, they could only identify his hand.

Edward Verney and his hand(s)

The Apparent Solution

In order to try and stop these ghosts the villagers near the site gave anyone still laying dead at Edgehill a Christian burial. It seems that was the solution and the ghosts stopped.

Today

Yet today it has been said people frequently hear the sound of hooves or even see apparitions near the time of the battle of Edgehill's anniversary.

It seems they need to bury more people. Anyone wanna volunteer?



Sources:
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_edgehill.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Verney_(Cavalier)
http://www.real-british-ghosts.com/edgehill-ghosts.html
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Phantom-Battle-of-Edgehill/