Sticky End of Father Dominique at Pishall
26 February 2021 (Updated 20 September 2022)
The Crown Inn in Pishill dates back to the 11th century and is reportedly haunted by the ghost of Father Dominique, a Catholic priest who met a bad end in the 16th century.
Catholic sympathisers
The Stonor family of nearly Stonor Park refused to renounce their Catholicism at a time when Henry VIII made the religion a crime.
The family would provide refuge to persecuted Catholics like Father Dominique, but when the heat was on their guests would be smuggled to the Crown Inn and hidden in the priest's hole there.
The legend of Father Dominique
There are two stories of how Father Dominique met his death. The first is that he seduced, or was seduced by, one of the maids at the inn, but became overcome with guilt about his actions and took his own life.
The other is that the girl was attacked by a drunken patron and Father Dominique died trying to protect her from the attack.
Whichever is true, Father Dominique's ghost is said to walk the inn on the anniversary of his death.
