Chase vault. 1
This tale first appeared in print in
James Edward Alexander's "Transatlantic sketches"
(1833) which, last time i looked, could be found on-line...
It happened in Barbados, and the family vault of the Chases,
according to him, was opened for one Mrs Goddard, in 1807
Anna Maria in 1808, and Dorcas in 1812.
Later that same year it was opened for the burial of Thomas Chase,
and the coffins of the female Chases were
supposed to have been found in disarray.
When an infant was next taken down to be interred
the coffins were very disturbed.
This was reported on subsequent interments,
and each time order had been restored
before the vault had been locked up again.
Like many of these stories the details vary from book to book
as time progreses. Andrew Lang, researching through
old newspapers and burial records, said
that he could find nothing to substantiate it in public records.
It was apparently an anecdote told by Thomas Orderson,
rector of Christchurchduring the 1800s.
The first written account was in an
unpublished account written by a Nathan Lucas, in 1820.
He claimed to have been present when it happened.
Then the Robert Dale Owen book came along.
He was son of the socialist reformer, Robert Owen, a famous man,
who was largely responsible for the eight hour working day,
and the co operative movement. He also had an interest
in spiritualism, which his son Robert Dale continued.
I have both of these early published books to compare details.
What we have to remember is that Lang, despite being a folklorist,
was a sceptic, and he was researching the incident 100 years
later, around 1907. He didn't have the benefit of on-line
Historical resources,
but of course Barbados isn't a large place..
Oh, one other thing, this vault disturbance event was not an isolated
occurrence apparently.............
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