The Black Monk of Pontefract

The Black Monk of Pontefract haunting centers on a family living at 30 East Drive in Pontefract during the 1960s, where unexplained activity quickly turned violent. Objects were thrown, furniture moved on its own, and family members—especially a young girl—reported physical attacks. Witnesses even claimed to see a dark, hooded figure believed to be the spirit of a monk. With police and investigators backing the claims, it remains one of the most intense and well-documented hauntings in the UK.

Transcript

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There's a moment right before something happens where everything feels wrong. Not loud, not obvious. It just feels off. The air feels heavier. The room feels smaller. And even if you're alone, you stop moving. Because something in you knows you're not alone. Some people describe hauntings as noises. They can hear footsteps, doors move, voices. But the people who've experienced the worst of it, they don't talk about sound. They talk about awareness. The moment you realize something else is aware of you. And inside a house in Pontifract, England, the family didn't hear something first. They were noticed. Tonight, we talk about the black monk of Pontifract, England. Welcome to the Breeze Files. We got another terrifying ghost story for you today, but before I get into that, I want to start doing something. Um and I need your help. I would like for people to reach out to me and tell me about any kind of parallel experience that you've experienced or something you've heard before, maybe from a family or friend. I want to start at least like one episode just recanting pretty much like a ghost story. And then eventually, once this podcast really pops off, and you know, I'm having like, you know, hundreds or thousands of people listen to it, um, I'd like to do whole episodes just based on you know recanting these stories that are submitted by listeners, right? Uh so if you if you want to reach out to me and send me a uh a story of your own, and I'll even on the podcast, I'll give you a shout out and you know, thank you for sending sending it to me. Uh you can reach me at Cody Breeze25 at gmail.com. C-O-D-Y-B-R-E-E-Z 25 at gmail.com. I think that would be a cool thing for sure. I think it'll be for one, I'd be super interested to hear about anything anybody's experienced. Um even if it's a small thing, like you just hear a knocking on your door every night or something, because that's that's fascinating to me. So I definitely hope to get some responses on that. And uh if I don't, I'll probably just, you know, make up some shit that people hear say that people sent some stuff in when they didn't, and then just make up a story myself. What ev no, I'm just kidding, I won't do that. Anyway, let's get down to business people. Uh today we're talking about the black monk of Pontefract, England. Yes, we're going outside the United States, and I'm gonna get this story started right now. In 1966, the Pritchard family moved into a small house in Pontefract, England. Joe and Jean didn't think twice about it. It was a normal place, affordable, quiet, close to other families. Exactly the kind of house you want to raise your kids in. The first few days felt ordinary. Boxes stacked in corners, furniture being moved around. That feeling is slowly turning a house into something familiar. The kids learned which steps on the stairs creaked. Gene figured out where everything would go. Joe settled into the routine of coming home, sitting down and letting the day end. Nothing about it felt wrong. Not yet. It started with things that didn't seem important. A door that wouldn't stay shut. Gene would close it and later notice it open again. Not wide, but just enough to make you pause. She'd push it close again, tell herself it didn't latch properly, and move on. But then it happened again. And again. It slowly stopped feeling like a coincidence. Joe noticed the sounds next. Footsteps upstairs when everyone was downstairs. He'd stopped what he was doing, listening carefully, trying to place it. They weren't loud or heavy, but it was clear. One step, then another, and then silence. And every time he listened for more, they stopped. Like whatever made them knew he was paying attention. They didn't talk about it much at first. That's how these things happen. You notice something strange, but you don't want to be the first one to say it out loud. Because once you do, it becomes real. It was Diane who changed first. She didn't say anything right away, but Gene noticed it. The way she hesitated before entering the room. The way she'd glance behind her more often. The way she didn't like being alone anymore. When Gene asked her what was wrong, Diane didn't have a clear answer. Just a feel that someone was there. Not seen or heard, but just there. Then things started moving. A cup Jean had just set down wasn't where she left it. A chair in the living room slightly turned. Joe would notice something out of place and ask if anyone had moved it. No one had. At least no one admitted to it. At first they questioned each other. Did you move this? No. Are you sure? Yes. Simple conversations. But over time, those conversations stopped. Because they all started to realize the same thing. It wasn't any of them. The house felt different after that. Like something was holding itself still. The first time it touched Diane, she didn't scream. She froze. A quick tug at her clothing, so light it almost enregistered her. She turned and nothing was there. She told herself it caught on something. But the next time it didn't feel accidental. It held for just a second longer. Enough for her to know it wasn't nothing. That's when she told them. And when she said out loud, everything changed. Because now they were all thinking it. And now they couldn't ignore it. The night it happened, there was no more. No buildup, no loud noise. Just a normal moment that stopped being ignorant. Diane was near the stairs. Joe and Gene were close enough to see her. And suddenly she moved. Not like someone losing balance. Like someone being pulled. Her body shifted forward one step, then another. Because she wasn't in control. She was being taken up the stairs. Jill rushed toward her, grabbed her. For a moment, it felt like something was pulling back. Like there was resistance. Someone or something on the other side. That was the moment the house changed. After that, there was no pretending. Things didn't just move anymore. They were thrown. Objects flew across rooms, chairs overturned, doors slammed so hard the walls shook. And Diane was always at the center. She'd be pulled from her bed, dragged, thrown, and Joe and Jean would grab onto her, holding her. Like something unseen was trying to take her away. There's a kind of fear that comes from not knowing what's there. But this was different. They knew something was there. They just couldn't see it. The house stopped feeling like theirs. It felt occupied. Like they were living in something else's space. And then they saw it. Not clearly, not long, but enough. A figure standing in the hallway. Tall, dark, and completely still. Watching. It didn't move toward them. Didn't make a sound. It just stood there. And somehow, that made everything worse. Because it didn't need to do anything. It already had control. Sleep stopped being real. They didn't rest. They waited for the next sound. The next movement. And the next moment. Something would happen. And then, just as suddenly as it escalated, it began to slow. Not stop. Just less. The movement weakened. The moments became shorter. The house grew quiet again. But it wasn't the same quiet. This quiet felt watched. Eventually, the family left. They had to. Because whatever was in that house wasn't going to leave with them. And even after everything stopped, that feeling never really did. They didn't leave because the haunting ended. They left because it didn't. After the Pritchard family left, nothing like that ever happened again. No violence, no chaos, no family push to that edge. The house just got quiet. Quiet doesn't mean empty. Because people still walked inside and felt it. That same pause. That same weight in the air. That same feeling. That something is there. Even when you can't see it. Not enough to not long enough to understand it. And then it would disappear again. Like it didn't need to prove anything. Maybe that's why it stopped. Not because it was gone. But because it didn't need to do it again. Because whatever was inside the house was never out of control. It was choosing when to act and when to stay still. And if that's true, then it didn't disappear. It just stopped needing to be seen. Well, it sounds like this house was haunted. Yeah. Definitely a creepy story. I enjoyed it, actually. And I I don't know how I've never heard of it before, because I guess it's considered one of the most haunted houses in all of uh England or the UK. So uh it's pretty cool to learn about it, though. Uh let's let's get on to some what what do we think this is? Uh so a lot of people would suggest that this is uh along the lines of a poltergeist haunting. Uh the explanation is activity centered heavily around Dan started suddenly escalate fast and then it faded. And this matches patterns seen in other poltergeist cases. Um doesn't really explain uh the figure being seen, though, I guess is is uh why some people say this isn't a poltergeist. Uh some people say that this could be a spirit because of the black monk entity that would be seen. Uh it was only seen a handful of times by the Pritchard family, and uh not really afterwards. But the interpretation is that the figure looked like a roped monk. Uh some believe it was tied to local history or the land, uh, and it was intelligent behavior targeting and reacting. Uh there's no historical proof of a monk directly to tied to that house, though. So it being a black monk, I mean, that's just what they say it looked like. That's definitely probably not what or who the person was that inhabited the spirit. Um, this is what I think. It would be something darker, non-human entity. Uh because it seemed aware and intentional. Uh it was aggressive, uh, little violent with Diane, uh physical interaction, dragging her, throwing her. Uh yeah, this is that's what I think it's more relatable to. Um, but yeah, the house in the one of the most haunted houses in the UK, and it's open for paranormal investigations. Maybe one day if I you know hit the lottery or some shit and I'm able to afford to go over there. Uh but it sounds pretty cool. Uh what do people report today? Um, it it's not like when the printers live there, but um when people investigate, they still hear knocking sounds, objects slightly moving, cold spots, equipment malfunctioning, and that same watched feeling that that the family gets. And if anybody's been ghost hunting or paranormal investigations, uh if you're actually in one of the house that you can feel something, you know that feeling, like something's watching me. This was uh a little bit shorter because I can't couldn't really find like a whole bunch of information about it. But I I thought it was a pretty good story to tell uh in case nobody else has heard of it like me. Um but and it and it should be heard if it's if it's one of the most haunted places in the United Kingdom. Uh but as we wind down, this is uh gonna be a shorter episode, but I still want to remind you guys uh if you who's ever listening to this, or I'll I'll post something on TikTok or my social medias too. Um the Breeze Files on Instagram, uh Cody Breeze on TikTok. And my Gmail is Cody Breeze25 at gmail.com. I say my gmail or my email. My email is cody breeze25 at gmail.com. C-O-D-Y-B-R-E-E-Z25 at gmail.com. I want to hear about your guys' experiences with any ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot, whatever. Uh whatever whatever, whatever's happened, I think it's it's cool to hear about that stuff. And I think it'd be cool for all of my listeners, which it's it's gonna grow eventually, uh, would want to hear about it because everybody has you know that time when they feel like they're being watched. Uh something weird happens, you can't explain it, you know, and I want to hear it. So please, people, let's participate. All right. Uh anyway, uh that'll do it for today's episode of the Breeze Files. I'm your host, Cody Breeze. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day, a wonderful life in general, you know. Because we're here for a good time, not a long time. You know what I'm saying, players? Also, last thing, does anyone have like uh anyone have any ideas for an ending catchphrase that sounds really cool? Because sometimes I'll say breeze out or I'll say see it next time, but I really want like a catchphrase that really resonates with me. Today I'm going to go with stay aware. You're not alone. How's that one sound? That sound good? Does that sound scary or like spooky? All right, well, we're we're gonna go with that one for today. This has been an episode of the Breeze Files. I'm your host, Cody Breeze. And I'm gonna remind you guys, stay aware because you're not alone.