The Stotfield Disaster

In Stotfield, a young girl called Charlotte was believed to have the gift of second sight. She had been deaf and mute her entire life, but somehow Charlotte simply knew things that were impossible. Like most in the village, both her father and her brother were fishermen, and they were facing a problem during December 1806.

The weather had been rough for days, with no chance to put to sea, but thankfully Christmas morning had broken bright and clear. Every fisherman rushed down to the beach and before long, the open-decked boats were being pushed out into the water.

Just then, Charlotte appeared from nowhere, wading through the waves towards her father’s boat. To everybody’s surprise, she pulled and clawed at him while tears streamed down her face. The embarrassed fisherman tried to shake his daughter off, unable to understand her message.

Eventually, Charlotte’s father pushed her away from the boat a little too roughly. She fell backwards into the water, still trying to signal that the fishermen were rowing into danger. They were all aware of her gift, but the day was so clear and the need to fish so great that they paid her no heed.

They never ventured further than a couple of miles from shore anyway, so it was a short way home. Unfortunately, on that day the wind changed so fast that the men couldn’t man their oars quickly enough. The sudden storm forced the vessels further away from land as they were swamped by enormous waves.

All Charlotte could do was stand on Stotfield’s beach as the boats capsized one by one. Joined by the other villagers, they waited in the optimistic hope that suddenly their brave fishermen would appear out of the waves. Sadly, the hours passed and nobody appeared.

All three boats were gone and 21 souls had lost their lives, the entire adult male population of Stotfield. Poor Charlotte was wracked with guilt, wondering if she could have done more to avert the disaster. One day, overcome with grief, she left her home and simply disappeared into the darkness.

It’s said that every Christmas Day, the Apparition of Stotfield appears standing alone, quietly waiting on the beach. A young, ghostly woman staring out to sea and weeping for her awful loss. Next to her are three deep grooves in the sand, just like those once made by old fishing boats.