The Bell That Answers from the Creek
Raiders stole the great bell of a church in Sussex and sailed away with it. The bell sank their ship, and whenever the church's bells ring, it rings back from the water.
What was reported
Holy Trinity Church at Bosham, on a creek of Chichester Harbour, is one of the oldest churches in England and appears on the Bayeux Tapestry. Legend says that long ago, Danish raiders came up the creek, plundered the church and took its great tenor bell to their ship.
As they sailed away, the monks rang the remaining bells, and the stolen bell broke through the ship's hull and sank it, drowning the raiders. It lies in a deep part of the creek called Bell Hole, and whenever the church bells are rung, it's said to answer from beneath the water.
Explanations offered
The coast was raided by Vikings, so the legend has a real background, but there's no evidence for the bell. Attempts to raise it are said to have failed. It's one of many legends of drowned bells in Britain and Europe.
- When
- Told since the Middle Ages
- Where
- Bosham, West Sussex, England, UK
- Witnesses
- Sussex folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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