THE BLACK NUN OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND

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V15 2012 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 15, Number 47, November 11, 2012, Article 12

The Black Nun of the Bank of England
Last week I published an item about haunted banks. One of the stories was about the “Black Nun,” who is said to haunt the Bank of England, making ghostly appearances at the bank’s courtyard, where she’s buried. I wondered about that last part - why would anyone be buried in the Bank's courtyard?

"Upon her death she was buried behind the bank in the yard of the now demolished church which is now covered over by an enclosed courtyard for the Bank. The church behind the Bank of England was St Christopher le Stocks which dated back to 1282, though it had been altered many times and rebuilt after being destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire of London. The church was demolished when the bank was extended in 1781. The remains of those buried in the churchyard were relocated to Nunhead Cemetary during work in 1867 and 1933."

Be sure to read the full article Gar found. Here's part of a note that was emailed to the web site in 2008. -Editor

One evening in 1991, while enjoying a nice walk on my first visit to London, I nearly bumped into a woman. Apparently I was distracted by the sights because I certainly didn’t see her before almost walking into her. She was wearing a black dress and bonnet (of a style from the early 1800s much as I had seen on display in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum). She held a small purse in her hands. Her face was plump and decidedly English. Her expression was quite sad. We stood less than an arm’s reach from each other, face to face. Her eyes barely caught a glimpse of mine because she was, with apparent despair, dropping her head as if defeated. As she did so, she asked, “Have you seen my brother?” Uncomfortably, I said, “I don’t know your brother, so I don’t know if I’ve seen him.”

Then I looked behind her. Four meters away stood two men looking at me. I thought that perhaps they were escorting this troubled woman who was out in the dark of London asking strangers questions. The two men said nothing. Then she and I walked past each other. After I walked five or six steps, I turned around to watch her, concerned about her and curious to know what she was doing. But she wasn’t there. This was an open area. There was no obstacle that could have blocked my view of her. There was nothing for her to hide behind. My view was not obstructed by people. She just wasn’t there. Puzzled, I continued my walk and said out loud, “Well, I guess this is creepy old London.”

To read the complete article, see: The Bank of England and The Black Nun (www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england/greater-london/hauntings/the-bank-of-england-and-the-black-nun.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: HAUNTED BANKS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n46a32.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor