Unquiet Coffins
Church records document the tossed coffins in the French crypt in Stanton. Loud thuds were heard emanating from the crypt. When the vault was opened for an interment, large coffins, covered with lead, were found strewn about. One of the coffins, found on the fourth step of the stairs that led into the crypt was so heavy that it took eight men to put it in its resting place. People blamed grave robbers, but the lock to the crypt had not been tampered with.
The next case is that of the family of Colonel Thomas Chase in Christchurch, Barbados. Chase was financially well off. He was not well liked among the natives of the island. He was ill tempered and cruel to his slaves and family.
Mrs. Goddard, one of Chase's relatives, was the first to be interred in the crypt in summer, 1807. Her coffin was made of lead and four strong men carried it to its resting place. Several months later, Chase's daughter, Mary Anna died and was interred there. Dorcas, another of Chase's daughters, died in July 1812. Her body was placed in the crypt. Nothing was out of order.
In August, Chase died. The people present when the crypt was opened were shocked. The coffins looked as if they had been tossed. Mary Anna's coffin was resting diagonally in the opposite corner of the crypt from where it had been placed. They assumed that vandals had desecrated the crypt and restored the coffins to their proper place. Chase's coffin was put on top of them. Someone spread sand on the floor to detect vandals.
There was another death in 1816 and the crypt was opened for interment. All four coffins had been strewn about. There were no footprints in the sand. A few weeks later, the body of Samuel, another family member was removed from its grave and re-interred in the crypt. The coffins had been strewn about, as before. There were no footprints in the sand.
The natives whispered about duppies, evil spirits. Rumors spread that the family dead did not want Chase sharing the crypt. It was said that Dorcas starved herself to death because Chase was so cruel to her. The rumors caused much anxiety and Lord Combermere, Barbados' English governor want to end the matter.
In July, 1819, Thomasina Clarke, another Chase family member, died and was interred in the crypt. Again, the coffins had been strewn about and there were no footprints in the sand. Mrs. Combermere recorded this in her diary.
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