Jamaica Inn
Encyclopedia
The Jamaica Inn, originally a public house
and now an inn, is a Grade II listed building in the civil parish of Altarnun
, Cornwall
, United Kingdom. Located near the middle of Bodmin Moor
near the hamlet of Bolventor
, it was built as a coaching house
in 1750 as a staging post for changing horses during stagecoach runs over the moor. It is accessible in present-day by the A30
. The hill named Tuber or Two Barrows, 1122 feet (342 m), is close-by.
The inn is famous for being the base of smugglers in the past and has gained national renown for allegedly being one of the most haunted places in Great Britain. It is also known as the setting for Daphne du Maurier
's novel of the same name
, published in 1936. The young author at the time was inspired to write her novel when, having gone horse riding on the moors, she became lost in thick fog and sought refuge at the inn in 1930. During the time spent recovering from her ordeal, the local rector is supposed to have entertained her with ghost stories and tales of smuggling; he would later become the inspiration for the enigmatic character of the Vicar of Altarnun
. The novel was made into the film Jamaica Inn
in 1939 by Alfred Hitchcock
and a 1983 television series, Jamaica Inn
, starring Jane Seymour
. In addition to its use in literature, and film, the hotel is referenced in "Jamaica Inn", a song written by Tori Amos
on her album The Beekeeper
, written while she was travelling by car along the road of the Cornwall cliffs, and inspired by the legend she had heard of the inn.
Brown Willy
is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north, while Rough Tor
is nearby, as are the valleys of Hantergantick and Hannon. Dozmary Pool
is situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of the inn, while a branch of the Fowey
estuary is 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) to the west. Spread over 0.75 acre (0.3035145 ha) of land, the Jamaica Inn has been refurbished with a theme park face lift and functions as an exclusive bed and breakfast
manor, with a pub, a museum and a gift shop. Bodmin is connected by road with St Austell, which is on the London
-Penzance
line.
The inn was built in 1750 and extended in 1778 with a coach house, stables and a tack room assembled in an L-shaped fashion. The inn became a smugglers' stopping point while they used approximately 100 secret routes to move around their contraband. Originally, the half-way house was alone on this part of the moor, but later a church, parsonage, and school were added by Mr. Kodd, the proprietor of the land, satisfying the area's residents.
According to narrated story, piratical gangs operated on the coast of Cornwall
during early 19th century. Cornwall has been very aptly described as the “haven of smugglers” in view of its topographic features of “rocky coves, sheltered bays, tumultuous waves and wild and untenanted landscapes”. The pirates ensnared ships to this coast line by tricking them with use of beacon lights, which they purposefully installed on the shores of the coast. Once the ships hit the rocky coast, they were wrecked and looted by the pirates.
By 1847, Francis Rodd of Trebartha Hall, who had been High Sheriff of Cornwall
in 1845, was building a chapel at Bolventor
to accommodate those who lived in the Jamaica Inn area. In 1865, Murray wrote that the inn was frequented in the winter by sportsmen and offered only rudimentary accommodations.
The current building still includes the extension of a coach house, stables and a tack room added in 1778. The inn was owned for a period by the novelist Alistair MacLean
.
The Jamaica Inn’s past notoriety as the pirates' den was known to Maurier three years before she wrote her book, when she had lived in the inn, and on the basis of which she had spun her popular novel the “Jamaica Inn”, which was adopted into a melodramatic film of the same name made by Alfred Hitchcock. Before living in the inn, she had resided in Fowey estuary, known earlier as Foreside, a house in Bodinnick
and subsequently in Menabilly
. She described the nocturnal activities of a smuggling ring based at the now celebrated inn, "portraying a hidden world as a place of tense excitement and claustrophobia of real peril and thrill.” It should be noted though that in Du Maurier's novel, the Jamaica Inn is not functionable as an inn with many guests it had in reality, but was solely the home of the landlord and a rendezvous and storagehouse for smuggling. In the popular film made by Hitchcock in 1939 with the pirate's story line, the heroine’s role of a young girl who encounters the gangsters in the Jamaica Inn as “Lady Vanishes” was played by Maureen O’ Hara in her debut appearance while the main role of the ugly and fierce leader of the pirates was played by Laughton
. The young girl finds out that her uncle is a member of the gang, and an young man accused of treason is about to be hanged. She soon cuts the noose around the young man and assists him to escape through the backdoor.
. Historically, however, the courtyard was gravel. The exterior to the Smuggler's Bar says, "Through these portals passed smugglers, wreckers, villains and murderers, but rest easy....t'was many years ago".
The interior is characterized by sloping floors with many of its original beams. Internal building partitions have been removed. The fireplaces display roughly cut granite lintels. The Smuggler's Bar in particular retains its 18th century feel with its large granite fireplace in the bar and dark wood beams. The bar area contains many old bank notes on the walls and various items such as brass or copper kettles and urns.
The Jamaica Inn became a Grade II listed building on November 23, 1988.
John Couch Adams
was born is nearby. Other landmarks include the Four-hole Cross, Peverell's Cross, the circular entrenchment of Cardinkam Bun, and the Knights Templar
church ruins at Temple
. Between the inn and Kilmarth, a house near Par
, can be found hut circles, stone lines and parts of ancient stream works.
Mr Potter’s Museum of Curiosities
Between 1984 and 2003, the building housed a large collection of stuffed animals
in complex dioramas, such as an animal courthouse or school classroom populated by baby squirrels. Known as "Mr Potter’s Museum of Curiosities", these exhibits were created by Walter Potter in the 1850s, and were originally housed in his museum in Bramber
, Sussex
. The collection was auctioned by Bonhams
in 2003 resulting in its dispersal.
The Museum of Smuggling
The inn contains "The Museum of Smuggling", which is located to the western side of the inn and the main coaching house. A plaque on the walls outside says "The Museum of Smuggling. Presents a record of classical examples in the arts of concealment and evasion". The museum's main focus is its collection of smuggling artifacts that is depicted through the history of the Jamaica Inn and the inn's role in this trade for many years. The Cornwall coast was the most popular location for smuggling of silks, tea, tobacco and brandy into England
and operated from the Cornish coast, Polperro
(on the south coast) and Boscastle
, Trebarwith and Tintagel
on the north coast as this coastline was not well covered by the law enforcing authorities. Many of the smugglers stored their contraband in the isolated location of the Jamaica Inn. It is also said that even the judges were fairly lenient towards the pirates, probably due to their receiving some of the smuggled goods.
The museum contains various items including "Wanted" posters, one of which is dated to 1798, a poster celebrating Lord Nelson
's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar
, various pottery figures of smugglers and villains, a bag of "10 pounds of Jamaican ganja
" and old books etc. There is also a display in the room where the author Maurier lived of various items owned by her including her writing desk and typewriter.
the ghost-cartoon like figure on the wall with a match to warn for a fire. The inn has been featured in an episode of the British TV programme, Most Haunted
, first aired on the TV channel LIVINGtv
on April 6, 2004, which the Most Haunted team described as one of the spookiest places they had ever visited.
A malevolent figure of a highwayman in a tricorne
hat and long green coat walking through locked doors and standing at the foot of the guest beds has been reported to have been seen, including a reporting by a solicitor and his wife. According to medium Derek Acorah
, this highwayman frequented the inn in the late 18th century, specifically 1791 and was named "Jack Trevellis" but no historical records can verify this. There is a depiction of him on the wall in the inn. One of the most famous apparitions is of an anguished young mother and her baby which are said to haunt room 5 of the inn and have been reported many times to walk through the wall where the mirror is. A young smuggler who had been lured from the bar whilst having a drink was murdered on the moor by the inn and his apparition has been seen sitting on the wall in the courtyard and walking around the courtyard in the middle of the night. This strange happening was widely covered in the press in 1911, and conversations were heard in some foreign languages which were unaccountable. Also, unexplained footsteps in corridors, the whinnying of horses, phantom horse hooves
and a metal carriage have reportedly been heard over gravel in the courtyard in the middle of the night but the courtyard today is cobblestoned.
Even though the inn was subject to "temperance" in the 1900s, the ghost stories persist in different apparitions. Considering the innumerable ghost stories related to the inn, "The Ghost Society" investigated the matter. Of particular interest to these investigations were the strange events noticed in the Smuggler's Bar, the Stable Bar, the restaurant and in bedroom 4 on the upper floor.
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and now an inn, is a Grade II listed building in the civil parish of Altarnun
Altarnun
Altarnun is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is located on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at .The parish of Altarnun includes the village of Fivelanes and the hamlets of Bolventor, Treween and Trewint, and had a population of 976 according to the 2001 census...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom. Located near the middle of Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in size, and originally dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history....
near the hamlet of Bolventor
Bolventor
Bolventor is a hamlet on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated in Altarnun civil parish between Launceston and Bodmin.Bolventor is the location of the famous Jamaica Inn coaching inn...
, it was built as a coaching house
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
in 1750 as a staging post for changing horses during stagecoach runs over the moor. It is accessible in present-day by the A30
A30 road
The 284 miles A30 road from London to Land's End, historically known as the Great South West Road used to provide the most direct route from London to the south west; more recently the M3 motorway and A303 road performs this function for much of the route and only parts of A30 now retain trunk...
. The hill named Tuber or Two Barrows, 1122 feet (342 m), is close-by.
The inn is famous for being the base of smugglers in the past and has gained national renown for allegedly being one of the most haunted places in Great Britain. It is also known as the setting for Daphne du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
's novel of the same name
Jamaica Inn (novel)
Jamaica Inn is a novel by the English writer Daphne du Maurier, first published in 1936. It was later made into a film, also called Jamaica Inn, by Alfred Hitchcock...
, published in 1936. The young author at the time was inspired to write her novel when, having gone horse riding on the moors, she became lost in thick fog and sought refuge at the inn in 1930. During the time spent recovering from her ordeal, the local rector is supposed to have entertained her with ghost stories and tales of smuggling; he would later become the inspiration for the enigmatic character of the Vicar of Altarnun
Altarnun
Altarnun is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is located on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at .The parish of Altarnun includes the village of Fivelanes and the hamlets of Bolventor, Treween and Trewint, and had a population of 976 according to the 2001 census...
. The novel was made into the film Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn (film)
Jamaica Inn is a 1939 film made by Alfred Hitchcock adapted from Daphne du Maurier's 1936 novel of the same name, the first of three of du Maurier's works that Hitchcock adapted ....
in 1939 by Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
and a 1983 television series, Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn (TV serial)
Jamaica Inn is a 1983 British television series adapted from the novel Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier and starring Jane Seymour, Patrick McGoohan and Trevor Eve...
, starring Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour (actress)
Jane Seymour, OBE is an English actress best known for her performances in the James Bond film Live and Let Die , East of Eden , Onassis: The Richest Man in the World , and the American television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman...
. In addition to its use in literature, and film, the hotel is referenced in "Jamaica Inn", a song written by Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
on her album The Beekeeper
The Beekeeper
The Beekeeper is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It deals with the topics of death, adultery and romantic conflict, and makes brief reference to ancient Gnostic mysticism from the Apocryphon of John...
, written while she was travelling by car along the road of the Cornwall cliffs, and inspired by the legend she had heard of the inn.
Geography
Jamaica Inn is located on the bleak Bodmin Moor, near Bolventor.Brown Willy
Brown Willy
Brown Willy is a hill in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The summit is the highest point of Bodmin Moor and of Cornwall as a whole....
is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north, while Rough Tor
Rough Tor
Rough Tor, or Roughtor, rowter, is a hill and tor on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall. Its summit is 1313 ft above mean sea level, making it the second highest point in Cornwall....
is nearby, as are the valleys of Hantergantick and Hannon. Dozmary Pool
Dozmary Pool
Dozmary Pool is a small lake on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, UK situated 16.9 km/10.5 mi from the sea. It lies about 15 km northeast of Bodmin and 2 km south of Bolventor: it originated in the post-glacial period. The outflow from the pool is into Colliford Lake...
is situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of the inn, while a branch of the Fowey
Fowey
Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...
estuary is 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) to the west. Spread over 0.75 acre (0.3035145 ha) of land, the Jamaica Inn has been refurbished with a theme park face lift and functions as an exclusive bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
manor, with a pub, a museum and a gift shop. Bodmin is connected by road with St Austell, which is on the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
line.
History
It is often commonly thought that the inn takes its name from the smugglers who smuggled rum into the country from Jamaica and stored it at the inn. However, the name of the inn is actually said to derive from the important local Trelawney family of landowners, of which two family members served as Governors of Jamaica in the 18th century.The inn was built in 1750 and extended in 1778 with a coach house, stables and a tack room assembled in an L-shaped fashion. The inn became a smugglers' stopping point while they used approximately 100 secret routes to move around their contraband. Originally, the half-way house was alone on this part of the moor, but later a church, parsonage, and school were added by Mr. Kodd, the proprietor of the land, satisfying the area's residents.
According to narrated story, piratical gangs operated on the coast of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
during early 19th century. Cornwall has been very aptly described as the “haven of smugglers” in view of its topographic features of “rocky coves, sheltered bays, tumultuous waves and wild and untenanted landscapes”. The pirates ensnared ships to this coast line by tricking them with use of beacon lights, which they purposefully installed on the shores of the coast. Once the ships hit the rocky coast, they were wrecked and looted by the pirates.
By 1847, Francis Rodd of Trebartha Hall, who had been High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
in 1845, was building a chapel at Bolventor
Bolventor
Bolventor is a hamlet on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated in Altarnun civil parish between Launceston and Bodmin.Bolventor is the location of the famous Jamaica Inn coaching inn...
to accommodate those who lived in the Jamaica Inn area. In 1865, Murray wrote that the inn was frequented in the winter by sportsmen and offered only rudimentary accommodations.
The current building still includes the extension of a coach house, stables and a tack room added in 1778. The inn was owned for a period by the novelist Alistair MacLean
Alistair MacLean
Alistair Stuart MacLean was a Scottish novelist who wrote popular thrillers or adventure stories, the best known of which are perhaps The Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra and Where Eagles Dare, all three having been made into successful films...
.
The Jamaica Inn’s past notoriety as the pirates' den was known to Maurier three years before she wrote her book, when she had lived in the inn, and on the basis of which she had spun her popular novel the “Jamaica Inn”, which was adopted into a melodramatic film of the same name made by Alfred Hitchcock. Before living in the inn, she had resided in Fowey estuary, known earlier as Foreside, a house in Bodinnick
Bodinnick
Bodinnick is a riverside village in south Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It is a fishing village situated on the east bank of the River Fowey opposite the town of Fowey, also on the banks of the Fowey River. The ferry crossing is from Fowey to Bodinnick and the "Old Ferry Inn" is located on its...
and subsequently in Menabilly
Menabilly
Menabilly is an Elizabethan house on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the Rashleigh Estate, seat of the Rashleigh family. Menabilly is situated on the Gribben peninsula about west of Fowey...
. She described the nocturnal activities of a smuggling ring based at the now celebrated inn, "portraying a hidden world as a place of tense excitement and claustrophobia of real peril and thrill.” It should be noted though that in Du Maurier's novel, the Jamaica Inn is not functionable as an inn with many guests it had in reality, but was solely the home of the landlord and a rendezvous and storagehouse for smuggling. In the popular film made by Hitchcock in 1939 with the pirate's story line, the heroine’s role of a young girl who encounters the gangsters in the Jamaica Inn as “Lady Vanishes” was played by Maureen O’ Hara in her debut appearance while the main role of the ugly and fierce leader of the pirates was played by Laughton
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
. The young girl finds out that her uncle is a member of the gang, and an young man accused of treason is about to be hanged. She soon cuts the noose around the young man and assists him to escape through the backdoor.
Architecture and fittings
The two-storey building, constructed in the mid 18th century, had symmetrical front windows that were replaced in the 20th century. The slate roof is bitumen coated and has hipped ends. An extension with two additional rooms occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries. The central door and gabled porch are flanked by two light casements; all are attributed to the 20th century. The building's exterior is made of dark slate and stone. It has a cobbled courtyard which features an old rusty anchor and a red telephone boxRed telephone box
The red telephone box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar, and despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, red boxes can still be seen in many places and in current or former...
. Historically, however, the courtyard was gravel. The exterior to the Smuggler's Bar says, "Through these portals passed smugglers, wreckers, villains and murderers, but rest easy....t'was many years ago".
The interior is characterized by sloping floors with many of its original beams. Internal building partitions have been removed. The fireplaces display roughly cut granite lintels. The Smuggler's Bar in particular retains its 18th century feel with its large granite fireplace in the bar and dark wood beams. The bar area contains many old bank notes on the walls and various items such as brass or copper kettles and urns.
The Jamaica Inn became a Grade II listed building on November 23, 1988.
Tourism
The farm where British astronomerAstronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
John Couch Adams
John Couch Adams
John Couch Adams was a British mathematician and astronomer. Adams was born in Laneast, near Launceston, Cornwall, and died in Cambridge. The Cornish name Couch is pronounced "cooch"....
was born is nearby. Other landmarks include the Four-hole Cross, Peverell's Cross, the circular entrenchment of Cardinkam Bun, and the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
church ruins at Temple
Temple, Cornwall
Temple is a hamlet in the parish of Blisland on Bodmin moor, Cornwall, UK. The hamlet is bypassed by the A30 road.-History and antiquities:...
. Between the inn and Kilmarth, a house near Par
Par, Cornwall
Par is a town and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par and is approximately east of St Austell. Par has a population of around 1,400.....
, can be found hut circles, stone lines and parts of ancient stream works.
Mr Potter’s Museum of Curiosities
Between 1984 and 2003, the building housed a large collection of stuffed animals
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
in complex dioramas, such as an animal courthouse or school classroom populated by baby squirrels. Known as "Mr Potter’s Museum of Curiosities", these exhibits were created by Walter Potter in the 1850s, and were originally housed in his museum in Bramber
Bramber
Bramber is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located on the northern edge of the South Downs and on the west side of the River Adur. Nearby are the communities of Steyning to the west and Upper Beeding to the east, and the other side of the river....
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. The collection was auctioned by Bonhams
Bonhams
Bonhams is a privately owned British auction house founded in 1793. It is the third largest auctioneer after Sotheby's and Christie's, and conducts around 700 auctions per year. It has 700 employees....
in 2003 resulting in its dispersal.
The Museum of Smuggling
The inn contains "The Museum of Smuggling", which is located to the western side of the inn and the main coaching house. A plaque on the walls outside says "The Museum of Smuggling. Presents a record of classical examples in the arts of concealment and evasion". The museum's main focus is its collection of smuggling artifacts that is depicted through the history of the Jamaica Inn and the inn's role in this trade for many years. The Cornwall coast was the most popular location for smuggling of silks, tea, tobacco and brandy into England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and operated from the Cornish coast, Polperro
Polperro
Polperro is a village and fishing harbour on the south-east Cornwall coast in South West England, UK, within the civil parish of Lansallos. Situated on the River Pol, 4 miles west of the neighbouring town of Looe and west of the major city and naval port of Plymouth, it is well-known for...
(on the south coast) and Boscastle
Boscastle
Boscastle is a village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Forrabury and Minster. It is situated 14 miles south of Bude and 5 miles north-east of Tintagel....
, Trebarwith and Tintagel
Tintagel
Tintagel is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The population of the parish is 1,820 people, and the area of the parish is ....
on the north coast as this coastline was not well covered by the law enforcing authorities. Many of the smugglers stored their contraband in the isolated location of the Jamaica Inn. It is also said that even the judges were fairly lenient towards the pirates, probably due to their receiving some of the smuggled goods.
The museum contains various items including "Wanted" posters, one of which is dated to 1798, a poster celebrating Lord Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
, various pottery figures of smugglers and villains, a bag of "10 pounds of Jamaican ganja
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
" and old books etc. There is also a display in the room where the author Maurier lived of various items owned by her including her writing desk and typewriter.
Haunting
The inn has been widely reported to be haunted. The owners of the inn make no secret of it, describing the inn as having "resident ghosts", and as a place of "paranormal activities of dark deeds done in the night". In fact, the inn capitalises upon its ghostly apparitions in the promotion of it and has several ghost themes within it including a CasperCasper
Caspar, one of the Three Biblical MagiCasper may refer to:-Given name:*Casper , 5th Century ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque*Caspar Badrutt , Swiss businessman and pioneer of alpine resorts...
the ghost-cartoon like figure on the wall with a match to warn for a fire. The inn has been featured in an episode of the British TV programme, Most Haunted
Most Haunted
Most Haunted is a British paranormal documentary reality television series. The series was first shown on 25 May 2002 and ended on 21 July 2010. It was broadcast on Living and presented by Yvette Fielding. The programme was based on investigating purported paranormal activity...
, first aired on the TV channel LIVINGtv
LIVINGtv
Sky Living is a UK television channel owned by British Sky Broadcasting, who purchased the Living TV Group group in 2010. Originally launched as UK Living in 1993, the channel changed its name to Living TV in 1997 and then to Living in 2007. On 1 February 2011 Living changed its name to Sky Living...
on April 6, 2004, which the Most Haunted team described as one of the spookiest places they had ever visited.
A malevolent figure of a highwayman in a tricorne
Tricorne
The tricorne or tricorn is a style of hat that was popular during the 18th century, falling out of style by 1800. At the peak of its popularity, the tricorne was worn as civilian dress and as part of military and naval uniforms...
hat and long green coat walking through locked doors and standing at the foot of the guest beds has been reported to have been seen, including a reporting by a solicitor and his wife. According to medium Derek Acorah
Derek Acorah
Derek Acorah is a British medium. He is best known for his work on Most Haunted, broadcast on Living, between 2002 and 2005. He recently presented the series Derek Acorah on Sky Real Lives...
, this highwayman frequented the inn in the late 18th century, specifically 1791 and was named "Jack Trevellis" but no historical records can verify this. There is a depiction of him on the wall in the inn. One of the most famous apparitions is of an anguished young mother and her baby which are said to haunt room 5 of the inn and have been reported many times to walk through the wall where the mirror is. A young smuggler who had been lured from the bar whilst having a drink was murdered on the moor by the inn and his apparition has been seen sitting on the wall in the courtyard and walking around the courtyard in the middle of the night. This strange happening was widely covered in the press in 1911, and conversations were heard in some foreign languages which were unaccountable. Also, unexplained footsteps in corridors, the whinnying of horses, phantom horse hooves
Hoof
A hoof , plural hooves or hoofs , is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, strengthened by a thick horny covering. The hoof consists of a hard or rubbery sole, and a hard wall formed by a thick nail rolled around the tip of the toe. The weight of the animal is normally borne by both the sole...
and a metal carriage have reportedly been heard over gravel in the courtyard in the middle of the night but the courtyard today is cobblestoned.
Even though the inn was subject to "temperance" in the 1900s, the ghost stories persist in different apparitions. Considering the innumerable ghost stories related to the inn, "The Ghost Society" investigated the matter. Of particular interest to these investigations were the strange events noticed in the Smuggler's Bar, the Stable Bar, the restaurant and in bedroom 4 on the upper floor.