SHUCKLAND

SHUCKLAND Introduction Alphabetical List of Locations

Location:	Hockley, ESSEX

Legend:	"Hockley, a built-up sort of place, but the B1013 is said to be haunted by a Black Dog." (1) This "gigantic" dog is said to be occasionally still seen, having originally haunted Shoeburyness...it reappeared at Hockley in 1958. (2)

Sources:	(1). A. D. Hippisley-Coxe: 'Haunted Britain' (Pan, 1975), p. 102. (2) Eric Maple: 'The Realm of Ghosts' (Hale, 1964), p. 186.

Place Name:	Hockley - (Prob.) OE 'Hocca's glade/meadow'

Other:	The Hawkwell/Hockley parish boundary crosses the B1013 road. See encounters below, and Shoeburyness.

Location:	Hockley

Encounter:	An old lady was walking home along the B1013 road one Winter evening in 1958 when she found herself accompanied in the dark by this "gigantic" black dog. It walked beside her as far as the bus stop, then vanished into thin air, leaving her shocked. She said this happened "at the place where the old gibbet used to be."

Source:	Eric Maple: 'The Realm of Ghosts' (Hale, 1964), p. 186.

Location:	Hockley

Encounter:	In about 1991, a couple were driving home from the cinema one night, and were negotiating a series of bends at the northern edge of Hockley parish. At about midnight, the male passenger saw something walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the road. He only saw it for a moment as they passed, but was convinced that it was a dog of unnatural size, easily the size of a calf or possibly bigger. He screamed "What the f*** was that?', but the female driver saw no more than something out the corner of her eye. It was an unlit country lane, very late at night, on a dangerous s-bend, so the witness is certain that no one was out walking their (enormous) dog. At the time he knew little of any 'Shuck' legends, but found out later, and was particularly scared by the 'portent of death' aspect.

Other:	This encounter took place on a sharp bend either at TQ836945, or at TQ845948. Both sites are on the Hockley parish boundary, and in both cases, a watercourse goes under the road at that spot.

Source:	Originally found on paranormaldatabase.com, more detail has been supplied to me directly by the witness, for which I give my thanks. (This encounter was earlier to be found under 'SOUTHEND' in the 'Dubious Cases' section).