‘Residents found the oracle useful in filling out football coupons’

Sunderland and East Durham have plenty of ghostly tales in their history.

But one of the more comical stories is 100 years old this year and it concerns a mystery spectre which hid in an abandoned house.

We head over to Newbottle for this saga and it happened in the winter of 1926.

How the Newbottle ghost tale might have looked, according to AI. | other 3rd party

placeholder image — How the Newbottle ghost tale might have looked, according to AI. | other 3rd party

This spirit had a particular skill for coming up with the winners of big sporting events. Trouble was, the police suspected that it was not a spirit from another world.

The Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette reported at the time: “This spirit used to answer any questions and residents found the oracle useful in filling out football coupons and spotting the big winner at race meetings.”

“The ghost lived in an empty house and was eventually found by a policeman who, after giving it a good thrashing, sent it home.

“The sheet was delivered to the mother of the boy responsible for the ghost on the following day.”

Still a humorous tale 100 years from its first airing in the Sunderland Echo in 1926. | se

We would love to hear from anyone with a Wearside ghost story to tell. Have you seen a spirit yourself, or is there a local tale you would like us to re-live?

Tell us more by getting in touch.

Or perhaps you would like to tell us about other types of nostalgia you would want to see in our retro section.

It might be memories of your favourite shop, club, nightclub or restaurant. Maybe you want to get back in touch with former workmates from a Sunderland factory, or with pals who you went to school with.

Or perhaps you would like to share memories of a sporting occasion in the past which you would like to revisit.

Tell us more by emailing [email protected]