Roche Rock

   Three-pointed outcropping of rock in the Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England, said to be haunted by demonic spirits. Roche Rock, several miles south of the town of Bodmin, was formed millions of years ago out of gray quartz and black tourmaline, distinctly different from the surrounding granite and clay. Numerous legends are associated with it.

   Roche Rock juts up from the boggy moor and cuts a striking, brooding figure on the landscape. It has been associated with sacred and supernatural lore. St. Conan, the first bishop of Cornwall, was said to have lived atop the largest of the three peaks as a hermit prior to becoming bishop. In 1409, a brick chapel was built there, supposedly by the last male heir of Tregarrick, and was dedicated to the archangel St. Michael. A man suffering from leprosy took up residence there as a hermit and was attended by his daughter, St. Gundred, until he died. The area around Roche Rock was said to be the hunting grounds of King Arthur. Another hermit said to have lived there was Ogrin, who gave refuge to the legendary lovers Tristan and Iseult when they were trying to escape King Mark of Cornwall.

   According to lore, JAN TREGEAGLE tried to find refuge at Roche Rock when he was being pursued across the moor by the DEVIL and his hellhounds. Tregeagle’s head became stuck in the east window of the chapel. His ghost haunts the rock, especially when winds howl around the moor. Roche Rock is also said to be haunted by DEMONs, mine spirits, a phantom monk, and the ghost of the leper hermit.

   FURTHER READING:

   - Bird, Sheila. Haunted Places of Cornwall: On the Trail of the Paranormal. Newbury, England: Countryside Books, 2006.