The Mystery of the Moving Coffins: Unexplained Phenomenon in Barbados and Estonia

There are people who are convinced that life after death is a fiction. When you die, they cover you with dirt. And that’s it. However, there are unexplained mysteries that raise questions, writes the Telegraph.

This largely applies to cases where the dead are found not to be where they are supposed to be. Who helped them move? And why?

Perhaps the most typical case in this regard is the “Barbados Mystery”. The setting of this mysterious story is the family tomb of the Chase family on the Caribbean island of Barbados. At the beginning of the 19th century, the head of the family, Thomas Chase, erected on the island a solid crypt, lined with stones and covered with a large slab of Devonshire marble.

The facility did not remain uninhabited for long. In 1807 a heavy lead coffin was placed inside, containing the body of Mrs. Thomasina Hoddard, who happened to be some relation of the family.

After a year she was followed by two-year-old Mary Ann Chase, and after another four years – and Dorcas. Just a month after his second daughter’s funeral, Thomas Chase also died.

The owner of the crypt was a terrible tyrant and there was not a person on the island who had a good word to say about him. When the undertakers raised the slab to place his coffin next to those of his daughters, they found the coffins scattered in different directions, as if some giant had dragged them back and forth.

Of course, the black slaves were among the first suspects because they hated Chase more than anyone else. But in 1816, when the crypt was opened for the next burial, history repeated itself.

The undertakers noted that the coffins had been moved again. Two of them were stacked on top of each other like cubes. There was no sign that the crypt had been forced open. No secret passages to it were found either.

Once word got out of this mystery, subsequent Chase family burials sparked an unhealthy public interest. Thus, the funeral ceremonies were attended by many onlookers. And their expectations were not in vain – at the next funeral it was found that the coffins had changed places again.

In 1819, when Mrs. Thomasina Clarke was buried, even the Governor of Barbados, Lord Combermere, attended the ceremony. In his presence, they found that the coffins were scattered roughly in all directions. This was extremely strange because it took at least six people to move each of them.

Then Lord Combermere ordered strict measures to be taken to put an end to the persecutions. The coffins were arranged in a line, and fine sand was placed near them, so that the traces of the evil-doers could be imprinted on it, when and as they appeared.

By order of the lord, the walls and all the cracks in the floor were checked. Everything indicated that access to the interior of the crypt was impossible unless the slab above was dislodged. To prevent this, the lid was sealed with cement, on which the governor, as well as several other prominent citizens, affixed their seals. Everyone was very intrigued as to what was going to happen.

On April 18, 1820, the tomb was opened. The seals on the cement were intact, and there were no human or animal marks on the sand.

There was no moisture in the room, and there were no cracks in the stone walls, something that would have allowed the coffins to move due to natural causes. But nevertheless they were driven in different directions. Now everyone present was convinced that there was an intervention of extraterrestrial forces.

Soon after, the governor ordered the ominous place to be emptied. The coffins were placed in different places, and the crypt remained standing in the cemetery, because out of superstitious fear no one wanted to bother with its destruction.

The story of the Barbadian coffins is not unique. In 1844, a similar case was registered in the Estonian city of Kuressaare, which at that time was called Arensburg. At the cemetery there, strange things began to happen. People heard groans, rumblings and other frightening sounds. Bunshevden’s tomb was blamed for the source of these phenomena.

The locals suspected that the inhabitants of the same were organizing midnight parties and disturbing the sleep of the living with their songs and moans. At another funeral there, the family tomb was opened and mourners were horrified to discover that the coffins had been moved. Several were placed on top of each other.

Only three coffins, two of which were children’s, were in their places. The relatives rushed to complain to the local governor, Baron Goldenstübe. The crypt was examined, and with the permission of the local bishop, the coffins of the “restless dead” were opened. The bodies were in their characteristic positions, there were no signs that any of the dead had been buried alive, whatever doubts there were.

As in the case in Barbados, the coffins were lined up and a thick layer of wood ash was placed around them, after which the tomb was sealed. The baron ordered that there should be guards around her continuously 24/7.

But when they opened the crypt after a few days, they found that the coffins had changed places again. The soldiers standing outside were adamant that they heard no noise.

Horrifying details of the inspection spread by word of mouth – one of the coffins was placed almost upright on the stairs. Another was half-opened, showing a hand with a forefinger pointing up in warning. The authorities did not need more “evidence”. The tomb was emptied, the coffins buried in different places, and from that moment peace reigned.

Paranormal investigators continue to puzzle over the mystery of the “moving” coffins, but so far no one version can take precedence over the others.

Many believe that specifically in the case of Chase’s tomb, the coffins were moved by magical forces. Supposedly, the slaves took revenge on the nasty master with the help of voodoo magic.

But in Estonia, a black magician would not go unnoticed. The version about tropical mushrooms capable of destroying stone bridges is also subject to reasonable criticism. But in the Barbados tomb there was no sign of destruction on the walls, and no such mushrooms were found.

The media shed some light on the matter. In 2005, Pam Wilson from England visited the infamous crypt in Barbados. In front of her, she found that the air was saturated with negative energy and did not want to enter the crypt.

Her companion Simon Probert photographed her in front of the tomb. And when they showed the tape, they found that there was a blurry shot on it. After computer processing, they were able to make out a bony face on him, which fell like a shadow over Simon.

In two of the described cases there were similar circumstances. One of the Bunshevden family shot himself, and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Mrs. Thomasina Hodard and Thomas Chase’s eldest daughter also suggested suicide. According to rumors, the father molested his daughter and she could not bear the shame.

Suicide graves have always had a bad reputation. Burials were often even carried out outside the borders of the cemeteries so as not to disturb the peace of the “normal” dead. It is possible that the answer to all these mysteries is hidden here.

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