Who really is PEG O'NELL?

Peg O’Nell & the Seven-Year Curse

Who is Peg O’Nell?
Why does her haunting curse still echo in the River Ribble?
And what forgotten truths hide beneath her chilling legend?

Hi everybody I’m Nick and this is Beasts of the Olde World: a channel that explores ancient folklore and mythical creatures from across the globe. If you’re fascinated by the mysterious and the unseen, then don’t forget to subscribe and ring the bell!

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At the edge of an ancient river, near an old hall with a dark history, there is a deep and deangerous well. Beside the well there is a small statue without a head. Both are fenced off. For not only might you fall in, you might also be dragged down into the darkness. For here is where the ghost of Peg O’Nell still lingers: her tragic death and vengeful spirit haunting the waters where she worked in life. But is there more to her story than just a tale of revenge?

Peg O’Nell was a servant girl who met a cruel and untimely end after being sent to fetch water from a dangerous well on a bitter winter’s night. But what began as a tragic accident soon spiraled into a terrifying legend. The locals believed that Peg’s death awakened something darker in the River Ribble: a chilling curse that struck every seven years, with devastating consequences for those who lived nearby.

📌 IN THIS VIDEO, WE EXPLORE:

- The Seven-Year Curse: Did Peg really cause deaths in the River Ribble, or is there more to the story?
- Connections to Other Water Spirits: the similarities between Peg O’Nell and other feared water spirits like Jenny Greenteeth, Peg Powler, and the Grindylow.
- The Forgotten River Goddess: Could Peg O’Nell be the last echo of Belisama, an ancient Celtic goddess of the Ribble River?

Join me as we uncover the lost secrets of the Ribble, a dangerous river shrouded in tragedy and mystery. We’ll dive deep into the powerful forces of nature that might have inspired Peg’s vengeful tale: forces that still echo in the folklore of the region today.

But the question remains: does Peg O’Nell’s curse still linger in the waters? Or has time washed away all memory of this once-feared spirit? Join me as we unravel the haunting story of Peg O’Nell and the chilling legacy she left behind.

💬 WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Could Peg O’Nell be the last echo of a forgotten goddess, or is she simply a ghost story woven from tragedy and ancient fears?

📸IMAGE ACCREDITATION
LICENSED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION
🖼️Snowy photos (x2) of Peggy’s well by Alexander P Kapp
CC0

IMAGES USED UNDER FAIR USE POLICY
🖼️Colour close up of Peggy’s statue sourced here:
🖼️Waddow Hall long shot sourced here:

🔗RESOURCES & REFERENCES:
📖 Notes on the Folklore of the Northern Counties; Henderson, W (1879)
📖 Lancashire Folklore; Harland, J & Wilkinson, T. T. (1867)
📖 Rambles by the Ribble; Dobson, W (1877)
Thank you for watching this episode of Beasts of the Olde World!

Thank you for watching this episode of Beasts of the Olde World!

🎓 All research, scriptwriting, and voice-over by Nicholas Oakland.
🎬 Editing and sound by Nicholas Oakland using PowerDirector365 and Audacity.
📖 The story sections were written by William Henderson (1879), and both Harland & Wilkinson (1867), and were updated and adapted by Nicholas Oakland for Beasts of the Olde World March 2025
🎼 Music from YouTube's Audio Library.
🔊 Sound effects from multiple sources, including YouTube’s audio library, PowerDirector365 sound effects catalogue, or otherwise created by Nicholas Oakland
©️ Titles and branding by Nicholas Oakland
🎥 Licenced live-action footage sourced from Getty Images iStock, unless otherwise indicated
☹️ Other images generated with Dall.e generative AI.
AI WAS NOT USED IN ANY OTHER ASPECT OF THIS VIDEO.

I am working to reduce my reliance upon generative AI for the visual elements of this channel and would love to work with artists to promote their work to a broader audience.

🎬 TIMESTAMPS
00:26 PART I - Peggy of the Well
04:05 PART II - The Seven-Year Curse
07:53 PART III - Beneath the Surface

📼FEATURED PLAYLISTS

#mythicalcreatures #mythsandlegends #ancientfolklore #mythology

[lauraholmes]

Blamed in life and blamed in death, poor girl can’t catch a break

[rhondahuggins]

I was bestowed, unintentionally, with an ancient Keltic name that is also associated with water. This is the first time that I have heard Belisama. Fascinating! Thank you💚

[psychopomp]

You reminded me of a statement often made in 12:44 - 12: 51. That the Sea, she never gives up her dead..

[WelcomeToAlcatraz]

I've been going through a brutal period of writers block lately and the tales you share have helped reignite the flames of my imagination.

[hughakston]

I lurk this channel for DnD inspiration. Never disappointed, always immersed. Keep up the great work!!

[daviddestin]

I h8 it when thats happens... I am a veteran of creeks & rivers- when the legendary title Dangerous is applied to a stretch of water I avoid it like the plague.

[WhispersfromBakerStreet]

The atmosphere of this story is so haunting and mesmerizing!

[vonkug]

I heard a not dissimilar story about a river hag in what is now Estonia. Apologies I do not speak my great grandfather's language, and he's also dead. So this is at best third-hand. AT BEST

During the soviet invasion of Estonia, I have been told, the army wanted to cross a frozen river in winter, the locals basically said "fine but you gotta pay whatever Estonia's Peg O'Nells price is."

The ATHEIST Soviets marched their infantry across, no problem. Carted the wagons across, no problem. Then Estonian Peg got pissed and shattered the ice-bridge (it was probably Estonian saboteurs), so soviet armor had to take the long way around.

What PROBABLY happened is nobody was stupid enough to roll an 25 ton machine over ice. But that was the tale I heard.

[jenerhart]

Poor Peg! Maybe Peg's death was the river goddess way of reminding the locals of who really had the power in the area.

[tashbrewster]

It’s interesting how things change and yet at the core remain the same in some way or another.

[JM-dmqk]

I live in Clitheroe, and did a school project on Peg O'Nell when I was at school, over 40 years ago, the seven year blood sacrifice does not strike a cord. Waddow Hall has been used by the Girl Guides for many years. Unfortunately the owners have been planning to sell it off but people have been trying to get the money together to buy it to continue the tradition and its use as a base for the Guides.

The Girl Guides Activity centre and camp at Waddow Hall (were Peg was a maid), closed in December 2023 but I just noticed that it was bought by a local charity who is continuing the tradition and use for the Girl Guides.

It seems they do a number of water based activities there so it seems Peg does not pick on the Guides, poor girl seems to have got the blame for everything.

[alexanderharvey]

Interesting that the story was about Peg and not turned into a morality play against Mistress Starkie. One where of course Mistress Starkie blamed the poor servant for her own death and then every misfortune that befell her and her family...instead of looking to herself and correcting her ways to be better. A "modern" look at the idea of tending to the plank in ones own eye before the splinter in the eye of another.

Or at least a more mythical idea of cursing yourself by being mean and spiteful towards others. Bringing about your own destruction not because some spirit is seeking vengeance (which gives you something to be angry at) but because some cosmic force is trying to force you to reevaluate your actions. The actions that directly led to the death of an innocent.

[Sheltie]

Would love you to look at Herman and Saxa. The Giants of Unst

[clogs]

Can I ask about the damaged statue? It looks to be late Dark Ages/early Medieval.
Perhaps the well - being a natural spring - was also a traditional place of veneration aka holy well. Is there a church or priory nearby, or an archaeological site?

[Sheltie]

Seven is used in a number of sayings or old wide tales.
Seven Year Itch
Seven year cycle and multiples thereof, in maturity. Ie 7yr old, 14yr old, etc. Rudolf Steiner and the Anthroposophical movement look to it in the esoteric study

[cvbpo]

I have a few offerings i my self have left in my near by rivers. Even forge a blade just for the river

[JudisFeggutGhost]

Hey, could you change the title of some of your older videos to being the same as the creature feature? It's hard to search for your videos sometimes if I'm on a different account!

Also, big fan of your videos. I would love to see some Appalachian beasties soon!

[dr.blubolt]

😢sad. To think of all the people beaten down in the past, never valued.
Sadder still is all the people these days who do have a voice, and act helpless…and even believe it.

[XOlivanaX]

my birthday is a 13, every 7 years it fall on a friday

[thomasdevine]

I wonder if it is Peg. The Mistress of the manor seems more like the type to become a vengeful demon. Maybe the lady of the house was cursed for causing Peg's death.

Mistress Starkie's cruelty and selfishness probably caused all the misfortunes, including her son mental problems.