Chilton Cantelo

Chilton Cantelo, a small village not far from the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton, is the resting place of Theophilus Broome who died in 1670. Broome, however, does not rest in one piece - his body is buried in the north transept of the village church, but his skull is kept separately in a cupboard at nearby Higher Chilton Farm. This strange arrangement was requested by Broome himself, and stemmed from a fear that he would be dug up, his head severed and impaled on a spike in retribution. These fears were not unfounded, as Broome had been a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause in the 17th century civil wars; with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, corpses of notable Parliamentarians were being dug up by Royalists, beheaded and the skulls displayed. Although originally from Warwickshire, Broome had sought sanctuary in the home of his sister in Chilton Cantelo, and it was this house - Higher Chilton Farm - that he wished his skull to remain hidden within. His sister agreed to the strange request, and as long as Broome's skull remained in the cupboard at the farm, all was quiet. Changing owners and tenants at the farm found to their cost that if they attempted to move (or remove) the skull, the house would be filled with 'horrid noises', which would promptly cease once the skull was returned to its cupboard. In 1864, Broome's tomb in the church was opened and it was discovered that the head was indeed missing - confirming the identity of the skull at Higher Chilton Farm. However, this prompted the then-tenant to reunite the skull with its body and, according to local legend, asked the sexton to re-open the tomb. During the process, the sexton's spade snapped in two, which persuaded him that this was an ill omen and the task was abandoned, the skull returning to the farm. Theophilus Broome's skull remains today stored in its special cupboard at Higher Chilton Farm, remaining quiet as long as nobody attempts to go against its original owner's wishes.