The Phantom Coach of Dartmoor

Dartmoor has been haunted for centuries by a black coach drawn by headless horses, driven by headless coachmen, and carrying the souls of the damned. The coach races across the moor, and to see it is to invite death.

The Legend

The phantom coach appears on dark nights, especially during storms. It is drawn by four headless black horses. The coachman and footmen are also headless. Inside rides a figure, sometimes identified as a local nobleman or the Devil himself.

The Origins

Some connect the coach to Richard Cabell, a 17th-century squire said to have sold his soul to the Devil. Others link it to various wicked lords of local legend. The coach may collect the souls of the dying.

The Sightings

Witnesses report hearing pounding hooves and rattling wheels before seeing the coach racing across the moor. The horses breathe fire. The coach is accompanied by demonic hounds. To be touched by its shadow means death within the year.

The Hounds

The coach is sometimes accompanied by the Wisht Hounds, spectral dogs that hunt souls across Dartmoor. The hounds are led by the Devil himself in some versions of the legend.

Modern Encounters

Drivers on Dartmoor roads have reported seeing the coach. Some have swerved to avoid it, seeing headless figures pass close by. The terror of witnesses is consistent across centuries.

Assessment

The Phantom Coach represents one of Britain’s most persistent supernatural legends. Its connection to storms, death, and the Devil reflects ancient fears of what waits in the darkness.