Machen, Caerphilly, Wales
Machen
Hilary Jones
In 1773, Mrs Hilary Jones, a midwife of Machen, was found dead. She had drowned in a ditch, having stumbled into it in a drunken state. Soon afterwards, her ghost began appearing to a young man in order to convey the location of some hidden “treasure” - which turned out to be an iron key and a purse containing fourteen pence!
Alarming Apparitions
A “parade of increasingly alarming apparitions”, which comprised of a young boy that transformed into a ball of fire, a man lying dead and then a pillar of fire according to Edmund Jones, haunted the area.
Location
Visitor Information
Machen is a large village 3 miles east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly borough within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It neighbours Bedwas and Trethomas, and forms a council ward in conjunction with those communities. It lies on the Rhymney River.
Mynydd Machen (Machen Mountain) provides a view over the village. It is possible to walk up to and along the top of the mountain, where a number of large boulders are present.
Pictured is the main road in Machen courtesy of Colin Smith. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
