The Grumpy Old Man

The Devil’s Stone Inn, a magnificent 17th-century coaching inn in the ancient Devon village of Shebbear, harbours one of its most cantankerous residents in the form of ‘The Grumpy Old Man’. This malevolent presence has been making his displeasure known to guests and staff for generations, particularly in the upper reaches of this centuries-old establishment.

Historical Context

The Devil’s Stone Inn was originally built as a farmhouse in the 1600s before being converted into a coaching inn, serving travellers on the busy routes through North Devon. Shebbear itself is steeped in history, recorded as the third-largest settlement in North Devon in the Domesday Book of 1086, with its pre-conquest Saxon name of Sceftbeara meaning ‘Spear-shaft Wood’. The inn takes its evocative name from the legendary Devil’s Stone, a massive boulder that sits on the village green outside the 12th-century Church of St Michael and All Angels, directly across from the inn.

During its heyday as a coaching inn, the building would have housed not only paying guests in the upper rooms but also servants, ostlers, and inn workers in the cramped quarters beneath the eaves. The demanding nature of inn-keeping in this era, combined with the harsh realities of 17th and 18th-century life, may well have created the conditions for such a persistently disagreeable spirit to take residence.

The Manifestations

Unlike the more benign spirits said to inhabit other areas of the inn, The Grumpy Old Man makes his presence felt through an overwhelming sense of hostility and unwelcome. Guests staying in the upper rooms have reported sudden drops in temperature, often accompanied by an oppressive atmosphere that seems to press down upon them. Many describe feeling as though they are being watched by unseen, disapproving eyes, particularly in the early hours of the morning.

Staff members have learned to recognise the signs of his presence - a sudden chill in the corridors, the inexplicable feeling that someone is standing just behind them, and an general air of malevolence that can make even the most seasoned employees reluctant to venture upstairs alone. Unlike other spirits in the inn who may simply be residual echoes of the past, this entity appears to be acutely aware of the living and seems to take particular exception to their presence in ‘his’ domain.

Witness Accounts and Documentation

The consistency of reports about this unpleasant presence has been documented by various paranormal investigators who have visited the inn. One of the most significant documented encounters occurred in 1982 when a student staying at the inn reported seeing a grey-bearded man in his bedroom, appearing alongside the playful little girl spirit. This sighting suggests the possibility of a familial connection, with the grey-bearded figure potentially being the father of the child ghost, which could explain his protective yet disagreeable presence in the upper areas.

Local folklore, collected over the decades, includes accounts from former landlords and long-term residents who speak of feeling an unwelcome presence in the upper floors, often described as that of an elderly man with a particularly sour disposition.

The inn’s reputation as one of Britain’s most haunted establishments has attracted the attention of paranormal television programmes, and several investigations have focused specifically on the upper areas where electromagnetic field fluctuations and unexplained temperature variations have been recorded. These scientific anomalies often coincide with witnesses reporting the characteristic oppressive atmosphere associated with The Grumpy Old Man.

Theories and Local Folklore

The 1982 documented sighting of a grey-bearded man appearing with the little girl ghost has led to speculation that this grumpy presence may be a protective father figure, whose disagreeable nature stems from a paternal instinct to guard his deceased child. This theory suggests that rather than general hostility, his unpleasant demeanour may be directed specifically at those he perceives as potential threats to the child spirit he continues to watch over.

Alternatively, local speculation suggests this spirit may be that of a former innkeeper or perhaps a long-term resident who developed a particularly territorial attachment to the upper floors of the building. The coaching inn era was notoriously demanding, with innkeepers working long hours under difficult conditions, often sleeping in small rooms above the main establishment. The stresses of such a life, combined with the social tensions of the period, may have created the perfect conditions for such a persistently disagreeable haunting.

Some local historians theorise that the spirit could be connected to the hidden tunnel that is said to run between the inn and the church across the square - a feature that was likely used during times of religious persecution or civil unrest. If this passage was indeed used for clandestine purposes, it may have housed individuals who had reason to be suspicious and hostile toward strangers.

The Grumpy Old Man remains one of the most active and consistently reported paranormal phenomena at The Devil’s Stone Inn, serving as a stark reminder that not all spirits from the past are benevolent presences. His enduring hostility suggests a deep-seated attachment to the building that transcends death, making him a permanent, if unwelcome, resident of this historic Devonshire inn.