Dozmary Pool, a small natural lake situated on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England, is one of the region’s most evocative and mysterious sites. Its history stretches from the Mesolithic era to the present day, and it is steeped in folklore, legend, and tales of the supernatural. The pool’s reputation as a place of haunting and paranormal phenomena is rooted in both its physical characteristics and its powerful role in the mythic imagination of Cornwall.
The origins of Dozmary Pool are geological, dating back to the post-glacial period. It is located in a remote, windswept landscape, surrounded by the moor’s granite uplands. Historically, it was the largest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall, and its waters have long been a vital resource for both wildlife and people. The pool is roughly a mile in circumference and is now known to be fed by rainfall and a rising spring, with its outflow joining Colliford Lake, making it one of the sources of the River Fowey. Despite its modest size today, its significance in local tradition is immense.
One of the earliest and most enduring beliefs about Dozmary Pool is that it is bottomless. This idea persisted for centuries, likely fuelled by the pool’s dark, peaty waters and the mystery of its apparent lack of visible inflow or outflow. The bottomless reputation was finally dispelled in the 19th and 20th centuries when droughts caused the pool to dry up, revealing its true depth and even exposing ancient flint tools and arrowheads, evidence of human activity dating back to the Mesolithic era. These discoveries suggest that the pool has been a centre of human interest for thousands of years, perhaps even regarded as a sacred or magical place by early inhabitants.
Dozmary Pool’s most famous association is with the Arthurian legends. According to local tradition, it is here that King Arthur received the sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake, a mystical figure who has become synonymous with the pool itself. In some versions of the story, after Arthur’s final battle at Camlann, Sir Bedivere returns Excalibur to the pool, where a hand rises from the water to receive it. This powerful image has cemented Dozmary Pool’s place in the British mythological landscape, and many visitors are drawn to the site in search of a connection to the Arthurian past. The Lady of the Lake, as a supernatural guardian of the pool, is sometimes interpreted as a remnant of earlier Celtic water deities or nymphs, reflecting the ancient reverence for bodies of water as portals to other worlds or as the dwelling places of powerful spirits.
Beyond the Arthurian legends, Dozmary Pool is also the setting for the tale of Jan Tregeagle, one of Cornwall’s most infamous ghost stories. Tregeagle was a real historical figure, a 17th-century magistrate and steward who became notorious for his cruelty and corruption. Over time, his reputation was transformed by folklore into that of a damned soul, guilty of terrible crimes including murder, theft, and even a pact with the Devil. After his death, Tregeagle’s spirit was said to haunt the moors, and he was eventually bound by clergy to an impossible task: emptying Dozmary Pool with a leaking limpet shell. This Sisyphean punishment was intended to keep his restless soul occupied for eternity, and to ensure his torments, a pack of headless demon hounds was set upon him should he ever falter in his task.
The legend of Tregeagle is rich in reported paranormal phenomena. Locals have long claimed that his anguished cries can be heard howling across the moor, especially during wild autumn storms. Some stories describe seeing a dark figure by the water’s edge at night, or hearing despairing wails carried on the wind. In some versions, Tregeagle appears as a gigantic bird or a spectral presence flapping over the cliffs, luring travellers to their doom. The belief that Dozmary Pool is a site of supernatural torment, a place where the boundary between the living and the dead is thin, is a recurring theme in Cornish folklore.
Another strand of supernatural tradition associated with Dozmary Pool involves witchcraft. In the late 19th century, the writer Sabine Baring-Gould included an account of a “witch’s ladder” in his novel Curgenven. According to his story, a ladder made of black wool, threaded with feathers and knots, was imbued with curses and thrown into the pool. As the ladder rotted underwater, the curses were believed to be released, their effects rising to the surface in the form of bubbles. While Baring-Gould later admitted that this particular detail was his own invention, it drew on widespread beliefs in the magical properties of water and the use of lakes and pools as repositories for spells and ill wishes.
The reputation of Dozmary Pool as a haunted and enchanted place has endured into the modern era. Its isolation, the dramatic weather of Bodmin Moor, and the weight of centuries of legend all contribute to its atmosphere. Visitors continue to report feelings of unease, strange sounds, and the sense of a presence watching from the shadows. The pool’s role as a site of both natural beauty and supernatural dread is deeply embedded in the cultural memory of Cornwall.