The Haunted Chase Vault Of Barbados

The Christ Church Parish Church of Barbados

There is a burial vault in the island of Barbados that is believed to be haunted by all the locals. It is located in the cemetery of the Christ Church Parish in Oistins. The Chase family have a private vault on the land. But they have encountered some terrifying scenarios in the early 19th century. Before we get into the details of the events that transpired, we must know about the history of the church. The current building is the fifth one built after the first four were damaged by Hurricanes or Floods, with the last one being burnt to the ground. The present church was built in 1935 and contains three of the walls from the previous church that burnt down. However, this isn’t but makes the location odd. It’s the history of the Chase Family Vault that has convinced everyone that it is haunted.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events For The Chase Family

In the year 1808, the Chase family purchased a vault in the cemetery to bury their infant child Mary-Anne Maria. The impressive vault had stone steps leading down to it and features a giant slab of marble in the entry to get in. The only downside was that the tomb was not vacant. The remains of a woman were there since the year before, and the Chase family figured it would be disrespectful to disturb her coffin, therefore they decided to leave it there. This lady would lay next to their daughter’s lead casket undisturbed, or so they believed. Unfortunately, a second daughter passed away four years later at the age of four. Rumor has it that she died from starvation after she decided to stop eating due to her father’s abuse. Her lead casket was laid to rest directly next to her sister inside the vault.

The Mysterious Moving Coffins Of Barbados

Just one month later, their father Thomas Chase committed suicide. He was to be placed in the vault next to his daughter for eternity. But something strange occurred when the vault was opened. When the vault was opened, the coffins were no longer placed neatly aside each other, as they were after the previous funeral. Everything was completely out of place and moved around as if the tomb had been ransacked by grave robbers. The devasted family reorganized the coffins together in a row and placed the 240-pound casket of Thomas alongside them. The huge marble slab was once again rolled over to the front to seal the vault.

Quite some time later, 11-year-old Charles Chase is the next member of the family to pass away. Once again, the vault was opened to an unordinary sight. The coffins seemed as if they were tossed around and out of place. The part that perplexed the family was that the seal had not been tampered with. Again, the coffins were returned to their original position. At this point is when the public started to spread the news about the vault, and it gathered immediate attention. Locals claimed horses would normally get spooked near the vault. Other reports claim that there were loud screams that emerge from the vault late at night. Between the years 1816 and 1819, two more family members passed away. Each time, the original locations of the caskets were not in intact. Throughout all this time, an astonishing detail came to light. The original coffin in the vault from the unrelated lady had never moved an inch. It was only the Chase family members that were constantly disturbed.

The Chase Family Finally Finds Some Rest

The Governor of Barbados would hear about this amusing story and become involved. He ordered the vault to be inspected and sealed with mortar. He also had the floor of the tomb dusted with a fine white sand to capture evidence of any break-ins. Eight months later, they returned to the tomb to inspect the results. At first, everything appeared fine and there were no clues of a break in. To their surprise, however, once the vault door was rolled opened, the coffins were once again out of place and seemed thrown about. This time seemed worst, as Mary Anne’s casket had been thrown with such force that its corner had broken off. At this point, it was enough for the family and the church. They decided to remove all the bodies and bury them separately finally allowing them to rest in peace. The vault itself has remained opened and empty ever since, drawing much attention from tourists and young locals alike. We will never know why the Chase family could never rest in the afterlife side by side to each other.