The Demon Doll of Finedon

As the nights grow longer and the mists settle over Northamptonshire’s lanes, tales begin to stir … tales of strange happenings and things best left behind locked doors.

One such story belongs to the quiet town of Finedon, where a wooden figure once watched over a school… and may still be watching.

The School with a Wooden Mascot

In 1712, Sir Gilbert Dolben founded Finedon’s Girls’ Charity School; a place of piety, discipline, and learning. Two centuries later, its headmistress, Mary Ozier, introduced a peculiar new guardian: a three-foot-tall wooden doll, dressed in blue like a Dutch child, holding a Bible and a scroll reading “Read Ye The Scriptures”.

She was placed above the main doorway – a symbol of faith, perhaps … or a warning. The children soon called her the Dutch Doll, though few spoke of her fondly.

They said her painted eyes followed them down the corridor. They said her smile changed, ever so slightly, when no one was looking.

And sometimes, after dark, footsteps were heard where no one stood.

Knock, Knock

Before, the Dutch Doll’s reputation was well established. The girls whispered that she walked at night, gliding across the school floorboards, knocking on doors, even stealing small items.

One girl even claimed the doll waved at her through a window!

Playground legends had it that for a while, the doll was locked in the basement to stop it being a distraction … or to keep it contained. These legends went further – some girls were locked in the basement with the doll as punishment!

From School to Sanctuary

When the Girls’ Charity School closed in 1961, the Dutch Doll was taken to St Mary the Virgin Church. Perhaps it was meant as a gesture of respect … perhaps as containment.

Her legend didn’t end there – somebody took a saw to her feet, to stop her night time wandering.

For twenty years she watched from her new perch, unblinking, unmoving.

Then, one cold night in 1981, she was gone.No broken locks. No witnesses.

Just an empty space on the wall where the doll had hung.

Where is She?

Today, the Dutch Doll of Finedon has never been found. Was she stolen, hidden, burned … or is she simply waiting somewhere, eyes fixed on her next classroom?

Or maybe, she’s getting ready for this evening. If you hear a knock at the door, it might be her …

Trick or Treat.