The Coffins That Moved

From 1812-1820, a tomb in Barbados became one of history’s greatest paranormal mysteries. Each time the Chase family vault was opened, the heavy lead coffins had been violently rearranged—despite sealed doors and no evidence of entry.

The Vault

Chase family tomb:

• Christ Church Parish
• Barbados
• Cut into rock
• Heavy door
• Private burial vault

First Disturbance

July 17, 1812:

• Vault opened
• For new burial
• Coffins displaced
• Moved from positions
• No explanation

The Coffins

What was inside:

• Mrs. Goddard (1808)
• Mary Ann Chase (1808)
• Dorcas Chase (1812)
• Lead-lined
• Very heavy

Thomas Chase Added

Later that year:

• Plantation owner
• Heavy coffin
• Leaden
• Added to vault
• All seemed well

Second Disturbance

1816:

• Samuel Brewster burial
• Vault opened
• Chaos inside
• Coffins thrown about
• Some upended

Third Disturbance

1816 again:

• Samuel Ames burial
• Opened vault
• Same scene
• Coffins moved
• Pattern emerging

Fourth Disturbance

1819:

• Thomasina Clarke burial
• Governor present
• Witnessed disorder
• Coffins everywhere
• Officials involved

The Governor

Lord Combermere:

• Governor of Barbados
• Personally inspected
• Ordered investigation
• Took seriously
• High authority

The Precautions

Testing measures:

• Sand spread on floor
• Cement seal on door
• Multiple seals
• Guard posted
• Thorough

Final Opening

April 18, 1820:

• Official inspection
• Seals intact
• Sand undisturbed
• Opened door
• Chaos inside

What They Found

The scene:

• All coffins moved
• Some upended
• One against door
• No tracks in sand
• Impossible

The Abandonment

After 1820:

• Coffins removed
• Vault abandoned
• Family elsewhere
• Never used again
• Mystery unsolved

Possible Explanations

Theories offered:

• Flooding (no water marks)
• Earthquakes (none recorded)
• Gases (doesn’t fit)
• Pranks (sealed vault)
• None work

The Weight Problem

Key issue:

• Lead coffins
• Extremely heavy
• Multiple people needed
• Moved violently
• No human entry

Witnesses

Who saw:

• Family members
• Governor Combermere
• Church officials
• Workers
• Documented

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Literary connection:

• Wrote about case
• Fascinated by mystery
• Never solved
• Sherlock creator puzzled
• Famous interest

Supernatural Theory

What might explain:

• Poltergeist activity
• Restless spirits
• Thomas Chase?
• Family curse?
• Unknown force

Thomas Chase

Possible agent:

• Cruel plantation owner
• Suicide (some say)
• Unrest
• Causing disturbances
• Angry dead

Significance

Multiple documented disturbances of sealed coffins witnessed by officials including a colonial governor.

Legacy

The Chase Vault remains unexplained—heavy coffins moving in a sealed, guarded, and tested tomb. No theory fits the evidence. The mystery stands after 200 years.