Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2007/January 2008 | Page 41

ISLAND HISTORY
Table top tombs were another popular
hiding place for smuggled goods once
they had been hauled ashore. The
churchyard at Chale gained a reputation
for ghostly happenings that was probably
a deliberate scare tactic to keep locals
away. At Niton, the churchyard was used
as a hiding place for both smugglers and
their contraband. Legend has it that after
smugglers had hidden in a table top coffin
overnight, a