Mystery of Jake Bolt's coffin (From Wirral Globe)

Mystery of Jake Bolt's coffin

12:43pm Thursday 22nd November 2012 in News By Stephanie Cureton

Mystery of Jack Bolt's coffin

THE owners of a Wirral pub are calling on local history buffs to help them find out more about a mystery coffin lid discovered there.

The Pilot Boat in Magazine Brow, Wallasey, dates back hundreds of years and is thought by many to be haunted.

New licensee Kate Darroch is now keen to find out the story behind the coffin lid of a sailor and his painting hanging on a wall in the cellar.

The pub is known to have once housed a mortuary and the body of teenager Jake Bolt, whose name is on the coffin, is believed to have been examined there in 1749.

Now Kate and her colleagues are hoping to find out more information about him, and even track down any distant relatives.

She said: “The lid and Jake’s painting is hanging on our wall and we were told upon moving in that it is never to be removed.

“It is quite spooky, but also very interesting and we've found many ancient documents in the cellar, which used to be used as a mortuary for fishermen and sailors.

“We don’t know anything about Jake really, so it would be great if there are any historians out there who could offer their expertise and help us to learn more.

“If he is a local lad, there’s also a chance we may be able to find his distant family, which would be incredible.”

The area is rumoured to have a series of tunnels running underground which smugglers once used. Owners of neighbouring pub the Magazine Hotel claimed their premises were cursed following a fire there in 2010.

Kate added: “We have heard all kinds of scary stories so there must be someone out there who can lend us a hand.”