With Hop tu Naa approaching we take a look at one of the more sinister if rather fanciful tales in the Isle of Man.

Just outside Castletown is St Lupus Malew Church which is a beautiful building in a picturesque setting. But there are macabre tales attached to the graveyard which is one of the island’s largest.

In the graveyard, just to the left as you enter, you will see one grave surrounded by chains. The peculiar resting place is cornered by four iron stakes and draped in heavy iron chains. There is also a heavy slab over the grave – ominously cracked - for what appears to be extra protection – but from what?

The grave is that of Matthew and Margaret Hassal whose memory has been tarnished somewhat by bizarre tales of why the grave is chained off.

I went to visit the grave and it is certainly a striking site. But the headstone speaks tenderly of Margaret, who died aged 52 in 1858, who was described as a ‘faithful and affectionate’ wife. Matthew died aged 54.

But, over the years, wild tales have been spun which has led to this resting place being known as the ‘Vampire Grave’.

Little is known about Matthew or Margaret and appeared to lived a relatively quiet and low key life free.

How Matthew died is unclear but the rumours are he killed himself which would mean he could not be buried in consecrated ground as taking your own life was considered a sin.

However, Matthew was granted one. Some suggest that the grave was dug from behind the stone wall that marks the church boundary as a sort of middle-ground compromise. But that does not explain the chains.

The other story suggests that, while Matthew was laid out as his family and friends mourned his loss, his corpse suddenly sat up and let out a loud moan.

Perhaps he wasn’t actually dead as assumed or maybe there was some postmortem twitching coupled with the wind blowing through the rafters.

We will never know but the more outlandish explanation seemed to gain traction. The mid-19th century was a more superstitious time after all.

The assumption was that Matthew must have been a vampire. That led to a number of measures being put in place. It is alleged a sharpened stake was fashioned from wood and was driven through Matthew’s heart.

To make sure he stayed in his grave, four iron stakes were placed at the four corners of the grave with heavy iron chains draped over them.

Folklore suggests iron can stop any supernatural being dead in their tracks.

But perhaps the chains were not there to keep Matthew’s tormented soul in but to keep others out.

There is no record of bodysnatching or grave robbing being a major issue in the island but the chains may have been a deterrence for anyone thinking of digging up the grave.

There is another macabre but less sinister tale of a grave at Malew Church.

It used to be well-known among the Manx that any knots in the clothes of the dead would stop their spirits leaving the earth and moving on.

People in the island therefore used to take great care to ensure there were no knots in the clothes or hats of their loved ones before the lid was finally put on the coffin.

In 1863, a woman named Morrison had been laid to rest with knots mistakenly left in her burial cap and shroud.

Her family were in a panic as they believed her spirit could not rest. They claim she began to come back to haunt her home in the days after her interment.

Her relatives went to the vicar of Malew asking him for permission to dig her up to untie the knots.

However, the vicar thought their request foolish and superstitious and dismissed it.

In the early hours of Easter morning on April 5, 1863, two of the woman’s brothers-in-law secretly went to the graveyard, dug up her coffin, opened it up, and untied the knots in the woman's cap and shroud.

The men were caught and brought to trial, but, in an act of kindness, they were let off any more serious punishment than just a severe telling off and instruction to pay the costs of the trial.

Whether you believe the vampire story or not, Malew Church is well worth a visit anyway.

There are beautiful stained glass windows, early religious artefacts and various pieces of art by local artists, including a ceramic and fused glass bowl for the font by local artist Coleen Corlett.

As well as the Vampire Grave, there are ancient Malew Celtic crosses and many memorials to famous Manx families, including the Manx hero Illiam Dhone.

So this Hop tu Naa, you could do worse than a visit to Malew Church.