The Noah's Ark
The Noah's Ark, haunted by counterfeiter.
ne particularly industrious person
who used the River Derwent in the
17th century was a gentleman by the
name of Noah Bullock, who built an
'ark' and moored it on the Derwent
near the Morledge. He lived on it with
his wife, five daughters and four sons
whom he named Shem, Ham, Japhet
and Benjamin. His religious devotion
ended there, however, as Bullock's
occupation aboard his floating home
was the coining of counterfeit money.
n 1676 his crime - a capital
offence in those days - was discovered
and Bullock appeared before the
Recorder of Derby, Sir Simon Degge,
whom Noah knew well. The forger
promised to end his activities, broke
up his ark and sank it in the River
Derwent, thus escaping the hangman.
Today there is a public house in the
Morledge bearing the name of Noah's
Ark, a link with a notorious Derby
character from the 17th century, who
is said to haunt the pub.
The River Gardens where unexplained lights are seen.
lose to the site where Noah
Bullock may have built, moored and
eventually sank his ark, several river
ghosts and strange lights which
erratically move and twist in a
strange dance have been seen. There
is no explanation for these lights,
apart from one medium who claims
that they are the lost souls of the dead
seeking a pathway to the next life.
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The information on this page is supplied courtesy of Wayne Anthony (author) and Richard Felix (local historian).
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