Jamaica Inn: The History, Hauntings and Folklore by Karin Beasant and Lisa Holman – A Book Review
A new book about Jamaica Inn was published in July. Jamaica Inn: The History, Hauntings and Folklore by Karin Beasant and Lisa Holman is available in hardback, paperback and eBook. In writing the book, Lisa and Karin drew on over a decade of research, evidence, and first-hand reports, covering all areas of Jamaica Inn's history.
Jamaica Inn is one of Bodmin moor's most iconic landmarks, made famous, of course, by Daphne du Maurier's novel of the same name. Captain John Broad was the first owner of the Inn and its accompanying farm in the late 1700's. The book begins with several chapters describing what life was like in the 18th century, looking at some of the history of the Moor, life at sea, piracy and free trading, justice, royalty, politics and class structure, laying the foundations for the story of John Broad and subsequent owners of Jamaica Inn.
The second section of the book takes you through the history of the Inn, the various owners and managers, in chronological order, including all sorts of interesting things that happened over the years. From our point of view, we were, of course, interested in the sections about Daphne du Maurier and also the famous author Alistair MacLean, who owned the Inn from 1964 until 1973.
The next section discusses the many hauntings and ghostly apparitions that Jamaica Inn is so famous for. When Allen Jackson owned the Inn, from 2014 until 2022, he introduced an in-house Paranormal Team, of which the two authors of this book are part. The team has taken part in many experiments and investigations and holds events for other experts, enthusiasts, and people specifically interested in the Inn itself.
The 'Hauntings' section looks at the layout of the Inn and documents many paranormal events that have taken place over the years. The Inn's structure has changed many times throughout its history, and the book includes three sets of plans to help readers understand where the paranormal events take place. The plans show the ground floor and upper floor during the early days of the Inn, in the 1970s, and in the present day.
The last section of the book is short and briefly looks at folklore linked to Bodmin Moor and Jamaica Inn.
Jamaica Inn: The History, Hauntings and Folklore is the first substantial book written about the Inn since The Inn on the Moor: A History of Jamaica Inn by Rose Mullins was published back in 1998.
Karin and Lisa provide lots of information on history relevant to Jamaica Inn and Bodmin Moor, from the18th century onwards. It also leads you through the many owners and the changes that they made to the Inn as time passed and life moved forward from a time when the Moor was an isolated and dangerous place, to the modern day, bringing people along the A30 across the Moor and close to Jamaica Inn.
The book focuses most heavily on the Paranormal aspects of the Inn, and will be particularly fascinating to people whose interests lie in that direction.
Copies of Jamaica Inn: The History, Hauntings and Folklore are available through Lisa Holman's website https://lisaholman.co.uk/https-lisaholman-co-uk-jamaica-inn-book/ and Amazon. The books are available as:
eBook at £12.99
Paperback at £14.99
Hardback at £19.99
Signed copies are also available.
Postage is free.
Ann Willmore, October 2026.