Haunted Wiltshire - an introduction

The Concise Oxford Dictionary for the 1990s defines a ghost as ‘the supposed apparition of a dead person or animal; a disembodied spirit.’ With that in mind, do I believe ghosts are just that; the spirit manifestation of dead people - unlikely. Do I consider the possibility that ghosts are recordings of past events indelibly etched into the fabric of their immediate surroundings - possibly. Do I believe you need to be psychically aware or sensitive or mediumistic to see ghosts - most certainly not. 

I have met with many people over the years who claim to have seen ghosts, the majority of whom do not consider themselves remotely psychic, sensitive or possess any mediumistic abilities, they just happened to be in the right place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time depending on how you look at it. In nearly all cases, these individuals were busying themselves with their day-to-day lives (more often than not in broad daylight as it turned out) when they saw ghosts.

There is a growing weight of evidence which would suggest ghosts do not appear to those individuals who claim to possess certain 'abilities' as some would have you believe. On the contrary, the ghost phenomena is spontaneous by its very nature and has a habit of manifesting itself in the presence of folk who you would lease expect to see them, specifically those who have not actively gone out of their way looking for them. By their own admission, many of the individuals I have spoken to over the years, were of the opinion that ghosts were nothing more than figments of an overactive imagination, a trick of the light, etcetera, that was until their brief and sudden episode of frisson caused them to re-evaluate their scepticism.

This blog catalogues locations I have visited which are reputedly haunted. Where possible I have selected locations accessible to the public. I have included first hand accounts from people who claim to have encountered ghosts plus anecdotal tales passed down over the years.

I hope you enjoy the blog. Please feel free to contact me with your opinions and stories via the email link in the side bar.

I remain as always, an open-minded sceptic.

~Willow~

The Lamb Inn Devizes

You'd be forgiven if you'd missed this unassuming little pub, tucked away in St John's Street. You may also be surprised to learn that it's supposedly one of Devizes most haunted pubs (there are many).

Landlady of some 15 years - Sally King agreed to show us around and impart some of her ghostly tales. 

Originally called The Scribblings Horse, a name taken from the frame where cloth was stretched for scribbling and cleaning. The inn, or some parts of it date from around 1453. It is likely the front of the inn was refurbished using materials sourced from the old Wool Hall opposite which had been demolished. During the civil war Roundheads were billeted at the inn. Much later, James Wolfe - a British army officer, stayed at the inn during a recruitment drive before leaving to fight the French in Canada during 1759.

Ghostly encounters include; a glass levitating from under the bar and smashing on the floor, witnessed by Sally and one or two customers. A discussion by regulars about where a picture should hang, should it be placed to the left, or to the right? This debate went on for a few minutes until the picture suddenly fell off the wall and shattered. On closer inspection, regulars were surprised to see the glass fragments were arranged in such a way they pointed left. Suffice to say the picture was placed as directed.

One evening as Sally was about to lock up and everyone had left except a couple of bar staff. They all heard footsteps in the corridor which lead from outside to the inner bar door. They waited to see who is was, expecting someone had forgotten something. When nobody entered they went to investigate but found the corridor empty. What was even stranger it had started raining and there were wet footprints leading to the bar door but none leaving. Footsteps from private rooms above are also not uncommon. All the rooms are carpeted but the footsteps sound as if they are making contact with wooden floorboards.

To close, many pubs have ornate horse brasses hanging either side of inglenook fireplaces, The Lamb has a display of used ancient coffin handles hanging from a ceiling beam. Sally is not quite sure how they got there but it is thought local grave diggers may have given them to undertakers who frequented the pub many years ago and would leave them for the  proprietor as a bit of a talking point.

 

Erlestoke Prison

HMP Erlestoke, like many other prisons, has its fair share of ghostly tales, but before I get into the creepy stuff, let me impart a little of its history.

Erlestoke House, the oldest part of the prison, was built between 1786 and 1791 by eminent architect - George Stewart for wealthy timber merchant - Joshua Smith. It was Smith who decided to demolish an Elizabethan house which was situated a little further down the valley to make way for the new build which when completed would have commanded uninterrupted views across the valley and the village of Erlestoke. It was a grand affair in the palladian style (very popular during the 18th century) of some 365 feet in length, with three levels and a basement. Set in beautiful parkland with ornate bridges, lake and waterfall, the latter fed by a natural spring.

Smith needed to demolished several of the cottages in the village to make way for the project. Rather than leave the residents homeless, he set about rehousing all who had lost their homes in new cottages which can still be seen today. Many have strange carvings built into the walls. Some of classical figures whilst others are of imposing gargoyles. All are thought to have been part of the original house. In 1951 the house was largely destroyed by fire, leaving just the centre section which is now home to the Education and Works (maintenance) department.

Several notable figures have visited both houses in the past; Queen Elizabeth I slept here in 1574. The Duchess of Kent and her daughter Princess Victoria, later to be crowned Queen spent a weekend at Erlestoke in 1830. Sir Thomas More, wrote of 'an evening of music and song' during his stay. Erlestoke has also been home to several dignitaries and four distinguished members of parliament.

In 1819 Joshua Smith died and the estate and lands were sold to George Watson-Taylor, a wealth Jamaican plantation owner for a whopping £250,000, a cool five and half million plus in today's money. The Watson-Taylor fortune took a downfall in 1832 during the emancipation of the slave trade. He was forced to auction off many of Erlestoke's treasures just to meet his debts. He moved away and the house remained closed for four years.

It was leased to John Cam Hobhouse, later Baron Broughton politician and best buddies with Lord Byron. In 1844 Simon Watson-Taylor, son of George, returned to his family home at Erlestoke and took over the lease. Simon had married Charlotte Hay around 1843, and it is she who is said to haunt the house.

The Ghost of Lady Charlotte Hay

A search of England's historic peerage revealed Lady Charlotte Hay was the daughter of Field Marshal George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale and Lady Susan Montagu.

During her residency at Erlestoke House, Lady Charlotte resented the intrusion on her land by village folk visiting the church of St.James. The church was situated on land occupied by the old Elizabethan estate, which now belonged to Erlestoke House. She arranged for St.James to be demolished on the understanding that she would fund the construction of a new church outside the estate. The Holy Savior church built in the Gothic style in memory of her late father, was completed in 1880 at a cost of £6000; twice the estimate.

It is with some speculation why it should be Lady Charlotte haunting Erlestoke House. Some have suggested she was so dissatisfied with the completed church, that her spirit had become earthbound, even though she died some seven years after its completion. I would have thought the stained glass window in the chancel commissioned and dedicated in her memory would have been more than enough to appease her restless spirit.

For argument sake, let's say it is her ghost that has been seen walking the basement under the Education block. She has also been seen it what remains of the old house. So what are people seeing. Well descriptions vary little; a shadowy figure, almost certainly female often as not seen peripherally.

A couple of years ago, an instructor in the Horticultural department (Education block) was chatting by the exit with a prisoner. They could only have been four or five feet apart when from nowhere a shadowy figure passed between them and as it did so disappeared.

The Grounds are also said to be haunted by Lady Charlotte; she gets around does this girl. Some say she has been seen walking where the old church once stood. Descriptions in these instances are a little more clear. Some report seeing a woman dress in black in the style of the 1800s. A similar figure has been spotted close by what was once an ornate bridge. It is unclear if these apparitions are of the woman seen in the house, but staff at Erlestoke have affectionately Christensen their ghost Lady Charlotte whether it be her or not.

Officer Grant Frost, who has since left the establishment, told me of a story that happened to him. "It was around 2 a.m, I had been working the night shift, I was alone in the Works department. I'd locked myself in as is standard practice. I was busy catching up on some paperwork when I distinctly heard footsteps coming from the room immediately above me. Knowing full well I was the only person in the building, I went to investigate. A full search revealed nothing."

Having heard the stories of ghostly goings on in the old house, Grant was happy in the knowledge that he may well have heard Lady Charlotte doing her nightly rounds.

Several of the Works staff claim to have seen or heard the ghost. Whilst another told me of hearing the sound of children playing upstairs in the Works rest room.

The mischievous spirit said to haunt the steps leading up and out of the basement has made some staff reluctant to venture there. Reports by staff of being pushed up the steps by unseen hands are not uncommon. I must confess having walked this particular area it can be a little creepy. But then is that because I was aware of its haunted history.

Whether Lady Charlotte Hay haunts Erlestoke is uncertain. What is certain, is that there have been plenty of reports to support there may be something walking the corridors of the old house at Erlestoke prison.

My thanks to those that helped with this post. You know who you are.

Memories of Me

Why when I call your name
Do you turn away as if you do not hear me
Why do I leave no footprints where I walk
No fingerprints on all that I touch
No echo to my voice
No fragrance to my garden
No warm summer breeze caresses my face

Why does my photograph only bring you sorrow
Why weep my love, for I am here beside you, just a whisper away

Shapeless faces call to me from the shadows
But I will not follow, for tonight like many others before
I will lay with you as you sleep
Listening to your dreams
Your memories of me

~Willow~

The Ghost Hunters by Neil Spring

Harry Price (1881-1948) magician, conjuror, paranormal investigator, ghost hunter and infamous debunker of fraudulent spiritualists and mediums; a practice which, on occasion would often lead to a lucrative livelihood reduced to ruins. He is probably best known for his extensive investigations of the alleged hauntings at Borley Rectory, a bleak Victorian mansion which once stood in a small hamlet on the Sussex/ Essex border.

Price’s investigations at Borley Rectory between 1929 and 1948, were well publicised. Indeed he wrote several books about Borley’s ghosts, poltergeists and its terrifying black-robed nun. His most noted, ‘The Most Haunted House in England,‘ gained him much notoriety along with the unofficial title of Britain’s foremost authority on ghosts and hauntings. As time passed his claims for Borley’s hauntings became, shall we say, a little 'colourful' and were considered by many as somewhat dubious, so much so that he was eventually exposed as a hoaxer, ironic when you consider how much time he devoted to exposing fake mediums etcetera. Although he admitted to fabricating some of Borley's “paranormal incidents” he was adamant that not all were of his doing.

Neil Spring’s debut novel, The Ghost Hunters, centres around Harry Price’s investigation at Borley Rectory, a story narrated by his fictional assistant Sarah Grey. Spring’s story brilliantly brings together fact and fiction in an enthralling ghost story of revenge, deception, love and hope.
5/5