Ghosts and Spirit Rapping in Derry.
We (Derry Guardian) subjoin a copy of a letter which was lately found by a gentleman in Coleraine when examining a number of old family papers. It refers to certain sights and sounds seen and heard in a house near the Masonic Hall, in Derry, which had the reputation of being haunted, and which was for many years in a ruinous state. The letter is supposed to have been addressed to the bishop, the learned and pious Dr. Barnard, who filled the See of Derry from the year 1746 to the year 1768.
We imagined that spirit-rapping and spiritualism were phenomena peculiar to the nineteenth century, but it is evident from what follows that they were not unknown in Londonderry one hundred and ten years ago, so true it is that “there is nothing new under the sun.”
We insert the letter verbatim et literatim as we received it:-
“My Lord – Enclosed you have the receipts, when I get the article from Mr Skipton it shall be demolished. And now, my Lord, as to the history of ye ghost, I will only trouble your Lordship with what I had from undoubted authority.
Mr J. Knox told me his family have been alarmed for several months past with a noise something like a cooper makes at his work, which was heard in most parts of the house, but especially the room over the great parlour, where Mr. S. died. It ceased for some night, but returned again.
He said most people about him imagined at first it was a trick, devised and carried on by some of the servants, in order to take an advantage of him in a felonious way, for which reasons, he and many of his friends and acquaintances were constantly upon their guard, and examined slowly into every place where ye noise was made, or, from where they imagined it would come, but not discover, tho’ ye rapping continued frequently from mid-night until four in the morning.
It went on thus for three or four months, sometimes coopering (as they call it), at others playing like one with his finger in a key upon a table, letting the key fall, as through mistake, and falling to ye coopering work again.
Hitherto nothing appeared to terrify anybody, and it is only whispered, and perhaps fabled, that Mrs Knox did see something at her bedside like a shrouded apparition, which very suddenly vanished.
About six weeks ago, Mrs Alcock told me that she and Miss Gifford lay in ye haunted room, the rapping approached their bedside, where there had been a board lifted in order to see if there was a hollow place there, through which the sound might be artificially conveyed, the board being left loose, and not nailed down. The two gentlewoman thought they heard a noise – a kind of brushing under the bed, upon which Miss Gifford rose, and taking the candle (which was always kept lighted) to the place, cried out that the board was rising, tho’ she could not perceive the occasion of it. As she is a steady girl, I can’t suppose that fear had in any way operated upon her imagination.
Some nights after, Miss Alcock, who is, to your knowledge, a serious, sensible, and prudent young lady, was in the same bed with two other persons of her own sex, and none else in ye room, which I think was locked; and about the usual hour of disturbance they perceived the bed-curtains drawn, or rather warp’d or rolling up together, which convinced her of what she did not seem to believe before, that there was something more than common in the case.
And in consequence of her report, a few nights after Mr Schoales, Mr Evory, Mr James Knox, and eight or nine other persons, of both sexes and different ages, sat up. When about twelve or one o’clock they were saluted by ye above mentioned knocking, and saw the curtains (as Miss Alcock had done) wafted in ye same manner. One of them declared he saw the figure of a hand, whilst the rest were amused by ye different modes of rapping, which continued, with very short intermissions, for three or four hours. It was not now confined to one part of the chamber, but varied its situation, and rapped in several places as often as it was desired.
It was half an hour after three when, being ordered to signify the time of night, the company distinctly heard three loud raps and a small one, upon which, fortified, I suppose, by their numbers, they proceeded to other experiments, and one of them requesting that three raps should be given for Colonel Knox, the complaisant spirit immediately complied, and did the like for its landlord, James. But being desired to rap for King George and his Grace of Cumberland, it was quite silent, though immediately afterwards the highest compliment was made to ye Pretender and his son Charles. One Mansfield, Mrs Knox’s apprentice, was refused ye favour which was soon after granted to young Sodon, a lad of 14.
Mr Evory had thrown himself on the bed, in order to find out the truth of an assertion that some who had been there before him made, that the bed was shaken under them, and that they felt some movement there. He says he heard, but did not feel, a kind of brushing, while one of the company held a candle under the bed to see how it came to pass. This, I think, is the most material part of that night’s adventure, and very ludicrous it is, and I have been often at a loss to reconcile it with the gravity and known veracity of the reporters.
What happened since is of a mixed nature – partly serious and partly comical. Such as that of the Sheriff Hill, Lieutenant Osborne, and Lieut. Wynse, who took up their quarters there lately, and heard but three gentle raps; but the Sheriff, falling into a slumber, dreamt the ghost was tightly belabouring him, and occasioned a roar which awak’d himself and both of his companions. This I had from himself, as I had almost all ye other accounts from ye parties concerned.
Till within these five or six nights past ye noise went on, or was rather varied by ye rattling of chairs, tables &c. But, since that time, Mrs Gifford and a companion have lay’n there, and either slept so sound as to be incapable of disturbances, or else the ghost has nothing to say to them. As for ye two gentlemen your Lordship mentioned, though ye dream of the one might be significative, yet I believe he has not credit enough with ye other to prevail upon him to leave his warm bed and go a ghost-hunting upon ye idle suggestions of the dream of a vision. Miss Gifford’s courage consisted in going to J. S–t’s tomb, and conjuring him to come up and make known his grievances; but I imagine her to be very serious and reserved of late.
And now, my lord, in obedience to your Lordship’s commands, I have related all I could hear attested with any degree of probability concerning this tragi-comical affair. I shall make no comments upon it, but entirely submit to your Lordship’s judgement whether multitudes of people have been imposed upon by a vain fear, or that it is not impossible that God Almighty, for wise ends of his own, does sometimes permit ye departed spirits to re-visit the earth.
I am sure I must by this time have sufficiently tired your Lordship; but, as I hear there have been several demands from Dublin for a true account of this surprising affair, I thought you had as good a right as any other to an early recital of it.
Mine and my wife’s best respects attend you and your lady. – I am, my lord, your Lordship’s most dutiful and obedient humble servant, Francis Houston. April 29th, 1753.”
Belfast Morning News, 23rd October 1863.