The Barby Ghost.
The quiet and sequestered village of Barby is all in an uproar, in consequence of its being believed, even by the least credulous, that the spirit of Sarah Webb either descends or ascends (which of the two is not yet ascertained) to pay occasional visits to her late abode upon earth. It is told in whispers that the cause of her nocturnal appearances arises from her dissatisfaction as to the distribution of her property.
She had represented herself for a long time previous to her death as being destitute, and many benevolent residents of the village had been in the habit of sending her food, and otherwise contributing to her comfort. She died, and was buried by the parish.
A fresh occupant was found for Sarah’s cottage, who, having a suspicion that she had left a treasure hid somewhere, ascended a ladder that led through a ceiled part of the upper room, and, in groping about, his hand touched what he mistook for the covering of the ghost! He descended, full of terror, on the nether end of his person; and having told his wife of his encounter, she left the house, and her lord, with a neighbour, sat up all night – when, towards the witching hour, sounds unearthly issued from different parts of the dwelling.
The next day the strange story got wind, and one of her kinsmen proceeded by daylight to make a search. He also ascended the ladder, and, upon searching the loft, found a considerable sum of money in gold, silver and copper; but although he told of it, he did not tell how much it was; so the villagers have put it down as several hundred pounds.
Since the discovery of the treasure, Sarah Webb’s visits have been frequent; and often witnesses, stout of heard, affirm that they have heard her ghostship say that until her property is fairly distributed, she cannot nor will not rest like a good soul!
Leicestershire Mercury, 20th March 1852.
The case of a Haunted House in Northamptonshire may now follow: –
“A house at Barby, a small village about eight miles from Rugby, was reputed to be haunted, and this under the following circumstances: – An old woman of the name of Webb, a native of the place, and above the usual height, died on March 3, 1851, at two a.m. aged sixty-seven. Late in life she had married a man of some means, who having predeceased her, left her his property, so that she was in good circumstances. Her chief and notorious characteristic, however, was excessive penuriousness, being remarkably miserly in her habits; and it is believed by many in the village that she thus shortened her days.
Two of her neighbours, women of the names of Griffin and Holding, nursed her during her last illness, and her nephew, Mr Hart, a farmer in the village, supplied her temporal needs; in whose favour she had made a will, by which she bequeathed to him all her possessions.
About a month after the funeral Mrs Holding, who, with her uncle, lived next door to the house of the deceased (which had been entirely shut up since the funeral), was alarmed and astonished at hearing loud and heavy thumps against the partition wall, and especially against the door of a cupboard in the room wall, while other strange noises, like the dragging of furniture about the rooms (though all the furniture had been removed), and the house was empty. These were chiefly heard about two o’clock in the morning.
Early in the month of April a family of the name of Accleton, much needing a residence, took the deceased woman’s house, the only one in the village vacant, and bringing their goods and chattels, proceeded to inhabit it. The husband was often absent, but he and his wife occupied the room in which Mrs Webb had died, while their daughter, a girl about ten years of age, slept in a small bed in the corner.
Violent noises in the night were heard about two o’clock, thumps, tramps, and tremendous crashes, as if all the furniture had been collected together, and then violently banged on to the floor. One night at two a.m. the parents were suddenly awakened by the violent screams of the child, ‘Mother, mother, there’s a tall woman standing by my bed, a-shaking her head at me!’ The parents could see nothing, so did their best to quiet and compose the child. At four o’clock they were again awakened by the child’s screams, for she had seen the woman again; in fact she appeared to her no less than seven times, on seven subsequent nights.
Mrs Accleton, during her husband’s absence, having engaged her mother to sleep with her one night, was suddenly aroused at the same hour of two by a strange and unusual light in her room. Looking up she saw quite plainly the spirit of Mrs Webb, which moved towards her with a gentle appealing manner, as though it would have said, ‘Speak, speak!’. This spectre appeared likewise to a Mrs Radbourne, a Mrs Griffiths, and a Mrs Holding. They assert that luminous balls of light hovered about the room during the presence of the spirit, and that streams of light seemed to go up towards a trapdoor in the ceiling, which led to the roof o fthe cottage. Each person who saw it testified likewise to hearing a low, unearthly, moaning noises – ‘strange and unnatural like’ but somewhat similar in character to the moans of the woman in her death-agony.
The subject was, of course, discussed; and Mrs Accleton suggested that its appearance might not impossibly be connected with the existence of money hoarded up in the roof, an idea which may have arisen from the miserly habits of the dead woman. This hint having been given to and taken by her nephew, Mr Hart, the farmer, he proceeded to the house, and with Mrs Accleton’s personal help made a search. The loft above was totally dark, but by the aid of a candle there was discovered, firstly, a bundle of writings, old deeds as they turned out to be, and afterwards a large bag of gold and bank-notes, out of which the nephew took a handful of sovereigns, and exhibited them to Mrs Accleton.
But the knockings, moanings, strange noises, and other disturbances did not cease upon this discovery. They did cease, however, when Mr Hart, having found that certain debts were owing by her, carefully and scrupulously paid them.
So much for the account of the Haunted House at Barby. The circumstances were most carefully investigated by Sir Charles Isham, Bart., and others, the upshot of which was that the above facts were, to the complete satisfaction of numerous enquirers, completely verified.”
Glimpses of the supernatural, being facts records and traditions relating to dreams, omens, miraculous occurrences, apparitions, wraiths, warnings, second sight, witchcraft, necromancy, etc. Edited by the Reverend Frederick George Lee, D.C.L. Vicar of All Saints’, Lambeth. Vol. II. Published by Henry S. King and Co, 1875.