The Bulkington Ghost.
In the parish of Bulkington, about five or six miles from Devizes, there is an antiquated building, occupied by an aged couple, named Tuckey Gaisford and his wife, and this antiquated building, like many other buildings of a similar nature, has for a long time been haunted by a Ghost; but perhaps never did Ghost play such freaks as the Bulkington Ghost has been playing during the last week.
Who ever before heard of a teapot walking of its own accord from the dresser shelf, dancing a minuet round the kitchen, and then dashing itself to pieces? Yet Tuckey Gaisford’s teapot performed this feat a few days since, under the superintendence of the Bulkington Ghost – or some people have been greatly deceived.
As for plates and pans, there will scarcely be one left in the house: they appear to be suddenly animated with life, then throw themselves into a violent rage, and in a moment become extinct.
Whether from a desire to breathe more freely, or from what other reason we do not know, but the Ghost took the most decided antipathy to the windows in the house; two or three squares of glass have at one time jumped from one window in an outward direction; then again three or four other squares from another window have gone inwards – so, at this moment, there is scarcely a sound square of glass in the house.
Add to these things, all the dreadful noises that a Ghost is capable of making, and some idea may be formed of the consternation of the good people of Bulkington, for most persons in the neighbourhood believe that all the feats we have mentioned, and many more that we have not mentioned, have been under the direction of the Ghost.
But strange to say, hundreds of people have surrounded the house, for hours together, on the watch, without catching a glimpse of him: the Ghost has never condescended to make himself visible.
If the landlord of the public-house had entered into a compact with the Ghost, it could not have been more to his benefit. Every room in the house has been crowded during the past week, and if the performance continue much longer, father Mathew’s occupation’s gone, as far as Bulkington is concerned: – there will not be a teetotaller left in the parish.
The only persons who has for some time been living in the antiquated building we have alluded to, besides old Tuckey Gaisford and his wife, was their grandson, a little urchin about ten or eleven years of age – and a great deal too knowing for his age, he is, some people say. The police having been called in, Mr Superintendent Haines, who is a very intelligent man, soon had an impression that this little urchin was in connection with the Ghost, if he were not the Ghost himself.
Upon inquiry, it was found that whenever a square of glass was broken, there the boy was, or not far off, and when the tea-pot, plates, and pans, played such pranks, the boy was within a few yards. The Superintendent communicated his suspicion to the old people, but they scouted it. He offered one of the police to sleep with the boy, but the poor old woman said it was a supernatural power from above, with which the police ought not to interfere, and this no doubt was her honest impression, as it was that of numbers of other people.
She admitted, that she believed the Ghost followed the boy – but one thing puzzled the superintendent and the old woman – whilst the boy was lying in bed with his grandfater, five or six panes of glass were broken in a window in an adjoining room. This evidently could not have been the work of the boy, and if it was done by the Ghost, it shows that the Ghost was active even when the boy was absent.
However, the boy was removed to Old Park on Tuesday last, since which every thing has been quiet at Tuckey Gaisford’s. The Ghost is allayed.
Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette, 31st August 1843.
A Ghost!
In speaking of ghosts, the facetious Thomas Hood writes as follows: – “Ghosts be hanged! No such things in nature: all laid long ago, before the wood pavement. What should they come for? The colliers may rise for higher wages, and the Chartists may rise for reform, Joseph Sturge may rise for his health, and bread may rise, and the rising generation may rise: but that the dead should rise only to make one’s hair rise is more than I can credit.”
Whether ghosts are now for ever laid is not for us to presume to say, thus much we know, that laid or not, the village of Bulkington, about six miles from this town, has been considerably excited during the past fortnight by certain mysterious events which have taken place at the house of a worthy couple residing in that place. The only inhabitants of the house are the old people and their grandson, a boy about nine years of age.
The freaks of the Bulkington ghost have been rather of a destructive character – the windows of the house, and some of the utensils having been the object of its vengeance; and to such an extent that no less than 60 squares of glass are smashed, the casements driven in, and pans, cups, and many other articles dashed to pieces.
This destructive propensity first showed itself on Tuesday week, and after it had continued two or three nights, some suspicion was excited that flesh and blood, and no spirit, were the cause, in fact the little grandson begun to be suspected. It was remarked that the windows were never broken except while he was near, and that so long as the windows themselves were closely watched, no harm happened to them, but as soon as your back was turned, smash went the glass.
It was also observed, that the windows in the room where the lad slept suffered the greatest injury; (he sleeping in a bed close to the window) but no sooner was the crash heard, than somebody was in the room, finding the boy comfortably settled in his bed as if nothing had happened. During the boy’s absence all is quiet, but his appearance seems to be the signal for a general breakage amongst the crockery, windows, &c.
The neighbours and friends of the parties have visited the house, and tried every means to solve the mystery, but so unaccountable does the affair appear to them that they do not hesitate to ascribe it to some supernatural agency, they say, in fact, that the boy is “possessed with an evil spirit.” We think so too.
The boy is now sent away for a time. The spirit has doubtless gone with him. At all events no breakages have occurred since his absence; but we have not heard whether the invisible agent commits the same devastation in its new situation.
Wiltshire Independent, 31st August 1843.
Juvenile Depravity.
On Tuesday afternoon a fire was discovered proceeding from a stable in the occupation of an aged widow, named Gaisford, at Bulkington, about five miles from Devizes, and the flames communicating to the dwelling-house adjoining, the whole was consumed in the course of two hours. It may be remembered that some alarm was excited in this place about a year and a half ago, in consequence of the demolition of nearly the whole of the windows of Mrs Gaisford’s house, and of a great portion of her crockery, apparently without hands.
Mrs Gaisford – good easy woman – and her husband (who was living at the time) could not be persuaded but that it proceeded from some supernatural power – that it was, in fact, the freaks of a ghost. Upon no other person’s mind, however, was there the slightest doubt but that it was the act of the grandson of the old people, an artful urchin, then only about nine years of age; and circumstances have transpired to confirm the fact. The boy has since gone by the name of “The Bulkington Ghost.”
After the flames had been quelled on Tuesday, suspicions were excited that “the Bulkington Ghost” had been to work again. Superintendent Haines, who had been attracted to the spot from Potterne, by the light which the flames produced, discovered upon inquiry that the boy had a day or two previously purchased some lucifer matches; and as the stable communicated with the dwelling-house, and there being no other persons in the house at the time than the boy and his grandmother – the boy having been absent about five minutes before the fire was discovered – he felt it his duty to apprehend him. His suspicions were strengthened by the fact that the door of the stable, which fronts the yard, was fastened at the time – clearly showing that the fire must proceed from some one in th ehouse.
The boy, at about twelve at night, was taken to the blindhouse, but he had not been there long before he became greatly alarmed, and entreated to be allowed to go to his grandmother. The constable who had charge of him said he must know something of the fire first. The boy asked whether, if he confessed, he should be let out? Without any promise being made to him, he afterwards confessed that he had taken the cows to water, and that on his return he went into the stable from the yard; that he then fastened the door, applied a match to the straw in the rack, and seeing it burn, went into the kitchen and sat down by the side of his grandmother, as if nothing had happened; adding, that he did not think of setting th ehouse on fire.
About five minutes afterwards, a person seeing smoke issuing from the stable, went and endeavoured to open the door, but finding it fastened, broke it open, when the flames broke forth with redoubled fury.
The following morning the boy was taken before Mr Ludlow Bruges and the Rev. Mr Crawley, when, in the most hardened manner, he not only denied committing the act, but also said that he did not even know upon what charge he was taken up. Mr Superintendent Haines said he had no doubt that the boy had made the confession in the blindhouse under the impression that it would be the means of liberating him. From this circumstance and taking into consideration the very tender age of the boy, the magistrates did not feel justified in committing him; he was therefore set at liberty.
He readily acknowledged to the superintendent that it was he who broke all the windows and the crockery in his grandmother’s house. He stated, among other freaks, that h is grandmother had put him to bed one night, and he had lain just long enough for her to suppose that he was asleep, when he jumped out of the bed, ran into her room, dashed his hands through the window, and was back in his own room in bed, and apparently asleep, before the old woman could come up stairs and see what had happened.
A more depraved young rascal was never heard of; his language is shocking, and although now a little more than ten years of age, he is the terror of the village. –
Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette, 19th December 1844.