Mysterious occurrences. Alleged haunted house in Church-street.
For the past few nights a considerable number of persons – chiefly young ones – have congregated at the bottom of Church-street after night has set in, owing to a rumour that a house in Wood-yard, Lower Church-street, was haunted by a ghost. The cottage in question is occupied by an old woman named ratcliffe – not we understand a very strong minded woman – and the noises which have been heard have occurred in her bedroom.
These consisted in the mysterious moving of a board and small table, and which it was conjectured was the work of some evil spirit or unnatural agency, and could not be the result of human hands. There was a hole in the bedroom near the fire place and against this board was placed against the board to keep it from falling. This board at times was rattled and the table moved towards the middle of the room, and sometimes the table would be knocked over altogether.
These occurrences have gone on for some time and naturally the woman has got into a great state of nervous excitement, and it has caused also no little stir amongst the neighbours. All sorts of rumours got afloat and they lost nothing by the telling. One of these was to the following effect: The old woman has a little girl – a grand daughter, to sleep with her, and on Sunday night the latter alleges that she was forcibly pulled out of bed by the ghost. She admitted, however, that though she did not see the ghost she felt it, and there were marks of its clutch on her wrist.
The police were communicated with and have been at considerable trouble in elucidating the mystery. for a time they could not account for it, but they have since discovered that the hole in the wall in the old woman’s bedroom – which is large enough for a man to put his arm through – communicates with a clogger’s workshop, occupied by Mr Cragg, Nicholas-street, and access to which can only be had through a private yard in that street.
The police also investigated the story as to the girl having been pulled out of bed, and have found a natural solution for it. The old woman has been so frightened by these occurrences and her feelings have been wrought up to such a pitch of excitement that she starts up in her sleep. She did so on Sunday night and clutched hold of her grand daughter. The latter, being suddenly seized in her sleep and awakened, and no doubt having the fear of ghosts before her, at once jumped out of bed and ran down stairs, without waiting to ascertain the cause of the disturbance. It is the impression of the police that some one, knowing the old woman is simpleminded, is playing a practical joke upon her from the adjoining premises.
Lancaster Gazette, 5th October 1889.
A “Ghost” Scare at Lancaster.
For some little time past – and even so late as Thursday night – the inhabitants of Lower Church-street, Lancaster, have been considerably exercised, not to say alarmed, by strange manifestations which have taken place in a house in Wood-yard, occupied by an old woman named Radcliffe, whose husband is a farm labourer, and is only at home at the week end.
The first indication of anything peculiar about the house occurred about a fortnight ago, when Mrs Ratcliffe heard strange tappings and other noises, emanating for the most part apparently from a chimney in the bedroom. These noises continued, and seemed to get worse, especially at night. As may be imagined the old woman grew nervous, and told the neighbours. As there seemed to be no satisfactory explanation for the manifestations, it was suggested that the premises were haunted, and this idea has fixed itself upon the minds of the old woman and people living near.
Extraordinary stories of the doings of the “ghost” have been told and firmly believed by many people. Mrs Ratcliffe got a neighbour’s girl to sleep with her, and during one night they were awakened by noises in the chimney. Shortly after, the old woman says she became conscious of some one being in the room, and felt a hand get hold of her arm, the little girl also feeling a similar pinch. It was ultimately found that upon the bedclothes and upon the sleepers’ arms were marks as though made by sooty fingers. There were also marks of soot next morning found on the window sill of another room, and Mrs Ratcliffe says that is proof positive that the “ghost” walked through the room, and got out of the window, some plaster that was dislodged about the same place strengthening her believe.
On another occasion a board in front of the fireplace was knocked down with a bang, a table overturned in the room, and some bricks dislodged from the chimney and thrown into the room. Acting upon advice, information was given to the police, and a thorough search was made of the house, and the adjoining premises – a workshop belonging to Mr Cragg, clogger, Nicholas street.
A night or two ago the noises were again heard, and something like a panic took possession of the inhabitants of the yard. Large crowds of people have assembled in the vicinity for some nights past, and every detail and development have been eagerly discussed and commented upon. A variety of blood-curdling stories, some evidently apocryphal, and others containing an element of truth, have passed from lip to lip, and, of course, have magnified in the passage. One is to the effect that a stalwart policeman sat up in th ehouse one night, determined to “lay” the ghost. When all was quiet, a table was lifted up and placed upon his head, and the constable thought “discretion the better part of valour,” and beat a hasty retreet.
This, like most of the other stories, has no foundation in fact, and the police are of the opinion that the “manifestations” are the work of a silly practical joker. On another occasion, the girl felt something seize her arm tightly and pull her out of bed. This was probably Mrs Ratcliffe herself, who, hearing a noise, nervously clutched the girl’s arm, and they both tumbled out. If the theory of the police is correct, it is a contemptible piece of work, when it is remembered that the occupant of the house is an old woman, who is at present in a highly nervous state. Should the joker be caught by the neighbours or crowd of people who nightly assemble, he might bitterly regret his joking propensities.
Soulby’s Ulverston Advertiser and General Intelligencer, 10th October 1889.