The Third Dog.
Since moving into their home at Metham Hall, near Laxton, East Yorkshire, parts of which are 400 years old, both Mr and Mrs Bill Lewell claim to have heard a ghost on several occasions. But this ghost, they say, is a dog.
“There seems to be no regularity about the ghost’s visits and we have christened him The Third Dog,” said Mr Lewell. They have two dogs of their own, a Labrador, called Ted, and a poodle, Scruff.
Mr and Mrs Lewell have heard mysterious scratching sounds and a noise like a dog shaking itself, but searches have proved fruitless. “We have knocked down an old cottage and several trees. Perhaps this disturbance has aroused the dog,” said Mr Lewell.
The thought of having a ghost on their premises does not fill the Lewells with alarm. “As long as he does not need to be fed we are quite happy,” added Mr Lewell.
Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 24th December 1964.
Sounds heard – but intensive search reveals nothing.
‘Ghost’ of dog terrifies four workmen.
A mystery animal haunts 400-year-old Metham Hall.
Strange sounds in the night and an eerie noise from an upstairs room which terrified four workmen at Metham Hall, near Laxton, the 400-year-old home of Mr and Mrs W. Lewell, are believed to have been caused by the ghost of a dog. But although the animal has been heard several times, only Mrs Lewell can claim to have seen it. It happened one night as she was going up the drive towards the house. Mrs Lewell saw what she thought was her pet Labrador, Ted, standing on a sand pit. But then she realised that her dog was sitting behind her in the car.
The first people to hear the mystery dog were four workmen, who dropped their flasks and sandwiches and ran outside. Later they plucked up enough courage to go back inside to try and find the source of the noise. Their search revealed nothing.
Mr Lewell told the Yorkshire Times this week that he was still rather sceptical about the ghost. “On the occasions I have heard it it did not appear to know that we were there.” Mrs Lewell said, “One night we heard scratching at the door. I opened it, thinking that one of our own dogs wanted to come in. Then I heard a noise, as if a dog was shaking itself, and then, nothing. It was not until later that we realised both our dogs were inside.”
The Lewells discussed the matter and then ruled out the possibility that the animal they heard was a dog from a neighbouring farm.
A neighbour said that legend had it that the hall was supposed to be haunted – but by a human being. “This,” said Mr Lewell, “goes some way to making it a little more feasible.” Mr Lewell too, has heard the dog while alone. When he was walking upstairs he heard something following him. He turned round, but there was nothing to be seen. “If it is a dog it certainly knows its way around the building,” he said. “It seems to confine itself to the older part of the house.” Mr Lewell added that some time ago he read a book on animal ghosts and spirits. His own experiences seemed to tally with some of those related in the book.
He said that experiences with the ghost had begun to make him wonder seriously what it was. “We have pulled down an old cottage and uprooted several old trees,” he said. “Possibly this disturbance has let our friend out.” He added, “We have always had dogs of our own, and both the present ones will bark at anything, but so far they seem to be quite unaware of ‘the third dog,’ ” said Mr Lewell.
Mrs Lewell said that when she told someone about her experiences they did not think she was being ridiculous at all. Said Mr Lewell, “If he persists, then we shan’t mind in the least.”
His wife added that she was rather glad that it was an animal ghost and not a human being.
The ghost dog does not have any set time for making his appearances. “He is neither frequent nor infrequent, and seems harmless enough. The last time he made an appearance was about 10 days ago,” added Mr Lewell.
Hull and East Yorkshire Times, 26th December 1964.
I don’t really think that ghosts or poltergeists are particularly to do with a house’s history, but I did notice that unfortunately Philip Scholfield (a ‘highly respectable gentleman’) shot himself in his drawing room at Metham Hall in 1836.
I rather think that the scratching and imitation of a dog are more like traditional poltergeist / witchcraft cases, rather than a “haunting”. We’re not that far away from Epworth!