A Runcorn Ghost Story.
Recently a family from Birkenhead took up their residence in a house in a street in a populous part of Runcorn, and leading off one of the principal thoroughfares. Their tenancy had only been of a few days’ duration, when their nocturnal slumbers were disturbed by strange noises, which usually were heard between midnight and two o’clock. They partook of the character of the shuffling of the feet in the passage. On two occasions, however, the apparition made itself more clearly manifest, for members of the household declare that they had seen the form of an elderly woman, whose clothing they minutely describe, pass through the house. During one night the son occupied the sofa in the kitchen, when the supposed ghostly visitant passed by, and plucked a pillow from under his head. He was naturally alarmed. The same “old lady” made her appearance again so late as last Saturday night, when the extraordinary sounds were heard, and the mother of the family saw a form clad as already stated.
The result is that they have removed to another house during the present week. In consequence of the statements the place has been visited by many people during th epast few days. It is affirmed by neighbours that other tenants have declared the house to be “haunted,” and of course the reason attached is that years ago a murder was committed near the place.
Halifax Evening Courier, 5th June 1896.
A Runcorn Ghost Story.
During the week a curious rumour has gone the rounds of Runcorn, and as its subject consists of all the original features (in these days) of a ghost story it is fast gaining ground and credence in the town. During the last three weeks a family new to Runcorn has been occupying a small house in a side street off one of the chief thoroughfares in the town and for a few days their residence there went on uninterrupted. Later a son was left asleep on the sofa and in the middle of the night he ran screaming up to his mother’s room complaining that the pillow had been taken from under his head.
From that time onward weird and uncanny noises have been heard at night time in the house, generally taking the form of shuffling footsteps on the stairs together with the rustling of garments. Nor have these mysterious manifestations been the only incidents, as the lady of the house has twice seen the phantom figure of a mysterious old woman who entering through doors in different rooms has been closely followed and found to have disappeared in a very unsatisfactory manner. The elderly “spirit’s” last appearance occurred last Saturday, when she was seen by the mother and one of the sons to glide across the kitchen. This seems to have been too much for the whole family as they have moved their quarters a few streets away from the house favoured by the alleged nocturnal visitor.
The affair has caused no little excitement and the street has been visited by many people, while the house is becoming an interesting building in the eyes of the superstitiously inclined neighbours. In a matter of fact age like the present, this paragraph will no doubt cause many of our readers to furtively smile on reading it, but our representative on interviewing the late occupants was bound to admit that they at least were unpleasantly impressed with their recent experiences. Moreover the ghost’s appearance during its nightly walk has been vividly described by Mrs. —, who goes into minute particulars in speaking of the dress, gesture and deportment of the Runcorn perturbed spirit.
Widnes Examiner, 6th June 1896.
Journalist’s story of how it was “laid.”
Writing in the last week’s issue of the “Warrington Examiner,” on the occasion of Mr T. Weston taking over the editorship, Mr George Edgar, author of the “Blue Bird’s Eye” and other successful novels, gives some pleasant reminiscences of his early days as a local journalist. Of Runcorn he says: –
“There came a time when I joined the Warrington ‘Examiner.’ I represented the paper in Runcorn, where a localised edition was published. I was very young in those days and not very discreet, but the ‘Examiner’ was kind to my faults. Away from the office, representing the ‘Examiner’ at Runcorn, was a pleasant task for a youth. I recall perhaps the most interesting thing I did there with great glee to this day. I discovered a ghost story and told it in the ‘Examiner.’ The haunted house was in a little side street in the centre of Runcorn town. I made the ghost, a phantom little old lady, very spectacular and invested the house with an eerie flavour of a Christmas Number castle. The result somewhat surprised me.
“The ‘Examiner’ was published in Runcorn at five o’clock on Friday evening. By seven o’clock half the population of the town was about that little side street, hooting and howling, and playfully engaged in smashing the windows of a harmless cottage. The landlord and owner of the property was breathing dreadful threats as to what he would do to me and the ‘Examiner’. I went home by all the side streets that night. He was in a more reasonable frame of mind the next morning. I compounded with him. As I had raised the ghost I offered to lay it. I volunteered to stop in the house all one night, and if I saw no ghost to say so in next week’s paper. I remember we made up a nice little card party of about six. There was no ghost, and I duly credited the house with an absence of spooks of any kind. The landlord was placated and I – well I retired on my vaguely won laurels.”
Runcorn Weekly News, 25th April 1913.
A Runcorn Ghost Story.
Towards the middle of June, 1896, a rumour became circulated that a cottage in Brook Street, Runcorn, was haunted. A woman who had been the tenant for a very short period concluded the occupancy somewhat hurriedly and for her reason gave a circumstantial account of nightly visitations and a woman’s ghostly figure which set locks, bolts and bars at defiance.
The result was the nightly gathering of hundreds of boys and girls to the great disturbance of the neighbourhood and apparently much to the disgust of the ghost for the many watchers never caught one glimpse of her fearsome face.
One night several young men took up their quarters in the empty house with four candles to enlighten the darkness. The only visitant they had was one who was clothed in this “too solid flesh.” He appeared enveloped in a white sheet, but so little dismayed was one of the party that his fist shot out and had not the ghost disclosed his identity he might have been severely “handled.”
Runcorn Weekly News 19th June 1931.