Haunted House in Spalding District.
Singular manifestations.
Clock jumps from the mantelpiece.
By “Hathart”.
In these days when so much talk of spiritualistic manifestations makes the hair stand on end, and the thoughtful reader is startled by daily revelations of occult and psychic science, it is good to have at first hand local instances, about whose authenticity there can be no question. The writer is able to vouch for the cases cited in this article, and the authority for his statements is the individual who experienced the manifestations.
For years the house in which the manifestations occurred was considered to be haunted. It is situated in an outlying district near to Spalding. The building is a double-fronted villa, and of the early Victorian style and somewhat commodious in dimension. It stands in an isolated part of the country, and is far removed from the nearest house, so that neighbouring, as is understood in towns, was unknown to the occupants.
At the time our story begins the house was occupied by a well-known farmer and his wife. They had no children. Here they lived in the house alone. Attached to the premises were some forty acres of land, which the two farmed, keeping considerable stock and other money-earning lines, which are usually associated with the average farm. It was whilst they lived here that they became aware of certain occult manifestations, which led to their conclusion that the house was haunted. On many occasions they heard noises during the night, and could find no explanation for them, although they diligently investigated the premises to ascertain the cause. Such efforts were all to no purpose. No trace or suspicion of the origin of the noises could be found.
On one occasion the farmer’s wife had two male cousins come to visit her. They were placed in the spare room, and retired to bed in good spirits. During the night they were suddenly awakened by a loud noise, heavy knocking being heard, which prevented their sleep and giving rise to mysterious doubts and fears. Next morning they complained to the farmer’s wife, telling her the whole of the circumstances, and boldly declaring that they would not sleep in the same room again. And they never did, for they left the place the same day declaring that the house was haunted.
Shortly afterwards the house was visited by an aunt and uncle of the farmer’s wife, and they were also relegated to the spare room. They had a similar experience. During the dead of night there was a loud mysterious noise and three distinct knocks, given slowly and deliberately, were made on the door. The aunt cried out to her niece: – “Is that you, Annie? What do you want? I suppose that you are knocking for us?” “No,” replied the niece. “I have not knocked, and cannot understand who has done so.” Nothing further transferred during their stay.
The next manifestation was in the day time. The farmer’s wife was engaged in making up twenty-two lbs. of butter for the next day’s market. She was just handling the first lb. when she was startled by hearing three distinct knocks on the pantry window opposite to where she stood. She stopped her work, and listened for a moment, and then, taking no further notice, proceeded with her butter-making. Whilst making up the second lb., three more knocks came at the window. The farmer’s wife was paralysed with terror, and instantly ceased her task. She had the presence of mind to hasten to the front door to see if anyone was visible. There was nobody about, either at the back or front of the house, and this absence of an outward cause imparted much fear and terror within her. It was never explained to her how or why the manifestations occurred.
Another manifestation took a rather different form. The farmer and his wife had retired to rest, and were just about dropping to sleep when the wife heard the chair alongside the bed rise and fall three distinct times. She woke her husband, and asked him what he was doing. “Nothing,” he replied. “I have not touched anything.” No satisfactory explanation was forthcoming for this manifestation.
At a subsequent date the farmer’s wife had her mother staying with her. During the afternoon, whilst the latter was doing farm work in the yard, her mother called her, saying: – “Annie, there is someone at the front door; there have been three knocks. The farmer’s wife went to see, only to find that there was nobody at the door. “But while you have been going round to see,” said her mother, “there have been three more knocks.” And so there had been two or three successive knocks, three at a time, but there was no visible explanation of the cause.
Following this incident, and on the succeeding night, the mother and her daughter occupied the spare room. Almost on the point of midnight, the farmer’s wife was suddenly awakened and alarmed by a loud noise at the bedroom door. She distinctly heard a thud at the door, the handle was turned, and it appeared as if the door was opened, and a wave of fresh air swept through the door. Needless to say she was terrified and agitated at the sudden shock, and although she did not sleep during the night she dared not get up to investigate. In the morning, when daylight came, she was astonished to find the door closed, and quite as secure as she made it before retiring.
Whilst tidying the bedroom on one occasion the farmer’s wife was staggered by hearing someone fall through the slates, and expected to see a man instantly come through the ceiling. On another occasion, whilst cleaning the kitchen, she was astonished to see the clock on the mantelpiece jump off on to the floor. She picked i up, and found it had stopped, and some of the works were damaged. Still further on a Sunday morning she distinctly heard her husband laying the breakfast table. The rattle of the tea cups and saucers were distinctly audible, and it gladdened her heart to know that her husband was so thoughtful. On going downstairs there was no one to be seen. The fire was not lit, nor was there any appearance of table preparations. As a matter of fact, the husband was in the cowshed, milking the cows, all unconscious of the experience.
These manifestations might be multiplied. The writer has selected the foregoing examples from numerous others told him by the same party. Prior to the farmer and his wife going to the house some friends told them that it was haunted, and during the fourteen years they remained tenants of it they had ample proof of these friendly admonitions. As a result, the farmer’s wife, who now lives in Spalding, was glad to get out of it, and since then she has experienced no other occult manifestations.
Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian, 20th December 1919.