The Upavon Ghost Story.
During the past few weeks the inhabitants of Upavon, and the surrounding villages have been kept in a state of excitement by mysterious rumours that at Upavon a real ghost had been for some time “making night hideous” by creating extraordinary sounds, etc. at the house of an old lady residing in that parish. Many and varied were the versions of the affair, but the real facts of the case appear to be these: –
There is residing at Upavon an old lady, 73 years of age, named Miss Rolfe, and her next door neighbour is Mr John Davis, a respectable plasterer and tiler. As far back as the 27th of January Miss Rolfe found that a watch which she had in the house had been broken by some unknown hand, and on the following day a window of her house was smashed. No one could imagine by whom the mischief had been occasioned, until the middle of February, when to the minds of the inmates the fact at once became apparent that the house was haunted.
It appears that as Miss Rolfe and Sarah Davis, a girl of 15 years of age (daughter of Miss Rolfe’s neighbour) were in the kitchen some crockery fell down in a very mysterious manner. Miss Rolfe, in a state of alarm, at once put up her shutters, but whilst so doing, and whilst her back was turned, several other pieces of crockery descended from the shelves and danced themselves to atoms. This was followed by a series of strange noises, altogether so astounding, that the suggestion of Miss Davis that “a ghost” was about the premises, seemed the only rational solution of the strange vagaries that were being perpetrated.
The news of such extraordinary proceedings of course spread like wildfire through the village; and next day nearly all the inhabitants flocked to the house to see the damage which “the ghost” had done, and to testify to the knockings and noises which were still audible. This state of things continued for two or three days, during which persons of all ranks came to the house, and amongst them the village policeman, Smith, who shrewdly suspected that the “ghost” was no other than the young lady, who had from the first suggested the cause of the mischief, and who had stuck to the suggestion with so much pertinacity that she had succeeded in persuading all the neighbours, even her own father.
One or two little matters confirmed the policeman’s suspicions; but although a rigid search of the premises was made, no positive result was arrive at, save that poor old Miss Rolfe’s household goods, as well as her nerves, were on the eve of dissolution. One curious fact however was discovered – evidently unconnected with ghosts, as ghosts are never known to take to cold water. On examining the well on the premises, a beehive stool, some garden lines, and other things were found; and convinced in his own mind that no other person than Miss Sarah Davis placed them there, the policeman at once charged her with it. She was accordingly apprehended on Thursday last, and on the next day was taken before the magistrates (T.E. Fowle, esq., Capt. Heathcote, and the Rev. J.H.Gale) at Pewsey, and charged with being the perpetrator of the wanton mischief which had been occasioned. Mr Wittey, of Devizes, was retained to unravel the mystery; and Mr Holloway of Pewsey, to keep the blame where it had so long rested – on the shoulders of the ghost.
Evidence however of so conclusive a nature was offered by Miss Rolfe, Charles Hillier, Police Sergeant Manley, and P.C. Smith, that Mr Holloway said it would be useless to endeavour to keep up the hoax any longer, and the fair Miss Davis accordingly stood before the Bench as the acknowledged Upavon Ghost. The magistrates, however, were disposed to take a lenient view of the case and discharged the girl with a suitable admonition, upon her paying the damages and costs, which amounted to £6 8s. 4d.
At the close of the enquiry, the Rev. H. Crook, of Upavon, who had taken much interest in the case, made a few remarks upon the notoriety which it had attained, and said he hoped, after the satisfactory investigation which it had received, that people’s minds would now be at rest.
Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette, 14th March 1861.