Just for starters: a cat, a monkey, two duellists, a barrel maker in the cellars, a Grey Lady, a priest dressed in black – and there are probably lots more, given the age of the house.
The place is Athelhampton Hall, near Dorchester.
Bernard Cornwell wrote a terrific novel called “Death of Kings” which describes the brutal world of England in the tenth century. It ranges over the 100 year period from 839 to the mid 900s where Athelwulf, the king of Wessex sired a whole dynasty whose names started with Athel, Al, Aefth, and finally Athelstan who was probably the first true King of England. Athelstan had many palaces, one of which is reputed to be the site where Athelhampton Hall was later built in the reign of Edward IV... about 1470. So the Hall’s name beginning with Athel is surely no coincidence.
The ghost stories however start in later times in the Civil War period – see my blog The Sedgemoor Ghosts for a feel of those times.
A guest was staying at the Hall and was disturbed by two duellists who fought until one was stabbed; they both then just disappeared much to the astonishment of the visitor. The Hall’s owners had Royalist sympathies at that time but one can only speculate what the disagreement was about. And sometimes, from the depths of the cellars can be heard the noise of what is believed to be a cooper continually employed in repairing barrels. But these days there are no barrels to be repaired.
There is also a Grey Lady who floats around the house, and rather disconcertingly makes a habit of disappearing through the panelling when challenged.
And then there are the animals… a cat has been heard stalking the boards while an ape which was mistakenly incarcerated in one of the passages can be heard incessantly scratching at the wood panelling to try to get released. Maybe it is trying to get the attention of a Priest, dressed in black who has been seen walking up and down the passages. This might be a Catholic Priest who many great houses had to hide during the religious turmoil of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
What about the ghosts from more ancient times? Given the lengthy history of the house and its land, it is quite reasonable to assume that there might be more spirits waiting to reveal themselves. My recent blog Is this the oldest ghost in Britain? looks at a ghost which is 2600 years old; so there might be many more lurking in the background of Athelhampton Hall.
You can also read this article, and many others, at the Western Gazette website. Click here to follow me and be the first to know when I publish my next short story, article or book review.
If you enjoyed this article you may also like P J Cadavori's sexy supernatural horror novel Catacombs of the Damned.
