Prawdziwa historia o duchach z XVIII wieku

A spine-tingling account of a haunting 239 years ago, which caused a grown man to "faint away", has been unearthed in a box of old deeds. The manuscript, detailing a ghostly "visitation" at Seighford Hall, near Stafford, Staffordshire, was discovered by Jim Spencer, Director at Rare Book Auctions, Lichfield. Jim remarked, “It was quite eerie discovering these papers during the run-up to Halloween. It's a tale worthy of ghost writer M. R. James himself. Except this isn't fiction. It's true! “I found it in a box full of old indentures relating to the Whitby family of Shugborough and Haywood. It’s the sort of thing I see all the time, but the word 'visitation' just caught my eye. As soon as I realised they were talking about a ghost, I genuinely couldn't read quickly enough—my eyes were racing ahead of my brain. “It records the story of how, in the early hours of Tuesday, 29th March 1785, Mr Francis Eld of Seighford Hall was in a room with his infant daughter when he felt a 'puff of air' across his face and saw 'a sort of cloud or vapour', which soon took on the appearance and voice of his mother. The ghost spoke to him, saying, ‘My child, be not grieved, I am dead, but happy.’ "Mr Eld was unaware his mother, residing at Pit Place in Surrey, had died during the time of his visitation. The following morning, fearing bad news, he instructed his servant to accompany him to Stafford Post Office, where he collected a letter from his father's housekeeper at Pit Place. It stated that his mother was ‘tolerably well, & had eaten remarkably hearty of a hare which had been sent to her from Seighford by her son’. "Mr Eld’s anxiety was briefly eased until he realised the letter was dated Saturday, 26th March—two days before the haunting." Spencer continued, “During the coach journey home, Mr Eld repeatedly told his servant he was 'sure' he would 'hear some bad news about his mother soon'. On Friday, 1st April, Mr Eld returned to Stafford, where he received a letter informing him his mother had passed away on the preceding Monday night or Tuesday morning—28th or 29th March—the exact time of the visitation. This realisation caused him to ‘faint away’ in shock. “At the funeral, Mr Eld recounted the haunting to his father, which left him 'like jelly'. Mr Eld's father, John Elde of Dorking, was a well-known benefactor of Stafford General Infirmary, and had been painted by the celebrated society portraitist Thomas Gainsborough.” The manuscript includes correspondence between the Reverend Thomas Whitby of Creswell and the Reverend Townson of Malpas, Cheshire, discussing this "very uncommon event", alongside a statement from Mr Eld’s servant, taken down by Whitby. The servant’s testimony is treated with great respect: ‘The man is not a common menial servant but one who rents a small farm in the neighbourhood, & is employed by Mr Eld to take care of his Woods & Game... the man is more sensible & intelligent than persons of his situation usually are, Bold & Resolute... I think one may venture to depend upon the accuracy of his Relation’. Spencer added, “The fact that Mr Eld’s experience was documented and discussed by members of the clergy, alongside the servant’s testimony, underlines the profound effect it had on him. Seeing the ghost of his own mother telling him she had passed away, when he believed she was still alive, was terrifying enough. When he realised her visitation coincided with her death, it was enough to make him faint in shock. “When you see Seighford Hall, a sprawling period property near Stafford, with its origins in the late 16th century, the ghost story becomes even more vivid. The hall, built for the Eld family, almost certainly for Richard Eld (1546–1621), is filled with rooms where one can imagine his mother’s ghostly appearance, telling her son of her death. "Most auction houses would have overlooked these papers, I’m sure. This is the part of the job I enjoy most, unpicking the history of an object and telling its story. How does one put a price on something like this? There’s no way of knowing how people will react. They might find it unsettling. I’ve guided the archive at £300-£500, but it could spark a determined bidding battle and a more surprising result.” The rare find will be sold at Rare Book Auctions in Lichfield in November. Where: Lichfield, Staffordshire, United Kingdom When: 15 Oct 2024 Credit: Rare Book Auctions/Cover Images **EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITORIAL STORY. THE USE OF THESE MATERIALS FOR ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. MATERIAL COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH STATED SUPPLIER.**