Who was the stranger that came to Loftus Hall in 1775 and inspired a ghost story?
Apr 15, 2019 7:51:34 GMT
Post by hi224 on Apr 15, 2019 7:51:34 GMT
Loftus Hall is a large country house on the Hook Peninsula, County Wexford, Ireland. Built on the site of the original Redmond Hall, it is said by locals to have been haunted by the devil and the ghost of a young woman.
The House: In 1170, Raymond Le Gros landed at what is now known as Baginbun. There he fought the most important battle to safeguard the arrival of Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, to Ireland. During this time he acquired certain lands in County Wexford on which he built The Hall, at Houseland near Portersgate. The Redmond family replaced their original castle with another around 1350. This second castle was also known as The Hall or Redmond Hall.
Redmond Hall was attacked and damaged on numerous occasions during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland at the end of which they were allowed to remain, however in 1650 the remaining family were evicted upon the death of Alexander Redmond, the head of the family at the time.
The Loftus Family: The Loftus family were English 'Planters' who had owned land in the neighbourhood from around 1590 when Sir Dudley Loftus was granted the lands around Kilcloggan. In 1634 Nicholas Loftus acquired Fethard Castle and it became the family residence, that was afterwards occupied by the Redmond family after they were evicted from The Hall which is now Loftus Hall.
After the end of Cromwell's campaign, Nicholas Loftus was given extensive lands in the south of County Wexford and purchased the Hall from 'several Adventurers and soldiers', but it was only in 1666 when his son Henry moved to the Hall from Dungulph that it became the principal residence of the Loftus family. The old name remained in use till the end of the century. In 1684 Henry Loftus carried out extensive repairs to the Hall, which presumably needed repairing after the turbulent events of the previous decades.
The Events of 1775: Charles Tottenham who became Lord of the manor by marrying Anne Loftus, was resting in his home in 1775 with his second wife and daughter from his first marriage, Anne, while the Loftus family were away on business. During a storm, a ship unexpectedly arrived at the Hook Peninsula, beside which the mansion was located.
A young man from this ship was welcomed into the mansion. Anne and the young man became very close. One night, the family and unnamed man were in the Card room playing cards. In the game, each player received 3 cards apart from Anne who was only dealt 2 by the mystery man.
A butler serving the Tottenham family at the table was just about to question the man when Anne bent down to pick another card from the floor which she must have dropped. It is said that when Anne bent over to pick up the card, she looked beneath the table to see that the mysterious man had a cloven foot or hoof.
It was then that Anne stood up and said to the man you have a cloven foot and the man went up through the roof, leaving behind a large hole in the ceiling.
Sometime after this Anne became mentally ill. It is believed that the family were ashamed of Anne and locked her away in her favourite room; where she would be happy, yet out of everyone's view; which was known as the Tapestry Room. She refused food and drink, and sat with her knees under her chin, looking out the Tapestry Room window across the sea to where Dunmore East is today, waiting for her mysterious stranger to return until she died in the Tapestry Room in 1775.
It is said that when she died, they could not straighten her body, as her muscles had seized, and she was buried in the same sitting position in which she had died.
A rumour states that the hole could never be properly repaired, and it is alleged that even to this day, there is still a certain part of the ceiling which is slightly different from the rest. Meanwhile, it was believed that the stranger with the cloven hoof returned to the house and caused persistent poltergeist activity. A number of Protestant clergymen apparently tried and failed to put a stop to this. The family, who were themselves Protestants, eventually called on Father Thomas Broaders (a Catholic priest, who was also a tenant on the Loftus Hall estate) to exorcise the house.
The apparent success of Father Broaders' exorcism did not end the ghostly visitations at Loftus Hall. The ghost of a young woman, presumed to be Anne Tottenham, was reported to have made frequent appearances in the Hall and has been reported to have been seen on the tour, opened in 2011. The tours regularly take in the room where Anne spent her last days and the damaged room where the card game took place.
Interest in the ghost story has remained strong and many aspects of the story seem to have attached themselves to the house. A documentary about the mansion released many years later, after the last owners had gone, had said that there were reports from staff that had previously worked at the mansion, that they have seen Anne's ghost walk down the stairs, and that horses can be heard around the building.
There is much speculation as to whether or not this story is true. Some believe it was a story made up to keep begging peasants away, as Queen Victoria was coming to visit, but never in fact did arrive.
What do you think? Is the story a fabrication to either scare away peasants, to explain away the noise and strange antics of a mentally ill family member or just something to attract tourists?
Or could it have been made up to explain away a crime or attack by this visiting stranger on the vulnerable Anne Tottenham as well?
Wikipedia Link
The House: In 1170, Raymond Le Gros landed at what is now known as Baginbun. There he fought the most important battle to safeguard the arrival of Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, to Ireland. During this time he acquired certain lands in County Wexford on which he built The Hall, at Houseland near Portersgate. The Redmond family replaced their original castle with another around 1350. This second castle was also known as The Hall or Redmond Hall.
Redmond Hall was attacked and damaged on numerous occasions during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland at the end of which they were allowed to remain, however in 1650 the remaining family were evicted upon the death of Alexander Redmond, the head of the family at the time.
The Loftus Family: The Loftus family were English 'Planters' who had owned land in the neighbourhood from around 1590 when Sir Dudley Loftus was granted the lands around Kilcloggan. In 1634 Nicholas Loftus acquired Fethard Castle and it became the family residence, that was afterwards occupied by the Redmond family after they were evicted from The Hall which is now Loftus Hall.
After the end of Cromwell's campaign, Nicholas Loftus was given extensive lands in the south of County Wexford and purchased the Hall from 'several Adventurers and soldiers', but it was only in 1666 when his son Henry moved to the Hall from Dungulph that it became the principal residence of the Loftus family. The old name remained in use till the end of the century. In 1684 Henry Loftus carried out extensive repairs to the Hall, which presumably needed repairing after the turbulent events of the previous decades.
The Events of 1775: Charles Tottenham who became Lord of the manor by marrying Anne Loftus, was resting in his home in 1775 with his second wife and daughter from his first marriage, Anne, while the Loftus family were away on business. During a storm, a ship unexpectedly arrived at the Hook Peninsula, beside which the mansion was located.
A young man from this ship was welcomed into the mansion. Anne and the young man became very close. One night, the family and unnamed man were in the Card room playing cards. In the game, each player received 3 cards apart from Anne who was only dealt 2 by the mystery man.
A butler serving the Tottenham family at the table was just about to question the man when Anne bent down to pick another card from the floor which she must have dropped. It is said that when Anne bent over to pick up the card, she looked beneath the table to see that the mysterious man had a cloven foot or hoof.
It was then that Anne stood up and said to the man you have a cloven foot and the man went up through the roof, leaving behind a large hole in the ceiling.
Sometime after this Anne became mentally ill. It is believed that the family were ashamed of Anne and locked her away in her favourite room; where she would be happy, yet out of everyone's view; which was known as the Tapestry Room. She refused food and drink, and sat with her knees under her chin, looking out the Tapestry Room window across the sea to where Dunmore East is today, waiting for her mysterious stranger to return until she died in the Tapestry Room in 1775.
It is said that when she died, they could not straighten her body, as her muscles had seized, and she was buried in the same sitting position in which she had died.
A rumour states that the hole could never be properly repaired, and it is alleged that even to this day, there is still a certain part of the ceiling which is slightly different from the rest. Meanwhile, it was believed that the stranger with the cloven hoof returned to the house and caused persistent poltergeist activity. A number of Protestant clergymen apparently tried and failed to put a stop to this. The family, who were themselves Protestants, eventually called on Father Thomas Broaders (a Catholic priest, who was also a tenant on the Loftus Hall estate) to exorcise the house.
The apparent success of Father Broaders' exorcism did not end the ghostly visitations at Loftus Hall. The ghost of a young woman, presumed to be Anne Tottenham, was reported to have made frequent appearances in the Hall and has been reported to have been seen on the tour, opened in 2011. The tours regularly take in the room where Anne spent her last days and the damaged room where the card game took place.
Interest in the ghost story has remained strong and many aspects of the story seem to have attached themselves to the house. A documentary about the mansion released many years later, after the last owners had gone, had said that there were reports from staff that had previously worked at the mansion, that they have seen Anne's ghost walk down the stairs, and that horses can be heard around the building.
There is much speculation as to whether or not this story is true. Some believe it was a story made up to keep begging peasants away, as Queen Victoria was coming to visit, but never in fact did arrive.
What do you think? Is the story a fabrication to either scare away peasants, to explain away the noise and strange antics of a mentally ill family member or just something to attract tourists?
Or could it have been made up to explain away a crime or attack by this visiting stranger on the vulnerable Anne Tottenham as well?
Wikipedia Link