Known in the Guinness book of world records as the oldest inhabited house in England, Littledean Hall has a remarkable history. Located in the village of Littledean in The Cotswolds, Littledean Hall as we know it today, in its Jacobean style, was built in 1612 but its history goes back much further. A Saxon Hall stood where the house is now which would have been built for the Lords of Deane, which eventually became a Saxon church and after the Norman invasion it was converted into a Norman Hall with a crypt and undercroft.
|
In the Domesday Book of 1086, Littledean was part of the estate of Dean, held by William, son of Norman and a castle was built soon afterwards nearby, known as Littledean Camp. The castle was known as Littledean Roman Camp or Roman Camp and was thought to have Roman origins but modern archaeology has shown that it was built in the 11th century, even though Roman masonry has been found on the land and there was a Roman settlement in the area. The outer wall of the castle still remains on high ground which looks over the Severn Valley.
In 1612, the house was purchased by Charles Bridgman and it became known as Littledean Hall by 1628 and later, Dean Hall. |
|
It was sold to the Pyrke family in 1664, who had the house for another 250 years. The house has 7 bedrooms, a dining room, sitting room, drawing room, living room, a stable and a coach house, the cellar is still the original Saxon crypt and undercroft.
In 1643, during the English Civil War, a Royalist garrison was stationed at Littledean. In April of 1643, Sir William Waller, led an army of Parliamentarian soldiers from Chepstow against Prince Maurice, who was lodging at Littledean. Maurice and his Royalist soldiers withdrew from the village, which enabled Waller to be able to pass through Littledean and march his army to Gloucester but they were attacked from behind, with little affect.
In May 1644, Edward Massey, the commander of the Gloucester Parliamentarian garrison, attacked the Royalist garrison by surprise at Littledean, they defeated the Royalists. He later massacred a group of soldiers who had broken the terms of their surrender.
In 1819, the road outside the Hall was diverted and a wall was built around the land near to the road, this was thought to have been done by Napoloenic prisoners of war, as they were held on the Littledean estate. A cavalry regiment was also stationed at the hall during World War One.
The house has many hidden passageways and priest holes. During the Great Strike, in May 1926, where the coal miners went on strike for 8 days, the cellars of Littledean Hall were checked to see if there was any coal left. As the cellars were being checked, a passageway was accidentally discovered which contained some old armour and a few skeletons. These were cleared out and the passageway was sealed up.
From the 1970's, the Macer-Wright family owned and lived in Littledean Hall and in 1982 they opened the house up to the public. Don Macer-Wright had an interest in archaeology and so started to examine and excavate the house and it’s surroundings. He started in the cellar where he discovered Roman masonry, a Saxon chapel and Norman pottery. When excavating the land he came across some Roman masonry and a thermal pool which overlooked the Severn Horseshoe. Dr Anne Ross, a top archaeologist who specialised in Celtic and Pagan Britain, recognised the natural spring as a Celtic water shrine to Sabrina, the Goddess of the Severn.
In 1744, 23 year old Charles Pyrke was murdered by a servant. The perpetrator was a black slave, who had been with the family since he was a child. As a child, he was brought up in the household along with Charles and its believed that they were around the same age, as there is a portrait in the dining room of them together when they were children. Charles was the son of Captain Thomas Pyrke who owned a sugar plantation in the West Indies, having a black servant was for some reason fashionable around this time and they were made to wear a silver collar, as can be seen in the painting.
Its believed that Charles had raped his sister and she conceived a child who was hidden behind a secret panel in the Blue Room. When her brother found out, he went into a rage and killed Charles. He ran from the house and was found a few hours later before he was killed for his actions.
The ghost of the slave has been seen on many occasions in the East Wing of the building, walking the corridor outside of his room and the drawing room. People have said that he holds a lighted candle and they’ve also mentioned the silver collar around his neck. He has also had the blame for throwing flowers that have been placed in vases onto the floor. One day, Donald Macer-Wright could smell what seemed like rotting flesh in the dining room. When he investigated, he found that the flowers from the vase had been put on the fire and his dog was growling, cowering away from the area.
The portrait of Charles and the slave which hung over the mantelpiece has been found many times lying on he floor as if it had fallen off. The owners at the time decided to attach a strong chain to the painting but it was found on the next morning as if it had been thrown into the fireplace with its chain mysteriously broken. Eventually, they took the painting down until 1982, when a reproduction was placed in its place and its been there ever since.
When Littledean Hall was used as a Royalist garrison during the English Civil War, Parliamentary soldiers attacked the hall, capturing twenty soldiers in the guardhouse. Colonel Congreve, governor of Newnham, and Colonel Wigmore who were in charge of the garrison, and a few soldiers, surrendered. When one of the Royalist soldiers accidentally fired a pistol, he hit a Roundhead soldier, killing him. The repercussion of this caused both Colonels, Congreve and Wigmore to be put to death by the sword. This happened in front of the fireplace in the Dining Room, where a bloodstain appears on occasions on the same spot where they were killed. Even when the floorboards were sanded, and then planed, the bloodstains still reappeared. Eventually the floorboards were completely replaced but the bloodstains came back. The ghosts of cavaliers have been seen in the dining room and outside the front of the house.
Another entity that has been seen in the Dining Room, is that of a monk who walks across the room and into the Old Library where there’s a priest hole that used to lead to a tunnel below the cellar which lead to the Grange of Flaxley Abbey a quarter of a mile away. The tunnel would have been used by monks to enter and exit the house to give Holy Communion without being seen during the days of the Reformation.
One of the rooms has always been known to be extremely active with paranormal activity that the room was shut for years as no one would stay in it. This is the Blue Bedroom where previous occupants reported that even the atmosphere alone gave a chilling feeling and they would hear the sound of clashing swords, believed to be the site of two brothers who fought a duel over a lady in 1740, both were killed in the fight.
The driveway in front of the house was found to have the foundations of a Roman Road underneath it which may have lead to a nearby Roman Road where the ghosts of a legion have Roman soldiers have been spotted many times over the years.
For around 200 years, the Brayne family occupied the house. During the English Civil War, Richard Brayne, High Sheriff of Gloucester, was living in the house and he was believed to have hid away from the Roundheads and changed his attire, dressing in the gardeners clothes thinking that he wouldn’t be recognised. Its not known if he was captured or killed but the shade of a gardener is often seen sweeping leaves from the driveway.
Other ghosts have been seen around the house too, a lady in a yellow dress is seen walking all over the house and grounds. An elderly couple who visited the hall in the 1980s, were greeted by a lady in a yellow dress as they entered the doorway. They didn’t think it was anything unusual until another one of the visitors watched her disappear right in front of her.
During the Corn Riots in 1769, the people of Jersey were starving as the ruling classes decided to make a profit from the overpriced sale of wheat in which they sold to the French. This same year, a member of the Pyrke family was attacked and killed at Littledean Hall by militia men from Jersey. His ghost has been seen from the outside of the house, through one of the windows this has been witnessed by various visitors, day and night.
As visitors have climbed the front staircase, many have reported suddenly suffering from vertigo. Its believed that a previous occupant had died falling down the stairs.
Littledean Hall has now been sold and isn’t open to the public.
Littledean Hall has now been sold and isn’t open to the public.
The village of Littledean has also had its fair share of ghostly activity.
There’s a local story about a house that had such a reputation for being haunted that no one would go near it. After a succession of people only staying in the house for a few weeks at a time, due to the haunting, after a while it became abandoned. After a few years the house was demolished. The story tells of a brother and sister who had an incestuous relationship and had given birth to a daughter. The whole village were against them, the man lost his job and couldn’t find anymore work, they were ostracised by everyone. They eventually gave up and committed suicide after killing their baby daughter.
A house known as The Red House or Brayne Court dates back to just after the Battle of Hastings where it was originally built as a keep to protect the local communities from raiders. It was converted into a residential property in Medieval times when it was bought by the local, wealthy Brayne family. The Brayne family sold the house in the 18th Century when it was then used as a pin factory and then in the 19th Century it became the local workhouse for the poor, with the poorest of the community having to live in the attic space which was only accessed by ladder which was removed at night.
At night, the ghost of a very tall man who wears a black suit and a top hat is seen walking around he grounds. Shadows and blured figures have been seen through the windows and a young girl, around 12 years old, sticking her tongue out at people before disappearing.
People visiting the nearby Littledean House Hotel have seen a man wearing a velvet cap and cape has been seen walking around the hotel.
The 17th century Church Farm has had sightings of a lady who wears a long grey dress, she walks silently around the outside of the house.
A man hunched over, carry a heavy sack on his back is often seen at nearby Gun Mills.
The ghost of a horse and its rider is often seen riding amongst the ruins of nearby Flaxley Abbey along with people witnessing strange sounds, walking shadows of monks and a white mist.
Littledean Jail, which is now a museum to the strange and macabre, holds some very strange and interesting artefacts. It contains the shovel of the notorious serial killer Fred West, various paraphernalia that belonged to the Kray Twins and much more.
One of the old jail doors is known to open by itself, it needs a 6 inch key to unlock it and is also secured by two iron bolts. People have also heard the sound of people walking around the upstairs part of the prison when no one else is in the building.
One of the old jail doors is known to open by itself, it needs a 6 inch key to unlock it and is also secured by two iron bolts. People have also heard the sound of people walking around the upstairs part of the prison when no one else is in the building.