Samlesbury Hall looks forward to 700th anniversary this Halloween

But, as the hall – one of Lancashire’s few Grade 1 listed houses – prepares to mark its 700th anniversary, new research has shed light on some of the more grisly tales, as Lancashire Life discovered. 

The hall’s long, often patchily-documented, past is full of gaps and wild speculation incorporating historical myths, legends and sightings, which have attracted ghost hunters and television programmes and have established its spooky fame as one of the UK’s most haunted houses.

It is said to be home to 13 ghosts and investigative shows such as ‘Most Haunted’, ‘Ghost Hunters International’ and ‘Most Haunted Live’ alongside the hall’s own popular ‘Great Victorian Ghost Hunt’ events have solidified its reputation as a real go-to for modern-day enthusiasts of the supernatural.

The last innovatively re-creates the ‘Tuttle Phsychograph’, the ‘Winchester Séance Bell’ and the ‘Kennard Talking Board’ from Victorian times to bring alive a torchlit ghost hunting adventure for participants.

Samlesbury Hall will celebrate its 700th anniversary next year. PHOTO: John Cocks Research to mark next year’s anniversary is nearly complete and has sought to fill in spaces (physical and metaphorical) by delving into the attic archives and creating a narrative that reflects the ‘otherworldly but real’ experiences of residents, staff and guests, as well as looking at the physical changes to the building over the many years. A book published in 1873 which documented early ghosts was the inspiration and starting point for a new publication which is planned to launch in October next year.

Trustee Jason Karl, who has led the Samlesbury Hall Ghost Project, says: ‘We have been rigorous, and actually discounted about 80 per cent of the historical reportings as possibly fanciful or unreliable. As well as our most famous ghost – the Lady in White – we have confirmed numerous other ghosts both inside the house and in the grounds.’

The project encompasses witness testimonies, historic encounters and data from other sources to tell the story of Salmesbury’s supernatural heritage.

Samlesbury Hall was built in 1325 by Gilbert de Southworth whose great-grandson, Thomas, added the south west wing of the hall. The hall stayed in the family until it was sold to Thomas Bradyll in 1678.

Thomas wasn’t much interested in the building and it was rented to handloom weavers before being turned into a pub in 1830 and then sold on again to John Cooper who leased it to a Mrs Harrrison as a co-ed boarding school. Rather ahead of its time, it was a sort of precursor to the Montessori system of education.

2025 will mark 700 years since the first hall was built and 100 years since a trust saved it from demolition. PHOTO: John Cocks Death and mishaps to Samlesbury Hall’s families is recorded from the very beginning. As a result of the vicious Catholic/Protestant divide, John de Southworth was hanged, drawn and quartered in the Elizabethan era and posthumously beatified by the Pope for his ministrations to the Catholic poor during the plague.

In the 1500s, Father Cuthbert was was found hiding in the hall and was beheaded there by soldiers. That room was bricked up for 200 years and re-opened in 1898 when servants refused to enter it. Legend has it that his bloodstain still sometimes appears on the floor.

The White Lady, the hall’s best-known phantom, is the ghost of Dorothea Southworth who fell in love with a Protestant de Hoghton son. They were not permitted to marry and, on the eve of their planned elopement, Dorothea witnessed her own brother ambush and kill the unfortunate groom-to-be and his two companions. She was then banished to a convent overseas and her unquiet spirit, mourning her lost lover, is the most frequently seen apparition in the hall’s winding passageways.

In November 1862 Joseph Harrison, a prominent Blackburn industrialist, purchased and restored Samlesbury Hall. His eldest son William lived there until 1879 when he took his own life after suffering severe injuries in a fall. His son Henry, understandably, decided not to live there but lived in Blackburn, where he served as mayor from 1880-81.

13 ghosts have made their presence felt around the hall so far. The Halloween Torchlight Tour will include a visit to the parlour From the early 1900s, it seems Samlesbury’s owners weren’t at all keen on living with all those ghosts – it was occupied by tenants and then left empty from 1909 until it was bought by a building company in 1924 for demolition to create a new housing estate.

In response to that threat, money was raised by public conscription and the hall was purchased in 1925 and transferred to the safekeeping of the Samlesbury Hall Trust who have managed it ever since. That anniversary will also be celebrated next year.

Architecturally, it is rather a mish-mash internally – over the years staircases have moved, rooms have changed function and tunnels once forgotten have been rediscovered. The hall’s early history as a simple thatched building, its development into a black and white half-timbered family manor, its many subsequent uses and periods of inoccupation can either confuse or excite an architectural historian.

New research has uncovered some interesting details but what does remain, above all, is a characterful and original structure that is the essence of a very long history of building styles and religious beliefs from the 14th century to the present day. And, of course, visitors may encounter one of those 13 ghosts.

Meet the ghosts

The most famous ghost – Dorothea Southworth – has been spotted by many visitors over the years, with most reporting her apparition outside in the grounds, often near the road. Her cruelly-murdered lover Richard de Hoghton whose body was one of three discovered near the moat is another that has been seen – but only outside the house, which would make sense as he never made it across the threshold.

The original builder of Samlesbury, Sir John Southworth, has been witnessed in the Priest’s room three times, according to archival examination. Another family member – Lady Jane Southworth – lived at the hall and underwent a savage witch trial in 1612, although she was finally acquitted.

Father Cuthbert is a spectral priest whose blood stain is said to appear on the floor on the spot where he was beheaded, while the ‘Face in the Fireplace’ was a disembodied head which appeared to an employee of Thomas Bradyll who was so spooked he left the building and refused to return.

Other reported apparitions include two accounts of a phantom funeral. In the mid-19th century, a guest having dinner in the Great Hall went to his room to get cigars and told of seeing a six horse funeral carriage which had a driver with missing teeth and a patch over his eye. Recently someone who still works at the hall said he heard a funeral taking place.

The hall’s resident poltergeist ‘moves around’, according to Jason Karl, who led the Samlesbury Hall Ghost Project. Many rooms have born witness to the sprit’s supernatural shifting efforts and a ‘Ghost Dog’ – black by all accounts – was first seen in 1612 and has been sighted many times since.

More recent apparitions are ‘The Rose Lady’, dressed in Georgian garb and spotted in The Rosarium whose presence has been experienced by four eyewitnesses over the years. She is said to be responsible for the strong scent of roses detected around the hall where there are no roses. Spirit schoolchildren, both male and female, are the subject of seven separate accounts – they are thought to date from the time when the house was a private boarding school.

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From as long ago as 1926, several people have heard the ring of the ‘Psychic Doorbell’ – from a defunct front doorbell long removed. There are two accounts – one of a Mr Abram Sharples and another from the 1950s, heard by a trustee.

William Harrison who took his own life in the late 19th century is said to still stalk the hall’s rooms and corridors. Several blonde women over the years have reported feeling the sensation of someone stroking their hair.

Ghost-hunting guests in the parlour

NEED TO KNOW

Samlesbury Hall, which stands beside the A677 between Preston and Blackburn, is one of Lancashire’s most popular tourist attractions, with 50,000 visitors a year. Along with the historic house, there is a new garden café, self-catering accommodation, regular tours and lots of events planned for the 700th anniversary, including festivals, theatrical productions, dining events and a programme of talks. samlesburyhall.co.uk.

October 31, 6pm, 7.30pm and 9pm

Halloween torchlight tour

Take a 60 minute guided tour of the hall, hear tales of the ghostly goings-on, and maybe meet some of the resident spirits.

Samlesbury Hall is part of Historic Houses, which represents well over a thousand independently owned and managed homes and gardens in the UK. Hundreds of them, including Samlesbury, offer free access to members. Visit historichouses.org to find out more.

Three more spooky diary dates

October 4-November 2

Time To Die

Two terrifying scare experiences for ages 14 and up in Manchester city centre – The Die Is Cast and The Toymaker – featuring chilling live action, tarot readings, mystics and a fortune teller. manchesterscarefactory.com

October 4-November 3

Scare City

Meet cannibal butchers, cults, and spine-chilling spectres at the abandoned Camelot site at Charnock Richard which has been transformed into a world of terror. scarecity.co.uk

October 8-31

Farmaggedon

Have a frightfully scary time at this interactive scream park created on a Downholland farm. farmaggedon.co.uk