Poltergeist Over England by Harry Price

Author:Harry Price [Price, Harry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4463-5824-5
Publisher: F+W
Published: 2012-11-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XIX

The Ballechin House Controversy

This classic case, apart from its intrinsic value to psychical researchers, is remarkable for two reasons: (a) its curious correspondences with the Borley mystery; and (b) the fact that in 1897 the house and its phenomena started a long and acrimonious squabble that filled the correspondence columns of The Times1 for nearly a month. Lord Onslow, Andrew Lang, Henry Sidgwick, F. W. H. Myers and many others took part in the discussion, during which the S.P.R., then a young society of some fifteen summers, was subjected to much criticism. The letters created an interesting divertissement, sandwiched as they were between the colourful accounts of the Diamond Jubilee, then in full swing.

Ballechin House, Perthshire, is situated at Strathtay, near Dunkeld (famous for a distillery producing spirits of a different order) and is a large modern seat, then the property of Captain J. M. S. Steuart, built on the site of a much older mansion, dating back at least to the sixteenth century. It acquired a reputation for being haunted as long ago as 1878.

In 1892, John, third Marquess of Bute, heard of the hauntings from a Jesuit priest, Father Hayden, S.J., who had stayed at the house. Lord Bute, who was deeply interested in psychic matters, induced Father Hayden to give him an account of his experiences, which were as follows:

While he was sleeping in one of the rooms reputed to be haunted, loud noises occurred between his bed and the ceiling ‘like continuous explosion of petards’ so that he could not hear himself speak. He changed his room, but the noises followed him. Other sounds that he heard he likened to that of a ‘large animal throwing itself violently against the bottom of the door, outside’. He also heard raps, and a shriek or scream. Later, Father Hayden wrote out a short account of his experiences. He said: ‘I went to Ballechin on Thursday, July 14th, 1892, and I left it on Saturday, July 23rd. So I slept at Ballechin for nine nights, or rather one night, because I was disturbed by very queer and extraordinary noises every night except the last, which I spent in Mr. Steuart’s dressing-room. At first I occupied the room to the extreme right of the landing, then my things were removed to another room. In both these rooms I heard the loud and inexplicable noises every night, but on two or three nights, in addition to these, another noise affrighted me—a sound of somebody or something falling against the door outside. It seemed, at the time, as if a calf or big dog would make such a noise. Why those particular animals came into my head I cannot tell. But in attempting to describe these indescribable phenomena, I notice now I always do say it was like a calf or big dog falling against the door. Why did I not hear the noises on the ninth night? Were there none where I was? These are questions the answers to which are not apparent.

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