| Joseph Hannath was the tenant of the house when it was struck with a double tragedy. It had already spent 150 years of ownership within the family when Joseph inherited the house from his father. He shared his home with his new wife, and a young servant girl who lived in one of the small, upstairs bedrooms. However their happy marriage was all too short, and soon after they had taken their vows, Joseph's wife became ill, losing her fight for life within a few days. Joseph was a broken man, and became unable to accept the realisation that he was soon going to be parted from his true love. He refused to accept her death, and with his emotions in turmoil through his grief, he placed her body in the northern bedroom, where it stayed for over six weeks. He insisted that the maid prepare food for his wife, which she was expected to take to the corpse at every meal time. The young maid, having become depressed and unable to cope with the insanity of the situation, was found hanged in her own bedroom, bringing the second tragic loss to this house within weeks. The suicide seemed to shake Joseph out of his trance, and he eventually buried his dearly beloved wife at the bottom of the garden under her favourite apple blossom tree. It is reported that no one has since slept in the northern bedroom, which has now been aptly named 'The Haunted Room' |
