““Oh! Mr. Tilney, how frightful! This is just like a book!””
Editor of Pride & Possibilities, and highly superstitious individual, Mindy Killgrove-Harris, explores the spooky stories and spectral sightings in and around Chawton House and Cottage.
The wind whips violently through the trees creating a howling noise that reverberates through the halls. The inhabitants of the property sit snugly in the library, reading their novels of choice, but the heroine’s eyes flick back and forth as she catalogues everything. She stares at the glowing embers in the fireplace, then ponders the gloomy passages above stairs. A door behind her creaks on its hinges and she whirls around only to find that her companions have not budged from their places and no one else has entered the room. While the others are unperturbed, the heroine’s skin prickles with goosebumps because she cannot shake the feeling that behind the bookcase just in front of her there might be a secret passageway waiting to be explored. If our heroine were to leap from her seat, would she find that her overactive imagination had led her astray or would there be something more that was worthy of examination?
Let us now make like Catherine Morland, Jane Austen’s heroine in Northanger Abbey, and indulge our taste for horrid tales by diving into an examination of the haunted happenings at Chawton House.
A Brief History of Chawton House
The house that stands today was first built in 1585, but it is believed that the current estate was constructed on the site of an earlier manor—one that was initially erected during Medieval times. While investigating rumors of a tunnel that ran from the stables directly to the backside of the house, many cellars were found on the property. Even though the tunnels in question failed to be unearthed, a door made of oak from the Alice Holt Forest, and thought to be crafted in approximately 1224, was uncovered. With so many generations living on the property and passing through, it is not outside the bounds of possibility to find a lingering phantom wandering the grounds.
Caroline Jane Knight, founder of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation and fifth-great niece of Jane Austen, states outright that while she has heard stories of ghosts at Chawton House from her family, she has never seen or encountered a ghostly spirit. But she does acknowledge that there is something about the house which can be rather unsettling at times. In her book, Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage, Caroline writes, “The rest of the house was rather unnerving when the lights were out: the dark, oak-paneled walls, the creaky floors, the stories of resident ghosts, and the many portraits of our ancestors with eyes that followed me as I walked past. I was easily spooked in my grandparents’ quarters at night.”
In bright daylight, Chawton House is anything but imposing. Chawton House and gardens are open to the public, see www.chawtonhouse.org for opening times.
The Legend of the Grey Lady
Many of Britain’s great estates have their own version of a Grey Lady haunting their halls. Some apparitions, like those at Hampton Court Palace and Dudley Castle, are rather famous. After all, the Grey Lady is a renowned character who is thought to be a heartbroken or tragic figure and there is no shortage of those throughout history.
Charlotte Middleton, whose family rented Chawton House for the first few years of Jane Austen’s time in Chawton and occasionally dined with Jane, noted 'a haunted gallery which no servant would pass alone', which is believed to be the first record of a ghost in the Tapestry Gallery.
During World War II, Barnardo’s Home for Orphaned Girls sent children to Hampshire. From 1943-1947, a group of evacuees, who were fleeing the bombing in the cities, stayed in the countryside at Chawton House.
It was one of these guests who reported a sighting of the apparition. In a letter she shared, “I remember a Grey Lady ghost who would walk the staircase and who we scared each other to death with…(sic) thinking…about.” Later accounts state that the phantom has also been spotted drifting through the Tapestry Gallery.
Various descriptions of the Grey Lady at Chawton House abound, as some insist that she wears a veil and is regularly seen near the library. Others maintain that while never seeing the ghost themselves, they sense her presence when the sound of pages riffle or whispers of poetry and girlish giggling can be heard. It is rumored that the manifestation of this spirit intensifies during dark and stormy evenings.
Sent by Barnardo’s Home for Orphaned Girls during World War II, the girls wrote about the Grey Lady during their stay.
The Witch’s Hut
A great many things have changed at Chawton House and Cottage throughout the centuries. In recent years, a renovation was undertaken to restore the Shepherd’s Hut. But, in Caroline Jane Knight’s time living there, the children called it “The Witch’s Hut.” She recalls, “My cousins teased me with stories about a witch living in the hut, so I always gave that part of the woods a wide berth.” Caroline never saw anything to excite her imagination, as Catherine Morland did in Northanger Abbey, but she prudently resisted the temptation to step into the building and explore.
The Shepherds Hut at Chawton House before the renovation. Photo Courtesy of the Chawton House website.
An Often-Misinterpreted Sign: The Witch Marks
Many visitors who stop by Chawton House wait patiently so they can see and examine the witch marks that are etched into the side of the 1588 fireplace in the Great Hall. Historically, witches’ marks were scratched into walls, doorways, near windows, and around fireplaces to protect the occupants of the house and ward off evil spirits. The designs, that of the daisy wheel and hexafoil, were first crafted in Medieval days. The way the lines move and contort in an endless fashion was imagined to disorient and cage spirits that might otherwise wish to enter the premises.
There are several spots in Chawton House where witch marks can be easily discerned. While no one may ever know who notched these markings into the walls or why they decided to do it, Caroline Jane Knight has a theory. She shares, “In Sir Richard’s time (1639-1679), hundreds of women were accused of witchcraft—perhaps it was Sir Richard (Knight) who had carved the witches’ marks in the sides of the fireplace in the Great Hall to prevent witches from entering the house.” Richard, the 5th owner of Chawton House, had lived at Chawton House during the most intense phase of witch trials during the English Civil War and the Puritan era.
Examples of Witch Marks, like these, may be found throughout Chawton House. Curious guests should look for them surrounding the fireplace in the Great Hall as well as near doorways and window frames.
A Delightful Ghost
Today, visitors to Chawton House and Cottage (known as Jane Austen’s House) report coming away experiencing a sense of calm and peace. Whether they hear footsteps upstairs, see doors opening without cause, or swear they feel someone pass them by while walking in the garden, Janeites are comfortable in the benevolent environment. Museum guests and employees alike leave the grounds feeling as though it would be a much-treasured experience to encounter Jane Austen and sit in the presence of her genius for even a fraction of a second.
So, while we re-read Northanger Abbey and live vicariously through our heroine’s adventures, we may also choose to believe that a spectacular and extraordinary presence exists—just out of reach—at Chawton House..
Mindy Killgrove
Mindy Killgrove is a cozy mystery, historical fiction, and romance novelist. She is the creator of the Riley Roundtree Social Story Learning Adventure Series for children. Killgrove has penned more than fifty full-length novels, forty short stories, and dozens of children’s books. She lives in Orlando, Florida with her supportive husband and three rambunctious but beautiful children. She is an enthusiastic Janeite who is overjoyed to serve as the editor of the Pride & Possibilities newsletter and share her love of reading and writing with everyone she encounters.
Pride & Prejudice: A Historic Commemorative Edition
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, we are proud to launch the first publication of a Jane Austen novel since 1833 to feature and introduction by a family member.
This special edition includes:
- Introduction by Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen's fifth great niece
- Text from the celebrated 1894 Peacock Edition
- Personal reflections from Jane's family, Foundation ambassadors and supporters
- A beautiful wrap around cover and illustrations specially commissioned for this project
Experience Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy's timeless romance while discovering how Jane's work continues to inspire readers across the globe more than two centuries after publication.
All proceeds to the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation.
Our Community - What's Coming Up in November
November brings cozy reads, community connections, and a touch of mystery to the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation community.
Remember, your membership for only $10USD a month helps to support literacy programs around the world!
Book Club Discussion: The Framing of George Wickham
When: Saturday, November 1st at 3pm EST
Join us as we discuss this intriguing take on Pride and Prejudice's most notorious rake. Was Wickham truly the villain we thought he was, or has history been unfair to him? Bring your opinions and your tea! Author Mindy Killgrove will be joining us at the beginning to answer your questions.
Video Interview: Murder at Donwell Abbey author Vanessa Kelly
When: Saturday, November 8th at 3pm EST
One of our own community members, Vanessa will be chatting about her upcoming release Murder At Donwell Abbey, book two in the Emma Knightley Mysteries.
In this latest Regency-era mystery, Jane Austen’s clever Emma Knightley navigates shocking changes in her family—while meeting her match in a deadly adversary.
November Book Club Read: Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey by Abigail Wilson
The kind of delicious Gothic mystery that would have kept Catherine Morland reading by candlelight into the wee hours. Expect intrigue, romance, and secrets lurking in every shadowy corridor.
In this new Regency romance, a young unwed mother must protect her heart from the charms of her convenient new husband, Lord Torrington. She is not, however, prepared to protect her life.
Check it out HERE.
Your Monthly Letter from Jane
Each month, receive one of Jane Austen's own letters, brought to life by award-winning narrators.
It's like getting mail from an old friend... if that friend happened to be one of the greatest writers in English literature.
Watch Party: Movie Announcement Coming Early November – watch this space!
When: Saturday, November 16th at 3pm EST
Mark your calendars. November is going to be extraordinary.