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The
Brown Lady of Raynham Hall |
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On
September 19, 1936, two London photographers from Country
Life
Magazine, Captain Provand and Indre Shira, were on an assignment at
Raynham Hall, Norfolk. They had been taking shots of the interior of
the hall. At four p.m. as they were finishing up for the day, Shira
suddenly looked up at the staircase and said he could see a misty shape
descending. He told Provand to quickly take photos. Provand could not see anything but began taking a series of shots while Shira held the light. What they discovered later on film, would become one of the most famous and controversial ghost photos of all time. They had captured the ghostly form of someone believed to be a former occupant of Raynham Hall. The photo and negative have been studied by numerous experts. Some agree that the photo is absolutely real, while others disagree and say there are ways to fake a photo. Some skeptics believe it is nothing more than a hoax, while some ghost enthusiasts think it is one of the greatest captures on film in history. |
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Raynham
Hall is known for its haunted history. There are numerous
eye-witnesses, who claim to have also seen the spirit of the "Brown
Lady." King George IV was one of those who saw the apparition of the
ghost while staying at the hall. He said he woke one night to find her
standing at the end of his bed staring at him. She was pale in color
and wore a long brown flowing dress, her hair was disheveled looking.
It was a frightening and sad image. Raynham Hall Photo Credit: Nigel Jones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Raynham_Hall.jpg |
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In
1835, Colonel Loftus also spotted the lady in brown while heading to
his room one night. She quickly disappeared. He spotted her once more
but the second time it was a terrifying image that he would not soon
forget. He said she wore a satin brown dress and her skin seemed to
glow, but as he got a closer look at her, he noticed that her eyes were
gone, there was only empty black holes in their place. It looked as if
her eyes had been gouged out by force. It was ghastly. 
A few years after Colonel Loftus' sighting, the brown lady was spotted again by Captain Frederick Marryat who was staying at Raynham Hall. He and two friends were heading down a hall when they spotted her carrying a lantern. She floated past them as they cowered from her sight, but not before seeing her face. Marryat claimed she had a demonic grin on her face while looking directly at them. Marryat got so scared he pulled out his pistol and fired at her. It went through her and into the nearby wall. |
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Who
Is The Brown Lady? Lady Dorothy Walpole According to the legend, the ghost is believed to be that of Lady Dorothy Walpole who was the second wife of Charles Townsend. Dorothy was born in 1686 and died of smallpox in 1726. She married Charles but took a lover. When Charles found out about her infidelity he punished her severely. He locked her in the family estate of Raynham Hall, away from everyone. She was never allowed to leave, or see her children again. Dorothy Walpole died withered, sick, sad, and lonely; a prisoner of Raynham Hall. Soon after her death, her spirit was seen wandering through the halls of Raynham. Was she searching for her children? Her lover? Or maybe her husband, to seek revenge for his cruel punishment against her? We'll never know for sure, but while Dorothy was a prisoner of Raynham Hall in life, it seems that she is also a prisoner of Raynham Hall in death. Copyright ©Sylvia Zimmer 2008 All graphics or images on this page have been used by permission, fair use, or are in the public domain. Please do not copy images and link back to Paranormaland as a source. Thanks. 
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