WILTSETT CASTLE
Location: One hundred and twenty kilometers (25 miles) from London on the Devizes-to-Amesbury Road and 15 kilometers (10 miles) north of Salisbury, Wiltsett rests beyond the Avon River opposite the Salisbury Plain of Stonehenge. A small hamlet surrounded by farmland and sparse woodland, Wiltsett Castle in a small glen off the highway reached by charter bus and motor car.
Description of Place: Although not technically the image of the standard castle, Wiltsett Castle stands an imposing four-story tall with two towers, three standing chimneys and garret windows. Constructed of red sandstone and brick, it has been remarkably restored to its Elizabethan glory devoid of modern conveniences. A small caretaker's cottage and cook's kitchen tavern were specifically built on the property which includes an extended garden veranda and stone and brick wall around the property.
Ghostly Manifestations: Lord James Windermere opened Wiltsett Castle as a guesthouse in 1960. His family has owned the residence since 1650, and very little has been changed in over three hundred years here. Some additional structures have been built, the garden has been toiled and expanded and a small cemetery has been respectfully cleared of brush and weeds. Despite the attention to detail, one thing will not go away, the ghost of Harold, the Eighth Duke of Wiltsett.
Nick-named Harry, the spirit of the slain Duke tends to pay close attention to the female guests of Wiltsett, possibly looking for company for the cold English nights. He has been felt grasping ladies by the waist, but when they whirl around he is not there. At the dinner table, his warm breath whispers in female ears. During one dinner, Lord Windermere watched in amusement as one female guest after another, four in all, jumped from their seats, whirled around and waved away something hovering behind them. During her October 1971 stay, Samantha Stephens from Newport, Connecticut jumped from bed when something cold and otherworldly crawled into bed with her. A believer of Wiccan beliefs and psychic as well, she merely ordered Harry from her room and demanded that he behave himself in her presence.
Whether he did or not is for Samantha to decide, but a week later, Harry was up for more chicanery with the ladies of the corporeal persuasion. He stole the robe of an eighteen year old girl washing herself, hanging it from the branch of a tree on the property. A young maid preparing rooms had a hard time laying sheets on one bed because she could not pull the old sheets off it. It was as if an unseen force was laying on them.
Since Samantha's stay, Harry has somewhat decreased in activity. It could be that he has been joined by one of his former lovers because the apparition of a beautiful woman in old-fashioned gown and dress carrying an parasol has been seen strolling through the garden and vanishing on sight. Groundskeepers have smelled the scent of lilacs in the Fall which they have attributed to her. Liz Windermere, James's daughter, recalls meeting this gracious lady inquiring on where Harry was hiding, but as she turned round to explain there was no one there with that name, she had vanished.
Apparently she has found Harry on more than one occasion. Lord Windermere and his guests have heard a man and woman whispering and laughing in his old room above the dining hall several times.
History: Construction of Wiltsett Castle began in 1540 but was delayed by King Henry VIII ordering materials for building his new churches during his cessation from the Catholic Church. It was finished in 1589, the new home of Charles, the Fifth Duke of Wiltsett and passed down through his descendants to the Windermere family, opening as a guesthouse in 1960 for guests ranging from Christina Aguilera to Princess Diana.
Identity of Ghosts: Harry was the Eight Duke of Wiltsett (1680?-1718), having inherited the title from his uncle. A ladies man and jack of all trades, he was well-known for the time as having interest in the American Colonies, seeing the location as worthy of financial gain, but whatever plans he had of exploiting the land for property rights never occurred. He was fatally killed in a duel by his brother, Albert, the Ninth Duke of Wiltsett (1685-1735), suitor for the hand of Lady Windermere with whom Harry had shared a tryst.
The female spirit could be Amelia Kinkade, Lady Windermere of Cumbria (1687-1766), but this is not for certain.
Source/Comments: Bewitched, TV-Series (Episode: The Ghost Who Made a Spectre of Himself!"), loosely compared with Belgrave Hall in Leicester, England, Wytehurst Park in Bolney, Sussex, Sherborne Castle in Sherborne, England and Raynham Hall in Townshend, England.