The Alleged Haunting of B---- House | Page 5

rule of the Society for Psychical Research to publish the cases investigated by it under avowedly false names, as private cases are published in medical and other scientific journals. Out of a courteous anxiety that nothing should occur which could in any way annoy any member of the S---- family, no one was admitted to the house for the purpose of observing the phenomena, except on the definite understanding that they were to regard everything as confidential, and it was always intended that any publication on the subject was to be made with all names and geographical indications avowedly fictitious.
As certain points of Gaelic orthography were found to be involved, it was decided to mention the house as standing in a bi-lingual district upon the borders of Wales, and Lord Bute arranged with Sir William Lewis to have these linguistic points represented by Welsh instead of Gaelic.
The affairs of the inquiry, and of any phenomena which might occur, were thus protected, it was believed, by a confidence even more absolute than that usually observed in such affairs of a household as to which honour dictates that a guest should be silent.
The appreciation with which the S---- family responded to this courteous and careful consideration for their possible feelings, was made manifest to the world by the tone which they adopted when, immediately on the appearance of the anonymous article in The Times, they rushed into the newspapers, and published everything concerning themselves, their family property, predecessors, and tenants, with all the proper names at full length. After that outburst it has, of course, been rendered impossible to keep the identity of the place and people any longer secret.
Out of deference to other members of the family who did not take part in this, the matter in the present volume remains in as private a form as the newspaper correspondence now leaves possible.
The names given in full are those mostly very indirectly concerned; other names, including that of the house, are given under the real initials, with the exception of a few of the less prominent, when the real initials would create confusion; and in these latter cases they are taken from letters of the alphabet not already used, and are placed in inverted commas; e.g. the real initial of a Mr. S---- is changed, in order to avoid confusion with the name of the S---- family themselves, the proprietors of B----.
The contents of the book are, except in one respect, arranged upon the simple chronological system. They commence with a short sketch of the history of the S---- family, based in its earlier part upon Douglas's "Baronage of Scotland"; and all information which the writers possess as to the phenomena which have occurred since the death of Major S---- in 1876, except that supplied by the S---- family, is set forth in succession.
The family of S---- date from the earlier part of the middle of the fifteenth century, and were settled upon the river T---- within that century, while they have possessed B---- at least since the earlier half of the century following.
A stone, carved with their arms, belonging to the old mansion-house, is built into the wall, and dated 1579. The present house is modern, and does not even occupy the site of the older one.
The particular proprietor whose arms are so represented, Patrick S----, married Elizabeth B----, who survived him and married a second time. James S----, his son, in 1586, married Mary C----, and after her death, in 1597, Elizabeth R----.
Robert S----, his son by his first marriage, married Margaret C----. John S----, son of Robert, was killed by the Cromwellians, leaving no issue, and was succeeded by his brother, Patrick S----, who married Elizabeth L----.
It is not obvious when they adopted the principles of the Reformation, but it is to be remarked that this Patrick stood high in the favour of James II. (and VII.).
Charles S----, son of the foregoing, married Anne D----, and was succeeded by his third son, another Charles, who married Grizell M----, and died in 1764.
Robert S----, his son, married Isabel H----. Charles S----, his eldest son, died unmarried in 1783.
H---- S----, second son of R---- S----, married Louisa M----, died in 1834, and had issue--Robert, two other sons, and six daughters.
Robert S----, born January 1806, in 1825 entered the military service of the East India Company, from which he retired with the rank of Major in 1850, i.e. sixteen years after succeeding to the property. He died in April 1876. His two brothers both died unmarried, and of his six sisters, three married, and a fourth, Isabella, entered a nunnery. She there professed under the name of "Frances Helen" in 1850, the year of her brother's return from India, and died February 23, 1880, aged sixty-six.
Major S----, by his will dated