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

of the kind found at B---- are very often associated with
private matters, which the members of a family concerned might object
to see published, just as they might object to the publication of the
results of an examination of some object--say, old
medicine-bottles--found in the house let by them to a strange tenant.
Acting upon this knowledge, it has been the general 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