http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.1262554.0.things_that_go_bump_in_the_ni

Things that go bump in the night

Ghost hunters will be paying a visit to Littlecote Tudor Manor House on
Saturday to see if things really go bump in the night there.

The study is being carried out by Swindon-based research unit Paranormal
Site Investigators (PSI) and this is the first time in recent years that
the Elizabethan country house turned Warner hotel will have been
investigated.

The ancient home is steeped in history, including being a courting place
for Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, and is said to be haunted following
heinous crimes which took place there in the 16th Century.
A man called William Darrell was the lord of the house in Elizabethan
times. He summoned a midwife who was brought blindfolded to Littlecote
Manor in 1545.
She was offered a lot of money to deliver a baby if the mother should
live and was led into a room where she delivered the baby of a masked
woman.

The identity of the mother remains a mystery. It is thought the
pregnancy may have been as a result of incest.
When the baby was born she took it through to Darrell, who instead of
holding the newborn infant, instead threw it onto the fire, where it was
held down and burned alive.
The midwife reported the murder to the authorities, but Darrell bribed a
judge for his release when the case came to court and was freed.

Soon after, while out riding on the estate, a ghostly figure of a baby
boy in flames appeared to William Darrell.
His horse shied and threw him to the ground, breaking his neck. It is
said the crying of a baby has been heard in the house and the twisted
body of William Darrell has been seen prowling the corridors.

At the weekend ten trained investigators will formally investigate the
site to try and pick up any trace of these malingering spirits using a
wide range of monitoring equipment to ascertain if there really is
anything out there.
PSI spokeswoman Nicky Sewell said: "We are pleased to be working with
Littlecote in this research project.

"The appeal of Littlecote is not just its famed legendary hauntings but
its ongoing accounts of alleged paranormal activity to this day.
"This includes sightings by guests and staff alike, including figures
seen in the library, bright flashes of light and the action of being
pushed on the stairs."

Dave Wood, who is organising the investigation, added: "PSI is a
scientific investigation group that works with researchers at
universities across the UK.
"Our approach is sceptical in the open-minded sense of the word. We
gather evidence to try to find natural causes for hauntings.
"After misattributed accounts have been discounted it is the remaining
evidence that is of interest."

PSI recently launched a Haunted Swindon project in collaboration with
the borough council to carry out similar studies in council-owned
buildings in the town.