The Brown Lady of Raynham

The Brown Lady of Raynham is one of the most famous ghostly stories known.There is no proof till date to complete disapprove her existence

The Brown Lady of Raynham is the ghost of Lady Townshend who was married to Charles Townshend, a man known for his fiery temper. When Charles learned of his wife's infidelity, he punished her by imprisoning her in the family estate at Raynham Hall, located in Norfolk, England. He never allowed her to leave its premises, not even to see her children. She remained there until her death, when she was an old woman.

In the following centuries after her death many reports about sighting her ghost in Raynham Hall came out. In 19th century King George saw her when he was staying at Raynham Hall. He claimed that he saw her standing beside his bed wearing a brown dress. he also described her face was pale and her hair was untidy. In 1835 Colonel Loftus also saw her when he was at the house for Christmas holidays. He saw her when he was walking to his room late night .He saw her standing in the hall in front of him. He again saw her next week, this time he could see her more clearly. He described her as wearing a brown dress. And he said he was horrified to see her eyes gouged out. After Colonel Loftus incident more reports came out

Some years later the Colonel Loftus incident novelist Captain Federick Marryat decided to spend the night in the room where the ghost was seen but he couldn’t see her. but few days later he saw her when he was coming downstairs with his two friends. They saw her carrying a lantern and it moved past them as they were hiding behind a door. He said she grinned at them and he suddenly came out from behind of the door and shot her with his gun but the bullet passed through her.

Most notable of the incident occurred at September 1936, two photographers Captain Provand and Indre Shira were assigned at Raynham hall by “Country Life” magazine.Shira explains the incident as follows

"Captain Provand took one photograph while I flashed the light. He was focusing for another exposure; I was standing by his side just behind the camera with the flashlight pistol in my hand, looking directly up the staircase. All at once I detected an ethereal veiled form coming slowly down the stairs. Rather excitedly, I called out sharply: 'Quick, quick, there's something.' I pressed the trigger of the flashlight pistol. After the flash and on closing the shutter, Captain Provand removed the focusing cloth from his head and turning to me said: 'What's all the excitement about?”

When they developed they found the ghostly woman and the picture was published in Country Life on December 16, 1936(The picture shown alongside)

Till now there is nothing to prove that the brown lady of Raynham herself isn't real.

-Just another Mystery