Chingle hall
Encyclopedia
Chingle Hall dates from around 1300. It is located in the township of Whittingham
near Preston, England. It was originally built by the Singleton family and owned by them until Eleanor Singleton, the last of the line died in 1585. The house then passed to the Wall family through the marriage of William Wall with Anne Singleton. Their son Anthony Wall, once mayor of Preston, died there in 1601. The Walls owned the Hall until the mid-18th century when the house passed to a local branch of the Singleton family.
in 1641. Some have claimed that Chingle Hall was used as a place of worship by Catholics during the time of the Catholic Reformation when it was illegal to practice mass in Britain.
In 1678 John Wall was apprehended at Rushock Court near Bromsgrove
. He was taken to Worcester
jail, where he was offered his life if he would forsake his religion. He declined. Brought back from Worcester, he was drawn and quartered at Redhill
on the 22nd of August, 1679. His quartered body was given to his friends, and was buried in St. Oswald's churchyard. A Mr. Levison, however, allegedly acquired the martyr's head, and it was treasured by the friars at Worcester until the dissolution of that house during the French Revolution
. The Franciscan
nuns at Taunton
claim to possess a tooth and a bone of the martyr. He was canonised by Pope Paul VI
in 1970.
Inside the Chapel there are a number of wooden beams going across the ceiling. Some of these beams have strange symbols on them, possibly relics of earlier use elsewhere. When samples of the wood were scientifically examined,they were found to have a high salt content, and to be much older than the house indicating that perhaps they were ship's timbers being recycled.
It was reported that, during the 1970s one of the beams covering a section of the wall in the chapel spontaneously caught fire, and, just as quickly as it had started, inexplicably extinguished itself. (There is no evidence of this to be found today.)
Among other phenomena, there is supposedly a pot-rearranging poltergeist
in the kitchen, and visions of monks in the hallway and on the stairs. One of the rooms alleged to be most haunted is thought to have belonged to Eleanor Singleton, who was said to be "ideota" and who died at the age of 18.
On Christmas Day 1980, Gerald Main and ghost-hunter Terence Whitaker spent time at the Hall in a vigil and recorded rapping sounds emanating from one of the priest's hiding holes. At the time of the knocking noises they recorded a significant decrease in temperature and saw an 'indefinable shape' move across the floor.
In 1985, sounds of bricks being moved were recorded by a visitor in the priest's room, which seemed to originate in the priest's hiding hole. He peered within and saw part of a human hand moving one of the bricks. As he watched, the hand stopped moving and disappeared. This witness later managed to capture the sounds of footsteps on tape and a shadowy form on film. Later bricks were found scattered on the floor of the chapel on the ground floor.
A team from the Northern Anomalies Research Organisation investigated Chingle Hall. During the visit one member of the group managed to capture two photographs of orange lights which appeared on and near the oak-beamed ceiling. The investigator did not see these lights but rather small white flickering lights which prompted the photographs to be taken in the Chapel Room whilst standing in the dark by himself. Notably, the taking of the photographs and the light were witnessed by a several people in the house. When tape recorders were used in an investigation, sounds were heard and recorded within the priest's room but nothing was heard or recorded on the cassette in the passageway outside.
Whittingham, Lancashire
Whittingham is a civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England. The parish measures east-to-west, from the outskirts of Longridge to the outskirts of Broughton, but only 1 mile north-to-south. Its population was 2,189 in 2001...
near Preston, England. It was originally built by the Singleton family and owned by them until Eleanor Singleton, the last of the line died in 1585. The house then passed to the Wall family through the marriage of William Wall with Anne Singleton. Their son Anthony Wall, once mayor of Preston, died there in 1601. The Walls owned the Hall until the mid-18th century when the house passed to a local branch of the Singleton family.
Saint John Wall
Some have made the claim that Saint John Wall was born in the Hall in 1620. It is unlikely that he was a member of the Preston Wall family. He became a Roman Catholic priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in 1641. Some have claimed that Chingle Hall was used as a place of worship by Catholics during the time of the Catholic Reformation when it was illegal to practice mass in Britain.
In 1678 John Wall was apprehended at Rushock Court near Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
. He was taken to Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
jail, where he was offered his life if he would forsake his religion. He declined. Brought back from Worcester, he was drawn and quartered at Redhill
Redhill
Redhill can refer to:* Redhill, South Australia, Australia* Redhill, Nottinghamshire, England* Redhill, Shropshire, England* Redhill, Somerset, England* Redhill, Surrey, England**Redhill railway station**Redhill Aerodrome* Redhill, Singapore, Singapore...
on the 22nd of August, 1679. His quartered body was given to his friends, and was buried in St. Oswald's churchyard. A Mr. Levison, however, allegedly acquired the martyr's head, and it was treasured by the friars at Worcester until the dissolution of that house during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. The Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
nuns at Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
claim to possess a tooth and a bone of the martyr. He was canonised by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
in 1970.
Hauntings
Chingle Hall has been at the centre of several alleged episodes of paranormal activity.Inside the Chapel there are a number of wooden beams going across the ceiling. Some of these beams have strange symbols on them, possibly relics of earlier use elsewhere. When samples of the wood were scientifically examined,they were found to have a high salt content, and to be much older than the house indicating that perhaps they were ship's timbers being recycled.
It was reported that, during the 1970s one of the beams covering a section of the wall in the chapel spontaneously caught fire, and, just as quickly as it had started, inexplicably extinguished itself. (There is no evidence of this to be found today.)
Among other phenomena, there is supposedly a pot-rearranging poltergeist
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
in the kitchen, and visions of monks in the hallway and on the stairs. One of the rooms alleged to be most haunted is thought to have belonged to Eleanor Singleton, who was said to be "ideota" and who died at the age of 18.
On Christmas Day 1980, Gerald Main and ghost-hunter Terence Whitaker spent time at the Hall in a vigil and recorded rapping sounds emanating from one of the priest's hiding holes. At the time of the knocking noises they recorded a significant decrease in temperature and saw an 'indefinable shape' move across the floor.
In 1985, sounds of bricks being moved were recorded by a visitor in the priest's room, which seemed to originate in the priest's hiding hole. He peered within and saw part of a human hand moving one of the bricks. As he watched, the hand stopped moving and disappeared. This witness later managed to capture the sounds of footsteps on tape and a shadowy form on film. Later bricks were found scattered on the floor of the chapel on the ground floor.
A team from the Northern Anomalies Research Organisation investigated Chingle Hall. During the visit one member of the group managed to capture two photographs of orange lights which appeared on and near the oak-beamed ceiling. The investigator did not see these lights but rather small white flickering lights which prompted the photographs to be taken in the Chapel Room whilst standing in the dark by himself. Notably, the taking of the photographs and the light were witnessed by a several people in the house. When tape recorders were used in an investigation, sounds were heard and recorded within the priest's room but nothing was heard or recorded on the cassette in the passageway outside.