Legend of the Mistletoe Bough
Encyclopedia
The Legend of the Mistletoe Bough is a ghost story which has been associated with many mansion
s and stately home
s in England
.
The tale tells how a new bride, playing a game of hide-and-seek during her wedding breakfast
, hid in a chest in an attic and was unable to escape. She was not discovered by her family and friends, and suffocated. The body was allegedly found many years later in the locked chest.
Notable claimants for the story's location, some still displaying the chest, include Bramshill House
and Marwell Hall
in Hampshire, Castle Horneck
in Cornwall
, Basildon
Grotto in Berkshire
, Minster Lovell
Hall in Oxfordshire
, Exton Hall
in Rutland
, Brockdish
Hall in Norfolk
and Bawdrip
Rectory in Somerset
.
The tale first appeared in print in the form of a poem by Samuel Rogers
entitled Ginerva, in his book 'Italy' published in 1823. In notes on this work, Rogers states ‘The story is, I believe, founded on fact; though the time and the place are uncertain. Many old houses lay claim to it.’
The popularity of the tale was greatly increased when it appeared as a song in the 1830s entitled 'The Mistletoe Bough' written by T.H. Bayley
and Sir Henry Bishop. The song proved very popular. In 1859, its 'solemn chanting' was referred to as a 'national occurrence at Christmas' in English households, and by 1862 the song was referred to as 'one of the most popular songs ever written', 'which must be known by heart by many readers'.
Further works inspired by the song include a play of the same name by Charles A Somerset first produced in 1835. A short story, 'Ginevra or The Old Oak Chest: A Christmas Story' by Susan E Wallace
published in 1887 and another short story "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" by Henry James
published in 1868. The song is also played in Thomas Hardy
's A Laodicean, after the scene involving the capture of George Somerset's handkerchief from the tower.
The story of the Mistletoe Bough is recounted in the 1948 Alfred Hitchcock
film Rope
, where it is described as being the favorite tale of the main character, Brandon Shaw. Unbeknownst to the story teller, the body of his murdered son had been hidden by Shaw in the chest in front of which they are standing.
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
s and stately home
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
s in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The tale tells how a new bride, playing a game of hide-and-seek during her wedding breakfast
Wedding breakfast
A wedding breakfast is a dinner given to the bride, bridegroom and guests at the wedding reception that follows a wedding in the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia and some other English-speaking countries...
, hid in a chest in an attic and was unable to escape. She was not discovered by her family and friends, and suffocated. The body was allegedly found many years later in the locked chest.
Notable claimants for the story's location, some still displaying the chest, include Bramshill House
Bramshill House
Bramshill House is a Jacobean mansion standing on of land in the civil parish of Bramshill in northeast Hampshire in England. It has been the location of the Police Staff College since 1960.-History:...
and Marwell Hall
Marwell Zoological Park
Marwell Wildlife, formerly known as Marwell Zoological Park, is a zoo situated at Owslebury in the English county of Hampshire, near Winchester...
in Hampshire, Castle Horneck
Castle Horneck
Castle Horneck is also referred to as Castle Hornocke and Iron Castle. It was an ancient castle which may have existed, located near Penzance, Cornwall in southwestern England. Castle Horneck is said to have been built by the Tyes family in the 12th century.-External links:* - note the...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, Basildon
Basildon
Basildon is a town located in the Basildon District of the county of Essex, England.It lies east of Central London and south of the county town of Chelmsford...
Grotto in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, Minster Lovell
Minster Lovell
Minster Lovell is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush about west of Witney in Oxfordshire.Minster Lovell village has three parts: Old Minster, Little Minster and New Minster. Old Minster includes St. Kenelm's Parish Church, Minster Lovell Hall and the Old Swan Inn and Minster Mill Hotel...
Hall in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, Exton Hall
Exton Hall
Exton Hall is an English country house on the western edge of the village of Exton, Rutland, England.It was the family seat of the family of Sir James Harington and later the Noel family, Earls of Gainsborough for almost four hundred years...
in Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, Brockdish
Brockdish
Brockdish is a village and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. It is in size. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 605 in 265 households. The village is situated on the River Waveney , and is about three miles south-west of Harleston...
Hall in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and Bawdrip
Bawdrip
Bawdrip is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. The village is on the south side of the Polden Hills about north-east of Bridgwater. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 498. The parish includes the hamlets of Bradney and Horsey...
Rectory in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
.
The tale first appeared in print in the form of a poem by Samuel Rogers
Samuel Rogers
Samuel Rogers was an English poet, during his lifetime one of the most celebrated, although his fame has long since been eclipsed by his Romantic colleagues and friends Wordsworth, Coleridge and Byron...
entitled Ginerva, in his book 'Italy' published in 1823. In notes on this work, Rogers states ‘The story is, I believe, founded on fact; though the time and the place are uncertain. Many old houses lay claim to it.’
The popularity of the tale was greatly increased when it appeared as a song in the 1830s entitled 'The Mistletoe Bough' written by T.H. Bayley
Thomas Haynes Bayly
Thomas Haynes Bayly was an English poet, songwriter, dramatist, and miscellaneous writer.The son of a wealthy lawyer in Bath, Bayly intended to become an attorney like his father, but he changed his mind and thought of entering the church, but he abandoned this idea also and gave himself to...
and Sir Henry Bishop. The song proved very popular. In 1859, its 'solemn chanting' was referred to as a 'national occurrence at Christmas' in English households, and by 1862 the song was referred to as 'one of the most popular songs ever written', 'which must be known by heart by many readers'.
Further works inspired by the song include a play of the same name by Charles A Somerset first produced in 1835. A short story, 'Ginevra or The Old Oak Chest: A Christmas Story' by Susan E Wallace
Susan Wallace
Susan Arnold Elston Wallace was an American author and poet.-Biography:Susan Wallace was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana to wealthy and influential parents, Isaac Compton and Maria Eveline Elston on December 25, 1830. She was educated in Crawfordsville and Poughkeepsie, New York...
published in 1887 and another short story "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" by Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
published in 1868. The song is also played in Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
's A Laodicean, after the scene involving the capture of George Somerset's handkerchief from the tower.
The story of the Mistletoe Bough is recounted in the 1948 Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
film Rope
Rope (film)
Rope is a 1948 American thriller film based on the play Rope by Patrick Hamilton and adapted by Hume Cronyn and Arthur Laurents, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Sidney Bernstein and Hitchcock as the first of their Transatlantic Pictures productions...
, where it is described as being the favorite tale of the main character, Brandon Shaw. Unbeknownst to the story teller, the body of his murdered son had been hidden by Shaw in the chest in front of which they are standing.
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