In Wilshire, England there is
a stately home called Littlecote House. This house is the site of a violent
murder of an infant that has become known as the “Burning Babe.” This crime
took place in 1575; the owner of Littlecote was William Darrell whose family
had owned the home since 1415. Darrell was known as “Wild Darrell” because of
his depraved and outrageous behavior.
It is said that Darrell sent
for a midwife from another village, he had her blindfolded and brought to
Littlecote. This midwife was guided upstairs to a room were a woman was in
labor—she was instructed to help deliver the baby. As soon as the child was
born, it is said Darrell ripped the baby from the midwife’s arms and threw it
into the fire. The midwife was given a purse full of money and then was
escorted home still blindfolded.
The midwife however had the presence
of mind to snip a piece of the curtain before she left. She also counted the
number of steps on the staircase on her way out. The next day she reported what
had happened to the local magistrate. Littlecote was immediately suspected. An
investigation was conducted and it was found the number of steps matched the
midwife’s count and that her piece of fabric matched a hole in the bed curtains
in one room.
In another even more gruesome
version of this story the midwife is too scared to talk so she doesn’t confess
what she had experienced until she is on her deathbed. This version states the
midwife was promised a large sum of money to keep quiet. She remembers that the
baby was handed to her and that she was instructed to throw it in the fire but
she refused. Then Darrell snatched the baby from her arms and threw it in the
fire himself. She cried as she confessed he held it down with his boot until
the body burned.
In various versions of the
story the mother of the murdered baby was his wife, maid or sister.
Regardless of the version told, Darrell was arrested. He was tried and acquitted of the crime—it is
said that he bribed Sir John Popham who was the judge, which caused a scandal.
Darrell died fourteen years later in 1589. He was thrown from his horse while
hunting and broke his neck. It was said that Darrell’s horse reared up at the
sight of the ghost of the murdered baby. Sir Popham brought the property after
his death.
Littlecote is believed to be
haunted because of this terrible crime. It is said that the “Burning Babe”,
appears at Darrell’s Stile, which is where Darrell was thrown from his horse.
This area is also haunted by Darrell himself, he is accompanied by phantom hunting
hounds. Horses still get spooked at this spot.
Sometimes when Darrell’s
ghost appears he is a death harbinger --when seen at Littlecote,
with his phantom coach, and horses it means the heir to the estate will die.
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