A Ghostly Revenge

Early 19th century Welsh cottage, as depicted by Richard Redgrave

Some time back, I posted about a man’s supernatural revenge against his sister.  The tale seemed to me fairly unusual, so I was a bit surprised to find a similar story in Edmund Jones’ compilation of 18th century Welsh High Strangeness, “A Relation of Apparitions of Spirits in the County of Monmouth and the Principality of Wales.”

Families, eh?

In the house of Edward Roberts, in the Parish of Llangynllo, came to pass a stranger thing.--- As the servant-man was threshing, the threshel was taken out of his hand and thrown upon the hay-loft; he minded it not much: but being taken out of his hand three or four times gave him a concern, and he went to the house and told it. Edward Roberts being from home, his wife and the maid made light of it, and merrily said they would come with him to keep him from the Spirit, and went there; the one to knit, and the other to wind yarn. They were not long there before what they brought there were taken out of their hands, and tumbled about in their sight; on seeing this, they shut the barn door and came away more sober than they went there. They had not been long home before they perceived the dishes on the shelf move backwards, and some were thrown down: most of the earthen vessels were broke, especially in the night; for in the morning they could scarce tread without stepping upon wrecks of something which lay on the ground. This circumstance being made known, induced the neighbours to visit them. Some came from far to satisfy their curiosity; some from Knighton; and one came from thence to read, confident he would silence the evil Spirit; but had the book taken out of his hand and thrown up stairs. There were stones cast among them, and were often struck by them, but they were not much hurt: there was also iron thrown from the chimney at them, and they knew not from whence it came. The stir continued there about a quarter of a year. At last the house took fire, which they attempted to quench; but it was in vain. They saved most of the furniture, but the house was burnt to the ground; so that nothing but the walls, and the two chimneys, stood as a public spectacle to those who passed to and from Knighton Market.

The apparent cause of the disturbance was this,---Griffith Meridith and his wife, the father and mother of Edward Roberts’s wife were dead, and their son, who was heir to the house, enlisted himself a soldier, and left the country. Roberts and his wife, who were Tenants in the house that was burnt, removed into their father’s house; he being dead, and the house much decayed, they repaired it, and claimed it, as thinking it was their own, and that her brother would never return: but in that year the brother unexpectedly came home, thinking to see his father; he wondered to see the house altered, and making enquiry, went to his sister and claimed the house; which she refused, as having been at charge with it. At last he desired only a share of it, which she also refused; he then desired but two guineas for it, which she still refusing; he went away for Ireland, threatening his sister that she should repent for this ill dealing; and she had cause to repent. 

Now here was very plainly the work of some Spirit, enough to convince, or at least confound an Atheist of the being of Spirits; but whether it was her brother’s own Spirit after his death, or an evil Spirit which he employed to work this revenge upon an unnatural sister, cannot be determined, but the last is more likely.