Hartley Mauditt is a ghost Hampshire village with tales of phantom carriages, haunting choirs and a mysterious, eerie past, writes JOHN S TANTALON
While carrying out research for my third book ‘The Haunted Realms of Surrey and Hampshire’ I was informed of an interesting place to visit. My good friend Dan Hill had recently attended an investigation in what he best described as ‘A ghost village’. Having already visited some incredible locations with Dan, the sound of this forgotten location intrigued me.
We had previously visited the charming village of Bramshott. The Hampshire village of Bramshott is said to be home to 27 different ghosts. This figure alone may count for an astonishing amount of supposed paranormal activity. The small village is precisely this ‘A Small Village’. However, with connections of the like I would discover, it may be no surprise that Bramshott may rightfully deserve the title of ‘The Most Haunted Village in England’.
At the end of a long and winding path is the start of the village. The view features a grand display of many of its beautiful properties.
Between Tunbridge Lane and Church Lane sits a house with an impressive history. The attractive cottage which appears on the corner was the former residence of a certain William Henry Pratt. To those interested in cinema and especially classics of the black and white era, the previous occupant is better known as Boris Karloff.
Karloff and Ghosts in Bramshott
The legendary actor and star of many of the classic Universal horror movies moved to Bramshott in 1967. The star of the famous Frankenstein movies would create only a few more pictures during his time in the village, including the brilliant Targets in 1968.
Karloff supposedly purchased the cottage due to its location in such a haunted village. He would relay to established author Peter Underwood that a tall figure haunts the house. Although Boris Karloff never witnessed the ghost himself, it is reported that he haunts the building today. On the rear wall of the cottage sits an interesting sculpture. The white bust sits on adjacent Church Lane and is like the late actor. It is almost as if he has never left his final home.
The village of Hartley Mauditt sits one mile south of neighbouring East Worldham and two and a half miles southeast of Alton. The attractive Hampshire village rests in pleasant and calm surroundings. The one dividing factor here lies that Hartley Mauditt sits entirely abandoned and has done for hundreds of years.
A drive through nearby Selborne leads to a stretch of narrow, winding country roads. Upon entering a clearing, the village presents. All that exists of the once great location is a small church and pond.
Hartley Mauditt’s Church
The church was built between 1150 -1200 and had a suitably exciting history. A series of memorials feature within the Stuart family, whose Manor House stood next to the church before it was demolished. Local tradition says that the lord of the manor, Nicholas Stuart, defended the house during the English Civil War.
Roundheads, fighting around the nearby town of Alton against a troop of Roundheads, came and destroyed it. Whether this is true or not, after the Restoration of Charles II as monarch, Nicholas Stuart received his lands back and became the first Baronet of Hartley Mauditt. Evidence suggests that the story is accurate, and for his loyalty, the King restored his land to him. He returned and rebuilt the house.
The Stuarts continued to hold the property for several generations until it passed into the hands of the Stawell family. Another local story tells us about Lord Stawell, who loved town and city life, but his country-loving wife preferred to live in the country at Hartley Mauditt. In a rage, it is said, he pulled down the house to prevent her from living there.
Whatever the truth, its staircase found its way to Alton council offices, floor tiles turned up in the floors at Colmore Rectory, and it is thought that the round tower, attached to a nearby cottage, was also once part of this old building. Remnants of its cellars remain, wooded over and stories of a passageway linking the house to Selborne Priory. Many local tales abound of hauntings.
The name of the origin of the settlement is disputed. The family who initially held title over the lands was considered French and called ‘Maldnott’. The village close to the church was long abandoned. The outline of buildings can be seen at certain times of the year. A large village pond remains to remind us that the truth about the church and the land around it remains a mystery.
The village has a pleasant atmosphere even on the darkest of days. The still water of the pond rests calmly while the distant sound of bird’s echoes across the Hampshire countryside. When night-time arrives at Hartley Mauditt, so do its ghosts.
Over the years, witnesses have laid claim to see a startling sight. The ghostly apparition of a phantom horse and carriage has been recorded several times. The ghost is seen travelling at frantic speed up the drive and towards the one-time location of the manor house, only to bypass the pond and then vanish out of sight.
Visitors have also reported the sound of enchanting singing emanating from within the church confines. The sounds of a choir singing during the day and night have been reported. On occasion, the sound of a full complement of singers has startled those bypassing the area, only to be met with silence upon entering the long-abandoned church.
Whether the bizarre sights and sounds connect to the Stawell family is unknown. The manor house, now long gone, and the once active community of Hartley Mauditt now exists purely as a ghost village. Another echo of the haunted realms of Hampshire.
Have you seen a ghost in Hartley Mauditt in Hampshire? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
The Haunted Realms of Surrey and Hampshire is available from Amazon.
