Famous Ghosts—Or Are They?

[catseye]

It's inevitably a standard "the school has a ghost" legend passed down by students but another potential Cromwell ghost is in the old family home Hinchingbrooke House. The house has supposedly been haunted by a nun and a Civil War type - sometimes a cavalier, sometimes a roundhead depending on teller - and stories are told from sixth former to year 7 to this day about him or her being seen in the house or the presence being felt but as with all these things it's vague and not much is really recent stories or even claims by recent students of things, nor has anybody really found much aside from the occasional medium being fed bogus information Acorah style to test them.

I did once do a totally scientific test though while working in there one evening however. A few of the youth theatre kids were talking about "the ghosts" and how eerie it was in the library, so with me and the six of them there I did the entirely unscientific thing of asking for a sign, a slight breeze seemed to flow through the library and almost turned the pages on one of their scripts so they (ignoring that the front door had been opened in the old place while someone went out to get breaktime snacks) looked at me as if to say "see". I called it a coincidence and then doubled down by saying we needed more to prove you're there.... Right on cue there goes the fire alarm and everyone has to leave the building. While we're outside and I'm getting terrified daggers the fire brigade turn up and point out that some engineers were doing something with wiring in the main school buildings and accidentally triggered it and couldn't get it to reset. Pure coincidences but I'm sure that led to more pupils spreading the legend!

There would be quite a lot of difference between a Cavalier and a Roundhead though, purely in clothing alone. Which most people could tell one from the other, unless the ghost wasn't wearing uniform in which case they could be anybody. Which would make me think that someone saw something and the Civil War label has been slapped on it for convenience.

 

[Floyd]

There would be quite a lot of difference between a Cavalier and a Roundhead though, purely in clothing alone. Which most people could tell one from the other, unless the ghost wasn't wearing uniform in which case they could be anybody. Which would make me think that someone saw something and the Civil War label has been slapped on it for convenience.

I think I'm correct in saying that there wasn't that much difference in dress (and even hair length) between the Roundheads and Cavaliers and that the way we perceive both parties today (Cavaliers being more flamboyant and foppish etc) is more to do with a Victorian era view of them.

 

[SimonBurchell]

I think I'm correct in saying that there wasn't that much difference in dress (and even hair length) between the Roundheads and Cavaliers and that the way we perceive both parties today (Cavaliers being more flamboyant and foppish etc) is more to do with a Victorian era view of them.

I was about to say the same - for the average commoner foot soldier, they probably looked practically indistinguishable, whether they were Parliamentarian or Royalist.

 

[catseye]

I suppose that's true. If it was a foot solider. I was assuming that, given that the ghost was described as either a Cavalier or a Parliamentarian, that they were distinguishable as one or the other. Otherwise how could they tell it was a Civil War era ghost, as opposed to any generic person, as most foot soldiers wore pretty much ordinary dress?

 

[SimonBurchell]

I suppose that's true. If it was a foot solider. I was assuming that, given that the ghost was described as either a Cavalier or a Parliamentarian, that they were distinguishable as one or the other. Otherwise how could they tell it was a Civil War era ghost, as opposed to any generic person, as most foot soldiers wore pretty much ordinary dress?

Maybe the helmet.

 

[catseye]

Maybe the helmet.

I am a Lady, and forebear to comment.

 

[Stormkhan]

The Lobster Tail style of helmet associated with the Parliamentarians were expensive and usually available to cavalry. There's some evidence they were worn by both sides (see Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobster-tailed_pot_helmet)