Happy Halloween: the Epworth Rectory ghost was called Old Jeffrey
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XHappy Halloween. Here's a North Lincs ghost story. Epworth's Old Rectory was home to Samuel and Susanna Wesley and their 19 children.
One of them, John Wesley, went on to found Methodism. Nineteen children. Honestly, the ghost was the least of their worries.
From December 1716 to January 1717, the family reported loud knocks and noises around the house. Daughter Hetty nicknamed the spirit "Old Jeffrey". On Christmas Day 1716, Susanna described noises "as if several people were walking, then running up and down stairs".
Later tales claim he even blew an invisible horn. Then, in January 1717, Old Jeffrey vanished. Sceptics point out that the earliest records describe little more than creaks, knocks and footsteps.
SRN Verdict
The rectory, rebuilt in brick after a fire in 1709, is now a Grade I listed Methodist museum. Visit if you dare. Knock first.
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