Dalston Hall

Dalston Hall is located within the village of Dalston, which is within the county of Cumbria, England. The village is placed roughly four miles southwest of Carlisle. The hall is made up of a Baronial Hall and a Pele Tower which would have been used for defence against the Scottish. Said to have been originally built by John Dalston and his wife, Elizabeth, Dalston Hall passed through the Dalston family until it was requisitioned by General Leslie during the first English Civil War. From this point, it passed through a couple of different owners who altered the building until it was turned into a country house hotel during 1971. Today, the hall is used as a wedding venue.

A number of spirits are said to haunt Dalston Hall. There are references to both a Grey Lady and a Lady Jane, and so some sources have stated that 'Lady Jane Grey' haunts the hall. This seems to not be the case though and may be a mistake from sources through the merging of these two names. Room 4 seems particularly haunted with one or two maids being said to haunt the room, plus it is said to contain the spirit of Emily; a woman who projects immense sadness. Barrels roll in the cellar, giggles can be heard from Room 12, and psychics claim the location to be haunted by a dense black fog which has gained the name 'Mr Fingernails'.

History

It's said that the Manor of Little Dalston was held by the Dalston family from the 13th century, also known as the 1200s. The family were named after the location, and it's also said that they had initially leased the manor from the Bishop's of Carlisle by the year of 1301. As for what existed on the site of Dalston Hall back during those times, this is incredibly unclear as a manor can simply be in reference to land which is owned by a family and not a house. One source has described Dalston Manor as a fortified 15th century house, and this claim would place the house as being originally built during the 1400s. This seems to be incorrect though as Dalston Hall's official website states that it was originally built around the 1500s. So, I think that the source which described it as a 15th century house meant to instead say it dated from the 1500s.

The official website also states that the original build featured a peel, or pele, tower along with a Baronial Hall. The tower was fortified and would have been used for defending the family of the hall against the Scottish. The Baronial Hall would have been used for gatherings and feasts. It's said that Dalston Hall was originally built by John Dalston, and this is shown by a message which is carved into the building; and this message reads: "JOHN DALLSTON ELSABET MI WYF MAD YS BYLDYNG". The message describes that the building was constructed by both John and his wife Elizabeth. The first son of John and Elizabeth was Thomas Dalston, and he was born by the year of 1502. During the July of 1537, Thomas was sent by the Duke of Norfolk to Cromwell with a letter of recommendation. Thomas also served as an MP and later died on the 22nd of July 1550.

The west wing of Dalston Hall was added during the year of 1556, and this is the same year that a John Dalston was possibly born. This John won't be the original who built the hall, but instead is likely an ancestor of the original John. It's unclear if he was a son of John, of Thomas, or a different member of the Dalston family. This second John became the captain of Carlisle Castle on the 13th of November 1589 and it's said he replaced his dead father-in-law, Thomas Warcop. He then became a Sheriff during the year of 1594 and, as Sheriff, he signed the return for both Cumberland and Carlisle elections during the year of 1597. The last known mention of this second John occurs in a report on the Manor of Carlisle which dates from the 30th of December 1609. As far as I can tell, there is no known death date for him.

Sir George Dalston is the final Dalston family member I've been able to find details about. Sir George was born during the year of 1581 and died during the year of 1657. He was granted the governorship of Carlisle during the year of 1608 . Sir George Dalston lived through the first English civil war which begun during the year of 1642 and ended during the year of 1646. During this time, the siege of Carlisle took place; an event which forced Sir George Dalston to free from Dalston Hall, which is where he was living at the time. Due to George fleeing the hall, it was requisitioned by General David Leslie for use as the headquarters of the Covenanters; a Scottish religious and political movement. Sir George drew up his will on the 9th of September 1657 and then died three weeks later. In his eulogy, it was stated that he had a 'marvellous sweet nature... of a meek and gentle spirit, but not too soft'.

It seems Dalston family ownership permanently ended when Sir George fled the hall as the next event I've found regarding ownership took place during the year of 1761. It was during this year that Monkhouse Davison, a London grocer, bought the hall and owned it for thirty-two years until he died. It has been said that Dalston Hall was sold, during 1761, to Monkhouse by Sir George Dalston. Unless it was a different Sir George who sold the hall, this wouldn't have been possible given that he died over one hundred years earlier. It does seem like there's a gap in the history between General David Leslie requisitioning the hall and Monkhouse buying it, so maybe a Dalston ancestor called George did reclaim the hall and sell it; but I have found no evidence suggesting that this was the case.

During the year of 1795, Dalston Hall was bought by John Sowerby after Monkhouse Davison had died. It's said that the hall then remained within John Sowerby's family until the early 20th century, also known as the early 1900s. This detail seems to be incorrect though as the official website for Dalston Hall states that the location changed hands again during the year of 1897, not the early 1900s. Alterations to Dalston Hall were performed during the 19th century, also known as the 1800s, and these were carried out by the architects Anthony Salvin and Thomas Rickman. The official website has specified that extensive refurbishment was conducted during the late 19th century, also known as the late 1800s, and so I assume this refurbishment was the alterations which have been discussed by other sources.

It also seems that the refurbishment only took place once Edmund Wright Stead took ownership of the hall during the year of 1897. The official website has said it was him who refurbished the interior and built the entrance side to the hall. It seems that these alterations occurred during the year of 1899 as it's been said it was during this year that Edmund hired an architect called C.J. Ferguson to update the front of the house using red sandstone. I don't know for sure, but this information sounds like it could contradict the previous information mentioned about the architects Anthony Salvin and Thomas Rickman. It has been said that Edmund's changes to Dalston Hall led to a prominent antiquarian describing it as 'a magnificent mansion surpassing perhaps even its ancient glories'. The only information I've been able to find about Edmund is that he owned a company which printed patterns on fabric called 'Calico Printers'.

Before the year of 1971, Dalston Hall was used as a place where young people could get training for jobs. It's unclear exactly when this purpose stopped, but during the year of 1971 the hall was turned into a country house hotel. It was then on the 19th of September 1984 that Dalston Hall officially became Grade II listed. Regarding management of Dalston Hall, the earliest people I've found details about are Jan Henrick Mayer and his wife, Karen Alison Mayer. Jan was born during the December of 1959 and Karen was born during the March of 1962. It was on the 6th of February 2004 that Jan was appointed as Director of Dalston Hall and Karen was appointed as Secretary.

An article from The Guardian, first published on the 31st of October 2015, states Jan as still being the owner during this year. The article also states that Jan's dad was Polish, but that Jan was from Bolton. Also discussed in the article is that the hall had thirteen bedrooms during 2015 and that Jan's wife, Karen, was the chef. It seems that many changes took place with the Mayer family roles during the year of 2021. On the 19th of March 2021, Jan resigned as Director and Karen resigned as Secretary. On the same day, Karen was appointed as Director and Charlotte Mayer was appointed as Secretary. Gov.UK has also stated that, on the 19th of March 2021, there was a cessation of Jan as a person with significant control, plus a notification of Karen as a person with significant control.

I'm not entirely sure what happened around the time of the 19th of March 2021, but my assumption is that either Jan retired, died, or became divorced to his wife. I assume that Charlotte Mayer is the daughter of Jan and Karen, but this is also speculation. Either way, Karen replaced Jan as the Director of Dalston Hall and Jan was no longer a person with significant control. During the year of 2022, Dalston Hall was acquired by The Gildchrist Collection and it is now operating as an exclusive-use wedding venue. An article from the 2nd of August 2023, from 'Cumbria Crack', discussed Dalston Hall reopening under new management and that it had been bought by The Gildchrist Collection.

With the location being purchased by The Gildchrist Collection, it's incredibly unclear if Karen is still the Director of the hall. I highly assume she isn't and that the Mayer family did leave with the acquisition. Having looked on the 'meet the team' section on Dalston Hall's official website, the Mayer family members are nowhere to be seen. As of writing this article, Pippa Welsh is the Operations Manager, Olivia Kirkpatrick is the Lead Coordinator, Kelly Graham is a Wedding Coordinator, Yasmine Sbita is a Wedding Coordinator, Georgia Siddle is the Wedding Consultant, Max Baker is the Head Chef, and Tom Farthing is the Estates Manager.

Hauntings

It's been said that there are three different spirits that haunt Dalston Hall, although I have found details about more spirits than this. One famous person is said to haunt the hall, and this is the spirit of Lady Jane Grey; the great-niece of King Henry VIII. Lady Jane Grey was born during the October of 1537 and died on the 12th of February 1554 in London and was the Queen of England for nine days during the year of 1553. It's said that her spirit has been seen walking in the gallery above the manorial hall. It's also been said by sources discussing this haunting that she visited the hall during her life, but I have found no historical based source discuss this detail; and so I believe reports about her haunting the hall to be incorrect.

I have possibly found an explanation as to why sources have claimed for Lady Jane Grey to haunt the hall when she may in-fact not. One source, the UK Haunted Locations Database, has described a report about a spirit called 'The Grey Lady'. They have also discussed a 'Lady Jane' who is said to haunt the hall. Regarding the Grey Lady, this spirit was a hooded figure who that woman saw merge into a hedge. The database makes it clear that Lady Jane is a separate spirit from the Grey Lady report, and it states that Lady Jane is a maidservant who was found dead after an affair with a married gardner; but it is unknown if she was murdered. I strongly believe that the sources claiming 'Lady Jane Grey' haunts the building have merged these two separate reports together. So, instead of Lady Jane Grey haunting the building, it may actually be the two separate spirits of The Grey Lady and Lady Jane.

Possibly linking to the 'Lady Jane Grey' information is a report about a woman in a Tudor dress that haunts the gallery. As there isn't any further information on this, I'm not sure how legitimate this haunting is as I don't know if it connects to the seemingly false Lady Jane Grey reports, or an entirely different female spirit. It seems that this information may feed into it though as apparently the Minstrel's Gallery in the Baronial Hall is haunted by a grey lady who has been reportedly dubbed as 'Lady Jane' by staff members. Again, I feel this information really emphasises how these two separate names have seemingly been merged into the historical figure of 'Lady Jane Grey' when I really don't think it's the case.

Apparently the spirit of an abused girl is seen outside of rooms 4, 5, and 6. The story around this spirit says that the spirit of a brutish man is seen dragging the girl, who is struggling, by her hair across the floor in this area on the top floor of the hall. The event takes place at night and the girl screams and tries to fight back before she is pushed to her death and both spirits disappear. Room 4 is said to be haunted by a maid who broke her neck by falling down the stairs of the tower. A different report has said that Room 4 is haunted by a maid who killed herself, so I'm not entirely sure on the events of this maid's death unless two maids haunt this room.

Room 4 is also haunted by a young woman which some sources have referred to as 'Sad Emily'. She's said to wear a white frilly bonnet and projects immense sadness. Emily has also been seen looking out of Room 4's window with tears in her eyes. This has led people to believe that she died of a broken heart after learning about the death of her love. Another haunted room is Room 5, and the report form this room is that guests wake to see that the bed clothes have been removed and neatly folded at the bottom of the bed. Sources have claimed Room 12 to also be haunted with people hearing giggling and conversations within the room when no one is in there.

The spirits of three women and a little girl have been seen on the stairs, and these spirits are said to watch people before vanishing. Psychics have claimed to see an inhuman entity that appears as a dense black fog. Sources have stated that this fog has come to be known as 'Mr Fingernails'. Mysterious laughter, plus strange figures seen in the corner of the eye, are some other reports of paranormal activity at Dalston Hall. The final spirit definitely claimed to haunt Dalston Hall is 'The Handyman'. It's thought he is a Victorian era workman who haunts the grounds and cellar. It's said he's friendly and enjoys his job of moving barrels around. Barrels rolling in the cellar is something that people have reported to happen, so it seems this man is still performing his job. Sources have also said The Handyman hands tools to workmen and has been seen with a big dray horse in the courtyard. It's unsure if this will be due to The Handyman, but heavy objects have been heard being dragged across the floor.

The Haunted Carlisle author, Darren Ritson, has discussed an event which occurred at Dalston Hall which involved some candles in the Baronial Hall. He said the following which was featured in the Cumbria Guide source: “In October 1996, candles that were used for medieval banquets in the Baronial Hall were seen by staff to flare up by themselves. During the same month, glasses were also heard to smash in empty rooms…pint glasses rose into the air on their own, the library windows were once found flung open and the night porter reported the sound of planks banging together.”

There are three reports, all from the DEADLIVE source, where it's unclear if they're definitely from Dalston Hall. These reports are of a knight in the great hall whose footsteps can be heard in the spiral staircase, a shadow figure by the battlements who disappears into mist, and a sigh that echoes from the chapel and fades at dawn. The reason I'm unsure about them belonging to Dalston Hall is that their locations all sound more like what's featured at a castle and not a hall which has been merged with a tower. I don't know if Dalston Hall contains a chapel, but I know that a castle likely would. So, I feel these reports could actually be about Carlisle Castle, especially as DEADLIVE refers to Dalston Hall as a castle; but I could be wrong with this speculation.

Summary Of Hauntings

1. The Grey Lady, possibly Lady Jane - the gallery

2. Lady Jane, possibly the Grey Lady - the gallery

3. Mr Fingernails, a black fog

4. The Handyman, victorian - grounds and cellar

5. Emily - Room 4

6. An abused girl - outside rooms 4, 5, and 6

7. A maid - Room 4

8. Possibly a second maid? - Room 4

9. A brutish man - outside rooms 4, 5, and 6

10. Three women - on the stairs

11. A little girl - on the stairs

12. A lady in a Tudor dress, possibly the Grey Lady and/or Lady Jane - the gallery

13. Giggles - Room 12

14. Disembodied conversations - Room 12

15. Bed clothes removed and folded neatly at bottom of bed - Room 5

16. Immense sadness - Room 4

17. Barrels roll - the cellar

18. Mysterious laughter

19. Sound of heavy objects dragged across floor

20. Figures seen out of corner of eye

21. A knight (?) - great hall, spiral staircase (?)

22. A shadow figure (?) - battlements (?)

23. A sigh (?) - chapel (?)

My Thoughts

As I've already speculated, I don't think that Lady Jane Grey haunts Dalston Hall. I feel the historical based sources would have mentioned her visit the hall if she did, and so I strongly suspect that 'Lady Jane' and 'The Grey Lady' have been merged with those reports. As there isn't a great deal of history about this location, there isn't too much more that I can give my thoughts on when it comes to the other hauntings. I do feel that DEADLIVE could be talking about another location when mentioning a knight, the shadow figure, and the sound of a sigh. I find it odd that no other source has mentioned these things, and the locations of the Great Hall, battlements, and chapel, are all far too castle orientated for me to think it was discussing Dalston Hall. That source also refers to the hall as a castle, so to me that's more which indicates they were discussing somewhere else and made a mistake.

The abused girl is an interesting haunting as that sounds like one which follows stone tape theory. If you aren't familiar with that theory, it's the thought that hauntings are nothing more than events which have been recorded by the walls of a building and are then replayed occasionally. Personally, I very much so disagree with that theory as I believe all spirits to be sentient. So, hypothetically, if that theory is incorrect and this event does reply itself as described; why does it repeat itself? If it was a single spirit repeating it's actions, or an event it lived through, I could easily point to a trauma response. It's known that people or animals will conduct repeated behaviours when under stress such as rocking back and forth. I believe a singular spirit reliving an event could be a form of dissociation where from their perspective they're daydreaming but in reality they're reenacting the events.

However, a form of dissociation doesn't explain why two or more spirits would engage in a repeated activity; especially one so traumatic. So, I believe this could be far better explained by a different and more recent theory I've created which states that you never see any spirit with your eyes and that any visual you see is a form of psychic messaging. As you aren't seeing spirits with your eyes, but rather with your mind's eye, and you're receiving this visual psychically from the spirit; I believe that this means the spirit can choose exactly what you see and when you see it. So, when it comes to a repeated event, I don't believe the spirits are actually repeating the event you've seen. I believe when witnessing this kind of event, you are actually seeing something the spirit is showing you. So, if the spirit wants you to see a random dog for example, you will see a random dog even if there isn't one present.

If this theory is true, then that means that the abused girl or abusive man may not actually be present within the building. Either the abusive man could be showing the visual of abusing the girl as a form of threat and intimidation, or the abused girl could be showing the visual to let visitors know how she died. There's also a third option where perhaps an entirely different spirit is showing the visual to either inform about a past event which had happened there, or is maybe doing it to scare or intimidate. The same logic can be applied to why Mr Fingernails appears as a dense black fog. They may not actually look like that, they may just want people to see them that way. As this article has been a good discussion around stone tape theory and my own theory about psychic projection, I will list it under 'Locations Of Interest'. I also find the location to possibly be a good example of how spirits and stories can evolve over time to create something else entirely with the 'Lady Jane' information.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading this article! I was quite surprised by the lack of history sources have discussed here, especially given the presence of the Pele Tower. I'd expected sources to discuss battles far more than they did. The location did lend to an interesting bit of discussion though, do I'm glad to have it logged into the database. The next article will document a paranormal influencer and will be published on Friday the 8th of May. The following article will document a haunted location in Suffolk and will be published on Monday the 11th of May.

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