Haunted English Willington Mill and House
Refinery and its Domicile in North Tynesdale Have Ghostly Phenomena
Sep 27, 2009
The first steam-driven flour mill in North Tynesdale was owned by two cousins, George Unthank and Joseph Procter, devout members of the Quakers also called the Society of Friends. They were known for their integrity and unimpeachable honesty. Proctor kept a diary that was published in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research with comments by his son Edmund.
Willington Mill House Phenomena
The Proctors lived in the house when the paranormal activities began in 1834. The paranormal phenomena reported at the site included:
- A nursemaid heard pacing and thumping sounds emanating from an empty second floor room. Other household members began to hear the noises and when people stayed in the room, but nothing happened until after they left it – the sounds then resumed;
- Other sounds were heard, including whistling, a clock being wound, a bullet hitting wood, sticks breaking, drumming, whizzing, moans and cries;
- Beds shook and the floor vibrated;
- The window in the nursery shook violently;
- Cold spots were reported throughout the house;
- Invisible pressure was felt on parts of people’s bodies;
- Sightings of mysterious animals were reported, like a strange, long-snouted feline creature, a monkey that teased children and a bizarre donkey-like critter.
It wasn't only the mill house that was haunted. The mill had its haunters including the ghost of a woman known as Kitty.
Kitty the Willington Mill Ghost
Some say this is folklore based on true events; others, that’s it’s a real account of a haunting. Catherine “Kitty” Devore, worked at, what was then known as the Haggies Rope Factory. She was notorious for her gossiping. Her trademark was her long tangled hair.
The factory was making huge ropes, six inches in diameter and the machine used to make these ropes was dangerous. She was killed when her hair got caught in the apparatus. In addition to haunting the mill, Kitty’s ghost wanders about the Dene and walks under the Seven Archer’s bridge.
Willington Mill House Investigation
In July 1840, chemist and South Shields councilor Tom Hudson and Dr. Edward Drury from Sunderland investigated. They were on the second floor and, initially, experienced nothing. Drury brought pistols, but Hudson told him to leave them downstairs.
Soon after midnight, they heard the sound of small feet pit-patting in one of the rooms. Later, Hudson fell asleep, although he denied this. Drury saw the grey-colored ghost of an old woman float from a closet. Her right hand clutched her chest, as if it hurt, and her left hand pointed at the floor. Drury watched in horror as the specter slowly drifted towards Hudson and raised its hand as if to put it on his head. He lunged at the ghost and fell on top of Hudson. The doctor's terrified scream woke Hudson and, by that time, the specter had vanished.
Willington Mill House’s Paranormal Saga Ends
The Proctors moved out of the house in 1847. Subsequent tenants experienced supernatural phenomena and more than one family refused to stay there. During the time the time property was vacant, Edmund and others stayed in the house overnight and held a séance, but there was no communication with any spirit. Prior to contacting the Society for Psychical Research, he interviewed several tenants and was told they experienced nothing out of the ordinary.
Article’s Related to Willington Mill
Readers who enjoyed this article might be interested in Haunts of the Tower of London, along with Killakee House Haunter Feline and Scotlands Haunted Ballechin House.
Source:
- The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, (FactsOnFile, 1992).
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