The story that follows is based on reports from the Lancaster Guardian in 1969. Don’t go up Castle Hill after dark…

A family living at the foot of Castle Hill began experiencing strange occurrences often in the late afternoon in autumn 1969. A creaking sound could be heard on the first floor and doors opened and closed for no apparent reason. Lights switched on by themselves and their cat would suddenly not go upstairs. The female residents of the house began to feel increasingly uneasy, like they were being watched.

Lying in bed late one evening, the owner who had her relatives staying with her, saw the bedroom door opening in front of her. Expecting to see her niece or sister, she was frozen to the bed when she saw a disembodied finger hovering in the doorway. The finger, which had a long curved nail, floated across the room towards the bed and its terrified occupant until it disappeared just before reaching her. Dismissing the horrifying event as a nightmare, the woman didn’t say anything.

A few days later, on a dark, rainy afternoon, the woman and her sister had gone out on an errand leaving the young niece at home alone. The niece was helping her aunt by cleaning the stone stairs for her. Mopping the stairs, she suddenly had the feeling someone was standing in front of her. Looking up, she came face to face with the same floating finger with its long straggly, curved over nail which was pointing through the banister. Screaming, she dropped the mop and bucket and ran.

Only the very next day, the spectral finger again appeared to the niece as she once again saw it floating down the stairs, it passed close by the terrified girl before going into the living room. This time, her own mother was in the house and next door neighbours were summoned but nothing could be found, but the lights had mysteriously been turned on in the living room.

The final time both daughter and mother were sitting together, watching television. Both looked up to see the door open but only the daughter saw the finger coming towards them. The daughter watched in horror as the eerie finger poked her mother on the shoulder; the mother, seeing nothing, thought her daughter had nudged her. Enough was enough and mother and daughter packed and left.
The next day, the homeowner, seeing her bedroom door opening and closing by itself had had enough- the vicar of the Priory Church just up the hill was called to bless the house.

And that dear readers is where the story ends, for no further reports in the local newspapers were made. Whether the family moved out or the hauntings stopped, we don’t know but the story went down in local Lancaster folklore, well into the 1970s. As with all good stories and especially amongst local school children, the details changed over the years; the finger was green, it had a two foot long nail, it was from a child employee of Gillows who had lost their finger in a horrible accident. Later on, it ‘moved’ and was now terrorising people around Dalton Square (attributed to Dr Ruxton, naturally), if you felt a tap on your shoulder- death would soon follow- the variations on the story were endless.

Perhaps you remember this particular ghost story being told or other local spooky stories. I’d love to hear your tales. Happy Halloween!