The Skull of Anne Griffith

Burton Agnes Hall in Yorkshire, England, is home to one of England’s famous “screaming skulls”—the preserved remains of Anne Griffith, who loved her family home so deeply that she demanded to remain there after death. When her wishes were ignored, her spirit made itself known with such violence that her skull was exhumed and eventually bricked into the walls of the house itself.

Anne Griffith

Anne Griffith was one of three daughters of Sir Henry Griffith, who built Burton Agnes Hall in the early seventeenth century. Anne had been deeply involved in the planning and construction of the house and loved it more than anything in the world.

In 1620, Anne was traveling when she was attacked by robbers. She was severely beaten and left for dead on the road. Carried home to Burton Agnes, she lingered for several days.

On her deathbed, Anne made her sisters promise that her head would be severed from her body after death and kept in the house forever. She could not bear the thought of being entirely removed from the home she loved. Her sisters, horrified by the request, agreed only to end her distress, never intending to honor such a macabre wish.

The Haunting

Anne died and was buried intact in the churchyard. Almost immediately, the haunting began.

Terrible screams echoed through the house at night. Doors slammed. Objects flew. The sounds of someone being beaten reverberated through the halls. The family could not sleep, and servants refused to stay.

The disturbances continued for days, growing worse rather than diminishing. The sisters finally confessed Anne’s dying wish to the local vicar, who agreed that the grave must be opened.

Exhumation

When Anne’s coffin was opened, the body was found intact—except for the head. The skull had somehow become completely separated from the body and had been cleaned of all flesh, as if it had been dead for years rather than days.

The skull was brought to Burton Agnes Hall, and the haunting immediately ceased. As long as the skull remained in the house, there was peace.

Attempts at Removal

Over the following centuries, various owners attempted to remove or destroy the skull. Each attempt was met with supernatural retribution.

One owner threw the skull into a passing cart to be carried away. The horses refused to move, rearing and screaming, until the skull was removed.

Another owner buried the skull in the garden. That night, screaming filled the house, and the following morning the skull was found sitting outside the front door.

A maid once removed the skull while cleaning. The house shook with such violence that she immediately returned it.

The Skull’s Current Location

Eventually, an owner had the skull bricked up somewhere within the walls of Burton Agnes Hall. Its exact location was kept secret and has never been disclosed to subsequent owners.

The haunting has not recurred since. Anne Griffith remains in her beloved home, her skull hidden somewhere within its walls, her wishes finally honored.

Assessment

The legend of Anne Griffith combines a documented historical figure with folklore motifs found in several English manor houses. Whether the skull is genuinely bricked into the walls, whether Anne’s ghost actually caused the disturbances, or whether the story has grown in the telling over four centuries is unknown.

What is certain is that Burton Agnes Hall honors the legend. The family has never attempted to locate and remove the skull, and Anne Griffith has become part of the house’s identity—a woman who loved her home so much that neither death nor burial could separate her from it.