Sir William Langhorne’s Ghost at Charlton House

Charlton House, completed in 1612, is one of England’s finest Jacobean mansions. Built by Sir Adam Newton, tutor to Prince Henry, it later passed to Sir William Langhorne, an East India merchant who became obsessed with producing an heir. He married late in life, desperately hoping for a son, but died childless in 1715 at age 85. His ghost, it seems, is still searching for the child he never had.

Sir William’s obsession with having an heir consumed his final years. He married much younger women in succession, hoping one would bear him a son, but remained childless. Local legend says he dabbled in dark magic and made pacts with entities he shouldn’t have, all in pursuit of offspring. When he died, disappointed and alone, his will revealed the depth of his obsession—everything was left to charity since he had no descendants. The house, which should have passed to his children, went to strangers.

His ghost is most often encountered in the bedrooms, particularly the one where he died. Witnesses report seeing an elderly man in 18th-century dress, looking anxious and searching. Female visitors have reported being touched by invisible hands, and some have heard an old man’s voice whispering urgently about needing an heir. The most disturbing reports come from visitors who bring children—multiple people have reported their young children saying an “old man” was asking them questions about their family. Staff have also reported finding doors to the bedrooms open when they were definitely locked, and the sounds of someone pacing back and forth in the upper floors when the building is empty. Sir William Langhorne, it appears, is still haunting his beautiful house, still desperate for the family he never had.