By Perigord Grailstone.
Some years ago there was quite a stir in the neighbourhood of Burton Agnes Hall, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, owing to the worthy Baronet who owns the property removing a skull which had been in the home of the Boynton family from "the days whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contrary."
The present Baronet, however, thought the skull had occupied its position long enough, and had frightened servants and page boys into fits for as many years as such a weird relic ought to do. Having thoroughly settled his mind on this point, he called in his gardeners and instructed them to remove the relic of his ancestors. They did so, and duly buried the skull in the garden.
Strange to relate, that no sooner was this done than dismal, unearthly noises were heard by night. The cries issuing from the vicinity of the skull were, in fact, fearful in their intensity; in the daytime, ever after the burial of the relic, accidents of all kinds took place, and everything in and about the hall went wrong. The servants were simply frantic, and threatened to leave in a body. The more superstitious, in fact, had already left.
The remaining scion of the house of Boynton saw that unless he did something to appease the superstitious feelings of his household he would be left alone; so he made the best of a bad job and ordered his niece to replace the skull in its original resting-place. The relic was dug up, and consigned to a cupboard in the hall, right on the spot it formerly occupied, and by way of a trial it was walled in. To this mode of procedure the skull evidently had no objection, for peace has reigned in the hall ever since.
Yorkshire Gazette, Saturday 28th June 1890.
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