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Ghost Story:
Mrs. Penn's tomb was disturbed-some say rifled-and the stalely monument which had been
erected over it moved to another part of the church.
This disturbance of her tomb disturbed also, it seemed, the soul of this excellent and
respected matron who had been well rewarded on earth for her many virtues, and who had no
reason to have her eternal peace disturbed. But disturbed it was.
Very soon after her grave had been so unceremoniously opened, Mrs. Penn's ghost
returned to her old rooms at Hampton Court. At first nothing but angry mutterings were heard
and the sound of a spinning-wheel. These sounds were so persistent and mysterious that
eventually the authorities made an investigation in the apartments where they seemed to be
coming from. They discovered a secret door leading to a room which had been closed and
forgotten for centuries, in which was found an ancient spinning-wheel together with a variety of
sixteenth-century curiosities.
Investigation of the Hampton Court records showed that this room had been occupied by
Mrs. Penn who had often used a spinning-wheel. Indeed the old oak flooring in the forgotten
room had been worn away by the treadle where it had touched the boards.
Mrs. Penn's ghost has been seen several times since, and people sleeping in the Palace
have been awoken by icy hands placed upon their faces, and over them bends Mrs. Penn, a
luminous figure clad in grey-a frightening experience.
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