This is the tale of Loftus hall, which is located in Hooks head, County Wexford, Ireland. See the video of the legend first, then below, we will discuss all the facts we know and possible theories. See here for more on the spirits of Loftus Hall.

 As with many legends like the one above there are several versions of it.  Let us take a look at some of the adaptions.

Other adaptations of the story.

• It is rumoured that Anne spent 10 years after the event locked away. 

• Apparently, there is still a hole in the ceiling through which the devil was meant to have shot through. This hole could either not be or was not repaired.

• A Catholic priest, Father Thomas Broaders, was successful in giving the hall an exorcism. It is popularly reported that his headstone contains the inscription “Here lies the body of Thomas Broaders, who did good and prayed for all, and who banished the devil from Loftus Hall”. However, there is no evidence such inscriptions exist.  Furthermore, the spooky goings-on seemed to continue at Loftus hall.

•  A baby’s skeleton was found in a wall, later on during renovations at the hall. Many say that this was Anne’s baby.

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Documented Facts about Anne and the Tottenham Family.

Anne Tottenham was born in 1744. Her father was indeed Charles Tottenham and her mother was Ann Loftus. ​Ann Loftus was born at Loftus Hall. She married Charles in 1742.  Given that her family owned Loftus Hall, it is safe to say both she and her husband either lived or spent a lot of time there. Records show the whole Tottenham family lived and died in this area.

Anne Tottenham was the second eldest child born to her parents.  She had one older brother, three younger, and one younger sister.  Anne’s mother died on 10 November 1768, at the age of 50. Her father remarried his cousin Jane Cliffe in around 1770. It seems the family continued to live/ stay at Loftus hall. 

 There are no records that I can find of Anne marrying or having children. I can find records of her siblings’ marriages and records of their children. This included Anne’s younger sister, Elizabeth who married at the age of 22.

Anne died on 1 November 1775  at the age of 31.

Jane Loftus’s version of the story.

In 1882 a story appeared in a newspaper telling the tale of the devil’s visit to Loftus hall. This story was told to Queen Victoria by Jane Loftus, Marchioness of Ely, who had married into the Loftus family. Jane was a lady of the bed chamber and a close friend of Queen Victoria. 

 Jane thought it would be a good idea that the queen visited Loftus hall. It would certainly help with the status and reputation of the Loftus family! She instructed her son to renovate the Hall. The baby’s skeleton was supposedly found during the renovations. I have not found any documented evidence to support this.

Later, Jane stated that the family preferred the devil story to what really happened to Anne. However, she never gave the truth as to what exactly happened.

More rumours than facts.

It is said a stranger did indeed call the house, asking for shelter, and was rather taken by Anne.  But we have several confusing scenarios as to what happened next.  The first is that Anne’s father would not allow the pair to marry for some reason, potentially because of the stranger’s low status. Charles was a member of Ireland’s parliament, so the Tottenham family were of high status.  Another is that the stranger left without Anne, in some stories, he left her pregnant.

After the stranger left, a broken-hearted Anne confided herself to her room, or that she was hidden away in disgrace. Other rumours stated she went mad with grief.

In regards to Anne being pregnant, and the baby’s skeleton being found – There seem to be two different rumours. One, the child was stillborn, and the second the baby was killed by Anne’s parents to save them from shame and embarrassment.

 I can find no evidence of either happening. But, this still does not mean Anne did not have a baby. If the child was born out of wedlock they wouldn’t want people to know about it. Also, records from this time are a little sketchy. We simply just do not know the truth.

A cover-up?

It is said Anne’s, Father and stepmother preferred to keep the devil’s story alive to explain away, the strange paranormal happenings that were said to have been witnessed at the time (more on that in part 2), as well  Anne’s state of mind.
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This may seem odd to us today,  but to a family of status in the late 1800s, it would have been socially unacceptable to have a daughter pregnant out of wedlock, or one who had developed some mental health issues. It was not unheard of for families to hide away members who had mental issues or other ailments.

There is the possibility that Anne simply did not want to marry who her father thought she should, and this was the reason she was confined to her room. Of course, we can not rule out that there are missing records and she lived a happy but short life. Potentially, Anne’s name was somehow dragged into the story.  I guess we may never know.
Whatever the truth is, I only hope that Anne managed to find her peace.

Click here for Loftus Hall Part two.