On a
stormy winter's night as the family relaxed before a
roaring log fire, a stranger
arrived on horseback, and was invited to stay the night.
After the refreshments he participated in a game of cards. During the
game a card fell upon the floor. A lady who bent down to retrieve the
fallen card was shocked to discover that the stranger had a cloven foot!
Immediately she screamed in terror. The "stranger" vanished
through the ceiling in a puff of smoke. Apparently, this was just one of
a
succession of terrifying experiences associated with Loftus Hall.
Fr. Thomas Broaders was called upon to exorcise the disturbing evil
spirit, and his powers worked! Fr. Broaders later became parish priest
of
the united parishes of the Hook and Ramsgrange for almost fifty
years.
Canon Broaders died in January, 1773, and on his tomb in Horetown
Cemetery is the following epitaph;
"here
lies the body of Thomas Broaders,
Who did good and prayed for all.
And banished the Devil from Loftus Hall."
The
Loftus Hall in which the ghostly happenings occurred was levelled to the
ground in 1871 and the present mansion was erected in its
place.
It is a
three storey non-basement mansion with a nine bay front. It has a balustraded parapet. One of the features of the mansion is a
magnificent hand carved oak
staircase. There are other fine examples of good craftsmanship too.
Loftus Hall was occupied by the Benedictines from 1917 to 1935, and by
the Rossminians from 1937 until 1983.
Loftus Hall stands on 70 acres of land and includes five reception rooms and
twenty-two bedrooms. |
