'Wild Will'
Story by Webmaster. On a stormy winters night in the year of 1575, Mother Barnes, a midwife from Berkshire, Great Shefford was awoken suddenly at her home to the sound of knocking on her door to which she quickly answered to find a man standing there with his face covered by a scarf. She asked ‘ Can I help ‘to which he quickly replied ‘ Can you come with me, as I have a sick lady which need your attention’ and offered her a reward of gold coins on the condition that she asked no questions. To this she agreed and quickly climbed aboard the coach and horses outside her home.
After travelled some miles over the Downs the masked man stopped the coach and said to her that from this point of the journey you are to be blindfolded.
After many more miles the horse and coaches slowly came to a halt. Still blindfolded, she was quickly taken from the coach in to a house and led up a staircase to a bedroom to which her blindfold was removed.
In front of her was a lady in the last stage of labour and to her side was a man who told Mother Barnes to deliver the child.
Immediately, after the child’s delivery, the man ordered Mother Barnes to place the child on to the fire.
Mother Barnes couldn’t believe what was asked of her and rightly refused, to that the man took the child and threw it into the flames.
Mother Barnes was once again blindfolded and led down the stairs to the awaiting coach and again was told to never discuss any of what had happened and she was promptly returned to her cottage.
After returning home, Mother Barnes sickened by what she had experienced the night before presented this story to the local magistrate and it was quickly learnt that this unlawful act was committed by a William Darrell of Littlecote House near Chilton Foliat and that the evidence that Mrs Barnes produced was enough to have William Darrell arrested.
William Darrell, suspiciously was acquitted of murder and was later released
One of many possible reasons for William Darrell acquittal of this crime was that the judge at the trial was related to him.
A story that was circulating around the village was that William Darrell killed this child because the woman who was pregnant was his sister and this is incest and of course a crime.
William Darrell, later broke his neck after he was thrown from his horse and now his ghost has been seen on many occasions on the grounds of Littlecote Manor where he was killed.
Also seen in the bedroom of Littlecote Manor is the midwife who is said to be seen on her knees next to the fire place.
A spectral coach has been seen in the surrounding area of Littlecote.
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