Ghost
The Athelhampton ape
Listen for scratching behind the oak.
See it clearly
- What's there
- Tudor manor house with formal gardens
- Legend from
- Family tradition
- Tone
- Eerie
A pet ape shut behind the panelling, still scratching to get out.
The house tells of a pet ape that Sir William Martyn, a trader, brought home on a ship from the New World. A Martyn daughter, forbidden to marry the man she loved, hid in a secret room behind the panelling of the Great Chamber. The ape followed her in unseen. When she left, the door shut behind it and it starved. The house says it is still seen sitting in the Great Chamber, and scratching is heard behind the panels at night. The Dorset History Centre also tells the story.