The history of Ireland’s most haunted buildings

According to legend, one stormy night a stranger approached Loftus Hall on horseback and was invited in by the Tottenham family who were living there at the time. While playing cards with the stranger, the young Lady Anne Tottenham dropped a card and while bending down to retrieve it, she caught a glimpse of the stranger under the table – he had cloven hoofs instead of feet! With that, the stranger shot through the roof. Lady Anne never recovered from her ordeal and was locked in the tapestry room where she died years later. Servants and family members reported seeing her ghost wander the house at night. The hole in the roof where the stranger, believed to be the devil, shot through could never be repaired.

The first castle was built in the 12th century by Raymond Le Gros on the Hook Peninsula. It was replaced in 1350 and became known as Redmond Hall. In the mid 1600’s the Loftus family were granted extensive lands in Co. Wexford and soon made Redmond Hall, later Loftus Hall, their principal seat. An inscription ‘Henry Loftus of Loftus Hall Esq 1680’ can be seen at Postersgate, a townland close to Loftus Hall. The Loftus family were later granted the title of Marquis of Ely. Between 1872 to 1884 the 4th Marquis refurbished the house to what it is known today.

The earliest record we have identified relating to Loftus Hall among our archives is a memorial in the Registry of Deeds for a deed of Lease and Release dated the 3 and 4 August 1736. The Lease is between Nicholas Loftus, the elder, of Loftus Hall and his eldest son and heir Nicholas Loftus, the younger, of the one part and Lieutenant General Owen Wynne and Robert Savage of the other part. The Release part of the deed is in Quinquepartite meaning it is divided between five parties and relates to the intended marriage between Nicholas the younger and Mary Hume.  Many lands are noted as part of the Lease and Release including Loftus Hall and Lighthouse in Co Wexford.

While there are many property transactions recorded for the Loftus family, and the later Earls or Marquis of Ely, searching the Registry of Deeds records to locate further memorials relating to Loftus Hall specifically has been unfruitful. However valuation records help us trace the ownership of Loftus Hall and much of the surrounding townland in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, and up to the present day. It remained with Marquis’ of Ely until the mid-1900’s when other names are recorded as occupiers and Immediate Lessors, and became a hotel in the 1990s.

The main keep was built between the 13th and 15th centuries for the O’Bannon Clan who served the ruling O’Carroll’s. Later the castle was passed by marriage to the Darby family. In 1889 Jonathan Charles Darby married Mildred Dill, who was very interested in the supernatural and was an author of gothic novels. Mildred was known to hold séances in the castle which were said to have awakened spirits within the castle.

A deed dated 6th November 1889 was registered at the Registry of Deeds.

The deed was a Grant of Rent Charge (similar to an annuity) between Jonathan Charles Darby of Leap Castle, Mildred Henrietta Gordon Dill, John Frederick and Robert Charles Gordon Dill surgeons on the intended marriage between Jonathan and Mildred. The memorial recites that Mildred shall receive during her life a yearly rent charge of £350 and that on Jonathan’s death, she should have the right to reside in and have use of the mansion house or castle known as Leap Castle, the outhouses, gardens and of the furniture and household effects. The property would pass to a son of this intended marriage when he reached the age of 21 years and if no such son should attain such age, Mildred would retain the right to reside in the house for her whole life.

Within the Valuation archives, the Valuation Map of the area from 1895 identifies Leap Castle.

Here we see the Valuation record from the timeframe 1892 to 1896 for Leap which records Jonathan C Darby as the occupier of area 1A identified in the 1895 map of the area.