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Celebrities who appeared at the Kenton No.6. Mary Blandy |
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Written by Bill Port
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 I can hear you scoffing right now.
"How can someone who died in the eighteenth century appear at the Kenton?"
Well, Mary Blandy was undoubtedly a celebrity in her time and she DID
appear at the Kenton. The fact that these incidents are almost 250 years apart
makes it all the more interesting.
Mary Blandy was born in Henley in 1721, the daughter of Francis Blandy, a
well-known Oxfordshire lawyer and Town Clerk of Henley. The family lived a
comfortable life style in their house in Hart Street next to St Mary?s
Church. In the late 1740s, Francis Blandy became concerned that his daughter
seemed destined to remain a spinster and he let it be known that Mary would
have a dowry of £10,000 ( a tremendous sum in those days!) when she married
but this did not attract any suitors until she met Captain the Honourable
William Henry Cranstoun at a garden party at Paradise House, the home of his
uncle, Lord Mark Ker. Mary's father was delighted at the prospect of a
son-in-law from the Scottish aristocracy and invited Cranstoun to reside with
them when he was demobilized from the army.
Francis Blandy's delight was overturned when Lord Mark Ker informed him
that his nephew was already married. He forbade Cranstoun ever to see Mary
again. It is obvious that Cranstoun?s main interest was the £10,000 and he
sent Mary a "love philtre" suggesting that she gave it to her father to
overcome his dislike. As instructed, Mary gave her father the powders with his
meals and he died. Tests showed that the powders contained arsenic.
Cranstoun fled, first of all to Scotland and a few weeks later to France.
Mary was arrested and came to trial at the Oxford Assizes (held in the Hall
of Divinity School, the normal venue being under repair) on March 3rd
1752. The trial lasted thirteen hours at the end of which Mary was found guilty
and sentenced to death. She was hanged on April 6th and her body was
transported to Henley where it was buried in the chancel of St Mary's Church
between the bodies of her parents. The service was conducted by the Rev.
William Stockwood. Now Click on "Read more"
In November of the same year, Cranstoun was found dead in a hotel room in
Northern France.
Mary Blandy appeared at the Kenton on the night of Saturday 10th April
2004. A party from the Ghost Club Society accompanied by Bryan Villars and
myself spent the night in the complete dark of the auditorium. At around
2.45am we all saw a mysterious light about four feet in height moving up and
down the aisle. A photograph was taken by the GCS secretary. Later a
questioning session was held and the 'ghost' claimed to be Mary Blandy. Asked why
she had come to the theatre the reply was that she had come to see a play
about herself which she did not like. Later checking revealed that a play
called "The Hanging Wood" by Joan Morgan about Mary Blandy had been performed
in the theatre in 1969 and was not well received.
Despite several other overnight visits to the theatre Mary Blandy has not
made a return appearance, Perhaps she will oblige in November when another "
ghost hunt" has been arranged.
I have an adapted copy of the play "The Hanging Wood" if any company
would like to perform it.
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