Harrowing deaths in 'most haunted village' after man's remains found in hidden room

Workers at a 15th-century Cotswold manor stumbled upon a chilling find when they unearthed a hidden chamber housing the skeletons of a man seated at a table and a dog at his feet.

The skeletal remains of Francis Lovell were discovered eerily upright at a table, surrounded by books, paper and pens, as if frozen in time, leaving his cause of death shrouded in mystery.

Eerie whispers continue to circulate centuries later that Francis and his loyal canine companion still haunt the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall, nestled beside the River Windrush in Oxfordshire.

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Cotswolds.com describes Minster Lovell as 'the region's most haunted village', largely due to the ghostly apparitions of the Lovell family, who are rumoured to frequent the area long after their demise.

The hall was erected in the 1430s on the site of an older building by William, 7th Baron Lovell, a veteran of the renowned Battle of Agincourt. He also revamped the village church, believed to be his final resting place, although there is no inscription or documentary evidence to substantiate this claim, reports Gloucestershire Live.

Minster Lovell Hall served as the primary residence of the Lovell family throughout much of the 15th century, even hosting Richard III as a guest of Francis, William's grandson. However, their close association with Richard proved disastrous when the family's estates were seized following the Battle of Bosworth, and the village was handed over to Jasper Tudor, uncle of Henry VII.

However, it seems Francis wasn't prepared to give up, and in 1487 he barricaded himself and his dog inside a concealed chamber.

The only person aware of his actions was a faithful servant, who held the sole key.

According to History UK, he remained there until workmen stumbled upon the underground vault and his skeletal remains during reconstruction work in 1708.

But Francis wasn't the only fatality at the hall.

Cotswolds Journeys reports William's bride vanished during a game of hide and seek on her wedding night, never to be seen again.

Then, years afterwards, a servant discovered the corpse of a young woman dressed in wedding attire, preserved in a lead-lined chest used for storing food.

One man who maintains he's had a close encounter with paranormal activity at Minster Lovell is Jonathan, who wrote on Darkling Room that he experienced a "strange atmosphere" upon entering the hall's dovecote.

Jonathan said: "Upon entering, we were both immediately aware of the strange atmosphere around us. The bright daytime was gone, and an eerie atmosphere was enhanced by the dusky hues within. All was quiet."

He also maintained he'd captured photographic proof of some sort of entity: "I took a photograph of the roof beams... I was more than a little startled to see a large white mass appearing to the right-hand side of the image.

"It took me a moment to react, and sadly I panicked almost immediately. There was something very peculiar about the image, and my instinct was to leave the confined space, and return to the daylight beyond the small door."

Sir Thomas Coke, the Earl of Leicester, bought the manor in 1602, with his descendants overseeing its demolition for building materials during the mid-18th Century.

The mediaeval dovecote in the adjacent field can now only be seen from outside, whilst the remainder of the hall remains accessible to visitors.

Minster Lovell Hall sits three miles west of Witney off the A40, and can be reached by following the English Heritage signs from the village.