Traditionally, ghosts are often associated with hidden treasure. Sometimes it is said that they have forgotten where it lies and are searching desperately; sometimes, that they feel guilty over depriving the living of money and want to show someone where it is. The Braishfield ghost, however, is credited with unpleasant motives. In 1937, a member of the Braishfield Women’s Institute wrote that many years previously a wealthy woman hid her money somewhere near a lonely cottage, and had told nobody, for fear it might be stolen. Soon afterwards she fell ill and was taken to hospital, where she died without revealing her secret.
Since then her ghost has been seen or heard many times wandering round outside the cottage, or even knocking at its door, but those who were living there in the 1930s declared that they were quite used to the noises and took little notice. Sometimes dogs were aware of her presence even though she could not be seen, and would snarl and growl. The general opinion at that time was that the ghost wanted to prevent anybody from finding the hidden wealth.
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SOURCE:
Haunted England : The Penguin Book of Ghosts – Written by Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson –
Copyright © Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson 2005, 2008