Gillian Bennett | Letters to Ambrose Merton # 22, 2000

This text appeared in the Buxton Advertiser, 24 June 1933, where it is attributed to “an old copy of the Longnor Parish Magazine”. It was noted by Gillian Bennett, who suggests that the story is reminiscent of The Devil in the Disco.

The White Lady of Longnor comes out of the adjacent Black Pool, and flits about the roads. She was disappointed in love, rural gossips say, and so perambulates at the old trysting time, in hope to meet her faithless swain once more, and find him true.

She has been seen almost within living memory. On one occasion, Hughes, “the parson’s man”, of Longnor saw what he believed to be a graceful and stylish young damsel walking towards him, apparently expectant of a kind welcome.

Hughes was nothing loth to afford it her, so, as she drew near, he opened his arms wide to encircle her with a fervent embrace. But she had “melted into air”, into thin air”; or, in his own words, he thought to clasp warm flesh and blood, “an theer wor nuthin”.

In the same parish there used to be a public house called “The Villa” where much junketing, merrymaking, and dancing was in vogue amongst the rustics on high days and holidays.

Here there suddenly appeared amongst the pleasure party a sweet, fresh lovesome girl, dressed all in white, as if for a festal occasion.

She danced with one swain after another, and the fun grew fast and furious till at length the more sedate members of the party began to exchange suspicious glances, and suddenly the whisper went forth, “The White Lady of Longnor”.

The whisper had barely gone the round when the place of the strange visitor was void. She had disappeared as suddenly and unaccountably as she came. This was her wont, and the party, in compliance, broke up and dispersed.

As a labourer, who was practically a contemporary of the incident, remarked, “Theer was never no more dancin’ at ‘The Villa’ “.