Lissan House
Lissan House
Lissan House has been home to the Stables family for over 400 years. The Stables Family themselves where very spiritual and enjoyed séances as a social event, often holding them in their house. The spirit of a famous artist who seemed to have followed his work to this hall is heard and seen throughout the house. As well as some of the former lords children. Though this location is not dangerous it is still none the less a great and friendly location to get started. With spectres that are only too happy to respond and provide substantial paranormal evidence.
Lissan House,
Ghost Hunting At Lissan House
Ghost Hunting at Lissan House
Lissan House has been subject to spirituality for over 400 years. With the resident family interacting with the other side for generations it is believed they actually opened a portal. Although it seems nothing terrible came through, it gives easy access to those who once held the manor dear.
First Floor Landing
Spirits of children are said to be most active in this part of the building. Residents have reported for many years hearing the cries of a child that echo through the house during the night. Some have tried to find the source of the noise and they see children running through the landing, both boys and girls. The most sighted spirit child however is a well dressed little girl. She has been seen by many guests and residents, standing with his hands behind his back looking directly at them, almost shy. When they try to ask who she is or approach her she simply vanishes.
On Some occasions guests have walked up onto the first floor and have found a group of children playing a game. One woman called out to them but they just ignored her and carried on playing. She watched amazed as the children got up in unison and skipped up the hall, around the corner and disappeared. At the times all of this activity has been reported there has never been a child in the house.
The Corridors
The most regular activity in Lissan House are heavy footsteps heard all through the house, but mainly marching up and down the corridors. The current owner got so used to this that she wouldn’t even bother getting up to check who it was. The scent of lavender is said to follow after the footsteps as well as cold spots. Servants would often bring fresh lavender into the house on a daily basis, which was a common commodity of the era. However is this residual?
Lissan House is active and undeniably haunted. But is it simply residual spirits? There have been intelligent responses in the past but not a great deal of them.
Ghosts of Lissan House
Ghosts of Lissan Hall
. The Barefoot Baron
. Children
The Barefoot Baron
There is a blue plaque on display outside the house that honours the artist Sir Robert Ponsonby Stables who lived in the house from 1853-1943. A lot of his paintings remain in the building today. Where he went his tools went, he was well known for stopping stranger with striking features in the street and sketching them, as well as memorable events. He was so attached to his work it would seem that Sir Robert stayed with his art. Sir Robert was adamant that he would never wear shoes. He believed that the shoes where preventing people from absorbing the earths energies so he would walk everywhere without shoes or socks. Earning him the name The Barefoot Baron
He is thought to be responsible for the male presence felt in the ancient manor home. Along with the heavy mans footsteps.
The Children of Lissan
The children of Lissan House are seen and heard frequently, but who are they? There were ofcourse children in Lissan House over the years, sons and daughters of nobles, children of servants or staff brought on play dates etc… All of the evidence gathered would suggest they are simply residual with the children ignoring and simply vanishes. However they appear together and interact with each other! So are residual manifestations just simply living memories, kind of like a movie just playing over and over? Are they memories of a single person or can they be of a collective group? Perhaps the children of Lissan are not residual will tell. Further investigation is needed and call out to the children, let’s see what happens.
Lissan House Location
PSI Intelligent Responses
A Look Around Lissan House
Additional History On Lissan House
The story of Lissan House begins with an adventurous and enterprising young lawyer, Thomas Staples who left Bristol c.1610 and made his way to Ireland, here to make a new life for himself and his followers. He built the first Staples home at Lissan, c.1620, using timber, stone and handmade bricks and set up an ironworks, felling great oaks for charcoal to smelt the ore.
In 1628 Charles I created him 1st Baronet of Lissan and Faughan Vale. It is his descendants who have lived here through times of poverty and prosperity, conflict and peace over four centuries. Mid 17th century, Thomas’ son Robert, the 4th Baronet, founded ‘The Big House’ much adapted, refashioned and embellished by subsequent generations and, over the centuries, the Staples themselves grew and flourished as well, contributing significantly to the local community, the Church, the law, business and to the Crown.
Unlike many Irish estates, Lissan survived the ravages of 19th and 20th century decline and, bearing witness to the trials and triumphs of 400 years of human endeavour, it now enters a new era at the heart the community.
Lissan House was at the heart of historic events mid 17th century when the O’Quinns seized control of the Iron works to make their weapons and throughout the centuries since many accomplished and vivid characters illuminate the fact and folklore of the Lissan story. Tales of dirty deeds and fierce family quarrels, romantic friendships and acts of admirable philanthropy spin like gold thread through the Staples’ history to prove beyond doubt that fact is often stranger than fiction and is infinitely more engaging.
The Rev. Thomas with his enterprising friends, opened up the mines at Coalisland in 1749 and employed the legendary Davis Ducart to design the White Bridge and Water Gardens at Lissan. In the 18th century, the Rt.Hon.John Staples MP, a cultured
well travelled gent married well the famous beauty Henrietta Molesworth. She was ‘a wonderful little lady with a wooden leg who burled around the countryside in her cabriolet ’. Their great great grandson was the much lauded CS Lewis. Sir Thomas Staples 9th Baronet QC married in 1813 the heiress known as ‘Handsome Kitty Hawkins’ and they added the beautiful Ballroom for musical soirees. Their nephew, ‘naughty Sir Nathaniel’ the 10th Baronet made further additions to the house and banished his wife, Lady Elizabeth in favour of the notorious Miss Potter. Sir Nathaniel’s sons each in turn brought drama to the household, not least the notable and eccentric Victorian artist Robert Ponsonby, ‘the Barefoot Baronet’. He called his children ‘the Chicks’ and it was his grand-daughter, Hazel who gave us Lissan.
The Barefoot Baron
Amongst the treasures of Lissan House there is a substantial collection of fine paintings and sketches by the artist Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples, 12th Baronet of Lissan and Faughanvale.
Youngest son of Sir Nathaniel Staples, ‘Ponsy’ was actually born in Dundee in 1853 but came to Lissan when his father inherited the Baronetcy and took up residence there in the 1870’s. His formal education had begun in 1865 when he enrolled in the Academy of Fine arts in Louvain, Belgium. Having studied also in Paris and Brussels he eventually moved to England where, through the patronage of his cousin, Sir Coutts Lindsay, he was introduced to London society. Staples’ charm, good humour and gregarious nature won him many new friends and potential clients as well as entrée to the grandest events on the social calendar. His close friendship with Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII ) is well documented and his circle of friends, many of whom were the subjects of his art, reads like a Who’s Who of the great and the good : Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt, William Morris, George Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain, Yvette Guilbert, Lily Langtry . . . .!
Though his main occupation was as a Sketch Artist – an illustrator for periodicals such as ‘Punch’ and ‘the Illustrated London News’ he was also a portraitist and landscape painter. Staples’ finest works are to be found in major collections. (egs. National Portrait Gallery London. National Gallery Dublin)
He favoured barefoot walking as an aid to health and so earned the nickname, the Barefoot Baronet.