The Brown Lady

A mysterious figure has haunted Raynham Hall for over two hundred years. The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall was a real woman, Lady Dorothy Walpole. Caught between the political ambitions of her brother, Robert Walpole, who became the first prime minister of Great Britain, her husband, Lord and later Viscount Charles Townshend, and an old lover Thomas Wharton, yet another famous politician, Dorothy became entangled in political games and lovers quarrels. Charles was originally a rejected...
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A mysterious figure has haunted Raynham Hall for over two hundred years. The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall was a real woman, Lady Dorothy Walpole. Caught between the political ambitions of her brother, Robert Walpole, who became the first prime minister of Great Britain, her husband, Lord and later Viscount Charles Townshend, and an old lover Thomas Wharton, yet another famous politician, Dorothy became entangled in political games and lovers quarrels. Charles was originally a rejected potential spouse of Dorothy, as Dorothy's father had helped raise the young Townshend, and didn't want their union to be seen as favoritism. After Charles' first wife and Dorothy's father both died, it was seen as acceptable for the two to marry. However, a past relationship with the wildly popular yet rakish Thomas Wharton, colored Dorothy's relationship with Charles.Charles' jealously over her successful and politically ambitious brother, Robert Walpole, also soured their marriage. Dorothy's death was sudden and as mysterious as the hauntings in the Hall. She was buried quickly and without fanfare after a short battle with smallpox. But rumors quickly spread about the true nature of the demise of the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall.