The following account is from ‘The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain’ by John Ingram (1897).  But where is Barton Hall near Bath?

The following account is from ‘The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain’ by John Ingram (1897).  But where is Barton Hall near Bath?

Another narrative told in the same number of the periodical cited refers to another haunted residence in the vicinity of Bath, and is, if equally inexplicable, certainly more blood-curdling. It relates to Barton Hall, and the circumstances are asserted bv its narrator to be " oerfectlv true/’ and to have occurred but a very short time since (1868) to two young ladies, sisters, from whom the facts were derived, on the occasion of their visit to the Hall.

"They had retired” says the account, "to the chamber occupied by both, and the elder sister was already in bed. The younger was kneeling before the fire. The door opened softly, and a woman, entering, crossed the apartment, and bent down before a chest of drawers, as if intending to open the lower one. Thinking it was one of the maids, the young lady who was in bed accosted her. “Is that you, Mary? What are you looking for there?”

"Her sister, who was before the fire, had risen to her feet, and turned towards the woman. In the act she uttered a loud shriek, and, staggering back, fell half-fainting on the bed. The other sprang up, and followed the intruder, who seemed to retreat quickly into an adjoining dressing-room. The young lady entered. It was empty.

‘Returning to her sister, the latter, who had recovered from her consternation, explained the cause of her outcry. The woman, in turning to meet her, displayed a human countenance, but devoid of eyes.’