The Holbeach Marsh Lavender Lady

The following ghost story was recounted in the Boston Standard of 1938:

Some years ago I was staying at my wife's lonely home in Holbeach Marsh Lincs. I was awakened from my sleep after midnight by a noise like the rubbing of two hands together. I looked towards the door and there sure enough stood a sweet old lady in lavender gown and white cap. She was rubbing her hands together and smiled at me as she did so. I sat up un bed and asked her what she wanted, but she made no reply. So I went towards her, and as I did so she gradually vanished.

The next morning I mentioned the apparition to the family at breakfast and they told me that others had seen the lavender lady. I asked them to write down a description of what had been seen and I wrote down what I had seen. When we compared notes they were identical - the lavender gown, the white cap, the smile and the ribbing of the hands together.