Sarah Whitehead
Ghost said to haunt the Bank of England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sarah Whitehead is the reported name of a woman whose ghost is said to haunt the Bank of England; her ghost became known as The Black Nun.
Sarah Whitehead | |
|---|---|
Engraving of Whitehead from The New Wonderful Magazine | |
| Known for | Reputedly haunting the Bank of England |
Background
Whitehead's brother, Philip, was employed by the Bank of England from 1797 to 1810.[1] During his employment at the bank, Philip Whitehead "adopted an extravagent lifestyle" and began to speculate on the Stock Market.[1] The directors of the bank allowed him to resign, avoiding dismissal, and he set himself up as a stockbroker.[1] Meanwhile evidence came to light, demonstrating that Philip Whitehead had defrauded Robarts & Co. by "forging an acceptance to a Bill".[1] He was charged with forgery in 1811,[2] then executed on 29 January 1812.[1][3]
The news of her brother's conviction and execution was kept from his sister, Sarah Whitehead, as long as possible.[1] However, upon hearing the news, Whitehead's mental health became unstable and she visited the Bank daily, asking if he was there.[1] This continued until 1818, when the Directors offered Whitehead a financial grant on the condition that she stopped coming to the bank.[1] Whitehead wore black crepe clothing, which was a sign of mourning, and as a result became known as the 'Black Nun'.[1]
However, there is uncertainty over her identity, since there is no recorded 'Sarah Whitehead' in contemporary records.[4]
Ghost
Whitehead's ghost reputedly haunts the Bank of England, as well as the area on Threadneedle Street nearby.[5]
Legacy
Literature
The story of Whitehead and later on, her ghost, was repeatedly written about and serialised in newspapers in the nineteenth century.[1] The story was re-written as The Lady in Black, or, the Widow and the Wife by James Malcolm Rymer, as penny fiction from 1847-8.[4] Edith Sitwell reimagined Whitehead's story in her book English Eccentrics.[6] The myth of Whitehead's ghost appears in the poem New Year Letter by W H Auden.[4]
Theatre
In 1861 her story was portrayed on stage at the Bower Saloon Theatre on Stangate Street, Westminster Road.[1]
Hauntology
Whitehead's story features in several publications and events/programmes about ghosts in London, such as London Ghost Walks;[7] 'Lates' by the Bank of England Museum;[8] and Reader's Digest's List of '20 Most Haunted Places in London'.[9]
Historiography
Whitehead's story has been repeated in many formats, across a large number of years and the story of her ghost needs to considered against the historical background of concerns about forgery in the 1810s.[4] The story of her brother first appears in The Criminal Recorder in 1815.[10] Whitehead's story was first reported in The Times on 22 February 1828.[4] It was repeated and illustrated in Streetology in 1837.[4] In 1841, a date of death for Whitehead is reported for the first time.[11]
