The Haunted History of Larkfield Priory and Its Grounds

The land upon which the Hamlet Hotel Maidstone stands carries centuries of human history, tragedy, and transformation that have woven together to create one of Kent’s most compelling haunted locations. From ancient Roman settlements to Civil War battlefields, from public executions to romantic tragedy, the grounds of what was once known as Larkfield Priory have witnessed the full spectrum of human experience.

Ancient Foundations and Roman Heritage

Archaeological evidence suggests that the immediate area surrounding the hotel has been continuously occupied since Roman times. Remnants of Roman villas discovered in the vicinity indicate that this fertile land along the River Medway has long been recognised for its strategic value and agricultural potential. The Romans, with their characteristic eye for defensive positions and transport routes, established settlements here that would influence the area’s development for centuries to come.

The name “Larkfield” itself derives from the Saxon period, when this area was known as Larkfield farm - a reference to the abundant skylarks that nested in these Kent meadows. This pastoral setting would later provide an ironic contrast to the violence and suffering that would mark significant periods in the site’s history.

The Shadow of Penenden Heath

Perhaps no single location has cast a darker shadow over the hotel’s history than nearby Penenden Heath, visible from the hotel grounds. For centuries, this elevated area served as Kent’s primary site for public executions, earning a grim reputation that extended throughout medieval and early modern England.

Edward Hasted, the authoritative 18th-century historian of Kent, documented the heath’s sinister purpose in his comprehensive “History of Kent” (1798), noting: “on a conspicuous hill on the opposite side of the heath, though in Maidstone parish, is the gallows, for the public execution of criminals condemned at the assizes.” The proximity of these gallows to what would become the hotel site created an atmosphere of dread that locals believed could attract restless spirits.

The gallows witnessed the execution of various criminals from the medieval period through to 1830, when the last public hanging took place. Among the most documented cases were the execution of six women for witchcraft in 1652 and the controversial hanging of James Coigly, a United Irishman executed for treason in 1798. Coigly’s case was particularly contentious, as he maintained his innocence to the end and died without final absolution - circumstances that folklore often associates with restless spirits.

The Battle of Maidstone: A Landscape Scarred by War

The most violent chapter in the area’s history unfolded on 1 June 1648, when the grounds witnessed or bordered the fierce fighting of the Battle of Maidstone during the Second English Civil War. The Royalist forces, led by George Goring, Earl of Norwich, had assembled over 7,000 men on Penenden Heath in May 1648, making this very area the staging ground for what would become one of the war’s bloodiest engagements.

When Sir Thomas Fairfax’s Parliamentary army of 4,000 veteran soldiers approached Maidstone, the preliminary skirmishes began on the heath itself. The fighting then moved into the town, where it became savage urban warfare lasting throughout the day. Contemporary accounts describe the rain-soaked battle as particularly brutal, with Royalist defenders fighting from barricade to barricade as they retreated through the town streets.

The psychological impact of such violence on the local landscape cannot be underestimated. Military historians note that approximately 300 Royalists were killed in the fighting, with many more wounded, while 1,300 prisoners were eventually held in All Saints Church. The trauma of such wholesale slaughter, combined with the area’s existing association with execution and death, created what many paranormal researchers believe to be ideal conditions for residual hauntings.

The Georgian Manor and the Wigan Family

By the 18th century, a substantial manor house had been established on the Larkfield farm site. The property gained particular historical significance when it became the residence of the Reverend William Lewis Wigan and his family. The Reverend Wigan, a respected local clergyman, represented the kind of educated, prosperous Victorian family whose substantial households required numerous domestic servants - including the young women who would have served as maidservants, chambermaids, and kitchen staff.

The social structure of such households was rigidly hierarchical, with clear divisions between the family quarters and the servants’ areas. Female domestic staff, in particular, lived under strict moral supervision, with any transgression of sexual propriety resulting in immediate dismissal and social ruin. This context provides crucial background for understanding the tragic circumstances that would later be associated with Charlotte’s story.

Following the Reverend’s death in 1876, his family continued to reside at the estate, maintaining the Victorian domestic arrangements that would have shaped the daily lives of their servants. The household would have employed numerous staff, including maidservants who lived and worked in the service areas that would later become the hotel’s older wing.

The 1892 Fire: Catalyst for Tragedy

A pivotal moment in the property’s history occurred in 1892, when a devastating fire severely damaged the Wigan family residence. The blaze was significant enough to require extensive restoration work, fundamentally altering the building’s structure and marking a dramatic interruption in the household’s routine.

While some early accounts incorrectly linked Charlotte’s death to this fire, verified historical research indicates that her tragedy was personal rather than architectural - stemming from her forbidden relationship with a groundsman and the social catastrophe of unmarried pregnancy. However, the fire’s impact on the household would have created considerable disruption, potentially affecting all residents and staff during this turbulent period.

The restoration following the fire created the Victorian structure that largely survives today, with its characteristic blend of original Georgian elements and late 19th-century architectural features. This renovation work would have required substantial rebuilding in the servants’ quarters, perhaps disturbing areas where Charlotte had lived and worked during her brief, tragic life.

The Transformation to Hotel and the Emergence of Charlotte

The building’s conversion to the Larkfield Priory Hotel in the 1970s marked a new chapter in its history, but one that would soon reveal the persistence of its troubled past. It was during the hotel’s early decades that reports of paranormal activity began to surface, with guests and staff reporting unexplained sobbing sounds and mysterious disturbances.

The 1980s proved to be a particularly active period for Charlotte’s manifestations. Her disruptions became so severe that hotel management felt compelled to call in a professional medium to investigate the phenomena. This investigation confirmed not only Charlotte’s presence but revealed that she was not alone - the medium detected multiple spirits associated with the property, though Charlotte remained the most active and distressed.

The medium’s findings provided the first detailed account of Charlotte’s story, revealing her identity as a young maidservant whose tragic love affair with a groundsman led to pregnancy and death. This revelation connected the contemporary paranormal experiences with the harsh social realities of Victorian domestic service, explaining why Charlotte’s manifestations often involve such profound emotional distress.

Modern Legacy and Ongoing Manifestations

The hotel’s 2016 rebranding as Hamlet Hotel Maidstone brought new refurbishments and renovations, which reportedly stirred increased paranormal activity. Guests continue to report encounters with Charlotte’s presence, particularly the heart-wrenching sobbing sounds that have become her signature manifestation.

The consistency of these reports across multiple decades, combined with the site’s documented history of tragedy and social injustice, creates a compelling case for genuine paranormal activity. Charlotte’s story has become inseparable from the hotel’s identity, ensuring that her brief, tragic life continues to be remembered and acknowledged.

The grounds of Hamlet Hotel Maidstone thus represent a unique convergence of historical trauma - from ancient Roman occupation through Civil War violence, from public executions to personal tragedy. This layered history of human suffering and social injustice provides a rich context for understanding why the site continues to generate supernatural phenomena that connect past and present in ways that transcend ordinary experience.