Ghost · Middle Claydon
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He would not let go of the King's banner, even in death.
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Claydon House is a National Trust property with seasonal opening, and the Verney monument can be seen in All Saints church beside it. The NT page would not load, so check opening times before you go.
Approaching Claydon: the King's standard bearer fell at Edgehill, and they say he still walks these stairs, looking for his hand.
Sir Edmund Verney carried the royal standard for Charles I at Edgehill on 23 October 1642, though he privately disliked the King's cause. He died in the battle and his body was never found. Family legend says his enemies could not loosen his grip on the standard, so they cut off his hand, and that the hand, still wearing a signet ring, was later sent home to Claydon and laid in the family vault. Soon his ghost was said to wander the Edgehill field, the Claydon woods and the house itself, searching for the missing hand. A tall cloaked figure reported on the Red Stairs around 1892 is often linked to him.