The house is said to be haunted by the apparition of Sir Edmund Verney, who was the King’s Standard Bearer at the Battle of Edgehill in 1642. When surrounded, he refused to surrender the colours stating, “My life is my own, my Standard is the King’s”. The Roundheads then killed him, but in death they could not prize the Standard from his clutched hand. Instead, the merciless soldiers hacked off the hand that held the Standard.

 

However, when the Standard was later recaptured, the severed hand of Sir Edmund was recognised by the signet ring bearing the King’s portrait. The hand was sent to Claydon for burial, but the rest of his body was never recovered. It is believed that his ghost has been sighted on the Red Stairs, seeking for his lost appendage. His mournful apparition has also been reported looking out from the windows, in various rooms and in the grounds.

 

A Lady in Grey has also been reported, and some have suggested that this is Florence Nightingale, as her sister Penelope was the second wife of Sir Henry Verney and resided at the property. However, the description appears to be of an "indistinct" figure, therefore making identification unlikely.

 

Other phenomena include the sounds of footsteps in corridors.