Artists
impression of
the White Lady
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However,
Sophie had another relative in America and decided that she
must try to make contact to ask for help.
She left a note for the Wildmans to let them know what she was
doing and set off for Nottingham aiming to catch the stagecoach
to London.
She did not realise just how kindly the Wildmans thought of
her. When Mrs Wildman read the note Sophie had left explaining
her situation she spoke to her husband and they immediately
dispatched a rider to catch Sophie and offer her accommodation
in the grounds of Newstead for the rest of her life.
The horse and rider set off in hot pursuit and reaching the
Market Square found a great crowd gathered around a horse and
cart outside the Black Boy pub.
Intrigued, the rider dismounted and pushed through the people
to find Sophie lying on the ground – dead. She had been
run over by the cart, not hearing the drayman’s warning.
She can now be seen wandering through her beloved gardens, especially
along one path now known as White Lady’s Walk.
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