Berkeley Square

   The origins of accounts connected to alleged haunting,

especially in terms of English literary sources, 

 is of special interest to me.

I read the review of the Berkeley Square story in Fortean Times at Christmas, 

and thought I would add a few things to the detail there.

In it Elliot O'Donnell's often dubious contribution to the literature

Was mentioned. Alas it does seem that a lot of the early "investigators" 

Didn't refrain from embellishment. 

Elliot seems to have given different stories and asked his audience 

to choose which they preferred, but some of these other variations and embellishments were false, and one of the most famous,

which keeps being regurgitated is the business of the two sailors, who broke 

into the premises,  as they were homeless and seeking shelter for the night.

Underwood, who really ought to have known better, quoted this tale in Haunted London, saying that they were terrified when something "shapeless and horrible" oozed into the room. One allegedly escaped to find a policeman, but the other was found dead in the garden, by the policeman, when he arrived, with his neck broken. 

This story originates with O'Donnell, in  his Ghosts Helpful and Harmful"(1923)

 and is also in his "Screaming Skulls" (paperback version 1964) pages151-4

I took copies of all the Notes and Queries letters from 1872 to 1881

And other material. The tale of someone staying in the haunted room, and a maid who goes mad, was apparently mentioned in a letter from Jan 22 1871, 

by Bishop Thirlwall, which "originated"the story, 

seemed to have been a case of Chinese whispers, perhaps only  the re-narration

of the story by Rhodes Broughton, which she created for her "Twilight  Stories"

 published in "Temple Bar"in 1868. 

It's hard to say, as that letter, or its alleged date, appears to be absent

 from the on-line collection of the Bishop's letters, which I've also seen.

The specific story IS told in a series of letters  and is called :

"The Truth, The Whole Truth and nothing but the Truth"

I found the book on-line eventually, so hunt around, you may find it, too.

I would estimate that Bulmer  Lytton's famous "Hunter and the Haunted" probably owes a lot to Rhodes Broughton's story too.

It's worth looking at all of these stories before believing this ghost story

As repeated, and the review in FT  does an excellent job.