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Let Loose
A tale of the sinister afterlife of Sir Robert Depard, a local magnate who lived a dissolute life in Yorkshire. The story is told by an unnamed gentleman who travels around Holland with his brother-in-law (Mr Blake) to study architecture. The gentleman wonders why Mr. Blake never takes off his high collar around his neck.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1890
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About the author
Mary Cholmondeley
102 books18 followersMary Cholmondeley was an English novelist.
The daughter of the vicar at St Luke's Church in the village of Hodnet, Market Drayton, Shropshire, England, where she was born, Cholmondeley spent much of the first thirty years of her life taking care of her sickly mother.
Selected writings
* The Danvers Jewels (1886)
* Sir Charles Danvers (1889)
* Let Loose (1890)
* Diana Tempest (1893)
* Devotee: An Episode in the Life of a Butterfly (1897)
* Red Pottage (1899)
* Prisoners (1906)
* The Lowest Rung (1908)
* Moth and Rust (1912)
* After All (1913)
* Notwithstanding (1913)
* Under One Roof (1917)
The daughter of the vicar at St Luke's Church in the village of Hodnet, Market Drayton, Shropshire, England, where she was born, Cholmondeley spent much of the first thirty years of her life taking care of her sickly mother.
Selected writings
* The Danvers Jewels (1886)
* Sir Charles Danvers (1889)
* Let Loose (1890)
* Diana Tempest (1893)
* Devotee: An Episode in the Life of a Butterfly (1897)
* Red Pottage (1899)
* Prisoners (1906)
* The Lowest Rung (1908)
* Moth and Rust (1912)
* After All (1913)
* Notwithstanding (1913)
* Under One Roof (1917)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 31, 2016
An archaeologist wonders why his colleague always wears high collars. One day, he gets the tale out of him: while investigating a medieval fresco in a remote, small-town crypt, he learns why the local priest was so very reluctant to lend him the keys.
June 4, 2021
**Dear audiobook narrator: “Chol-mon-delay”, is in fact pronounced “Chumley.”**
A man asks his brother in law why he always wears high starched collars and is told this story. [it's often a thing in these old novels, third person three times removed, or whatever. He's right there, why isn't HE telling us the story?]
He doesn't seem the frivolous type, so maybe he wasn't pulling his leg? eyes narrow.
Eager to see a 15th C fresco in a small chapel, he ventures to Wet Waste-on-the-Wolds, Yorkshire. He finds it locked in a crypt with double doors, and the aged reverend demands he lock one door behind him before opening the next, and the same in reverse. He does this, but he leaves the key in the door and is distracted sketching the fresco. He hears a scuttling noise, and notes a skull has tumbled from the artfully arranged pile, disturbing him and his brindle hound Brian. That night a child in the village dies.
Yeah, it's that kind of story.
uh oh. Our hero has let something loose, it kills again, and on the third night it comes for him.
If I was the narrator, I'd be checking with my sister.
3 stars
A man asks his brother in law why he always wears high starched collars and is told this story. [it's often a thing in these old novels, third person three times removed, or whatever. He's right there, why isn't HE telling us the story?]
But at the time of which I write I was engaged in a violent flirtation with architecture. I had one companion on this expedition, who has since become one of the leading architects of the day. He was a thin, determined-looking man with a screwed-up face and heavy jaw, slow of speech, and absorbed in his work to a degree which I quickly found tiresome. He was possessed of a certain quiet power of overcoming obstacles which I have rarely seen equalled. He has since become my brother-in-law, so I ought to know; for my parents did not like him much and opposed the marriage, and my sister did not like him at all, and refused him over and over again; but, nevertheless, he eventually married her.
He doesn't seem the frivolous type, so maybe he wasn't pulling his leg? eyes narrow.
Eager to see a 15th C fresco in a small chapel, he ventures to Wet Waste-on-the-Wolds, Yorkshire. He finds it locked in a crypt with double doors, and the aged reverend demands he lock one door behind him before opening the next, and the same in reverse. He does this, but he leaves the key in the door and is distracted sketching the fresco. He hears a scuttling noise, and notes a skull has tumbled from the artfully arranged pile, disturbing him and his brindle hound Brian. That night a child in the village dies.
Yeah, it's that kind of story.
uh oh. Our hero has let something loose, it kills again, and on the third night it comes for him.
If I was the narrator, I'd be checking with my sister.
3 stars
December 17, 2021
A tale about the malignant afterlife of a Sir Rober Depard, a local magnate, who had livid a dissolute life in Yorkshire.
The tale is recounted by an unnamed gentleman, who is touring Holland with his brother-in-law (Mr. Blake) to study the architecture.
The gentleman wonders why Mr. Blake never removes his high collar around his neck.
Mr. Blake recollects an occasion when he was copying an English fresco in an underground crypt at a church in Yorkshire.
The supernatural mystery about his collar unfolds from there.
The narrative is set in Bronte country, in a small, fictitious village (Wet Waste) near Pickering.
The vicar and villagers are reminiscent of the Brontes and the Haworth locals, where death came early and often.
There is a theme of manorial arrogance which similarly encountered in Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Arthur Huntingdon).
There are religious, superstitious and ritualistic associations connected with the Reformation, the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church, which is located at a nearby village, Dyke Fens.
(See also the references to Clementine Homilies, Asaph and The Three Authentic Epistles of Ignatius).
Atmosphere and the lingering influence of former times is created from ruins, pack roads, Roman Britain and the "cold breath of the crypt".
Other reading ideas:
Mary Cholmondeley: Weird Woman Classic Supernatural Fiction 1852-1923, 2020, Weird Woman 2021, Volume II, 1840-1925 - Pegasus Books, Dracula's Guest, Edited: Michael Sims, 2010.
The tale is recounted by an unnamed gentleman, who is touring Holland with his brother-in-law (Mr. Blake) to study the architecture.
The gentleman wonders why Mr. Blake never removes his high collar around his neck.
Mr. Blake recollects an occasion when he was copying an English fresco in an underground crypt at a church in Yorkshire.
The supernatural mystery about his collar unfolds from there.
The narrative is set in Bronte country, in a small, fictitious village (Wet Waste) near Pickering.
The vicar and villagers are reminiscent of the Brontes and the Haworth locals, where death came early and often.
There is a theme of manorial arrogance which similarly encountered in Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Arthur Huntingdon).
There are religious, superstitious and ritualistic associations connected with the Reformation, the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church, which is located at a nearby village, Dyke Fens.
(See also the references to Clementine Homilies, Asaph and The Three Authentic Epistles of Ignatius).
Atmosphere and the lingering influence of former times is created from ruins, pack roads, Roman Britain and the "cold breath of the crypt".
Other reading ideas:
Mary Cholmondeley: Weird Woman Classic Supernatural Fiction 1852-1923, 2020, Weird Woman 2021, Volume II, 1840-1925 - Pegasus Books, Dracula's Guest, Edited: Michael Sims, 2010.
August 22, 2021
Es como un típico cuento de miedo que te inventerías sobre la marcha para contar alrededor de una fogata. Entretenido, pero no memorable. Y, para mi gusto, le faltan bastantes detalles y desarrollo. Y hay que tener más respeto por los perros, ¿por qué no confía la gente más en sus perretes con lo leales que son? Esa es la verdadera moraleja de la historia para mí.
Parece ser que esta hisotoria corta pertenece a un libro de relatos sobre vampiros, pero coincido con el resto de opiniones en que está deshubicado. No es una historia sobre vampiros.
Parece ser que esta hisotoria corta pertenece a un libro de relatos sobre vampiros, pero coincido con el resto de opiniones en que está deshubicado. No es una historia sobre vampiros.
October 21, 2024
A spooky tale, but the phantom isn't its greatest source of horror. Rather, the apparent randomness of violence, from which no one is exempt, is what struck me as most frightening about this story.
Moreover, it also captures the adrift feeling of its career-switching narrator, who during the story struggles with a moment of depression and futility at the inevitability of death.
However, the story is not without hope, or reflection on our capacity for kindness.
Moreover, it also captures the adrift feeling of its career-switching narrator, who during the story struggles with a moment of depression and futility at the inevitability of death.
However, the story is not without hope, or reflection on our capacity for kindness.
May 9, 2020
The power of this fine ghost story by Mary Cholmondeley lies in the subtle, dry humour that pervades it. Scary? Yes, scary enough. If you like Ambrose Bierce - he is also successfully combining dry humour with horror - then there is a good possibility that you will find Let Loose a great piece of horror.
September 26, 2024
What really made this story come alive was reading it along with the narration of Jasper L'Estrange for the EnCrypted Classic Horror Podcast via YouTube with audio sound FX and music. It really amped up the scary ambience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7ZWF...
May 2, 2025
In general, similar stories existed in the children's folklore of the Soviet Union. Moreover, the misogynistic motifs of the story are interesting.
June 12, 2023
✶⋆ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚞𝚜!
𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍
𝙴𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖,
𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕...
🦇 It's vampire time! Here, I'm introducing you to "Let it Loose" a short story written by Mary Cholmondeley. This story appeared in Temple Bar magazine in 1890.
💀 It is often debated whether it can be categorized as a ghost story or a vampire story. On one hand, it presents vampirism elements such as an undead that terrifies a village and involves necks, but there is no blood-sucking! On the other hand, its atmosphere, setting and surroundings resemble classical ghost stories, a crypt, a mysterious painting, and strange sensations... It is interesting to consider the symbolism skulls play in the story.
• As a warning, that I didn't know while reading, it contains the death of a dear dog. It is relevant to the story's message, but still, it was painful to read it!
─⋆⋅✵⋅⋆─
✷⋆ ¡𝙻𝚘𝚜 𝚖𝚞𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚘𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚘𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚜!
𝙰𝚞𝚗𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚛í𝚐𝚒𝚍𝚘 𝚢 𝚏𝚛í𝚘
𝙻𝚊 𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚘𝚜,
𝚃𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚟í𝚊 𝚎𝚜𝚝á𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚘𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚜...
🦇 ¡Es hora de vampiros! Aquí, les presento "Déjalo suelto", un cuento escrito por Mary Cholmondeley. Esta historia apareció en la revista Temple Bar en 1890.
💀 A menudo se debate si se puede categorizar como una historia de fantasmas o una historia de vampiros. Por un lado, presenta elementos de vampirismo como un no-muerto que aterroriza a un pueblo e involucra cuellos, ¡pero no hay sangre! Por otro lado, su atmósfera, escenario y entorno se asemejan a las clásicas historias de fantasmas, una cripta, una pintura misteriosa, sensaciones extrañas... Es interesante considerar el simbolismo que juegan las calaveras en la historia.
• Como advertencia, que no sabía mientras leía, contiene la muerte de un querido perro. Es relevante para el mensaje de la historia, pero aun así, ¡fue doloroso leerlo!
⋅⋆
ᛒᚠ @booksfromfaeries Instagram
𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍
𝙴𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖,
𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕...
🦇 It's vampire time! Here, I'm introducing you to "Let it Loose" a short story written by Mary Cholmondeley. This story appeared in Temple Bar magazine in 1890.
💀 It is often debated whether it can be categorized as a ghost story or a vampire story. On one hand, it presents vampirism elements such as an undead that terrifies a village and involves necks, but there is no blood-sucking! On the other hand, its atmosphere, setting and surroundings resemble classical ghost stories, a crypt, a mysterious painting, and strange sensations... It is interesting to consider the symbolism skulls play in the story.
• As a warning, that I didn't know while reading, it contains the death of a dear dog. It is relevant to the story's message, but still, it was painful to read it!
─⋆⋅✵⋅⋆─
✷⋆ ¡𝙻𝚘𝚜 𝚖𝚞𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚘𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚘𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚜!
𝙰𝚞𝚗𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚛í𝚐𝚒𝚍𝚘 𝚢 𝚏𝚛í𝚘
𝙻𝚊 𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚘𝚜,
𝚃𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚟í𝚊 𝚎𝚜𝚝á𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚘𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚜...
🦇 ¡Es hora de vampiros! Aquí, les presento "Déjalo suelto", un cuento escrito por Mary Cholmondeley. Esta historia apareció en la revista Temple Bar en 1890.
💀 A menudo se debate si se puede categorizar como una historia de fantasmas o una historia de vampiros. Por un lado, presenta elementos de vampirismo como un no-muerto que aterroriza a un pueblo e involucra cuellos, ¡pero no hay sangre! Por otro lado, su atmósfera, escenario y entorno se asemejan a las clásicas historias de fantasmas, una cripta, una pintura misteriosa, sensaciones extrañas... Es interesante considerar el simbolismo que juegan las calaveras en la historia.
• Como advertencia, que no sabía mientras leía, contiene la muerte de un querido perro. Es relevante para el mensaje de la historia, pero aun así, ¡fue doloroso leerlo!
⋅⋆
ᛒᚠ @booksfromfaeries Instagram
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2023
Warning: animal violence.
Hydrophobia: a fear of water which can be caused by rabies. Intense spasms in the throat are triggered when trying to swallow. Even the thought of swallowing water can cause spasms. Yikes.
Two companions are travelling through Holland studying the architecture. One of the men always wears high starched collars no matter the temperature. This arouses the curiosity of his companion who is determined to find out the reason why.
The story behind the high collars: What started out as an archaeological study of a fresco in an old crypt turned into a creepy experience that involved the man being attacked and left with scars upon his neck.
The descriptive slow buildup leads to a dramatic ending in this pre-Dracula horror story. There is nothing extraneous padding this well crafted story. Mary Cholmondeley is an author who should be more well known. This story can be found in 'The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published', narrated by Jonathan Cowley. It was originally published in Temple Bar, an English magazine, in April 1890.
Hydrophobia: a fear of water which can be caused by rabies. Intense spasms in the throat are triggered when trying to swallow. Even the thought of swallowing water can cause spasms. Yikes.
Two companions are travelling through Holland studying the architecture. One of the men always wears high starched collars no matter the temperature. This arouses the curiosity of his companion who is determined to find out the reason why.
The story behind the high collars: What started out as an archaeological study of a fresco in an old crypt turned into a creepy experience that involved the man being attacked and left with scars upon his neck.
The descriptive slow buildup leads to a dramatic ending in this pre-Dracula horror story. There is nothing extraneous padding this well crafted story. Mary Cholmondeley is an author who should be more well known. This story can be found in 'The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published', narrated by Jonathan Cowley. It was originally published in Temple Bar, an English magazine, in April 1890.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2018
Not even dogs are safe from the influences of sinister forces. I enjoyed the ending of the story, but the buildup was a bit dull and tended to ramble at points.
June 13, 2020
Not without interest to readers of M.R. James, but ultimately a mild tale.
Read
April 1, 2023My girlfriend at the time read this to me while on holiday and now we're scared of hands.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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