The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, in a short piece by a Malmesbury library local studies champion, says a deceased landlord seems never to have left his workplace at the King's Arms hotel and restaurant. The ghost of Harry Jones is said to cause particular trouble in bedroom nine, the room where he is thought to have died.
A previous owner, Mr Wartnaby, told of beer taps being turned off when nobody was near them, lights switching on and off, and heavy breathing coming from empty rooms. He also said that several of Jones's belongings are kept in the King's Arms, including photographs and an inscribed whisky jar. The History Centre holds a photograph of Harry Jones, publican, outside the pub in the 20th century.
The piece cites Ralph Whitlock's Folklore of Wiltshire as the source for the story, and notes that the hauntings it surveys are peaceful, with the beer taps the most mischievous thing reported. The dates of the incidents are not given. Harry Jones was a real publican, which gives the story a documented person, but the haunting itself rests on the previous owner's account. The exact premises position on the High Street is approximate.
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