Billionaire Phones4U founder John Caudwell has revealed that his £10million mansion is 'being haunted ' by the 'ghost ' of a child killed in the English Civil War . Mr Caudwell , 62 , claimed visitors to his 50-room Jacobean manor in Staffordshire have felt a bed vibrate and a ghost brushing past them on the stairs . The businessman believes the ghostly goings-on are being caused by the spirit of a terrified little boy who died in the 17th century conflict . Scroll down for video . Spooked : Billionaire John Caudwell inside his historic mansion . He thinks the imposing building is being haunted by the ghost of a boy who was shot by a soldier loyal to Cromwell during the English Civil War . Spooky stays : Women visitors spending the night in one particular bedroom in the mansion ( above ) have felt its bed vibrate . Tycoon John Caudwell says the room is where the boy died . Mr Caudwell , who sold off Phones4U in 2006 for £1.4billion , said : 'The little boy was alone in the house . All the men had gone out hunting - and the Cromwellians came down the drive . 'He shouted : 'We are for the king ' - and one of the soldiers lifted a musket and shot him dead . 'He fell in the Long Gallery , crawled into one of the bedrooms and bled to death . 'Legend has it that every so often , those blood stains come oozing through . ' I 've never seen that but there 's a strange thing where several women have slept in the room and felt the bed vibrate . I was not there at the time . 'There are also stories about this ghost brushing past people on the stairs . 'People who think they are in tune with the spirit world always say they can feel something - but it 's warm , not malevolent . ' John Caudwell in 2006 with his then partner Claire Johnson at a party hosted by Sir Elton John . Right : With his private helicopter in the grounds of his £10million Staffordshire mansion . Mixing with the stars : John and Claire with singer Stephen Gately at a charity ball in May 2009 , just five months before the Boyzone singer was found dead at his holiday apartment in Majorca . Historic : Broughton Hall in Staffordshire was the scene of a Civil War tragedy according to Mr Caudwell . The English Civil War took place between 1642 and 1651 . It was fought by the Cavaliers - who remained loyal to King Charles I - and the Roundheads , who wanted to overthrow the monarchy . Their battles saw Charles I being executed , his son , Charles II , being exiled and Oliver Cromwell taking over as the leader of a republic Britain in 1649 . Cromwell died in 1958 from suspected septicemia - and he was buried with great pomp at Westminster Abbey . But in 1661 , a year after the monarchy was restored , his body was exhumed and subjected to a 'posthumous execution ' . Mr Caudwell , who is ranked as the 42nd richest person in Britain , bought Broughton Hall 20 years ago for £800,000 . The house and its 28-acres , which are near Eccleshall , are now worth more than £10million . The businessman started work at the age of 17 on the production line of the Michelin factory in his home city , Stoke-on-Trent , for just £3 a week . He began his mobile-phone empire in 1987 . Earlier this month he spent £155million buying the Audley Street garage in Mayfair , central London . He plans to knock it down and build a high-end housing complex worth as much as £2billion . The apartment block will contain five townhouses , three penthouses , a mews home and 21 luxury flats - rivalling properties such as the nearby One Hyde Park for the title of the world 's most desirable living space . Mr Caudwell also made headlines earlier this year when he was granted planning permission to build his own steam railway in the grounds of Broughton Hall . Mr Caudwell at the mansion in 2009 . He has lived there for 20 years after making his money from the mobile-phone company Phones4U . A half-sized locomotive will haul a fleet of fully furnished carriages , at an initial cost of £500,000 . Mr Caudwell said at the time : 'It 's a mad idea - crackpot really . I 'll probably only use the railway two or three times a year but I 've had a fascination with steam trains since I was a boy . ' No doubt they will be enjoyed by his family of five children by three women . He split from his last long-term partner , Claire Johnson , last year . The couple had been together for 15 years and remain friends . Mr Caudwell is also friends with his former wife Kate , to whom he was married for 25 years . There are several family suites in Broughton Hall to accommodate them and Mr Caudwell 's other visitors . He also has an £80million mansion in Mayfair and two luxury ski chalets - one in Vail , in the US , and the other in Whistler , Canada .
John Caudwell says the boy was shot and crawled into a bedroom to die . Women visitors to the Staffordshire pile have felt the bed vibrate . Other guests sense a ghostly presence brushing past them on stairs . But Mr Caudwell insists the young spirit is friendly and means no harm .