A longstanding mystery was set in place in 1973 when Effingham historian Monica O’Connor recorded being told that some unnamed Bishop had claimed that Mendelssohn had composed one of his ‘Songs Without Words’ at Slaters Oak. This article examines the plausibility of the claim, taking into account the known movements of Mendelssohn and of potentially relevant connections he had with others, and puts forward a much more credible interpretation of what O’Connor had been told.