Saturday, 24 September 2011

The Ghosts and Magic of Somerset & The Cotswolds

Locations: Lower Slaughter, Wells, Cheddar, Boughton on the Water, Snowshill Manor, Glastonbury, Rollright in Oxfordshire, Moreton in Marsh, Wookey.



My paranormal tour this year took me to Somerset and Gloucestershire, mainly the Cotswolds area. Unfortunatly I didnt get to visit Prestbury due to time commitments.
Click on pics for larger image. (Im still editing this page, locations need cross referencing) 

Two Figures on Steps
Location: Wells - Wells Cathedral, Chapter House
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 19 April 1954
Further Comments: There is a photograph two people in white, possibly a child with its mother, standing on the steps. The photographer reports that no one else stood in front of the camera at the time of the long exposure.
Camera on the floor shot at an angle
Wells Catherdal (Smallest in the UK)
No ghosts in this photo btw, its a 3 exposure shot. (HDR)High dynamic range

The Priest House - Snowshill Manor
Read Judy Farncombe's >> account
Wade's House - Snowshill Manor
Rollright gifts
ROLLRIGHT STONES - OXFORDSHIRE
Rollright Stones
More info here 



SNOWSHILL MANOR
Snowshill Manor, Gloucestershire
More info here
and here


WOOKEY HOLE 

Wookey Hole, Somerset (See video below)

GLASTONBURY ABBEY

Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset
More info here 
Glastonbury
GLASTONBURY TOR
Glastonbury Tor, Somerset 
More info here



MORETON IN MARSH

According to local research, Moreton also has an extraordinary number of ghosts. Dame Creswycke apparently haunts the Manor House Hotel; Redesdale Arms Hotel has ghostly footsteps; an ethereal male appears at the White Hart Royal Hotel; a poltergeist called Fred haunts the Black Bear Inn and a "hugging" ghost roams the Bell Inn! Leamington House visitors have also been recently overcome by a strong and sudden smell of orange blossom.


THE BLACK BEAR INN



The Black Bear Inn, Moreton in Marsh


Redesdale Arms
The Bell Inn - Moreton in Marsh - Spirits? We spent our time drinking cider and beer here!
The Bell Inn garden
MORETON IN MARSH - MANOR HOUSE HOTEL
Manor House Hotel, Moreton in Marsh
More info here
Manor House Hotel, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire

WOOKEY HOLE
Wookey Hole, Somerset

Im still cross-referencing these locations - Lower Slaughter village, Boughton House, Upper Slaughter Manor







Sunday, 26 June 2011

Spooky Derbyshire

Click on images to enlarge, press ctrl+ on your keyboard to enlarge in browser.



Saturday, 25 June 2011

Eyam Plague Village


We were very privileged to have the whole of the Chatsworth country estate to ourselves day and night, as we were staying there for 5 days. We decided to pay Eyam a visit.

At the heart of Derbyshire's haunted heritage is the quaint and very haunted village of Eyam.

Eyam (pronounced 'eem') is well known because of its association with the bubonic plague. The local Vicar, Rev Mompesson, organised the quarantine of the entire village of Eyam in 1666. Food and other essentials were left at a well (Mompesson's well) in order to avoid spreading the plague. Many people lost their lives and the village is a testament to their deaths.

There has been a huge amount of sightings and incidents occurring in the village. The Miner's Arms pub, is allegedly one of the most haunted buildings in the village. Footsteps have been heard upstairs and there have been strange occurrences in the bedrooms, causing some guests to leave in the middle of the night!

One of the plague cottages is apparently haunted by a pleasant faced lady in a blue smock, who has woken the owners in the middle of the night!

Eyam Hall was built between 1671 and 1676 and incorporates part of the earlier, smaller house. The property is in the hands of the Wright family who have owned the Hall since its construction. Ghosts - Eyam Hall has Sarah Mills, a young servant girl who drowned in the well. In an upstairs room, it was so repeatedly visited by the ghost of an old man that the door was permanently locked!



Plague Cottage


Plague Cottage



Plague cottages and graveyard


Eyam Hall and stocks





Sunday, 8 May 2011

Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh Scotland - Graveyard Cemetary


View Larger Map

Weird!


The Covenenters Prison




Greyfriars Kirkyard has to be one of the creepiest places I have ever visited, the stones aren't staged they are real, dating as far back as the 16th century. The tombs are mostly locked and surrounded by iron railings and high stone walls, these were not prisons they were there to stop bodysnatchers such as the famous Burke and Hare raiding fresh bodies and supplying the Doctors at the nearby medical college with corpses for dissection. The covenanters prison is a makeshift prison and is locked at all times for good reason because so many people were getting attacked by the alleged poltergeist in there, only ghost tours are allowed in. The Covenanting movement began with signing of the National Covenant in Greyfriars Kirk in 1638 it was the first stage of a democracy in Scotland, but many were killed and tortured; 1200 people were forced to lay face down in the mud for 5 months all through the Scottish winters and snipers stood on the upper walls so if they tried to escape they would be shot instantly, most were, some believe that the unbridled slaughter in the kirkyard is grossly exaggerated.  In there is the alleged spirit called George 'Bloody' Mackenzie, it took a lot to warrant this title in Scotland, he was the King's adversary and eminent judge and he killed the covenenters and it was his job to think up torture methods. It is well documented that his spirit resides in the 'Black Mausoleum' and attacks visitors and famous throughout the world as 'The Mackenzie Poltergeist'. People have felt cold here, heard noises, smelt smells which could be explained, also people were receiving scratches, bite marks, bruises, burns and knocked unconscious, where is harder to explain. The council were not prepared to be held responsible for these attacks and decided to lock up that part of the cemetery. 450 people have reported having been 'attacked by an unknown force' and 140 people have fainted (but I think the statistics are high as thousands of tourist come here, some are bound to be tired etc standing in a cold dark scary place all night, also suggestion plays a major part in these cases.) The weird flip-side of this story is that they buried the man responsible for so many of these deaths this close to were the deaths took place, his spirit is mostly blamed for all the paranormal activity that occurred. His tomb was recently desecrated by two youths who found a skull (his?) and started to throw it about the place, but nothing of a supernatural nature attacked them!

Some of the paranormal activity seems to have extended to the houses that surround the kirkyard too.

Ghost Hunters ONLY!!

Symptoms of an acute stress reaction caused by adrenylin and the amygdala (primitive brain area)Fight or flight:-

Fainting, disorientation, agitation, overeactivity, anxiety, impaired judgement, confusion, detachment, tachycardia, sweating, and nausea.

Home of the famous MacKenzie Poltergeist
Nothing of a paranoiac nature happened to me whilst I visited the kirkyard, I wasn't pushed scratched or kicked in the head and I didn't faint yay! Mind you I couldn't get in the covenenters prison to let myself in for slaughter as it was locked! Shame oh well. The graveyard is creepy plain and simple, it psychologically sets you up to fear it what with its weird tombs with obscure carvings, the naked baby with the skull was quite perturbing. I would certainly go at night for sure.

Wikipedia entry
Part1

Part2

Wednesday, 4 May 2011

Riber Castle, Derbyshire








Riber castle is an outstanding pile, but I think its creepiness is more impressive now that the building is in its ruined state. You could be led to believe that the place is haunted, its your stereotypical haunted castle but it is in fact a 19th century grade II listed house. There are a few photos going around the internet where there are ghosts in every window, personally I see nothing and would regard the place as a pareidolics palace lol (seeing faces in shapes and patterns) great place though, very photogenic in the right light.

Thursday, 9 December 2010

Haunted Castles

Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire.
 
Alnwick Castle, Northumberland
A servant of the castle suspects his partner of been unfaithful. Intent upon catching her in the act, he hides himself on the roof above their bed. Unfortunately, he falls and dies the next day. Soon there are reports of his corpse wandering through the town. This, of course, coincides with an epidemic that kills several townspeople. It is blamed on the "vampire." On Palm Sunday, the local priest assembles a group, and they proceed to the cemetery. Upon exhumation, the body appears engorged with blood. (It gushes out when the body's poked with a spade.) The body is dragged out of town and burned, and soon the epidemic ends.


Baldoon Castle, Scotland
Baldoons Castle ghost is mentioned in the novel by Sir Walter Scott “The Bride of Lammermuir. It is the 17th century ghost ‘Janet Dalrymple‘, she was told to leave the man she loved by her parents, instead she was forced to marry David Dunbar and went insane, she stabbed him in the bridal chamber on his wedding night. She is said to roam the castle in a blood-splattered white dress, some have seen the saddened ghost of Janet wandering pitifully among the quiet ruins, most often on the anniversary of her death. In the Lammermuir story the door of the bridal chamber was broken down after hideous shrieks were heard from inside it. The bridegroom was found lying across the threshold, awfully wounded and streaming with blood, while the bride crouched in a chimney corner, her white night-gown splashed with blood, grinning and muttering and quite mad. Apparently she never recovered and died in a while later. Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland

The nicknamed shade Green Jane has been seen at the castle. She was thought to be the daughter of an impoverished family who sent her with her baby to the castle to beg for food, but when she got there, the guards abused her then turned her away. Visitors have seen and heard her ghost stumbling down the steep steps, then going to her rescue and finding that no one was there. Many people have had feelings of been touched. Visitors also report the movement of furniture inside the castle. Rattling chains has also been heard, accompanied by stomping of feet, many say that this is the manifestation of a knight that is clad in armour.

Beeston Castle, Cheshire
The castle boasts that it has one of the friendliest ghosts in England. The ghost of a pretty lady wanders the outer bailey, but she only ever appears to children. She is seen in a lacy white dress and she looks over her shoulder. She brings a feeling of kindness to the place, she must have really like the castle. Dog walkers report that their pets refuse to enter certain areas of the castle. Deep moans have been heard coming from the well.


Berkeley Castle, Worcester
In 1327 Berkeley Castle was the scene of the infamous murder of Edward II he was gruesomely tortured with a red-hot poker. Sounds of his screams echo around the castle.


Berry Pomeroy Castle, Devon
The ghost of Lady Margaret Pomeroy appears all dressed in white in the tower named after her. A second more chilling ghost resides 'the blue lady' predicts death of those who see her ! She is said to be the ghost of the Pomeroy's daughter.

Blackness Castle, Lothian
In the late 1990s a woman who was sightseeing said she was startled when she saw a knight in armour in the tower, the angry spirit chased her out of the castle. A group of ghost hunters stayed in the castle one Halloween night. They heard what sounded like furniture scraping across a stone floor in a room beneath where they were staying. On investigation, nothing was out of place, on returning to the room above, the sounds began to start again.


Bolton Castle, North Yorkshire
Mary Queen of Scots shade wanders the courtyard wearing a black velvet dress.


Bramber Castle, Sussex
Bramber Castle, Sussex. William De Braose angered King John. He escaped to Ireland with his children, only to be captured. The king ordered that his children be held hostage for William's future good behaviour at Windsor Castle. The children were starved to death there but their spectres returned to Bramber Castle and have been seen begging pitifully for bread, dressed in rags and holding out their hands, they are said to return at Christmas.

Bodelwyddan Castle, North Wales
Bodiam Castle, East Sussex
Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire
Bowes Castle, County Durham
Burgh Castle, Norwich

Carisbrook Castle, Isle of White
The well house is haunted by the ghost of a young woman strangely her disembodied face was surrounded by draperies of her dress. A young man in a brown jerkin has been seen near the moat. A woman wearing victorian dress, followed by two shadowy dogs was witness as they strolled round the castle. A full appartion was seen in broad daylight, it wore long coat also followed by 4 small dogs.

Carlisle Castle, Cumbria
A sentry may have died of shock after seeing a grey figure, he lunded at it with his boyonet. A female skeleton was found bricked up in one of the walls, its was still clad with tartan clothes and jewellery. Mary Queen of Scots was incarcerated in the building as so was Bonnie Prince Charles supporters. There is a famous 'licking stone' here, tales tell that it was worn away by prisoners tongues, the stone was moist with water, they licked it in order to stay alive.

Castell Coch, Cardiff
Castle Rising, Norfolk
Castle Rushen, Isle of Man
Charleville Forest Castle, Ireland
Chepstow Castle, South East Wales
Chillingham Castle, Northumberland

Conisbrough Castle, South Yorkshire
Ghost of a grey monk, also an unhappy grey lady, she is seen at the top of the keep where she reputedly met her own death. Also strange bumping noises and whispers and ghostly candles have been witnessed here.

Comlongon Castle, Scotland
Corfe Castle, Dorset
Craigievar Castle, Aberdeen
Craig Y Nos Castle, South Wales
Culcreuch Castle, Scotland
Culzean Castle, Ayrshire, Scotland
Denbigh Castle, North East Wales
Dartmouth Castle, Devon
Dover Castle
Dudley Castle, West Midlands
Dunrobin Castle, Scotland


Dunstanburgh Castle,Northumberland

Durham Castle, Durham
Ecclesgreig Castle, Scotland
Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland
Elvaston Castle, Derbyshire
Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Somerset
Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire

Glamis Castle, Dundeeshire
Six ghosts are said to haunt this lavish Victorian royal castle, they wander the rooms and corridors. The Dining room has a connecting door into the crypt which looks something like it has come out of the middle ages, it is in the crypt that there is a secret chamber, legend has it that it was here one of the Lord's of Glamis 'Earl Beardie' played cards, but as the clock struck midnight at the beginning of the sabbath the devil appeared and asked to join in the game. Earl Beardie gambled his soul away and died soon after. The chamber was promptly bricked up after foul mouthed utterances were heard, but the swearing phantom couldn't be restrained and persisted to roam the abode. Earl Beardie's spirit is said to peer at guests whilst they lay in their beds. The chapel is haunted by the grey lady, said to be the ghost of Janet Douglas, wife of sixth Lord Glamis. Also the ghost of Lady Campbell has been seen in the chapel, she was wrongly accused of witchcraft, she burned at the stake at Edinburgh Castle, her spectre is seen in silent prayer with an aura of peaceful traquility surrounding her. Glamis has seen thousands of tragic deaths, the ghosts seem to seep out of the very mortar.

Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire
Location
Goodrich, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.
Built
1160 AD
Ghostly manifestations
On dark, stormy nights ghostly screams can be heard and there have been reports of a ghostly horseman, accompanied by a woman, spotted at the foot of the walls by the river.
Ghostly anomalies
Strong smells of freshly baked bread.
Brief History
Goodrich Castle in Herefordshire has a well known haunting relating to the tragic tale of two lovers. During the Civil War, Goodrich saw major action when in 1646 Colonel Birch, leader of the Roundheads, placed the Royalist garrison under siege. His niece, Alice, was engaged to one of the Royalists inside the castle. One night, just before the final assault, Colonel Birch allowed them to escape but in their frantic attempts to clear the enemy lines and cross the River Wye they missed the ford, they were swept away by the river and drowned.


Hadleigh Castle, Essex
Helmsley Castle,North Yorkshire
Hermitage Castle, Scotland

Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex
A local village girl tried to escape from been murdered by throwing herself over into the moat, unsuccessful, she was re-captured and murdered, she is thought to appear as the white lady of the moat. A phantom drummer has been seen marching along the ramparts at night, said to have died in the battle of Angincourt. Blue sparks radiate from his drumsticks.

Hylton Castle, Sunderland
A ghost known as the Cauld Boy, haunts the castle, he manifests himself without any clothes on and shivering, apparently murdered by his master Baron Robert Hylton who stabbed him to death with a pitchfork. The spirit boy also haunts the kitchens where he ransacks it if it is neat and tidy.

Kidwelly Castle, South Wales.
Knaresborough Castle, N Yorkshire
Lancaster Castle, Lancaster
Leap Castle,Roscrea, Ireland
Lincoln Castle, East Yorkshire
Lindisfarne Castle, Northumberland
Ludlow Castle, Shropshire

Lydford Castle, Devon
Notorious 12th century prison, reputed to be haunted by Judge John Jeffery's 'The Hanging Judge'. Lady Howard manifests herself here as a black hound, she also haunts Okehampton Castle.

Margam Castle, Wales
Meggernie Castle, Scotland

Middleham Castle, North Yorkshire
Known as the ‘Windsor of the north’ the castle was built in the 12th century on the site of an earlier Norman fortification. It was Richard III most favoured castle. It is reputed to be the site of a buried hoard of treasure, to pin-point the treasure you must run a round the castle three times, and where you stop the treasure will be found. Unfortunately there is no indication of where you should start. A crying of a newborn baby has been heard by visitors to the castle.

Monmouth Castle, Wales
Morton Corbet Castle, Shropshire
Muncaster Castle
Newark Castle, Notthinghamshire
Nottingham Castle, Nottingham
Nunney Castle, Somerset

Okehampton Castle, Devon
Every night at midnight Lady Howard rides a coach made from the bones of her four dead husbands and with a skull on each corner of the roof. Also a headless coachman is her driver !

Old Wardour Castle, Wiltshire
Orford Castle, Suffolk
Peel Castle, Isle Of Man

Pendragon Castle, Cumbria.
Under the foundations of Pendragon Castle there is treasure ! This legend is quite bizarre; if you decide to try your hand at unearthing the gold, you may be confronted by a spectral black hen, which promptly scratches and pecks until the hole is refilled ! A spectre of a horseman gallops towards the castle whilst a grey lady glides her way through the castle walls.

Pengersick Castle, Cornwall
Penrith Castle, Cumbria
Pevensey Castle, East Sussex

Pontefract Castle, West Yorkshire
Location
Pontefract, West Yorkshire
Built 1070 AD
King Richard II was murdered here, no-one has yet spotted his ghost.
Monk figures seen walking around the outskirts near the catholic chapel and 2 figures of children seen playing near the dungeons. Holding a large axe, this figure walks around the ruins of the castle. a black monk walking from the remains of the kitchen towards the steps up to the ruins of the Queen's Tower. Strangely the monk is always seen walking from west to east, never in the opposite direction. The monk has been seen by quite a lot of people over a considerable period of time and they are of all ages and different backgrounds and "when you hear it from so many people you start to believe it." Sightings are usually around 5pm". Ghostly foosteps have been heard in the magazine area.

Porchester Castle, Hampshire
Pickering Castle, North Yorkshire

Pudhoe Castle, Northumberland
Chanting has been heard coming from the chapel area. A white horse silently walks around the outer ward of the castle; one night a man that lived in one of the blocks saw that horse running towards him. In the 1950's a lady witnessed noises like a ball being bounced against the wall but when she looked, no one was there. Another couple heard water being thrown at a door with force. One night a heavy oak table was flung to the floor in the hall, apparently the noise was that loud the residents thought that there had been a gas explosion.

Richmond Castle, North Yorkshire
Rochester Castle, Kent
Ruthin Castle,North Wales

Sandal Castle, West Yorkshire
A phantom dog has been witnessed at the castle.

Scarborough Castle, North Yorkshire
Scotney Castle, Kent

Sherborne Old Castle, Dorset
Sir Walter Raleigh who was executed for disobeying orders and was beheaded in 1618 - walks the grounds of the castle, his shade appears at midnight on Michaelmas Eve "headless" !

Skibo Castle, Scotland
A ghostly white lady flits through the castle at night, her nocternal roamings are precipitated by terrified screams and blood curdling moans. The grisly remains of a woman's skeleton was found hidden behind one of the castle walls, only after the re-burial took place that the hauntings ceased. A local girl had gone missing, there was talk that she was murdered by the Castle's keeper. In 1898 American millionaire Andrew Carnegie bought the ruined estate. Carnegie's grandson Rosewell Miller the third, saw the female phantom one night, she was seen drifting silently along one of the third floor corridors where she turned into one of the bedrooms, Rosewell followed her but she had disappeared into thin air.

Skipsea Castle, East Yorkshire
Slains Castle, Scotland
Snape Castle, North Yorkshire
Southsea Castle, Hampshire
Spofforth Castle, North Yorkshire



Stafford Castle, Staffordshire
Stokesay Castle, Shropshire
St Michael's Mount, Cornwall

Tamworth Castle, Staffordshire
Location
Tamworth, Birmingham.
Built 1070 AD
History
Tamworth castle is of Norman motte & bailey design with a shell keep. The present stone structure replaced the first timber tower surrounded by a palisade which was built shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Ghostly manifestations
The black lady, the white lady. The Black Lady is allegedly the ghost of a nun called Editha who founded her order in the 9th century; her nuns were said to have been expelled from a nearby Convent by Robert de Marmion.
Ghostly anomalies
Spirits have been heard and seen wandering through the 'Haunted bedroom' and the staircase.


Tattershall Castle,Lincolnshire
Tintagel Castle, Cornwall
Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire
Tynemouth Castle, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Walworth Castle, County Durham
Warkworth Castle, Northumberland
Warwick Castle, Stratford
Wigmore Castle, Herefordshire
Yester Castle, East Lothian

Spofforth Castle, North Yorkshire - castle, manor house,


View Larger Map





I've been to Spofforth Castle quite a few times, it is allegedly haunted by the blue lady, people say she took her own life by throwing herself from the tower. Now, I have frozen my whatnots off here waiting for this shade to turn up; I even stood out in the cold until 2am on Christmas Eve! Its a cute place, set in the small hamlet of Spofforth 'Spoff' as we used to refer to it. We usually stay in the undercroft, it's really sheltered from the elements and there is a staircase that goes to nowhere, which comes in very handy on cold nights, the stones hold in quite a bit of warmth from the day. There is even a cute little window ledge for putting you flask, sandwiches and maltezers on :D I didn't hold much hope of been witness to anything paranormal at the castle, it almost always appeared 'dead'. Months were spent going back-and-fro and nothing! Not a sausage. Then one night, it happened! I was stood in an enclosed bit of of the undercroft and I saw for just a few seconds an electric blue circular light reflecting back off a side-wall. I tried to rationalise it, but couldn't find a good explanation for it. No one else saw it to corroborate if for me. Unfortunate this could be suggestion on my part as I know the story, but I saw it plain and simple. I was really pleased, maybe this is what people have been seeing? I can't say for sure that there isn't something atmospheric going on, its a damp old place, why blue? I am not sure it's anything paranormal, don't know for sure. I don't suffer from cyanopsia. It's got this sceptic thinking.

Official website English Heritage






A blue  figure has been seen at the top of this tower, before plummeting to the ground below.