Ghosts in English royal castles. The UK's most famous haunted sites

"Our places are steeped in history, from bloody battles to dark deeds," says Lucy Hutchings of English Heritage. "Our castles and palaces can be eerie, and some of our employees have seen and heard things that have no explanation."

Image copyright English Heritage Trust / PA

10 spookiest places in England

• Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire
• Pendennis Castle in Cornwall
• Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire
• Beeston Castle and Woodland Park in Cheshire
• Dover Castle in Kent
• Charles Darwin House in Kent
• Clifford Tower in North Yorkshire
• Framlingham Castle, Suffolk

Floor creaks, doors opening, strange noises ... Who is there? Silence. It's probably just the wind. Many people still had to visit castles or old mansions, from staying in which they shiver down the back.

Perhaps this is because of their Gothic charm or atmosphere that takes visitors back to the days of knights and ladies, medieval dramas and glories that have long been history. Perhaps this is due to the tragic stories of the former inhabitants of the castles, captured in the numerous portraits hanging on the walls of the halls.

The reasons for ghost stories vary. Perhaps something happened within the walls of some castles and old estates that frightened residents and guests. But if we face it, then most of us just want ghosts in this or that castle. Secret passages, dungeons, secret rooms, old, cold, dark atmosphere - this is enough to scare most of the visitors. We offer an overview of castles with good old ghosts.

Built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, Warwick Castle has seen more fighting than any other castle in Europe. Probably, all of its rooms, without exception, are imbued with the spirit of violence and war. The most visited part of the castle is the haunted tower and the haunted house of Sir Fulk Greville, who was killed by his own servant in 1628. The owner of the house is said to materialize late at night from a portrait that hangs on the wall in the tower. The dungeon is another scary place. Many visitors complain of nausea and dizziness at the mere touch of rusty bars and instruments of torture.

Predjama Castle was built in a mountain cave in 1274. Its powerful fortress has withstood numerous fierce battles. It was used both for defensive and offensive purposes, but as a result of a series of prolonged sieges and earthquakes in the 14-15th centuries it was destroyed. In 1567, the castle was rebuilt along with numerous secret tunnels and passages, which are said to be haunted by the ghosts of many dead warriors, so from time to time you can hear mysterious footsteps and noises there.

Built at the end of the 12th century, Dragsholm Castle is currently used as a luxury hotel. But he became truly famous thanks to 100 ghosts that wander the corridors every night. Three of them are even known: the Gray Lady, the Lady in White and the Earl of Boswell. The castle has a sad legend that a lady in white fell in love with a peasant. Her father found out about their romantic relationship and locked her in a room. After that, no one ever saw her. In the 1930s, workers were restoring a wing of the castle and found the skeleton of a young woman in a white dress, walled up inside the wall. As for the Earl of Boswell, in the 16th century he was imprisoned in the castle, where he died. The Gray Lady has worked as a hotel maid all her life. After death, she was never able to leave the castle, so she comes back every time to check if everything is in order.

One of the castles loved by ghosts is Lip Castle in Ireland. His chapel has a very interesting story... It was in it in 1532 that one of the brothers, a priest, was killed by another brother right on the altar during the service of the family mass, in the presence of the whole family. The ghost of the murdered man still wanders in the chapel, which is called "Bloody". The dungeon has several horror stories of its own. It had a high ceiling with a hatch through which the prisoners were thrown down to the bottom of the dungeon, covered with numerous spikes. Another manifestation of something otherworldly is a creature about the same size as a sheep with a human face and black hollows instead of eyes. When a ghost appears, you can smell the terrible smell of rotting flesh.

There is an amazing castle in the forests north of Prague. It is a defensive structure, but it could not withstand a single attack. The castle also contains the ghosts of a headless black horse and a woman who often looks out the window. Legend has it that once upon a time there was a bottomless pit in this place, from where winged creatures, half people, half monsters, flew out. In the 13th century, Czech rulers decided to close the pit, which they called “the entrance to hell”. For this, the castle was built. However, before that, several soldiers were lowered into the pit with a rope. Once there, the first soldier screamed, and when they pulled him out, it turned out that he had aged 30 years and died a few days later. In the 1930s, Gouska Castle attracted the attention of Adolf Hitler. The Nazis used it to carry out a series of occult experiments. Several corpses of Nazi soldiers were found here, which, most likely, were executed and tortured. They say that they even found the skeletons of unearthly creatures.

A wonderful example of Austrian architecture and also a source of ghost stories. Built in the 12th century, Musham Castle is also known as the Witch's Castle. This building was once the site of the bloodiest witch trials. In the years 1675-1687. thousands of women were convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death. They were tortured and executed by beheading within the walls of the castle. That is why most of them continue to wander the halls even after death. In addition, Musham Castle is also considered a werewolf's lair. In the 19th century, the mutilated corpses of cattle and deer were found next to it. As a consequence, some Moosham residents were convicted and imprisoned as werewolves.

Chateau de Brissac is the tallest castle in France with seven floors. It is located in the very heart picturesque valley The Loire is one of the most visited castles in the world. In the 11th century, the estate was owned by Jacques de Brese. His wife, Charlotte, had an affair with a young man, and for their romantic meetings, they used the bedroom next to her husband's room. Every night he heard their passionate moans, until the two lovers mysteriously disappeared. Perhaps the deceived husband had direct involvement in their disappearance, but it was not possible to completely get rid of the couple in love. Every night, he still heard their groans until he lost his mind and fled the castle. They say that the sounds of their passion can be heard today, from night to morning.

Built in the 12th century, Edinburgh Castle is one of those places where all unbelievers, barely stepping on the threshold, become believers. Built on site extinct volcano it is the symbol of all Scottish castles. In this place, various paranormal phenomena are very often manifested. Many visitors see ghostly figures. Lady Glamis is often seen wandering the dark halls. She was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake in 1537. Since 1650, a headless ghost has also wandered around the castle. There is also the ghost of a piper, an old man in a leather apron, and even the ghost of a dog galloping around the cemetery. And from the dungeon, you can still hear the groans of French prisoners during the Seven Years' War.

The English Castle of Chillingham in Northumberland is very popular with tourists, although it is an incredibly gloomy place. Death reigned here. John Sage worked as an executioner for three years in the dungeons of the castle. They say they tortured about 50 Scots every week. You can still hear John Sage dragging corpses at night. Another famous ghost of the castle is the Blue Boy, also called the Glow Boy. He frequently visits the Pink Room. These are the bright colors that can be found in a ghost story! The guests reported that after hearing a long, loud cry, they saw blue flashes of light above their bed. After lengthy repairs, the bodies of a man and a boy were found walled up in a three-meter brick wall.

Walking near the ruins of Berry Pomeroy Castle, you can meet the Blue Lady, who lures all passers-by into the tower, where they meet their death. This is the ghost of Norman's daughter, the owner of the castle, who was raped by her own father. As a result of incest, a child was born, who was then strangled by his father. Some say that the girl herself killed the child. Her ghost still haunts the castle and around it and is considered an omen of death. She's not the only ghost. The White Lady is believed to be the ghost of Margaret Pomeroy, who was locked up by her jealous sister Eleanor and left to starve to death. Both sisters were in love with one young man.

Well, dear girls, that summer has flown by unnoticed ... Autumn comes into its possession, it becomes cold, the days are getting rainy, in such weather inspiration rolls over me mixed with some kind of romantic mood. For some reason, it is this time that I associate with good old England, where such a cool climate is present almost all year round, and of course, in addition to listening to the most tube compositions of the Beatles, and watching all parts of Bond, I remembered about another old passion of mine - English castles and fortress :)

P.S. The lyrics are not mine

Begin:

Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is located in the city of Warwick (Warwickshire in central England), on the banks of the Avon River. William I the Conqueror built this castle in 1068 on the site of the Anglo-Saxon fortress at Warwick. The castle was used as a fortification until the early 17th century, when Fulk Greville, 1st Baron Brooke converted it into a country estate. It was in the possession of the Greville family, which received the Earls of Warwick until 1978.
Today the castle is included in the Catalog of Antiquities, as well as among the main historical and architectural sights of Great Britain.
As with most medieval castles, Warwick also has its own ghosts.
The castle, which appeared in 1068, was destined to witness a huge number of battles (it is believed that none of the European fortresses can boast of such a history filled with bloody battles). The defeated enemies were tortured in the dungeons, and therefore, to this day, people who find themselves in the dungeons feel dizzy and nauseous. Of the ghosts, tourists most often are the ghost of one of the owners of the estate - Sir Fulk Graville: on cold evenings he comes out of his own portrait and wanders around the castle, terrifying the living.

Glamis Castle

Glamis is surrounded by more stories and legends than any other castle in Great Britain, but it is best known as the birthplace of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, mother of the current Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth's younger sister, Princess Margaret, was also born in Glamis. The castle is now owned by the Queen's great-nephew, the Earl of Strathmore, and is partially open to the public.

Over the long history, Glamis has acquired an incredible number of mystical legends. The most famous of them is about the monster room. According to legend, a terribly ugly child born into a family was kept in one of the secret rooms, where he spent his entire life, and then was walled up. There are also rumors that every generation of the family hid one child in the monster's room. Perhaps the legend was based on real story of the Ogilvy family. Fleeing from enemies, they hid in the secret room of the castle, arranged in a wall 4.9 m thick, where they were walled up alive.

Another legend tells of Count Beardy, who was an avid card player. Once, when the guests refused to play with him, the count exclaimed: "Then I will play with the devil himself!" Then there was a knock on the door and a stranger in black entered and offered to play, but the stake was - the soul of the count. Unaware that the devil himself was in front of him, Beardi agreed and lost. Since then, his soul is doomed to play cards until the end of the world, and the sounds of falling cards and swearing are still heard from the count's bedroom at night.

Another ghost - the Gray Lady - lives in the chapel. It is said to be the spirit of Janet Douglas, who was burned at the stake as a witch on Castle Hill in Edinburgh in the 16th century. She was accused of trying to poison the king, but the charges were most likely fabricated for political reasons. The ghost of a woman is also often seen behind the bars of the clock tower window, or running through the park.

Fyvie Castle

The history of this incredibly beautiful castle, unfortunately, is incredibly sad and dates back to the XII century. Obviously, during all this time, the castle has seen a lot, so legends literally enveloped this place, where, of course, it cannot do without ghosts. If you want to hear them, then, of course, visit this castle. One of the first stories that came to mind was the ghost of the Green Lady, also known as Lilias Drummond. She was driven to death by her husband through starvation, and after death she does not leave this castle alone and persecutes everyone who visits it. Visitors also report that they have seen her ghost more than once, heard the sounds of the playing of a long-dead trumpeter and drummer, which have not stopped for more than 250 years.

By the way, you can spend your weekend in this castle (for a lot of money, of course)

Muncaster Castle

Muncaster Castle was erected on a small hill overlooking the Esk River, which is located in a picturesque corner in the west of England, which locals called the Western Lake District. The name of the castle comes from the word "castra", which means "fort / camp" in Latin. The origin of this name is not accidental: since the time of the Roman Empire, this area has been of strategic military importance. For some time, a Roman fort stood at the same place, therefore, the emergence of a large defensive structure in the classical English style on its foundation was quite natural.

One of the ghosts in Moncaster is the Tapestry Room. Until the mid-1990s, the Tapestry Bedroom was part of the main castle and was not used for housing that rents out the castle. Personal guests of the family were invited to stay there for the duration of their visit, but this practice did not last long. Frost-Pennington said: “We had family guests and we had to place them in the Tapestry Room because we were in an awkward position. In the morning they went downstairs, we asked: "Did you sleep well?" They replied, "No, we had a terrible night." So the only people who stay in that room are the ghostbusters. " The guests who slept in the room complained about the cry of the child, which continued throughout the night, which did not allow them to fall asleep.
Research Frost-Pennington reveals to him that the Tapestry Room was used as a nursery in the 1960s. Today Muncaster offers what is called "sitting with a ghost", where the brave enough can rent the Tapestry Room for the evening.

Muncaster Castle is arguably the site of the longest scientific exploration to date. Dr. Jayson Braithwaite of the Association for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena based in the United Kingdom came to Muncaster to try to explain what caused the ghosts in Muncaster. Braithwaite is a behavioral psychologist and researcher at the University of Birmingham in England and visits the castle six to seven times a year to conduct experiments and interviews with staff and visitors. Braithwaite told me that he spent many nights in the Tapestry Room and personally never experienced anything supernatural in the castle, but he admits that he is interested in what is happening in the castle. When Braithwaite first began investigating the ghosts in Muncaster, no one except the Pennington family and a few of the staff knew about the ghosts. This means that if someone experienced a supernatural phenomenon, they could not be affected by what he saw or read about the ghosts of the castle. Around 1995, TV programs featuring haunted places began to include Muncaster, and it was only a few years later that the castle gained an international reputation as a haunted place.

Braithwaite said: “There are about eight cases of what I call a complete test in the Tapestry Room, when crying children are heard in the room for at least one to three hours ... 1940-1950s to the late 1980s. Cases of crying babies have been happening since then, but since you are making this story public, how do you rate the recent haunted incidents? "

The history of no self-respecting English castle would be complete without some facts about the White Lady. The White Lady of Muncaster comes from the story of Mary Bregh. In 1805, Bregh was a housekeeper at Raven Glass and loved a footman from Muncaster Castle. But Mary had a rival, one of the maidservants, who also loved the footman. At night, two men went to Mary Bregh and called her, saying that her lover was seriously ill and that they would lead her to his bed. Instead, they brutally murdered her on the way to Muncaster. Her body was found a few weeks later, floating on the river Esk. Since then, Mary Breg has appeared near the castle.
Frost-Pennington said: “She has not appeared in the building since then, she - this White Lady - appears on the main roads near Muncaster and sometimes in the garden. Some people even said they thought someone had been shot down. They were driving along the road, and a figure in white suddenly appeared in front of them - they had run over a young girl. They stopped the car, but saw nothing there.
People often saw a figure rushing fast. Sometimes it is just a rather dense nebula. Here sometimes strange masses of fog appear near the hills, but the people I asked are sure it was not fog. They say, “Oh no. It didn't look like fog at all. This is different - it was a distinguishable large object. ”

There are also oddities that don't sound like Tom Ful's antics, crying baby, or White Lady. Frost-Pennington said that a woman who was a member of the staff at Muncaster came one afternoon and asked what they were filming that day, because she passed what she thought was an actor dressed in a 15th century costume. Seeing someone in a vintage outfit was no stranger to seeing a lot of films being shot in Muncaster, but there weren't any festivals or film shootings that day. Frost-Pennington said, “She was walking down this alley at noon, and apparently this guy walked past her in pants and jacket, she greeted him, and he * didn't say a word. Usually, when you say hello to someone, they say hello in return. She thought it was strange. Walking a little further and thinking about it, she turned to look at him, and he was not there. She decided that he went through the doorway to another courtyard, but then she thought: what did she see? "
Tom Ful, Mary Breg, crying children, fast-moving shadows and ghosts make Muncaster Castle a haunted paradise. A large ancient castle, standing on a vast area of ​​land, provides many rooms for ghosts and guests. But when choosing a direction, beware of the court jester, whom you may meet sitting under a tree - you cannot joke with Tom Ful.

(the same Tapestry bedroom)

Chillingham Castle

Chillingham Castle is a medieval castle in the village of Chillingham in the northern part of the English county of Northumberland, near the border with Scotland. The first fortress on this site was built in the XII century, but Chillingham became a fully fortified castle after 2 centuries. From the 15th century until World War II, representatives of the aristocratic families of Gray and Bennet lived here.

Sometimes wandering ghosts are seen in the castle: a man and a little boy. Eyewitness testimonies caused smiles, but only until during the restoration of Chillingham, when one of the dead ends was destroyed, two skeletons were found: an adult and a child. Scratches on the stones indicate that they were walled up alive.

There is a torture chamber in the basement of the castle. Here John Sage, the cruel master of the castle, strangled one of his mistresses right during intercourse. These events did not remain within the walls of the dungeon, but were overheard by a servant and made public. The disturbances and unrest associated with this could turn into an uprising on the border, and King Edward Long-Legs ordered the execution of John in his own castle. By the way, many remains of victims with broken limbs were found in the Chillingham dungeon. All bodies, except one left as a memorial sign, were removed. Currently, in the cell, you can see the skeleton of a little girl, the last prisoner who died in the gloomy dungeon of the castle.

Windsor castle
The Royal Windsor Castle has its own ghosts, and the Scottish Psychological Society even conducted research in the castle. The commission came to the following conclusions: most often the castle is visited by the king-murderer Henry VIII. He appears in the suite of the palace and creaks with his wooden leg. The crazy King George III also wanders there. This noisy ghost loves to watch the members of the royal family and scares them with its appearance. They see there a huge knight in armor, with a sword, but without a head. This knight so frightened one of the guards that he fled from his post. Servant in royal palace does not last long. And the members of the family themselves are accustomed to ghosts. Princess Margaret often sees King Charles I and Queen Elizabeth I in the corridors. The brave princess even traced the movement of the ghostly queen, who, reaching the library, vanished into thin air without a trace. The bloody ghost of Lady Dorothy Walpole, who died here in the 18th century, also roams Windsor Castle. However, not all members of the royal family are supportive of ghosts. Princess Diana did not like them very much, she even suffered a nervous breakdown, meeting face to face with one of the family ghosts.

Hampton Castle
Hampton Court Palace also has a resounding fame. Once it was the residence of the royal family, and the past of this family is shrouded in dark and dark secrets. Among the English royalty, there were many villains and unfortunate victims. Many of them still have not found peace. The name of one of the most cruel murderers of women is associated with the Hampton - King Henry VIII. This murderer first divorced his wife Catherine of Aragon, married young Anne Boleyn, from whose ghost the guard in the Tower lost consciousness, then sent Anna to the scaffold and married Jane Seymour, but she died after giving birth. The king did not calm down, and his next wife, Catherine Howard, soon fell out of favor and also ended her days on the scaffold. The ghosts of women tortured by the king still wander the Hampton. On the second floor, in the large hall of the castle, there is a portrait of Anne Boleyn. And in the years when the day of her execution coincides with the full moon, eyewitnesses observed that the image in the portrait disappears, and muffled groans and female cries are heard inside the castle. The king's beloved wife, Jane Seymour, appears to the ministers. For example, Jane was seen by several of the castle attendants on October 16, 1970. A woman in a long, light-colored dress walked along the cobbled courtyard. In her hands she carried a ghostly candle, the fire from which illuminated only the figure of Jane herself, but did not cast glare on the surrounding objects. The queen reached the stone wall and ... disappeared.

In the covered gallery of the castle, you can find the ghost of Catherine Howard. It was there that she was taken into custody by the royal guards and then charged with adultery. Two tourists in 1978 ran into the ghost of Catherine in the gallery and fainted. Then they said that they had reached the place where there was a plaque with a story about the fate of Catherine, suddenly felt a terrible cold and felt that someone had passed by. They looked around and saw a woman in white clothes running towards the castle chapel. At the door of the chapel, Catherine turned around and screamed shrilly and terribly. The tourists could not stand this sight. Neither their guide nor the other tourists heard any screams. True, the guide thoughtfully said that according to historical information, Catherine, upon learning about the accusation, ran to the chapel to pray for mercy. Obviously, the ghost repeats the same story every time.

Two years later, another massive ghost phenomenon was observed at the castle. A group of tourists was in the courtyard of the castle and waited for the guide. Tourists suddenly noticed at the other end of the courtyard two knights in medieval robes, with bows and quivers. The knights laughed merrily, and then left inside the castle. Naturally, tourists perceived this appearance of people in armor as a theatrical performance. This is exactly what they said to the guide who came up. However, he noticed that there were no actors in the castle. The incident was remembered the following year when the Stuarts' courtyard was renovated and the cobblestones removed. There was discovered a shallow grave with the remains of two men, according to the conclusion of anthropologists - young. Who are they, history is silent about this. But legend says that two guards, from whose hands the unfortunate queen escaped, were then secretly killed and buried right in the castle.

King Henry himself appears in the castle before a thunderstorm. He is definitely attracted by electricity. Numerous witnesses experienced a depressing feeling and fear at his appearance. Here is a record left by one of the eyewitnesses: “In the distant gallery, resounding footsteps were heard. They grew louder, iron spurs banging on the stone floor. The impression was that a heavy giant was walking. So he entered a huge hall. The wind howled outside the castle windows. The giant's footsteps are getting closer, you can hear his heavy breathing. Suddenly lightning flashed, its light illuminated the figure of the king. On his head was a crown, he was clad in armor. His eyes burned with anger, as if he had just caught another wife of treason. As Heinrich approached, we felt that heat emanated from him, like from a stove ... ”This is one of the rare types of ghosts that emits not“ grave cold ”, but“ hellish heat ”.

In addition to the crowned persons, less significant ghosts also roam the castle.

The church at Hampton Castle contained the tomb of Sibyl Pan, Prince Edward's nanny. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the nanny slept peacefully and was not "naughty". But in 1829 the church was demolished and the remains of a nanny were disturbed. Since then, a sound ghost has appeared in the room where Sibyl Peng once lived. From there, the sound of a spinning wheel is heard at night. The most interesting thing is that when in 1950 they carried out repairs and destroyed one of the walls, a spinning wheel was found there. The sounds then stopped, but the ghost of the nanny began to roam the galleries of the Hampton.

A quite serious witness, a policeman guarding the main gate of the castle, reported that he saw a group of men and women at about midnight on the evening of February 13, 1985. Men, he explained, were in tuxedos, and women in evening dresses. The group reached the gate and, at a distance of thirty meters from the post, vanished into thin air. The peace officer after this incident retired from service.

For many years, there has been a special book in the castle, in which all cases of ghost sightings are recorded. Even Queen Victoria left her record there.

Scientists have tried many times to study the secrets of the Hampton. Physicist Richard Weissman even received official permission to install instruments there. He installed sensors recording the temperature and humidity in the room (Weisman explored the gallery where Catherine Howard appears). In this way, he tried to determine the currents of air, which, in his opinion, bring and carry away ghostly visions. He did not achieve much success. I spent a lot of sleepless nights and, as a result, I fell asleep right at the post. It was then that he was awakened by the ghost of Catherine. The sleepy scientist could not pinpoint the exact place where she came from, nor the place where she disappeared. “Half of the visitors to the castle, with whom I spoke, experienced strange sensations, - said the scientist. "But I have not found any evidence of the existence of her spirit." According to Richard Weisman, evidence of the closeness of a ghost to a person, in particular, is that "we feel intense cold, difficulty breathing and pressure on the chest." But the director of the museum, under the pretext that research could scare away ghosts, put a quick end to Weisman's night vigils.

Edinburgh castle
The same Richard Weissman with a group of 9 scientists conducted research in Edinburgh Castle, rich in its bloody history. For ten days, 240 volunteers from all over the world tried to catch ghosts, hiding in the basements of the famous castle, where in the seventeenth century a prison for captured French soldiers was set up, and in ancient dungeons located in the medieval "Old City". Scientists were interested in the Edinburgh dungeons, first of all, because it was here, according to hundreds of reports, that tourists and locals met ghosts. The task of the volunteers was to wander at night through the corridors, basements and attics of the castle in search of spirits. At the same time, everything that happens in the castle was recorded by the most complex equipment capable of sensing electromagnetic changes, detecting air currents, temperature changes, geomagnetic oscillations, ultrasounds, and so on. Among them, the main role was assigned to a $ 50 thousand digital scanner, which is usually used by the police to find people. The ghostbusters paid particular attention to the area around the south bridge of the castle, where, according to tradition, ghosts of people buried there during the plague epidemic appear. In addition to these unfortunates, there are other ghosts in the castle - a ghost playing the bagpipes, a mother with a stillborn child, and other spirits. “We want to establish whether all this is an obsession or the truth, - this is how Richard Weissman explained the purpose of the experiment. - In any case, it will not be a waste of time. Experience will allow us to understand the mechanism that leads people to believe in spirits. "

“The results were not quite expected,” the British press reports. - Half of the participants in the experiment (presumably, they were people without imagination) did not experience anything unusual, the rest experienced something like that, but mostly not scary - such as an unexpected and sharp drop in temperature, unpleasant, God knows where it came from, an uncomfortable draft, or feeling that someone is watching you. However, several subjects took out more ominous impressions from their underground vigils: one felt as if something hot was being applied to his hand, the other fell into a real panic, exasperated by the sounds of someone breathing in the corner of the room. Someone was touched by the face and pulled by the edges of their clothes; and one of the volunteers saw a certain person in a huge leather apron. The strangest thing is that the person in the apron, according to reports, was repeatedly met in the same place, and the volunteer had never been to Edinburgh before. national characteristics I knew nothing of the Edinburgh ghosts.

To the surprise of the researchers, who, being true scientists, did not give a penny about ghost stories and in fact only looked for a rational explanation for "encounters with ghosts", most of the strange sensations occurred in those dungeons that were already infamous. In the same places that, despite their ominous appearance, had not been visited by ghosts before, the number of recorded oddities turned out to be significantly less. And this despite the fact that, according to the conditions of the experiment, the volunteers were not told anything about exactly where they were to watch and what its “ghostly” history was.

After the experiment with volunteers, they examined the basements of Edinburgh using a variety of scientific equipment, measured temperature, humidity, magnetic fields, etc., but did not notice any deviations from the norm.

In England, ghosts are taken care of. For example, the first official club of ghost seekers was organized in this particular country back in 1665. This society was founded not by insane or psychopaths, but by quite respectable scientists of that time, among whom was famous physicist Robert Boyle, known to every student of the Boyle-Marriott law. And the only task of this club of interests was precisely the study of the phenomenon of ghosts. And in 1882 another organization was created to study the same issue - the "Society for Psychical Research". The great merit of this society is that they began to question eyewitnesses and carefully document all information about ghosts. True, the problem is still far from being solved.

As soon as a "ghost" house changes ownership, members of various English ghost societies inform them about it. As soon as it became known that the star of "Titanic" Kate Winslett became the owner of a haunted house on the south-west coast of England, she was immediately notified. The house, located in the village of Tingale, is famous for the fact that, according to legend, the famous King Arthur and all his numerous retinue lived there. Kate was politely asked not to disturb the stillness of the ghosts. A similar request was sent to the actress Claudia Shefferd, who acquired Caldam Hall, a house in Suffolk County. The young nun Penelope Rockwood “comes to this house every year for a vacation”. Although she died long ago, Penelope continues to pay a visit to her native nest. Caldam Hall is also famous for the fact that there are two damned paintings. This is why the British Ghost Club immediately took control of the new owner.

The tower
In the Tower, the ghost of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, who was executed on May 19, 1536, on his orders, roams at large. The body of the executed woman was buried in the Tower. Since then, she has come here at night. In any case, since 1864, Anne Boleyn began to be called the Woman in White. Here is what folk legends tell about it.

Once the captain of the guard made a round and found his sentry at the post, but in a swoon. The captain ordered to bring the sentry to his senses, and he said that he saw a woman in white robes emerge from the room where Anna spent the last night before the execution. Her figure seemed to float to the sentry, he got scared and ordered her to stop. But the unexpected guest did not respond and continued to step on the sentry. The sentry got angry and pierced her with a bayonet, but the bayonet went through the figure as if through air. The soldier got scared and ... lost consciousness. Of course, like any reasonable person, the captain decided: the soldier is lying. He decided that he had just fallen asleep at the post and was so awkwardly trying to make excuses. The soldier was sent to court. The soldier's case was carefully recorded, and witnesses were summoned and heard. These witnesses, the same guard soldiers, testified that they had also seen a ghost at this ill-fated room on several occasions. They described in detail what this ghost looked like. Moreover, they gave evidence under oath. As a result, the guard was acquitted.

Coventry town
Still residents English city Coventry is occasionally seen by the ghost of the Naked Horsewoman. In the middle of the night, a ghostly figure on a snow-white horse appears on the streets of Coventry. She rides from the ruins of the medieval St.Michael's Cathedral to famous statue in the town square, which was erected many years ago in honor of Lady Godiva, the heroine of a folk legend. The horse rider who frightens people is Lady Godiva. She lived in the XI century, when on the site of modern Leicestershire there was a small kingdom of Mercia. Lady Godiva was the wife of the Duke Leofric. According to legend, she was young, beautiful and unusually kind. She was very concerned about the welfare of her subjects. One day she asked her husband to cut taxes. The Duke did not like such a request, but he pretended to agree and put forward a condition: his wife would have to ride naked on a white horse across the city. The beautiful Godiva immediately gave her consent. And the residents, in gratitude for the selfless act, closed all the windows in their houses when the woman fulfilled the terms of the contract. The only citizen, Tom Bradsley, secretly peeped through the crack between the shutters. They called him Peeping Tom. The ghost of Godiva appears rarely and usually before serious disasters - wars, epidemics and other troubles. The ghost of Godiva was seen in September and October 1940, before the terrible bombing raids that almost completely destroyed this city.

Pluxley Village
In the British Isles, ghosts do not only live in ancestral nests. The village of Pluxley is world famous, where 12 ghosts live at once.

The first of them is the ghost of the robber, who chose the place of appearance of Freight Corner, where a branchy old oak used to stand. It was here that the enemies overtook him, pierced him with a sword and nailed him to the trunk with a spear. Residents say the drama repeats itself over and over again every night.

A country road leads from Pluxley to Multman's Hill. A ghost carriage appears on it from time to time. The carriage rattles, creaks, and is pulled by four horses.

At the crossroads near the bridge, you can see the ghost of an old gypsy woman wrapping herself in a shawl and smoking a pipe. At this very place, she was once burned on charges of witchcraft. Now the ghostly gypsy woman scares the inhabitants.

On the outskirts of Pluxley is Parkwood Pasture. Before there was a forest, but it was cut down, the place was cleared and the cattle began to graze there. But in ancient times a colonel hanged himself in this forest. His ghost can be seen in the pasture.

There is a laurel tree on the Dickie Bassez Lane road. After the First World War, a school teacher hanged himself on it. Today you can see the ghost of the hanged man swinging in a ghostly noose among the laurel branches.

There is an old mill next to the house that everyone calls Pink. A black ghost can often be seen there. They say that this is the ghost of the miller. But he appears only before a thunderstorm, warning the villagers by this.
Not far from railway station there is a clay quarry. Once upon a time a tragedy occurred at this place: the clay wall of the quarry collapsed and buried the worker under it. Today his ghost appears here, and the cries of the unfortunate are heard from the quarry.

There is a house in Pluxley called Rosecourt. The hostess once committed suicide in this house. She was poisoned by the juice of poisonous berries. Until now, between four and five o'clock in the evening, you can see her ghost there: the suicide was committed at this time.

The name of the Monk is associated with this ghost. The monk appears at Greystones (Pluxley's other home). And they often see this ghost of the Monk walking arm in arm with the ghost of the Woman from Rosecourt. According to legend, the poisoned berry was found at the window facing Greystones.

The Sarrenden Denning Estate was located in Pluxley. But the main house burned down in 1952. The old villagers still remember that the ghost of a woman in a white shroud often appeared on the estate. She was called the Woman in White. After the fire, the ghost disappeared.

But there is still the ghost of the Woman in Red, who was also from the Denning clan. She appears in the Church of Saint-Nicholas, where the ashes of young Lady Denning are buried under the floor in the family crypt. She was buried in the XII century, according to the chronicles of those times - in a luxurious white dress, with a scarlet rose in her hands. The deceased was placed in a lead coffin, and that coffin in one more. There are seven of them. The last coffin is placed in a huge wooden chest made from an oak trunk. But even these precautions did not calm the young lady. Her ghost is constantly seen in the village.

Such an abundance of ghosts in the country, oddly enough, does not at all prevent the British from living in peace. They take care of all the "ghostly" places with their usual stiffness. This is not surprising: crowds of tourists come to look at the ghosts every year. Here, ghosts are elevated to the rank of national treasure, and the corresponding ones are related to them.

edited news elche27 - 7-05-2011, 17:48

Scotland is famous for its medieval castles, palaces and forts that preserve the history of the country, in which the spirit of knights and kings, beautiful ladies and ghosts of the past soar.

Edinburgh Castle Rock rises in the center of the Scottish capital on the crater of an extinct volcano. This ancient fortress on the Castle Rock, surpassing in its size a small medieval town, has a very rich history, which is full of bloody and tragic events. Mysterious murders and insidious conspiracies, hundreds of prisoners tortured in the dungeons of the castle gave rise to many legends.

The ghost of a piper who disappeared without a trace, who was sent to look for a way out, wanders through the huge mysterious dungeon of the castle. What happened to him is unknown.

And the headless ghost of the drummer, who beats the drumbeat when danger approaches, can be seen in the predawn hours, in the courtyard of the castle. According to legend, it was this soldier who, during his lifetime, warned of the offensive of Oliver Cromwell's troops and was executed in the castle.

The spirits of prisoners with the plague, an old man in a leather apron, and even the ghost of a dog from a nearby dog ​​cemetery live here. From the dungeons of the castle, where French prisoners were imprisoned during the Seven Years War, strange sounds are sometimes heard and translucent silhouettes are visible. Visitors to the castle also report unnatural fluctuations in temperature, breath sounds coming from out of nowhere, and invisible people touching their faces. And on the slopes of the volcano, the sentries sometimes see the ghost of the poor man who tried to escape from the dungeon, but was thrown alive from a cliff by an absurd accident. Edinburgh Castle is the most haunted place on earth.

Stirling Castle is located in the city of the same name, Stirling, and is considered one of the most important and largest castles in Scotland. For many years this castle was the seat of the rulers of Scotland. He was besieged 8 times and never once was he subdued.

Like all medieval castles, Sterling is steeped in secrets and legends. And ghosts live here, and the most famous is the Green Lady - the ghost of the maid Mary Stuart, who at the cost of her life saved the queen from a fire in the castle. A misty green figure appears in the most unexpected places, each time heralding some kind of danger to the inhabitants of the castle.

In the numerous passages of the ancient castle and even on the fortress walls, they often see a human figure in armor. He wanders the castle, muttering unintelligible prayers, and disappears at the first attempts to approach him.

Duntrune Castle, located in the west of Scotland, was built in the 12th century by the MacDougall clan, but later passed into the possession of the Campbell clan. In 1792, the Campbells sold the castle to the Malcolm clan, and to this day, Dantrune belongs to that family. It is considered the oldest continuously inhabited castles in all of Scotland. Rising above the bay, among the heaps of rocks, it is adapted to repel attacks from the sea. Over the long years of its existence, Dantrun Castle has participated in many battles, and these were mainly battles in the struggle of clans for power.

There is a legend that the ghost of an armless bagpiper lives in Dantrun, who saved the owners of the castle by notifying them of an ambush. He paid for his loyalty with a terrible death - both of his hands were cut off so that he could never play. The musician bled to death and died from his wounds. However, his spirit never found peace. He is often met by the inhabitants of the castle, and sometimes the sounds of bagpipes are heard as if from nowhere.

In 1880, during the renovation work, workers discovered a human skeleton, which had no hands. Despite the fact that, at the insistence of the owner of the house, the remains were properly buried, strange things continue to happen from time to time. Either knocking on doors, behind which there is no one, or pictures falling from the walls for no apparent reason, and once all the pewter dishes were thrown to the floor by an invisible hand. The ongoing unrest is believed to be due to the fact that the piper was a Catholic and, possibly, the Protestant rite, according to which he was buried, did not appease his soul.

Meggernie Castle was built in the 17th century on the banks of Loch Tay in Central Scotland. The castle was originally owned by the Gregor clan. Today it belongs to the textile magnate J. Bullock.

The ghost of the chef's wife, Menzie Clan, lives in this castle, and it behaves in a very unusual way. They say the woman was very loving and flirted with every man in a row. The husband, being angry at this behavior, killed his wife, and cut the body in two before getting rid of it. Since then, the woman's lower body has roamed the lower floors of the castle and basements, and her upper body has been upstairs where men sleep.

The medieval Glamis Castle, located in the Angus area, is home to several ghosts. It is home to one of the most ancient ghosts of this country - the King of Scotland, Malcolm II, who died in 1034 from wounds.

According to legend, the ghost of Count Glamis, who loved to play cards, also lives in the castle. One Saturday he played so hard that he stayed up until midnight. And when he was hinted that gambling on Sunday was a great sin, the count announced that he was ready to play with the devil himself. The devil immediately materialized and very quickly won everything from the count and his partners, including their immortal souls, which forever remained in the very room where the game took place. And now in the castle you can sometimes see a luminous window, behind which, judging by the sounds, they are playing cards.

He loves to wander the corridors and often prays in the chapel of the castle the ghost of Lady Janet, Countess Glamis, who was burned at the stake in 1537, accused of witchcraft and an attempt to poison the then reigning King James V. In the same corridors you can find the ghost of a woman with a bloody mouth and clothes. This is a maid whose tongue was cut off so that she could keep what she saw a secret. The castle was also chosen by a certain knight, who looks into the faces of sleeping guests at night. And in the dungeons of the castle a man appears with a terribly disfigured body. They probably tortured him to death there.

Crathes Castle in the Aberdeenshire region was built in the 16th century on the site of an older fortress located on an islet in the middle of a swamp. The castle was owned by the Barnett of Lays clan for 400 years, and this moment is the property of the National Trust for Scotland. The castle has a large botanical garden with manicured lawns and paths strewn with red gravel.

The most famous ghost of the castle is the Green Lady. According to legend, this spirit belongs to an unfortunate servant who lost her newborn child, was rejected and killed by her lover. Since then, in the castle tower they see the ghost of a woman in a green dress, who moves around the room to take the ghost of a child with him, and then disappears into the fireplace. During renovations in the 18th century, skeletons of an unknown woman and a child were found under the floor by the fireplace, but even after the burial, a ghost still wanders around the castle.

The dilapidated Hermitage Castle is considered one of the most terrible and sinister castles in Scotland. It is believed that the name of this castle comes from the old French word l'armitage - "bunker". The oldest part of the castle was built at the beginning of the 13th century.

There are several ghosts in the castle. One of them is the ghost of Sir Alexander Ramsey, Sheriff of Tevitdale. In 1342 he was lured into the castle under the pretext of meeting an old friend, Sir William Douglas. The sheriff was captured and thrown into a dungeon, where he was left to die of hunger and thirst. When at the beginning of the 19th century, the wall that covered the once former dungeon was demolished, they discovered a skeleton and a rusty sword. Sometimes from the dungeon you can hear heartbreaking cries for help.

Another inhabitant of the castle is the ghost of Lord Suli, who practiced black magic and used it to commit crimes. It was said that he abducted babies whose blood he needed for witchcraft rituals. Lord Suli's atrocities knew no bounds. According to legend, the lord was executed by throwing him into a barrel of boiling lead. The ghost of Lord Suli, along with his faithful servant Robin, was seen many times, and at night they heard demonic laughter in the uninhabited ruins of the castle.

One of the most famous castles in Scotland - Eilean Donan Castle (Eilean Donan Castle) is located on a small rocky tidal Donan Island, lying in the Loch Dewich Fjord in Scotland. The castle was built in the 13th century, during the reign of King Alexander II. In 1263, Alexander III handed the castle over to Colin Fitzgerald as a reward for his valor during the Battle of Largs. Colin's descendants adopted the McKenzie family name. From then on, Eilen Donan remained the most important fortress in McKenzie until 1719, when the castle was destroyed. In 1911, John McRae-Gilstrap bought the castle and began restoration work. After 20 years, the castle was rebuilt according to the old plans kept in Edinburgh. The reconstruction included, among other things, the construction of a stone bridge that connected the island to the lake shore. To this day, the McRae clan lives in six rooms set aside for them in the castle.

The castle is inhabited by two ghosts. One of them is a Spanish soldier killed during the capture of Eilen Donan Castle in 1719. It is believed that he wears his head under his arm and appears in a gallery dedicated to the history of the castle. Another ghost lives in one of the bedrooms - this is the spirit of the murdered Lady Mary, by whom and when. Who she is, it has not yet been possible to figure out. Some believe that this is the spirit of Mary Stuart herself.

Huntingtower, a small hunting castle in Perth, once known as Ruthven Castle, was built in phases starting in the 15th century.

The castle tower is said to be inhabited by Lady Greenleaves, a young woman named Dorothea, who was the daughter of the 1st Earl of Gowry. Legend has it that she was in love with a young man from the castle's servant. The couple met in secret at night in the eastern tower, where the servants' quarters were.

Once the countess, the girl's mother, found out about this connection, which dishonored the family. From the family apartments in the western tower, she crossed the bridge to the eastern one in order to catch a couple in love. Dorothea heard her mother's footsteps on the bridge. The way back was cut off, and she made her way to the roof. In despair, the girl decided to jump to the western tower and miraculously landed safely, jumping over the battlement wall. The girl managed to return to bed, where her mother found her. The next day, the lovers secretly escaped from the castle. Their further destiny unknown.

The tall figure of a young woman in a green dress was noticed many times near the castle, more often at dusk, but sometimes in daylight. Her appearance is rumored to be a bad sign and warns of trouble in the future. In the 1930s, a traveler who saw Lady Greensleaves in the hallway slept in the castle. The next day, while crossing the Tay by ferry, he fell into the water and drowned.

In the Argyll and Bute region of Scotland, near the town of Oban, there is Dunstaffnage Castle, one of the oldest stone castles in Scotland. It is located on a narrow spit of Lake Etiv and is surrounded by water on three sides. Earlier, even before the arrival of the Romans, on this place was the Dal Riatan fortress, built earlier than the 7th century.

The castle is famous for its female ghost called Elle Maid. Sometimes she is dressed in white and sometimes in green. No one knows the reason for the appearance of this ghost. Previously, when the Campbell clan owned a castle, the ghost showed signs of sadness when a Campbell died, and joy when a happy event happened in the Campbell family. The ghost also loves to bother people, pulling bedding off the beds, waking up the family and guests with a loud stomp on the stairs. Elle Maid especially delights in teasing children lying in bed by pulling their hair, arms and legs.

Elena Krumbo, specially for the site "World of Secrets"