POMEROY

CASTLE

The castle, now a romantic ruin, is reputed to be one of the

most haunted in the British Isles. It has numerous legends
associated with it, and although now only a shell of its
former glory, it retains an air of its troubled history.
The castle has been the scene of numerous ghostly sightings
and strange phenomena. The most enduring ghosts seem to
be the terrifying apparitions of a White Lady and a Blue Lady.
The White Lady haunts the dark dungeons, and rises from St
Margaret's Tower to the castle ramparts, where she has been
seen beckoning to witnesses (as recently as 1987).
According to the legend she is the spirit of Margaret
Pomeroy, who was imprisoned in the dungeons by her sister
Eleanor. Eleanor was jealous of both her beauty and her
affections for the man she had designs upon. Margaret
slowly starved in the dungeons, a long drawn out and painful
death. Whether she is the source of the feeling of unease
and horror some people experience at the castle is unknown.

The Blue Lady is not confined to specific areas of

the castle and is supposed to lure people into parts
of the ruin. Traditionally she is seen as the ghost of
the daughter of one of the Norman Lords of the
castle. She was raped by her father, who then
strangled the resulting child in one of the upper
rooms.
In other tales it is she who strangles the child,
haunting the castle in anguish. When seen, her face
is said to portray this suffering. She is regarded as a
death portent to members of the Seymour family.
Sir Walter Farquar (Dr Farquar) is said to have seen
the spirit while he was attending to the wife of one
of the Stewards in the 19th Century. She died soon
afterwards although she seemed to be making a full
recovery.

Another popular tradition relates to the

heroic fate of two brothers (Pomeroys), who
were besieged at the castle at some point in
its history. To save face from a long drawn
out defeat, they dressed in full armour,
mounted their horses, and rode off the top
of the castle ramparts and precipice below.
The area was known thereafter as the
Pomeroy's leap, and is associated with
anomalous noises such as screams and dull
thuds. This story may have origins in a real
life event, although the occurrence does not
appear in written history.

During its 900 years of existence, the

Tower of London has earned the
reputation of being one of the most
haunted places in the UK.

Anne Boleyns ghost has been seen on

numerous occasions at the Tower of
London. It is said her ghost haunts the
place of her death, beheaded on Tower
Green on the 19thMay 1536.
Perhaps the most spectacular ghost story
relating to Anne is that of a Captain of the
guard who saw a light flickering in the
locked Chapel Royal late one night. He
tried to uncover the source of the light by
climbing up a ladder and was met with an
unbelievable scene unfolding inside. A
procession of Knights and Ladies dressed
in ancient costumes pacing the chapel.
Their leader, an elegant female whose
face he could not see but whose figure
resembled that of Anne Boleyns in
portraits he had seen. The procession
later disappears.
Anne is also said to walk from the Queens
House to the Chapel of Saint Peter ad
Vincula, where she walks down the aisle
to her grave under the altar.

The Bloody Tower is a place in the castle which conjures

up grisly images. There is the story of the two young
princes, Edward V and his brother Richard, who were
declared illegitimate by Parliament and sent to the tower.
They were often seen playing around happily in the
grounds but suddenly vanished and were never seen
again. It was assumed that they were murdered by order
of their uncle, the Duke of Gloucester. Two skeletons,
believed to be the children, were unearthed beneath a
staircase in the White Tower. The ghosts of the children
are often seen wearing nightgowns clutching each other
in terror in the rooms of the castle. They are also heard
throughout the Tower.
There is also the White Lady of the massive White Tower.
The White Tower is one of the oldest and most foreboding
buildings and it is the eerie haunt of the White Lady. She
was said to have stood once at a window waving to little
children at the building on the opposite side. Her cheap
perfume impregnates the air on the entrance to St. Johns
Chapel.

Sir Walter Raleigh was held in the Bloody

Tower by James I, and eventually
executed. According to legend, he has
been seen looking exactly as he does in
his portrait hanging in the Bloody Tower
where he was kept. His ghost is also said
to wander the Tower as he did when he
was imprisoned.

Samlesbury Hall is
renowned as one of the
most haunted locations in
Britain. Resident spirits
include the legendary
White Lady, Dorothy
Southworth who died of a
broken heart and has
since been seen on many
occasions within the Hall
and grounds.
One particular spot in the
Great Hall is the place
where strange things
regularly happen - a slap
to the back of the head,
uncomfortable feelings by
wedding guests and a
shadow passing have all
been reported.

Lady Dorothy Southworth fell

in love with a dashing young
man from the de Hoghton
family. Unfortunately, the de
Hoghtons were as strongly
Protestant as the
Southworths were Catholic
and neither house wished a
union with the other.
Consequently, Dorothy and
her young beau were refused
permission to marry. Defying
their families, the lovers
continued to see each other
in secret, meeting along the
Ribbles winding banks or
amid the shade of nearby
woods, and it was there that
they concocted a daring plan
to elope.

On the night of the

planned elopement,
Dorothys brother waited in
ambush for the rendezvous
to take place. As soon as
young de Hoghton arrived,
Dorothys murderous
sibling sprang forth from
his hiding place and killed
her lover on the spot along
with his two retainers. The
trio of corpses were hastily
buried under the cover of
darkness within the
grounds of the Halls
chapel. Dorothy witnessed
her lovers violent death.
Legend says that she was
inconsolable and had to be
sent to a convent overseas

Athelhampton is considered to be one of the most haunted houses in England. It

played host to the Living TV Most Haunted crew for one of their first ever episodes.
One report that stands out at this location is the pair of duelists in the Great
Chamber. One day a woman was trying to relax and read a book in the Great Hall
when two unknown men burst into the chamber in the middle of a sword fight. The
woman continually pulled on the bell rope for the servants but nobody arrived. She
turned to her side and carried on reading while the fight continued until one of the
men were cut on the arm and left the room.
Later that day the woman reported the incident to the owner and he replied
puzzled at the whole thing. He stated, I cant understand who the men were you
had seen, as all the guests of the hotel were here at tea, so you would have seen
them. Still to this day the two men have never been identified, although the
house is believed to have had connections to the Royalists during the Civil War.

The Grey Lady is Athelhampton most famous ghost. She wanders the upper levels
often sitting on the end of beds and then when asked to leave she simply stands
up and glides through the walls. Personally we think that this is the ghost of the
member of the martyn family who hung herself in the hidden room by the great
hall.
Although the Grey Lady is the most famous ghost, the most famous story is that
of the Marytn familys pet ape. The lady who hung herself in the hidden room,
accidentally locked the poor ape in the room with her. Everyone in the hall can
hear the scratchings and howlings of the ape, still trying to escape from his
unfortunate prison.
Athelhampton House is a ideal ghost hunting location with no risk at all, and
some unique and unusual activity.