Posts Tagged ‘haunting’

Posted on March 10, 2010 - by Andrew

Two captured ghosts sell for nearly £1,500

Here’s an interesting auction item on New Zealand site TradeMe.co.nz; two captured ghosts.

The seller, melvin_s has 98.4% positive feedback on the auction site, put the two captured ghosts up with a reserve price of $1.00.

They sold for $2,830.00 NZD.

The spirits are said to have been trapped by an exorsist from a spiritualist church. One if a man called Les Graham who died in the haunted house in 1920.

The other spirit is said to have been summoned when Melvin and partner tried their hands at a Oujia Board. They suggest it is a little girl who likes to turn lights off – a spirit that will get more powerful over time.

Melvin told bidders that to revive either spirit, the water must be poured into a dish and left to evaporate in the house.

In Pure Spirit

Do you think $3,000 NZ dollars (about £1,400) is too much or too little to pay for these bottles which may contain ghosts?

Was Melvin clever in putting the two bottles up for auction – a ploy to make money or did he really just want rid of them?

Posted on February 13, 2010 - by Andrew

Did the events of Pendle cast a ghostly curse on Gawthorpe Hall?

Gawthorpe Hall is believed, by some, to be one of the most haunted buildings in Lancaster.

The building is owned by the National Trust today but has been in the possession of the Shuttleworth family for much of history. It began life as a pele tower, build in the 14th century to ward off the Scots, and a Jacobean mansion was added in around the year 1600.  It was Sir Charles Barry who extended the hall significantly in 1850.

The initials “KS” appear often around the house which stand for Kay-Shuttleworth.

Some sources claim that Colonel Richard Shuttleworth played a vital part in the Pendle Witches case of 1612 and others believed to be witches in 1633. Others deny this.

Ghosts of Gawthrope Hall

There are many tales and accounts of hauntings at Gawthorpe Hall. Rachel K Shuttleworth is believed to be one of the entities in the hall – she was the last member of the family to actually live in Gawthorpe and was known as extremely skilled at embroider and lacemaking.

Other people speak of the murder of a young woman at the hall. This murder isn’t just associated with a possible ghost but of a sudden pain in the chest that can strike some visitors.

Some people have suggested that Richard Shuttleworth’s involvement with the Pendle witch trial has had an effect on the hall. Richard Shuttleworth was the son of  Hugh Shuttleworth  and Anne Grimsha and so owned West Close where accused witches Chattox and Anne Redfearn lived.

It is believed that it was Richard Shuttleworth’s servant who accused the women of witchcraft in the first place.

In Pure Spirit

Have you been to Gawthorpe Hall and seen its ghosts? What did you make of the historic building?

If you feel like visiting Gawthorpe Hall you can do so by booking via the National Trust*.

Disclaimer: Links marked with a star(*) are affilaite links.

Posted on January 23, 2010 - by Andrew

Is Bodelwyddan castle haunted?

Bodelwyddan house and estate date back before 1440 when it was built by the Humphreys of Anglesey. The Williams (Williams-Wynn) family, so closely associated with the castle, began their association from around 1690.

The castle is believed to be haunted and runs overnight paranormal tours. The tours make use of electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors, digital thermometers, dowsing rods, crystal pendulums and tourists are allowed to bring their own digital cameras.

Visitors have reported the barking and howling of a spirit dog, the cries of ghost children and the ghost of a wife who was terrorised by her husband during her life. People are said to greatly fear the place, can sense the ghost of someone who committed suicide the castle and of haunting resulting from murder.

Other visitors report sensing the presence of a nurse, perhaps the nursemaid of the ghostly children, present in the castle.

In 2008 the BBC published a recording of a ghostly voice taken by a paranormal assistant who works at the castle. Some people think it says; “Hold me close”

The BBC recording is here. Can you hear it?

Rachel told the BBC;

“From the noises I have heard and recorded, to the temperature drops and the strange scents, I am certan it is haunted! Sometimes it’s quiet, sometimes it’s active – the spirits come out when they choose!

We were holding one of our overnight vigils in Bodelwyddan Castle when I recorded the sound. We were waiting for a group to arrive and as my friend and I walked around the castle we began to feel uneasy as if something was waiting to happen. The public arrived at 9pm and, after the tour, we began our vigil. We entered the library and where busy talking when all eight of us heard a loud sigh which appeared to come from the door right next to us.

It was unexplainable. It couldn’t have been any of the group as we were all on the opposite side of the doorway. After we had calmed each other down, I decided to switch on the recording device on my phone in the hope I would record a voice like we had heard earlier. We stayed in the library but nothing else happend so I stopped recording.

However, I sent the recording to an EVP expert and he used his software to pick out a voice saying ‘Hold me close’ which we hadn’t heard at the time. We had a lot of unexplained responses that night as well as the sound of music and faint voices. It has to be one of the scariest nights in the castle for me.”

The castle acted a a ret and recuperation hospital for soldiers during the first world war and the grounds of the estate where used for trench training.

In 1829 Sir John Hay Williams wrote that, during a refurbishment project, human bones where founded near on the chimneys but were built back into the castle wall.

North West Spirit Seekers also have a video of the castle.

In Pure Spirit

Ghost Hunters International and Most Haunted have both visited the castle. Most Haunted returned to Bodelwyddan for Most Haunted Live in 2010.

Have you been to the castle? Have you encountered or seen any of the Bodelwyddan ghosts?

Posted on January 12, 2010 - by Andrew

The Brown Lady of haunted Raynham Hall

Raynham Hall is south west of the town of Fakeham, just a few miles away from the silent town that the old RAF base at West Raynham has become, in Norfolk.

The story of ghosts and haunting at Raynham Hall may be one of the most famous in Britain. The Brown Lady is said to be none other than Dorothy Walpole – the sister of the first British Prime Minister Robert Walpole. Robert Walpole (1676-1745), once knwn as Sir Robert Walpole, is widely credited with being the first “Prime Minister of Great Britain” as we know the role today.

The famous photograph taken at Raynham Hall shows a ghost descending the staircase in the hall.

The legend begins in 1713 when Lord Townshend, owner of Raynham Hall, married Dorothy Walpole. She was Townshend’s second wife and, as rumour had it, the ex-mistress of Lord Wharton. Wharton’s reputation was terrible. It was said no lady was safe in is presence.

Dorothy Walpole, the second Lady Townshend, was buried in 1726. It was rumoured that the funeral was a sham, a staged theatre and that Lady Townshend lived on as a hostage in Raynham Hall. Locals said that “Dolly” Townshend was doomed to roam the stairs and hallways of Raynham all by night ever after.

There are mixed reports on how Dorothy Walpole died. Some suggest she starved to death after being confined or confining herself to her room, others suggest she fell – or was pushed – down the grand staircase at Raynham Hall. The same staircase the picture was taken. Was it murder? Was it suicide? There have certainly been deaths at Raynham Hall.

The official papers say tat she died of smallpox.

It is said that King George IV ( at the time still Prince Regent) saw the Brown Lady at Raynham Hall. He is rumoured to have awoken the whole house with the news that “a little lady al dressed in brown, with dishevelled hair and a face of ashy paleness’ who stood at his bed. George IV left that hall immediately.

Later, in 1849, Lucia Stone tried to speak to a lady watching him after he had finished a chess match against Major Loftus (a relative of Charles Townshend) but encountered only a woman, dressed in brown, with no eyes in her skull before she vanished.

In 1936, after the RAF Base at West Raynham had opened, two photographers were active in Raynham Hall. Captain Provand and assistant Indre Shira were talking pictures of the hall for Country Life magazine. It was early evening when Shira notice a misty form on the stairs. Shira alerted the captain so the cap could be taken off the camera while Shira triggered the flash.

The photograph was so remarkable that Shira and the captain quickly got local chemist, Benjamin Jones, to examine the development. It was agreed at the time that the photograph was unlikely to have been tampered with although some people suggested Shira may have tampered with the lens.

 

Country Life is said still to hold the original photograph.

Posted on November 18, 2009 - by Andrew

Hanging tree ghost caught on camera at Fort William

A French couple on holiday in the Highlands of Scotland claim they have managed to photograph a ghost.

The couple took the strange photograph on the high street of Fort William.  Sophie Mager and Remy Ruckey told press that they didn’t see the ghost themselves; it only became visible to them in the photograph.

They add that it was only after the photograph was taken that they discovered from locals the spot was the location of an old hanging tree – chopped down in the 1970s to make way for a new library.

It was said at the time that cutting down the ancient tree would bring about “Buidseachd” (pronounced Bootchach) the Gaelic name for a curse.

Staff in the library now on the scene have reported hauntings; boos, paintings an pot plants throwing themselves in to the floor and the sound of dog snufflings even though there were no animals in the building. At one point library workers fled the building when an electric typewriter started to print its letters upside down.

In Pure Spirit

Do you think Mager and Puckey have managed to capture the ghost of the old Fort William hanging tree on camera? Or is this a genuine mistake? A con?

Posted on November 9, 2009 - by Andrew

Ghosts at the Toxteth Gaumont Cinema

The Gaumont Cinema by Toxteth – more commonly known as Dingle’s Gaumont Cinema – is situated in a very interested spot.  It has been observed that the haunted theatre’s position on a map of Liverpool forms a triangle if plotted alongside the nearby Turner Memorial Home and the impressive Ancient Chapel of Toxteth.

Toxteth Gaumont Cinema

The odd shape of the cinema is simply due to the curve of the roads the building stands beside. It was built in 1937 to house Britain’s first Gaumont projectomatic system. This is a cinema system that automatically changed film reels and controlled the lights. The issue of light control is interesting as some of the reported hauntings in the old building have featured the lights.

The art deco building was built to replace the Dingle Picturedrome. After the Gaumont theatre was decommissioned it was turned into a bingo hall.

Hauntings at Toxteth Gaumont Cinema

There have been a number of ghost sightings at the cinema; ranging from strange lights to shadowy figures.

It is rumoured that a bingo player lost her life while playing the game – her heart giving out to the drama. One of the popular stories suggests that she still lingers on in the hall trying to claim her winners. Another local story speaks of a suicide; a man who killed himself behind the cinema screen.

Interesting Locations Nearby

The Turner Nursing Home was created by Anne Turner, wife of Charles Turner (the first Chairman of Liverpool Docks which may also be haunted) and mother of Charles William Turner. Anne out lived them both. The home opened  in 1885 and featured work from Sir William Hamo Thorneycroft and the architect Alfred Whitehouse.

The red ashlar home has a large chapel that features octagonal columns and stained glass. Some whisper that the souls of some of the less than sane former inhabitants at Turner may linger still; especially near the chapel.

The Ancient Chapel of Toxteth dates back to around 1604 – nearly three hundred before the Chapel at the Turner – and was originally built by Puritan dissenters from the Church of England but is now owned and used by the Unitarians.

The land which the Ancient Chapel and its graveyard is built one was sold to the Puritan families by the Earl of Derby. The inside of the chapel is dark even in summer.

In Pure Spirit

Have you been to any of the locations mentioned above? What do you think? Have you sensed anything other than natural there?

Posted on November 2, 2009 - by Andrew

Does Henry still haunt Layer Marney Tower?

Layer Marney Tower in Essex is an impressive Tudor building. Construction was begun by the first Henry Lord Marney but he died in 1523 before the project was finished.

Layer Marney Tower was inspired by Henry VIII’s belief that a building should reflect the status of its owner. It is said that Lord Henry, 1st Lord Marney’s tomb is the best example of this as it combines beauty, innovation and a lightness of touch.

After Henry 1st, Lord Marney died the ownership of the tower passed to his son John. However, John died two years later. Other owners have included Sir Brian Tuke, Nicholas Corsellis and Quintin Dick.

The Great Earthquake of 1884 damaged Layer Marney Tower but not seriously enough to destroy it completely. Alfred and Kezia Peache, brother and sister, are credited for leading the repair efforts as well as adding to garden to the south of the Tower

Hauntings

It is said that Layer Marney Tower is haunted. A common ghost story is that the ghost of Henry, 1st Lord Marney haunts his home and that he is unhappy the building was not completed to his liking. Some paranormal investigators suggest that the ghost favours one set of stairs in particular.

The gardens of Layer Marney Tower are impressive. Another popular ghost story is that the spectre of a gardener is sometimes seen where graves of small children where found.

It is also suggested that an author of ghost books is actually now a ghost himself and roams the hallways.

Posted on October 30, 2009 - by Andrew

A smuggler’s ghost at Snatchems – the Golden Ball?

The Golden Ball is a pub on the bank of the Lune and is known as Snatchems by locals. The pub has enjoyed a notorious past. It was frequently visited by press gangs – violent men who would ‘recruit’ or kidnap citizens in Lancaster and forcibly conscript them into the merchant navy and the cotton trade.

It is also said that Snatchems has been something of a smuggers pub as well. Boats would make their way from smuggling ships along the Lune in the darkness and attempt to land goods without paying the appropriate customs.

It is said that Snatchems does have a mystery room – a small area behind the bar. Could this have been used for smuggling?

Such trips were not without risk. In addition to the risk of being caught by the law (and perhaps a trip in front of one of Lancaster’s infamous hanging judges any would-be smuggler would have to make it across the dangerous sandbanks.

Hauntings

Is Snatchems haunted? Paranormal commentators have suggested that possible ghosts for The Golden Ball would be either that of a smugger or perhaps someone who died in a press gang gone wrong.

There have been reports of cold spots in the kitchen and of pans flying off the table. The pub’s attic is a foreboding place in which some sensitive people feel they’re not welcome.

Posted on October 28, 2009 - by Andrew

The ghost at Lancaster’s Three Mariners

The Three Mariners Inn is a popular and historic pub. It’s notable for having a gravity-fed cellar. In the Three Mariners the cellar is above the pub, this means the casks need to be hefted upstairs but it means the beer and ale flows naturally downwards.

The pub is old, perhaps one of the oldest in the city. Before the name Three Mariners it was known as the Carpenter’s Arms; both names likely derive from the pub’s proximity’s to the River Lune and the ship’s carpenters or mariners who may have visited the building since the 13th century.

The pub stands on the cobbled remains of Bridge Lane – a road that would have been very busy until the New Bridge was built in 1788. Even today the pub enjoys a pleasant spot in Lancaster and is near popular tourist attractions such as Maritime Museum, the Priory, Lancaster Castle and the Judges’ Lodgings.

In its 600 year history the pub would have seen Henry VIII close the priory, the trial of the Pendle witches, the burning of Penny Street in 1643 during the civil war, the imprisonment of George Fox – founder of the Quakers – in the nearby castle, the construction of Penny’s hospital, Dalton Square, the Corvell Cross, the Buck Ruxton murders and so much more.

Unfortunately for the pub, the name Three Mariners made the news in 2006 after a vicious murder in the nearby underpass.

Hauntings

It is said that the Three Mariners is haunted. The popular story is that the ghost is in the toilets but people have reported sudden drops in temperatures and strange noises in the cellar as well.

In Pure Spirit

Have you been inside the Three Mariners? Love to hear what you thought of the pub. Do you think it’s haunted?

Posted on October 28, 2009 - by Andrew

The haunted landscape of the Ashton Memorial

The Ashton Memorial was built by the Oilcloth King; James Williamson. The Oilcloth King got his nickname from the vast empire and fortune he amassed from his oilcloth and linoleum empire. Williamson was so successful that, at one point, he employed nearly a quarter of Lancaster’s workforce. When he was made sheriff he threw a breakfast party to some 10,000 workers.

In architectural terms the Ashton Memorial is a folly – it is a building constructed purely for decoration. In fact, Baron Ashton began construction of the memorial between 1907 and 1909 in memory of his second wife; Jessie Ashton.

The Memorial is sometimes used as a wedding venue today and local authorities have run ghost story nights for local families.

The Ashton Memorial is part of Williamson Park and is an open neighbour to Lancaster Moors and the horrible Gallow’s Hill. In fact, the view from Ashton Memorial is so good it is said that it is sometimes possible to see the Isle of Man or Blackpool Tower.

Hauntings and History

Until 1800 Gallow’s Hill was where condemned prisoners were taken from Lancaster Castle to be hanged. The judges of Lancaster sentenced so many people to the noose that they became known as the Hanging Judges.

The Ashton Memorial is used as a ghost story venue for reason – some people suggest it is still haunted by the spirits of those hanged here or even perhaps one of the Williamson family.

The moors also saw the death of the Lancaster Martyrs. In the religious conflict of the English Reformation priests where hanged, drawn and quartered. There are 15 catholic martyrs who met their gruesome end in the moors; including martyrs who later became saints.

Their names are; Blessed James Bell, Blessed John Finch, Blessed Robert Nutter, Blessed Edward Thwing, Blessed Thurstan Hunt, Blessed Robert Middleton, Venerable Lawrence Bailey, Blessed John Thules, Blessed Roger Wrenno, Sir Edmund Arrowsmith, Blessed Richard Hurst, Saint Ambrose Barlow, Blessed Edward Bamber, Blessed John Woodcock and Blessed Thomas Whittaker.

Each of the Lancaster Martyr stories are grim. Blessed Thomas Whittaker, for example, was witness to Edward Bamber’s hanging and then John Woodcock’s botched hanging – where the rope broke the first attempt and he was hung again and butchered alive – was given the chance to recant his faith in order to save himself and he refused. Little wonder that people sometimes sense the presence of a holy man or total hatred on the moors.

In Pure Spirit

Have you walked in Williamson Park or spent any time at the Ashton Memorial? Did you detect any sort of ghostly presence? Do you think so much death and murder in the name of religion could have effected the countryside around the memorial?