|
In
modern day Britain we deny the existence of ghosts, yet at the same
time we are afraid of them. Ghosts take many forms, from
shackled skeletons clanking through graveyards to spectral balls of
light smelling of sulphur, which have been reported on sites of
ancient battlefields. There are legless ghosts, kind ghosts,
cruel ghosts, headless ghosts, traditional and legendary ones, some
well documented and some seen only by a privileged few.
 Royal
ghosts are very popular - who for example wouldn't be proud to tell
their friends that they had just met Queen
Anne Boleyn face to face! On May 19th, the anniversary of
her execution in 1536, Anne Boleyn's ghost draws up to the door of
Blickling Hall in Norfolk in a coach, carrying her severed head in
her lap. Blickling Hall is believed to be her birthplace although
there is no evidence to support this. She also appears at the
Tower of London (which is where one would expect her to be) at the
Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula where she was buried.
Henry
VIII's Queens seem to be the restless type of ghost. Jane
Seymour, the mother of his only son Edward, carries a lighted taper
through the Silver Stick Gallery in Hampton Court.... Catherine
Howard, who was beheaded for adultery in 1542, has been seen and
heard, screaming for mercy from Henry, in the Haunted Gallery of
Hampton Court. On
Midsummer Eve, King Arthur is supposed to lead a troop of mounted
knights down the slopes of Cadbury Hill in Somerset, the legendary
site of Camelot. Some
ghosts stubbornly cling to their mortal remains on earth.
Bettiscombe House in Dorset and Burton Agnes Hall in Yorkshire have
skulls of former occupants amongst their furnishings. If the skulls
are removed, or an attempt is made to bury them, their hideous
screams ring through the house and dire misfortune falls on the
occupants. A
very welcome ghost is that of an unknown man who appears at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. His appearance at a play is
a sure sign that the play will be a huge success. Ghosts
are not always human. Drake's Drum which was with him
when he circumnavigated the world, is supposed to beat when England
is in danger. Borley
Rectory in Essex was reputedly the 'Most Haunted House in
England'. For the better part of a century mysterious
happenings occurred there. Borley
had everything; phantom coaches, poltergeists, a headless man and a
spooky nun. Writing appeared on the walls of the rooms, much
to the amazement of people watching! Objects never seen before,
appeared and disappeared, bells rang and mysterious footsteps were
heard. The Rectory burnt down in 1939, again in mysterious
circumstances, but still the phenomena continued! In 1943 the
site was excavated and at a depth of 3 feet remains of a
woman's skull were found. Glamis
Castle in Angus, Scotland, the birthplace of Princess Margaret and
the ancestral home of the Earls of Strathmore, has at least nine
ghosts. One is said to be Macbeth, and a Grey Lady haunts the
chapel. Earl Beardie plays dice with the Devil and a ghostly madman
can be seen walking on the roof along 'The Mad Earl's Walk' on wild
winter nights. These are just a few of the ghosts of Glamis. What
can be the explanation of these ghosts? It is impossible to
dismiss them as hoaxes as some have been haunting for
centuries! It may be that these strange, often terrifying
manifestations are evidence of another world that we the living,
have never explored. ©
E.P.C
USEFUL
LINKS
Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London - http://www.hrp.org.uk
Blickling
Hall, Norfolk - http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk
|