Favourite Haunts :: Ghostly Spectres at Oxford Castle



St George's Tower, Oxford Castle
© Ghost & Girl

But, soft; behold! lo, where it comes again!
I'll cross it, though it blast me.—Stay, illusion!
If thou hast any sound, or use of voice,
Speak to me...

- William Shakespeare (Hamlet)

 

Oxford Castle: Famous for many reasons, but the Black Assize is what comes immediately to mind.

 

It was the year 1577, and England was divided by the Reformation. Rowlande Jenkes, a Roman Catholic bookseller, was brought before the assize court for being 'saucy and foul mouthed'. When the verdict was given, and it was ordered that he should lose his ears, Jenkes cursed the court, jury and city.
 

Oddly, townsfolk began to drop like flies shortly after. The dead included two Judges, the Coroner, the Sheriff, a clerk and many members of the court and jury. As no women, children or the town's poor befell the illness, it was rumoured that Jenkes used black magic to bring about the deaths. However, the contemporary opinion is that it was probably an outbreak of Gaol Fever, and due to the close proximity and heat within the courthouse it had spread like wildfire.

Oxford Castle is an important example of a motte and bailey castle. The history of the castle is well documented as it played a key role in the history and development of Oxford itself. The motte survives well and contains a rare well chamber as well as the archaeological remains from the stone keep built on it.

It is one of only two surviving towers within the city of Oxford. After the Civil War, the castle, like many town castles around England, was converted for use as a prison, a purpose it served until 1996 when it was closed due to its unsanitary conditions.

The most dramatic moment in the military history of Oxford Castle was in 1142, at the height of the Civil War between King Stephen and Empress Matilda. The Empress' army was besieged within the castle, and it seemed that surrender was imminent. Legend has it that the Empress was lowered over the castle walls in the dead of night, wrapped in a white cloak so as to camouflage against the snow. She crept through King Stephen's camp and across the frozen Thames to safety.  



Oxford Castle Unlocked is a truly unique tour experience. On a bitterly cold December morning, we were greeted at the entrance by the truly terrifying Executioner, who led us directly into St George's Tower where our tour began.





Julia Ann Crumpling, Oxford Castle
© Ghost & Girl

Whilst hearing grisly tales of its previous occupants, we then proceeded to climb the steep Saxon tower. As we stepped into the "water tank" room, I sensed a male presence towards the right end corner. Our tour guide then explained that the room was supposedly haunted, but never mentioned as to whom, or what might be haunting it, nor of any reported experiences associated with the room.
Next we were shown into the crypt, which lies beneath St George's Tower. The crypt is thought to date back to the Saxons, making it the oldest standing structure in England. It is within this crypt that the Executioner proceeded to tell us about the spirit of a little girl, who is most often felt by women. The girl, a former inmate of the Victorian prison, is thought to be Julia Ann Crumpling. She was only seven years old when she was sentenced to seven days hard labour for the crime of stealing a pram.

 

Julia is reported to have been seen throughout the prison. She likes to place her hand in visitor's hands, and tug on their clothing. She is  also often seen weeping in the crypt, asking for her mother. 

The crypt is also haunted by a monk known as Bernard. Visitors often report feeling a heaviness in the air, a hand on their shoulder, hair being tugged, and even the smell of beer.

We then walked onto D-wing, part of the later prison built in the eighteenth century. Here  our tour guide 'processed us' (mug shots and all!), allowing us to be admitted to the prison. We were then free to  take in the atmosphere and read up on prison history from the displays, or return to any part of the castle to explore further on our own.

As there were still no other visitors about, I decided to head back down to the crypt to take some photos. Whilst with the tour, I felt quite at peace within the crypt, but as I ventured back on my own the atmosphere seemed to change, and I found myself constantly looking over my shoulder. I was fighting with the voice inside my head and the flight instinct that were telling me to high tail it back up to the prison where the rest of my family were.

 

But I stuck it out, and I took the photos I'd gone there for, using my iPhone5 (no flash).



It was a few days after the tour that I finally had the opportunity to review the photos I'd taken that day at Oxford Castle. It was this photo (below), that I took in the passage between the crypt and the lower prison, which has left me with more questions than answers. 

 

Do you see what I see?
Passage between the crypt and the lower prison at Oxford Castle.
Original photograph. No filter. No edits.
© Ghost & Girl



Every single photo that I took prior to this one does not share the same anomaly, nor anything like it. I have shown the photo to several friends - some keen on the paranormal, others not - asking what they see. Each can make out the same image as I: A women dressed in a high-waisted skirt and white blouse. Her hair is parted in the middle, and it appears as though she is leaning over the railing, her gaze directly on me as I took the picture.



I'm the first to admit that this image may be no more than pareidolia (matrixing), brought about by the construction of the stonework, the angle of the light, or a combination of both.

 

And yet, this is the only photograph in which I can see her. I'll leave it to you to draw your own conclusion.


Close up: A ghostly encounter or no?
© Ghost & Girl

Have I captured one of the ghostly spectres of Oxford Castle, or is my mind merely playing tricks?

 

 

 

For more information on Oxford Castle, visit these websites:

Oxford City Guide: Oxford Castle

Oxford Castle Unlocked

Oxford Castle: History and Photos

 

 

To learn more about pareidolia, try this link:

Live Science: Seeing Faces in Unusual Places 

 

 

Laura  

[Find out more about your hosts here]

 

Favourite Haunts :: Edinburgh South Bridge Vaults & Greyfriars Kirkyard



A city beneath the city: Edinburgh Vaults



"There are mysteries which men can only guess at, which age by age they may solve only in part." ~ Bram Stoker

 

 

Scotland loves a ghost story. The country has all the key ingredients necessary for one: Dark, gloomy skies; a dark and bloody past; old stone towns with old cobbled streets; and an abundant ancient folklore.

 

It is easy to be consumed by the possibility that ghosts abound as you walk down the Royal Mile, with the fog settling in around you...

 

 

SOUTH BRIDGE VAULTS - NIDDRY STREET SOUTH

 





Notice by the entry to the Niddry Street Vaults

The history of the Edinburgh vaults is somewhat sketchy. The vaults were initially used as storage for the businesses above, all of which vacated in the 1700s due to the increasingly poor conditions.

 

When the industrial revolution swung into motion, they became dwellings for the city's poor. Prostitution, murder and other atrocities were rife, and then, rather mysteriously, at some point during the 1800s the residents abandoned the vaults and the whole place was sealed with rubble, and promptly forgotten. It wasn't until the 1980s that they were uncovered, completely by accident.

Edinburgh was a superstitious place at the turn of the 18th century, both of real and imagined harm. The citizens' fear of what the unearthly and supernatural could inflict was exacerbated by their inherent mistrust of the invading English, which resulted in the building of the defensive Flodden Wall, part of which is still visible in the city today in Greyfriars Cemetery.

 

The enclosed city forced residents to live virtually on top of one another: Rather than expanding out, Edinburgh went up.

When the South Bridge was finally completed in 1788 it was deemed to be an appropriate and fitting honour that the Bridges’ eldest resident, a well known and respected wife of a local Judge, be the first to cross. Unfortunately, she passed away prior to the opening and crossed the bridge entombed in her coffin. Naturally, the superstitious locals pronounced the bridge cursed and subsequently refused to cross it.

 

Some of the paranormal experiences reported in the vaults include sightings of a man known as "The Watcher"; disembodied footsteps and voices; a small boy referred to as "Jack"; unexplained cold spots and the feeling of unease; and let's not forget the infamous "Mr Boots".

Inspired by these reports, on 30 October this year, the night before Halloween, I booked a City of the Dead tour for both the Niddry Street Vaults and Greyfriars Kirkyard. After weeks of rain, the night was completely clear and calm, and our tour was fully booked with around thirty adult participants.

 

Whilst the tour was informative from an historical perspective, I was surprised to find the time spent within the Niddry Street Vaults short, uneventful and somewhat disappointing. This may be influenced by my having recently watched the Ghost Adventures paranormal investigation of the Edinburgh Vaults, though: I had imagined them more vast. However, I now know that there are two underground vaults: Blair Street and Niddry Street. In addition, there is also Mary King's Close (an underground close), so I suspect most paranormal investigation shows encompass parts of all three.

Our tour guide was both knowledgeable and humorous, but I found our tour lacked the telling of the ghost stories that you come to expect from a well-organised ghost tour. We did hear one or two, but I found our guide spent more time on Edinburgh's historical past rather than on its ghosts, which I found perplexing since it was almost Halloween.

 



Niddry Street

However, well before our guide had even mentioned the little boy ghost known as Jack, I had picked up on an unseen presence standing to the back of the group, which I felt to be a child. I could not tell if that child was male or female, only that it was a child of around 5 or 6 years of age.

 

Was this presence Jack?

 

GREYFRIARS KIRKYARD & THE COVENANTER'S PRISON

 



On a fine day, Edinburgh's Greyfriars Kirkyard is a peaceful place with a fine view of Edinburgh Castle. It houses a well-preserved section of the Flodden Wall, and is surrounded by ornate and impressive mausoleums.

 

It is also a popular haunt for tourists on the trail of Greyfriars Bobby, a somewhat famous little terrier in Edinburgh's history. A statue of the little canine is located just outside the Kirkyard gates, and it is local belief that touching the terrier's nose will bring good luck.

 

Greyfriars Kirkyard Gates

Greyfriars Kirkyard dates back to the 1560s. The land, formerly a monastery garden, was given to the city by Mary Queen of Scots to be used as burial grounds to cope with the overcrowding in St Giles churchyard. 

 

In 1679, following the Battle of Bothwell Brig, 1200 supporters of the National Covenant were brought to Edinburgh. Four hundred were held in Greyfriars Kirkyard in an area now known as the Covenanters Prison. They spent more than four months there, awaiting trial. During this time they had no shelter, and were given a daily food allowance of just 4oz of bread. Conditions were so inhumane that the Covenanters Prison is often described as the world’s first concentration camp.

Greyfriars Kirkyard has also received attention in recent years due to the Harry Potter phenomenon. It is believed that the grave of Thomas Riddell, who died in 1806, and nearby William McGonagall were the inspiration behind JK Rowling's Voldemort and Professer McGonagall. The nearby George Heriot's School is also said to be the inspiration for Hogwarts.

 

Greyfriar's Kirkyard

Paranormal experiences seem to be confined to the Covenanters Prison and the Black Mausoleum. The majority of these seem to be poltergeist activity: Visitors have passed out for seemingly no reason; they have been punched, scratched or tugged.

 

There have also been reports of shadow people, of cold spots and a feeling of unease upon entering the Covenanters Prison. It is alleged that the malevolent activity started when a homeless man stumbled into Mackenzie's tomb one night seeking shelter, and desecrated the sealed tomb.

Our tour entered Greyfriars Kirkyard after having toured the vaults. The cemetery was still quite active - generally churchyards tend to be a place to avoid late at night, but not so Greyfriars! 

 

The City of the Dead tours are reportedly the only tour group given access to the Covenanters Prison; due to the alleged poltergeist activity, the council has closed this particular section off from the public.

 

Our tour guide led us through the prison directly to the Black Mausoleum, which is resting place of George Mackenzie, the man responsible for imprisoning the Covenanters. His mistreatment of the Covenanters led to his nickname "Bluidy (Bloody) Mackenzie". I noted the sudden change in mood of our tour guide, who seemed almost afraid to tell any of the experiences in this particular location. He seemed to be on guard, and the air was decidedly tense.

 

However, is the ghost reported there really a spirit or poltergeist? Could it be possible that the majority of experiences are actually due to psychokinesis (an alleged psychic ability allowing a person to influence a physical system without actual physical interaction)? I do wonder.

 

Regardless of who or what is haunting the Covenanters Prison and the Black Mausoleum, our tour group had no disruptions, although I did pick up on a restless energy within the Covenanters Prison upon entering through its gates. Otherwise, I felt quite at peace within the walls of the Black Mausoleum, and whilst I find the mistreatment of the Covenanters to be truly appalling, perhaps this sense of ease had something to do with the fact that I am of Mackenzie blood, after all...

Whilst I could think of nothing more exhilarating than to investigate these locations for myself, by myself, it must be noted that for anyone interested in the ghostly and historical aspects of Edinburgh's past, you need to book a tour to explore its underground vaults, as well as the Covenanters Prison. If I were to go back, I would book a tour that explores the Blair Street vaults and Mary King's Close as well. 

 

A visit to Edinburgh Castle is also highly recommended, as is Saint Giles Cathedral.

 

Edinburgh is definitely a city worth visiting, for its ghosts and its history.

 

Further reading:

The Ghost that Haunted Itself by Jan Andrew Henderson (filled with visitor experiences at Greyfriars)
City of the Dead Tours
Real Mary King's Close

Laura  

[Find out more about your hosts here]

 

Favourite Haunts :: Redruth Gaol



[Picture: Redruth Gaol © Ghost & Girl]

 

"We are born with the dead: See, they return, and bring us with them." - T.S. Eliot, Four Quarters

 

 

 

 

On the outskirts of an old mining town in South Australia's mid-north, surrounded by fields and guarded by gum-trees, is Redruth Gaol.

 

Built in the 1850s, Redruth was to be the first rural gaol in South Australia. The gaol had room for the gaolkeeper and his family, the turnkey, and up to thirty prisoners (both male and female).

 

Common offences resulting in imprisonment included drunkenness, petty vandalism, and debt. Punishment included hard labour.

 

In 1894, with the closing down of the mine, there was no further need for the town to have its own gaol, so Redruth closed its doors too, and the prisoners were sent to other institutions. However, in 1897, the gaol re-opened as the Redruth Girls Reformatory, and became home for thirty of the worst behaved girls in the State of South Australia. Girls from Kapunda Catholic Girls Reformatory (famous for its wayward priest) were sent here after that home was disbanded in 1909. In 1922, the girls staged a riot and Redruth was forced to close once again.

 

What actually happened behind its doors as both a gaol and reformatory is open to conjecture, speculation and imagination. However, upon its closure, the reformatory was compared in like to the Parramatta Industrial School for girls in the State of New South Wales, which was infamous for its hard, back-breaking routine, harsh (and sometimes terribly cruel) punishments, and its regular riots.

 

These days the gaol is controlled and maintained by the National Trust. Access to the gaol is made possible by a daytime history walk, and the occasional night-time ghost tour. It is one of the few South Australian gaols readily open to the public.

[Picture: Redruth Gaol © Ghost & Girl]

But, I hear you ask, is it haunted?

The most common unexplained activity that occurs at Redruth is the sound of heavy footsteps pacing the hardwood floors. Shuffling, movement and voices are sometimes heard from the empty cells as well. Doors open by themselves. The large, wooden gates rattle when there is no wind, and footsteps can be heard on the gravel outside when there is no one visibly about.

So, if it is haunted, who is doing the haunting?

The original gaolkeeper was Thomas Perry, who lived in and managed the gaol for twenty-five years. The prisoners that passed through its doors ranged from drunkards to the more seasoned criminals. The last Matron of the Girls Reformatory was a Miss Bubb, and the girls who called it home were classed as "incorrigibles": Damaged, difficult girls who were believed to be incapable of reform.

The source of the phenomena at Redruth may be any one of these people. Is the gaolkeeper, Mr Perry, still walking the halls, checking on his prisoners in the cells, and securing the gate? Does the Matron, Miss Bubb, remain in charge of her unruly crew of girls, almost 100 years later? Are the prisoners and the girls who were sent to Redruth still roaming its grounds, unable or unwilling to leave?

 

As a result of personal experience at the gaol, this writer is inclined to believe the reports of ghosts residing within its walls. I have heard the footsteps for myself - clear and unmistakable in the early hours of the morning from a room above, to which the only access door was locked. I've experienced the shuffling and sounds of movement from empty cells, and received a prompt smack on the back of the head (the Matron, perhaps?).



[Picture: Redruth Gaol © Ghost & Girl]

In relation to paranormal investigation, Redruth is still a new, mostly undiscovered location, but one which I believe has the potential to provide some fascinating evidence. As seems to be the thing with old mining towns found the world over, there are many ghost stories and tales of unexplained events here. For the moment, it seems that Redruth is content to spook its visitors with a variety of auditory phenomena, but I am yet to hear of any paranormal events that involve a visual encounter. That doesn't mean it won't happen, of course - in time.

 

On a perfectly still day, when there appears to be no one else within the gaol aside from oneself, even Redruth's silence seems oppressively ominous.

 

 

Want to know more? Try these websites:

 

Redruth Gaol

Redruth Girls Reformatory

The Burra Record: Girls' Reformatory, Redruth (newspaper article from 19 July 1922)

 

Ragged Schools, Industrial Schools and Reformatories (UK specific, however as a Queen's Colony, UK policy was implemented in South Australia)

 



Sarah  

[Find out more about your hosts here]