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Examining folkloric, paranormal & cryptozoological locations in the UK and beyond

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Castle Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana

White Lady

Location: Kilcosgriff (County Limerick) - Kilcosgriff Castle (no longer standing)
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Prior to a death in the Langford family
Further Comments: The wife of a former Langford man, this woman now only appears before a death in the family.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2005-04-13 | Last updated: 2005-04-13 | ID #6150

Shoe Peddler

Location: Kildinan (County Cork) - Kildinan Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The owner of the castle was betrayed by a shoe peddler, though the castle guard soon caught up with the traitor, cut off his head, and stuck it on a spike as a warning to others. The peddler has remained trapped in the building ever since.

Source: Historical Record
First added: 2005-04-14 | Last updated: 2005-04-14 | ID #6189

Lady in White

Location: Kilkenny (County Kilkenny) - Kilkenny Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This female form is said to occasionally appear on a staircase and in the garden. A legend says this ghost (or perhaps others) ensure that no guest will have a restful night within the castle.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2011-05-02 | Last updated: 2011-05-02 | ID #10440

Sleeping Sentry

Location: Kilkenny (County Kilkenny) - Foulksrath Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 29 November (reoccurring)
Further Comments: A guard at the castle once fell asleep while on duty and was thrown from the battlements by his superior officer as punishment. Once a year, his footsteps are heard as he walks around to make amends for his inappropriate actions. A ghostly woman can also be heard as she moves around on a staircase, accompanied by the smell of wildflowers.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2005-04-02 | Last updated: 2005-04-02 | ID #6015

Peter Fourth Earl of Fingall

Location: Killeen (County Meath) - Killeen Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The former Earl of Fingall has been observed a few times around the castle, always dressed in a blue coat and powdered wig. The library is also haunted by strange noises and moving furniture and fittings.

Source: Historical Record
First added: 2007-04-03 | Last updated: 2007-04-03 | ID #7176

Countess of Clanbrassil

Location: Killyleagh (County Down) - Killyleagh Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Once renowned for her charm and leadership abilities (she negotiated a pardon for her husband from Cromwell), the Countess is now said to walk in the old hall.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2005-04-12 | Last updated: 2005-04-12 | ID #6095


An old postcard showing Dean Castle.

Rolling Head

Location: Kilmarnock (Ayrshire) - Dean Castle
Type: Manifestation of the Living
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A Laird's servant in the building once saw her master's decapitated head roll across the floor in front of her, even though he was still alive and well in another part of the building. Exactly a year later, the Laird lost his head in the Tower of London. In more recent years, an old woman dressed in black has been seen on site, radiating an evil aura.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2003-04-26 | Last updated: 2003-04-26 | ID #4177


An old painting of Catherine of Aragon.

Catherine of Aragon

Location: Kimbolton (Cambridgeshire) - Kimbolton Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1536 onwards
Further Comments: The first wife of Henry VIII was imprisoned here for the last two years of her life. Legend says Catherine of Aragon's ghost walks the gallery, after dying in one of the rooms in 1536. Another shade, belonging to a young child, began to haunt the building after she was thrown from the battlements. The paving slab which the child landed on is said to glow blue on the anniversary of the event.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media, User Submission
First added: 2004-10-01 | Last updated: 2004-10-01 | ID #14

Bedtime for Children

Location: Kincardine (Angus) - Tulliallan Castle; Tulliallan Police College
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: February 1978
Further Comments: A witness staying at the police college recalled hearing children laughing along the corridor outside her dorm, before the sounds moved into the room. Although alone in the dorm, the witness heard all the beds squeak as if people were climbing into them, including her own. A chair also in the room moved slightly across the floor.

Source: User Submission
First added: 2004-05-18 | Last updated: 2004-05-18 | ID #5139

Sarah

Location: Kingscourt (County Cavan) - Cabra Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Sarah was a 1780s servant girl engaged in a secret love affair with the son of the owners. She fell pregnant, and once this was discovered she was taken into the forest and hanged from the bridge. A horse and carriage is also reputed to haunt the site, as is an early twentieth century soldier.

Source: User Submission
First added: 2020-08-29 | Last updated: 2020-08-29 | ID #13875


From an old postcard of Ruthven Castle.

Chess Game

Location: Kingussie (Highland) - Ruthven Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Once the home of the infamous 'Wolf of Badenoch' who reigned hardship and terror on the locals, it is said the laird played chess with the Devil and lost. Now the match is replayed for evermore.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2003-03-23 | Last updated: 2003-03-23 | ID #4052

Princess

Location: Kinnitty (County Offaly) - General area
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: The village takes its name from a myth which says a princess named Eitigh is buried beneath the location.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2010-05-23 | Last updated: 2010-05-23 | ID #9922

Hugh

Location: Kinnitty (County Offaly) - Kinnitty Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This spooky monk, nicknamed Hugh, walks around the castle many centuries after his death, and is said to communicate future events to those who want to listen.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2005-04-02 | Last updated: 2005-04-02 | ID #6013


Mary Queen of Scots.

Mary Queen of Scots

Location: Kinross (Perth and Kinross) - Loch Leven Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The Queen of Scots reportedly haunts the building where she signed her abdication.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2003-05-25 | Last updated: 2003-05-25 | ID #4241


Charles Fort in Kinsale.

White Lady

Location: Kinsale (County Cork) - Charles Fort
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1870s
Further Comments: This woman leapt to her death from the battlements after discovering that her father had mistakenly shot dead her newlywed husband. Since her death, she has been seen walking through locked doors and was blamed for knocking unconscious at least two witnesses. The site was also haunted by a rabbit which attacked guards asleep on duty.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2005-04-12 | Last updated: 2005-04-12 | ID #6093

Forgotten Wraith

Location: Kirkbean (Dumfries and Galloway) - Castle of Wreaths (ruined, only a couple of parts of wall remain)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The castle's name is said to be taken from an apparition, although no records exist to indicate what or who it was.

Source: Historical Record
First added: 2012-02-25 | Last updated: 2012-02-25 | ID #10728

Fight

Location: Kirkby in Ashfield (Nottinghamshire) - Kirkby Castle (foundations remain west of church) and woodland
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: November 1989
Further Comments: Two people walking through this area heard a fight between a large group of men, though nothing could be seen.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2008-05-11 | Last updated: 2008-05-11 | ID #8568

Flitting Lights

Location: Kirkby Stephen (Cumbria) - Angill Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late nineteenth century
Further Comments: When the castle was sold in 1897, a newspaper published a story describing residents close to the castle being awed by the flittering lights which could be seen while the building stood empty.

Source: Historical Record
First added: 2017-12-21 | Last updated: 2017-12-21 | ID #12693

Pendragon

Location: Kirkby Stephen (Cumbria) - Pendragon Castle
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Castle still stands (on private land)
Further Comments: Uther Pendragon, the father of King Arthur, resided here until he and a hundred of his men were poisoned by the Saxon invaders. Some believe Pendragon's ghost remains here. Another ghost, that of Sir Hugh de Morville, haunts the building as punishment for murdering Thomas Becket. Finally, a hoard of treasure hidden here is protected by a phantom black hen that replaces the soil of any hole dug just as quick as it is removed!

Source: Published Media
First added: 2007-10-13 | Last updated: 2007-10-13 | ID #8021

Scottish Troops

Location: Kirkbymoorside (North Yorkshire) - Neville Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The sound of many Scottish troops can be heard engaging the English Army near the site of the castle.

Source: Historical Record
First added: 2002-10-25 | Last updated: 2002-10-25 | ID #2820

Man on Stairs

Location: Kirkmichael (Ayrshire) - Cloncaird Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This unknown figure blocks the stairway, vanishing if approached.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2003-05-25 | Last updated: 2003-05-25 | ID #4225

Tinker

Location: Kirkmichael (Perth and Kinross) - Ashintully Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: During life, the tinker was found and hanged for trespassing - his ghost is now seen around the trees near where he died. Two more spirits, carrying the cute names of Crooked Davie & Green Jane, are rumoured to haunt the castle grounds. The sound of screaming has also been reported here, while the sound of a phantom galloping horse could be heard after dark along lanes in the area.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media
First added: 2002-06-25 | Last updated: 2024-12-20 | ID #1447

Drummer

Location: Kirriemuir (Angus) - Cortachy Castle
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Drums before a death in the family
Further Comments: Caught having an affair with the wife of the castle's owner, the drummer was placed in his own drum and rolled out from a tower. On the verge of dying, he staggered from the drum, and cursed all future generations who would live there. Another version of the story states that the drummer was a Campbell, sent to the castle (owned by the Ogilvy family) offering a truce. The Ogilvy's murdered him and left his drum and his body dangling from a window. His ghostly drum can be heard beating before a death in the family.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media
First added: 2002-06-21 | Last updated: 2002-06-21 | ID #1371

Fighting Mist

Location: Knaresborough (North Yorkshire) - Knaresborough Castle, dungeon
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 27 June 2003
Further Comments: A photographer at the castle recorded a 'mist' that took the form of a large person standing above another who was lying on the ground. The taller entity appears to have his right arm raised as if to strike the prone figure. Two other pictures taken near the same place a few seconds after the first did not show any mist.

Source: Needs Review
First added: 2003-11-08 | Last updated: 2003-11-08 | ID #4741


An old postcard of Belvoir Castle.

Puritan

Location: Knipton (Leicestershire) - Belvoir Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1991
Further Comments: While walking around the castle with a group, two witnesses spotted a man in Puritan-style clothing tending to a fire. Other members of the group were unable to see him.

Source: User Submission
First added: 2021-05-03 | Last updated: 2021-05-03 | ID #14099

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