The Paranormal Database

An old postcard of Castle Rushen on the Isle of Man.

Woman in Black

Location: Castletown (Isle of Man) - Castle Rushen, Eagle Tower
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1960s
Further Comments: Watched by four boys, this phantom female figure wore a head dress and had dark hands. Local legend says that the woman was once executed for murdering her child. Another ghost that haunts the castle, this time in the basement, has been seen sleeping with a huge sword by his side. Finally, a legend says that the castle has miles of tunnels beneath, leading to a country full of giants.

Pregnant Wife

Location: Cawood (North Yorkshire) - Cawood Castle, grounds of
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: Easter Tuesday, 1690
Further Comments: William Barwick murdered his wife and hid her body in a nearby pond. The following day, a witness saw the ghost of Mrs Barwick pointing to the area of the pond that concealed her corpse - he went to the authorities, and William was arrested soon after.

White Cattle with Red Ears

Location: Chartley (Staffordshire) - Chartley Castle
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Nineteenth century?
Further Comments: A legend says that the Ferrers family that lived here bred white cattle that had red ears - many thought they were fairy in nature. However, whenever one of the cows gave birth to a black calf, it heralded a death in the family.

An old photograph of ivy-covered Chepstow Castle.

Sleeping King

Location: Chepstow (Gwent) - Chepstow Castle
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A cave under the castle was once explored by a man who claimed to have seen King Arthur and his knights. He fled after making noise which made the knights stir.

Lumley Castle, from Country Seats by Francis Orpen Morris.

Lady Lumley

Location: Chester Le Street (Durham) - Lumley Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2005. 2017
Further Comments: The 'Lily of Lumley', as the lady is also known, was killed by several monks after refusing to agree with their religious beliefs. When Sir Ralph discovered what had happened to his wife, he had the monks executed. The monks are sometimes seen walking in file around the area of the castle, while Lady Lumley walks within the castle's corridors and grounds. An Australian cricket player reported seeing the monks in 2005, while in 2017 a witness claimed to have photographed two ghostly faces in the windows.

Ann

Location: Chiddingstone (Kent) - Chiddingstone Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This female ghost is rumoured to ride her horse along the lanes that lead to the castle, recognisable by her tricorne hat.

Medieval Girl

Location: Chilham (Kent) - Chilham Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The bar, built into the castle for the enjoyment of tourists, is rumoured to be haunted by an unknown girl who has scared staff. There is an old story that she was bricked up alive by a previous owner of the castle, for reasons unknown.

Lady Mary Berkeley

Location: Chillingham (Northumberland) - Chillingham Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2003
Further Comments: Broken hearted after her husband ran off with her own sister, Mary slowly pined away in the castle. Her ghost sometimes brushes past tourists in the tower. A blue boy also walks the castle and has disturbed the sleep of guests with his fearful cries. As a side note, the cattle found on the grounds are either direct descendants of the aurochs or are related to fairy cattle.

Transparent Figure

Location: Chirk (Clwyd) - Chirk Castle
Type: Other
Date / Time: May 2008
Further Comments: A photographer experimenting with long shutter speeds with his digital camera caught a semi-transparent female form outside the chapel. Unfortunately, as long shutter speeds can quite easily make people look semi-transparent, the chances of this being any form of apparition is pretty remote.

Ruins of Christchurch

Voices

Location: Christchurch (Dorset) - Christchurch Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2020s
Further Comments: Ghosthunters visiting this site claim to have recorded disembodied voices and orbs that caused large EMP spikes.

Electrical Disruption

Location: Christchurch (Dorset) - Highcliffe Castle
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Flickering lights and other mischievous behaviours have been assigned to an invisible spirit lurking within the castle.

Bishop Cameron

Location: Chryston (Lanarkshire) - Bedlay Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: Just as likely to be heard stomping around as he is to be seen, the Bishop's ghost is said to date back almost seven hundred years, from when he was discovered floating face down in a large pond that was on the site.

Mrs Stamer

Location: Clarecastle (County Clare) - Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The wife of the first Colonel George Stamer of Carnelly was said to have accidently dropped her child into the nearby river. Her phantom was said to walk along the banks, looking for the infant.

Marion Carruthers

Location: Clarencefield (Dumfries and Galloway) - Comlongon Castle Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This lady, now said to have a green hue, jumped from the tower rather than spend any more time with her husband.

Earless Dog

Location: Clashmealcon (County Kerry) - Area around Brown's Castle
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The ghostly, earless dog that haunted this area was supposed to emerge from the castle's moat at night before wandering off to hunt rabbits.

Cloaked Figure

Location: Clearwell (Gloucestershire) - Clearwell Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1973
Further Comments: While recording 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' at the castle, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and another member of the band spotted a cloaked figure walk into a room. Iommi followed the figure to see who it was, but the room was empty. It had been claimed that the ghost of Elizabeth Raleigh, wife of Sir Walter, haunted the site, although one version of the ghost story incorrected claimed Elizabeth had killed herself after the arrest of Sir Walter.

The Poor

Location: Clifden (County Galway) - Clifden Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Stories say the castle was a place for people to gather during the Great Famine, and those who died remained on the site.

Ghostly Mission

Location: Clifford (Herefordshire) - Clifford Castle
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A Welsh gentleman was approached by the ghost of a clergyman. The phantom asked the man to travel to Clifford Castle, before revealing the location to where some money was hidden. This money was to be thrown into a nearby river. The gentleman completed the task, and never encountered the ghost again.

Mistaken Soldier

Location: Clonegal (County Carlow) - Huntingdon Castle (aka Clonegal Castle)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: His ghostly form since seen knocking on the castle door, this trooper was mistakenly killed by his own forces after returning to the castle disguised as an English Royalist soldier. The castle is also haunted by former owner Barbara St Lege, one of her maids, and several monks.

Jacky Dalton

Location: Clonmellon (County Westmeath) - Killua Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: With wild yellow hair, Jacky's ghost still moves around the castle at night. Jacky was a land steward to Sir Benjamin Chapman, though he turned to drink and finally suicide after his employer's death.

The Thin Man

Location: Clonony (County Offaly) - Clonony Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: Spotted by a man driving past the ruins at night, this gaunt figure appeared to be bathed in misty light.

Bleeding Swan

Location: Closeburn (Dumfries and Galloway) - Closeburn Castle
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Prior to death in the Kirkpatrick family
Further Comments: Swans once brought peace and happiness here, until one was killed by a family member. Now, family death is heralded when a swan appears with a red-stained breast.

Harry Alcock

Location: Clough Mills (County Wexford) - Wilton Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1840 onwards
Further Comments: Once a year, as the sun sets, a phantom carriage moves away from the castle carrying Harry. Folklore says the ghostly sight to have been so common that dozens of people would gather to watch. The building also had the reputation to be haunted by a former magistrate and a one-time actress.

Moon or Hitchhiker

Location: Coalisland (County Tyrone) - Mullaghmoyle Road, Brackaville
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: January 2009
Further Comments: Reports of a white phantom in the form of a woman resulted in an approximately sixty car long traffic jam as people tried to spot the spook. Local Councillor Desmond Donnelly said the 'ghost' was more likely to be the moon reflecting in the nearby river.

Hidden Fairies

Location: Cockermouth (Cumbria) - Castle How - hillfort
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Children digging in the area were said to have unearthed a small fairy house - it later vanished, along with their digging equipment, though two small figures were observed in the area for several days afterwards.