Tudor Ghost Story Contest

Thank you, Natalie, for asking me to judge the 2011 Tudor Ghost Story Competition. I really enjoyed reading all the entries and want to encourage everyone to keeping writing. Remember – the Tudor Ghost story competition will be open for entries next year – this time in August so the winner can be announced for Halloween.

Two days ago I selected two excellent but very different stories as the place getters. Both stories were so wonderful it was hard to decide the winner at first, but time solved this. Skilfully crafted, deeply satisfying and Tudor rich, one story still haunts me.

So, without further ado, I declare Needles by Lisa Tecoulesco as our winner.

Second place goes to A Demon in the Rough by Katherine Marcella. I don’t want to say too much about our winning entries because I want people to read them. But let me say how very impressed I was by both stories. Katherine Marcella’s story left me wondering if there could be unfinished business for Jennifer, the story’s main character. Will a certain tartan scarf tug her back in time, to the court of Scotland’s most famous/infamous queen? Does it weave for us a promise of a future novel? I hope so!

As for Lisa Tescoulesco’s winning story Needles – I cannot stop thinking about it. Congratulations, Lisa! Your story contains exactly the right Tudor, spooky essence I wanted from the winning story.

Wendy J. Dunn

Dreaming Anne Boleyn by Tiula

Last night, I dreamt I was at the court of Elizabeth I. I saw her famous Chequers ring, which I knew to contain a portrait of Anne. So I asked to see it.

She declined, but someone came up to me and introduced herself to me as “Kat”. (Having done more research, I now think it may have been Kat Ashley, Elizabeth’s friend and governess. At the time, however, I had not heard of her.) She said that if I wanted to see what Anne looked like, I had only to follow her.

I followed her to a wooden door – no glass panes to see through inside – with a small plaque that read “subconscious” on the front. (I recognised this door and have seen it in dreams before – see below.)

I followed her through the door and my dream changed, I felt as though I were under hypnosis. All my emotions were heightened, the dream became very colourful. I also know that when I go into this dream state (as I have before) I cannot be woken; this has scared my mother more than once!

Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn's ghost

The room was filled with hundreds of people, almost like shades. They were entirely grey – even their skin and hair – and wearing Tudor dress. “Kat” faded away and a woman stood in front of me – tall, slender, and with a certain quality of independence about her. I recognised her at once as Anne Boleyn. I said something – I don’t know what – and she replied, “Tonight is my birth night.” Then she faded away.

I left the room (the dream became normal again) and suddenly I was able to wake up. (When I woke, I was told that my mother had been trying to wake me for several minutes, but I wouldn’t wake until I had left the dream-room.)

I would be tempted to dismiss this as a (rather cool) dream, if it weren’t for the door marked “subconscious”. I have seen this twice in a dream before, once when someone told me that my dog had gone missing and I would never find her again and once when my mother (in a dream) came up and told me that she was very ill, and would be in hospital for a few days.

On both occasions, I have woken up to find that these things were true.

I’m not sure I believe in premonitions, but these experiences have certainly spooked me.

Was that night (10th-11th November) Anne’s birthday?

This is Laurie’s story:

We had the privilege of spending four nights in the Fish Court Apartments at Hampton
Court Palace. We had a few ghostly experiences happen to my husband and I and even caught an orb out in the Wilderness Area, by the maze, with my camera. It was the talk of my Facebook friends for several nights!
Our first night, my husband was laying in bed and woke up to “something” rubbing his neck and shoulders. He thought it was me, but I was sound asleep, in the other bed.

Close up of the 'orb' photographed by Laurie at Hampton Court

Our third morning, we had just eaten breakfast in the dining room. I stood up and picked up my plate and placed my empty yogurt container on the plate with my spoon. I was just standing there, holding the plate and talking to my husband, when suddenly, the yogurt container and the spoon flew off my plate and landed three feet away. We just stood there asking each other what had just happened. I tried to re-create the event, tipping the plate from side to side, having the container just tumble down to the floor at my feet. It was almost like something flicked it, to send it flying like that.

Later that day, after exploring the Palace, we had stopped at the Gift Shop and bought a book. I sat down in the living room in the apartment (around 5 pm, so it was still light outside), and started reading the book. I was able to look out the window, at my husband talking to the Hampton Court security staff. As I was reading, I had the most bizarre experience. All of the hair around my face and temple stood on end and my face had a tingling sensation (maybe for about 5 seconds). Then a blast of icy air whooshed past my face. I wasn’t sure what to do – do I start screaming, open the window and start yelling for my husband or what! So, kind of hoping that it was a “ghostly experience” I started
talking to the ghost. I must have sounded like a ding-a-ling!! I can’t wait to go
back – it was a great experience!!

Here is her true story:

Westminster Abbey

One of the places I make sure to visit on every trip to London is Westminster Abbey.

I just love to wander around contemplating all the history that has happened in the building and all the people who have passed though it — or stayed. I’ve never had anything even slightly eerie happen to me there — until my last trip in 2009.

I had gotten there early and had to wait about half an hour. Eventually they
opened. I paid my admission fee and was actually the first visitor in that morning.
Those who have been there know you enter through the north transept door and are
kind of channeled around up through Henry VII’s Chapel, back down again, out through
the cloisters, then back through the nave and out the west door. I usually just
follow the flow as it goes to all the places I want to go to anyway.

That morning though I wanted to see Frances Brandon Grey’s tomb. She is buried in
St. Edmund’s Chapel on the south side of the Abbey, just east of the south transept.
I had found the tomb on a previous visit, but had neglected to write down the
inscription on it. I decided to do that first, so I went directly there.

St. Edmund’s Chapel is very small and nobody famous (e.g. anybody whose name would
be known to the general public) is buried in it. Like most Abbey chapels, it has
gates that can be shut to close the chapel. The best way I can describe the gates
is that they look like the saloon doors in every western movie you’ve ever seen — two small doors that could pushed open to enter. Unlike the saloon doors though, they aren’t
on springs. Instead they could be pushed all the way back to lock on the wall so
they would stay opened. When I got there, they were already open.

I found Frances’s tomb again against the far wall of the chapel from the doors,
wrote down the inscription, and then spent some time studying the decoration and
design. I was there for maybe 10 minutes total. During that time I believe only
two people came in. Both stayed only seconds before wandering out again.

When I was ready to leave, I turned around to walk to the door and noticed that the
gate that was closest to me was closed. And even as I watched, the other gate
lifted up from the wall and very slowly started closing! I was too astounded by
this to even move. I just stood and stared at it for about fifteen seconds or so
until it was completely closed. The hair on the back of my neck and on my arms was
standing up. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so creeped out by anything in my life.

Finally I scooted over to the gates and pulled them both open. Fortunately they
weren’t locked — I’m sure I would have screamed bloody murder if they had been! I
wasn’t about to stay around long enough to try to lock the doors back in place. I
just rushed out and made sure I didn’t go near there again during that visit.

I can’t say I really believe in ghosts. I’m pretty much an open-minded skeptic on
the subject. But I did make sure before I left the Abbey to stop and light a candle
for poor Frances. I doubt she gets many visitors.

Do you have a story to share? I would love to hear it and don’t forget to enter our Tudor Ghost Story Contest!

Haunted Gallery Hampton Court

Like many other ‘strange’ experiences that take place at Hampton Court, this one occurred in the ‘Haunted Gallery‘ where the ghost of Katherine Howard is said to make a final plea for mercy.

Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, I think it is fascinating that so many people report unusual phenomena in this area of the palace.

This is Joseph’s story.

When I was about 11 years old I went to Hampton Court with my mother one winter. Seeing it was in the middle of winter and term time the palace was extremely quiet.

My mother decided to go into the chapel (Royal balcony area) and because I had already been in there I waited outside and looked at the artwork. I was looking at the art when all of a sudden I heard fast, heavy footsteps coming towards me. I knew something was there because I could feel the floorboards sinking under the weight, as the footsteps reached me I was hit by a sudden cold breeze.

Once the footsteps had passed me they continued until the royal entrance to the chapel and suddenly stopped. Seeing I was only 11 I was pretty spooked but when I told my mum she didn’t believe me.

Looking for someone else to tell I spoke to a period actor working at the palace at the time and she told me that what I had experienced was very common. It is believed to be the spirit of Katherine Howard running to the King in prayer to beg for forgiveness on hearing she was to be executed.

I have been there since this experience but have had nothing else happen, which is a shame.

Joseph

Haunted Gallery at Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace has been the setting for many dramatic royal events over the last 500 years, including the death of Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour and the imprisonment of his fifth wife, Katherine Howard.

It is no wonder then that visitors and staff alike have experienced unusual phenomena within its walls. Perhaps one of the most famous stories is that of Katherine Howard’s screaming spectre.

On 30 October 1541, Thomas Cranmer informed Henry, via a letter, that his new Queen was accused of ‘dissolute living before her marriage with Francis Dereham’. The King ordered Cranmer to thoroughly investigate the claims and confined Katherine to her apartments with only Lady Rochford to attend her.

Haunted Gallery at Hampton Court Palace

It is said that Katherine broke free from her captors and ran down the corridor, toward the private chapel where Henry was at Mass, to beg for the King’s mercy. She banged on the door but  unfortunately, Katherine was caught before Henry heard her pleas and dragged back to her apartments screaming and protesting.

We will never know for certain whether these events took place but what is certain is that visitors and staff have reported hearing spectral screams and feeling ‘uneasy’ in the ‘Haunted Gallery’.

Haunted Gallery Hampton Court

On one occasion a female form, dressed in white was seen floating down the Haunted Gallery ‘towards the door of the Royal Pew, and just as she reaches it, has been observed to hurry back with disordered garments and a ghastly look of despair, uttering at the same time the most unearthly shrieks, till she passes through the door at the end of the gallery’. (A Short History of Hampton Court by Ernest Law, 1897)

According to Palace officials, during two separate evening tours one night in 1999, two female visitors fainted on the same spot in the Haunted Gallery only one hour apart. Both women reported feeling frightened and uncomfortable and one so much so that she refused to rejoin the tour.

Other visitors have contacted me personally and reported feeling a presence in the gallery, feeling a sudden drop in temperature, having their hair pulled and one gentleman even felt spectral hands grab him around the neck!

Katherine is not the only one of Henry’s wives said to make herself known at Hampton Court. Jane Seymour, Henry’s third wife, is said to wander the cobbled courtyard of Clock Court carrying a lighted taper.

Jane Seymour by Hans Holbein the Younger

In the early hours of the 24th October 1537, only 12 days after the birth of Prince Edward, Jane died in her apartments. These apartments no longer exist but Jane has been seen gliding through the cobbled grounds of Clock Court and on the anniversary of the birth of Edward, ascending the stairs leading to the Silver Stick Gallery, dressed in a white robe and carrying a candle.

Unfortunately, the Gallery is not on the public route and so visitors are not permitted to enter this particular apartment.

Perhaps Jane returns in search of the son that she held only so briefly but is there another connected to Prince Edward that also calls Hampton Court home almost 500 years after her death?

Prince Edward by Hans Holbein

Sybil Penn was nurse to Prince Edward and also nursed Elizabeth I through small pox in 1562, only to succumb to the disease shortly afterwards.

Sybil was buried in nearby Hampton Church and according to palace officials; her spirit was disturbed in the 1800′s when the old church was pulled down.  Since that date she is said to have returned to the rooms she lived in at Hampton Court Palace and has become one of the most ‘persistent’ ghosts.

Interestingly, legend has it that after Sybil’s resting place was disturbed, people began hearing the sound of a spinning wheel from behind a wall of the southwest wing of the palace. Upon further investigation, an old chamber was discovered and inside lay an antique spinning wheel…

Old Hampton Church

Sightings of a ‘lady in grey’ are believed to be that of Sybil Penn. She is seen in various Tudor cloisters and courtyards.

Queens and nursemaids are not the only spectral beings said to return to Hampton Court. Visitors and staff often comment on the ‘strange atmosphere’ of the Wolsey Closet.

According to palace officials ‘A dog has been seen and heard in the room on more than one occasion, and the presence of a dog felt by somebody “sensitive” to paranormal activity.’

Most recently a strange image caught on the palaces’ CCTV footage caught the attention of the world.

In October 2003, palace security staff were alerted to an open Fire Door. After investigating and securing the doors the staff returned to inspect the CCTV footage. On the first occasion, the doors flew open without any sign of who or what opened them but on the second occasion, the staff were shocked to find a figure, in what looked like period dress, appear and close the doors. This pattern was repeated on the third day, minus the ghostly figure.

What makes this story even more curious is that on the second day, when the figure was captured on camera, a visitor reported seeing a ghost in that very area in the visitor’s book.

To this day palace officials have no explanation for this ghostly intruder!

Watch the video and decide for yourself.

Fast Tube by Casper

I would love to hear from you if you feel that you have encountered a Tudor ghost on your travels!

Share your experiences and read about the eerie encounters other readers have had here.

Watch a dramatic retelling of these stories on this short video.

Fast Tube by Casper

Hampton Court’s Haunted Gallery is renowned for spooky occurrences but that is not where Katie’s story ends and that is what makes it particularly interesting!

This is Katie’s story.

I visited Hampton Court Palace in April 2009. As I was waiting to see the “Henry’s Women” exhibit, I clearly felt something touch the back of my head and even felt my hair move. I assumed it was my husband and turned to ask him why he did it but no one was there. Later that day I asked one of the guides to show me to the “Haunted Gallery”–to my surprise she led me to the hallway where I had been standing when someone or something touched my head.

That night I was alone in my hotel room, flipping through my Hampton Court Palace guidebook, when suddenly the television turned on by itself. When this happened again I called the front desk and they sent a maintenance man to check things out. He could find nothing wrong with the tv, wiring, or connection, yet the tv turned on by itself several more times throughout the night.

The hotel we were staying at was a very nice 5-star right beside The Tower (I had a panoramic view of it and could even see St. Peter ad Vincula from my bed!) so I don’t think the tv incident can be blamed on substandard conditions. I would like to believe that perhaps it was the spirit of someone with strong ties to both Hampton Court Palace and The Tower, like Anne Boleyn or Katherine Howard, but I just don’t know.

Anne’s ghost is by far the most prolific with sightings reported in many locations across the UK. As expected, one location where Anne’s ghost has been regularly seen is at Hever Castle in Kent.

Each Christmas at Hever Castle, Anne’s childhood home, her ghost is said to manifest beneath a great oak tree where she and Henry courted. Her ghost walks across the bridge, which crosses over the River Eden on the castle grounds. One version of the story has Anne tossing a sprig of holly into the river before disappearing.

Although I have never myself seen Anne’s ghost, some of my readers have (and she was far from headless!).

I myself have had too many ‘strange’ things happen to me in my life to be a sceptic and strongly believe that there is much about our world, our universe that we simply do not understand.

If you have encountered Anne’s ghost or any other Tudor spectre on your travels please let me know. Also, if you have taken any ‘eerie’ photos in a historical location I would love to see them!

Read my full article on Anne’s ghost here.

I’ll leave you with a Most Haunted Extra video filmed at Hever Castle during their overnight investigation.

Fast Tube by Casper

Chapel Royal St. Peter Ad Vincula

On a warm autumn’s day in October 2009 I went to the Tower of London. After much exploring, marvelling (and spending far too much at the gift shop!) I went to the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula which had been opened up late in the afternoon. Upon entering the Chapel I found myself kneeling at the front alter right in front of Anne Boleyn’s grave. I spent almost an hour there praying to Anne, speaking to her about my life, my family and my goals for the future. After leaving the chapel at dusk I walked between the White Tower and Beauchamp Tower when I suddenly felt a sense of peace wash over me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something and looked up.

The Beauchamp Tower

There in the top window of the Beauchamp Tower was the silhouette of a woman dressed in a lavish Tudor gown with a French hood. I instantly knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was Anne Boleyn. To this day there is no doubt in my mind that it was her. I stared up in awe for a few seconds then when I blinked she was gone.

Instead of being shocked or alarmed I continued to feel a great sense of peace and I believe that Anne had shown herself to me, just for a few seconds, to let me know that she had heard my prayers; as a sign to stay true to what I had prayed and promised. It was an experience I will treasure close to my heart for the rest of my life and one that means a great deal to me.

If you have a story you’d like to share please contact us.

In 2003 at Hampton Court Palace a pair of modern emergency exit doors became the focus of international discussion. The doors themselves weren’t of interest but what was perplexing the staff was why they were mysteriously opening at the same time each day. On one occasion the emergency alarm was activated but on further investigation the doors were found to be closed. The CCTV footage shed no light on the matter until this was recorded:

Fast Tube by Casper

This footage is fascinating because it clearly shows the doors flying open of their own accord and then a tall figure, dressed in what looks like Tudor clothes, closing them. Is this the ghost of Henry VIII? Is it one of his queens? Is it a member of the public? Or is it a costumed guide working at the palace?

Well, the palace claims that it could not have been one of their guides as they do not enter that part of the building.

There has been much speculation and I suppose we will never know for certain. What makes this incident so interesting is not so much who closed the doors but what opened them. To make things more peculiar, the doors flew open at around the same time the day after the figure was seen closing them but this time nothing was caught on film.

Then, in 2008, 54 year old Anne Lambert captured this photo on her mobile phone while staying overnight in Samlesbury Hall.

Ghost of Henry VIII?

Anne was alone in an upstairs room of the 14th century manor house when she ‘sensed something’ and so started taking photos. It was only later when she went through the photos that she saw what looked like a ghost, with an uncanny resemblance to Henry VIII, in one of the photos.

During Henry VIII’s reign, the hall was owned by the Southworth family – staunch Catholics. Their years of royal favour came to an abrupt end when they refused to abandon their faith, instead continuing their worship clandestinely.

The figure in the photo is assumed to be Henry VIII but could it in fact be a member of the Southworth family?

In 2009, photographer Andrew Kitt was shocked by what he saw when developing photos he had taken at Cinema City in Norwich. On only one of a sequence of photos taken in the courtyard he saw a shadow.

Norwich Tudor Ghost

On closer examination, the shadow appears to be a person in what could be described as Tudor style dress. Although there were some staff and customers still around at the time the photo was taken, the photographer is adamant that no living person walked through the shot. The other peculiar thing is that this ‘shadow’ was only captured on one of a sequence of photos.

Considering that the buildings occupied by the bar and dining rooms are some of the oldest buildings in Norwich dating back to the 14th century, is it really surprising that paranormal activity is reported here? And could this in fact be the ghost of Robert Suckling, lord mayor and sheriff, who bought the property in the mid 1500′s?

In 2009 again, a tourist captured what looks like a ghost wearing a Tudor ruff at Tantallon Castle in Scotland. I have to say that I find this particular photo really unnerving. See the photo and read the full story here.

My personal belief is that ancient buildings, like Hampton Court Palace, have recorded in the fabric of the walls events that were played out long ago. The more traumatic and intense the event, the stronger an imprint that resonates. Then, on some occasions, the building offers up its past and reveals its secrets for some among us to ‘see’. I believe that an echo or ‘play back’ of events that transpired in the past can only be witnessed by those of us open to such experiences.

It is possible that not all reported ghost sightings are ‘play backs’ as I have heard of cases where people actually interact with the apparition, although, I think these incidents are quite rare.

There is so much about our universe that is unknown and so much about the power of our brain that we are still learning. To me it seems possible, actually- very likely, that we will one day uncover why some among us can see the echoes of people or events from long ago.

Please let me know if you know of any other Tudor ghosts caught on film.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,?Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.— William Shakespeare