Welcome to Tamworth Castle's ghost
page - as featured on Most Haunted Series 3.
This page provides an introduction
to Tamworth Castle's paranormal activity.
WATCH GHOST STORIES OF TAMWORTH CASTLE
(youtube)
Tamworth castle has been successfully running ghost search's for
two years. A group of 30 visitors spend the evening with mediums
and castle staff investigating paranormal activity. After a ghost
walk small groups conduct vigils in key rooms in the Castle. The
teams are given equipment to gauge changes in temperature and
activity. No one night is the same and some of the findings are
extremely interesting. A regular log will be posted here detailing
findings from these nights.
Photograph taken on 1949 Ghost Hunt of figure walking
down haunted stairs.
History of the Castle
The oldest part of Tamworth castle was built just after the
Norman Conquest circa 1070. Five powerful and wealthy families have
lived in the castle over the centuries, each leaving their mark.
The castle has been witness to turbulent and exciting events;
welcoming royal visitors, with standing sieges, surrendering to
parliamentarian forces in the English civil war and undergoing
drastic building alterations. The last family to use the castle as
their home left in 1897.
The Ghosts of Tamworth Castle
The following stories are a few of the many records we hold;
This is no way an exhaustive account of paranormal activity.
Visual anomaly on photograph of Victorian schools workshop in
the Castle stables
The Ferrers room: a 16th century room
Ann's Story
The castle's alarm had gone off and while the museum assistant was
waiting for the engineer to come and reset it, she sat in
Reception. She heard the odd footstep here and there which was
nothing unusual but then the sounds got louder until she could hear
the dragging of tables and chairs across the wooden floor. She
became very uneasy and frightened and, sensing that she wasn't
wanted in the castle, dashed outside and straight into the
engineer. He was shocked to see her because he had just seen a
figure standing in the Ferrers' Room window, which he thought was
her! The room had that day been fitted with a new circular table
and chairs yet on investigation, nothing had moved an inch!
The Tamworth Story: 19th century servant's quarters
June's Story
This staff member was opening up the Tamworth Story exhibition room
when she was struck in the face and momentarily blinded. It felt
like sand had been thrown at her. When she cleared her eyes, she
saw a blue mist swirl around the room near a display of 19th
century ceramics and disappear out of the window. The mist was at
least six feet high.
The Lady's chamber (the haunted room): 12th century
Solar, The Black lady
Legend has it that the 'black lady' haunts this room. She was a 9th
century nun called Editha who was expelled from Polesworth Abbey by
the first baron Marmion. The continued prayers of her homeless nuns
eventually called her from her grave and one night in 1139, after a
lavish banquet, the 3rd Baron Marmion saw a vision of her, whilst
in his bedchamber. She prophesied that unless the nuns were
restored to Polesworth, he would meet an untimely and painful
death. Just before she vanished she struck him on his side with the
point of her crosier and the wound was so terrible that the whole
castle was awoken by his cries. Seeing him so tormented with pain
his friends advised him to confess himself to a priest and restore
the nuns to the abbey. His pain only ceased when this vow was taken
and the nuns were allowed to return.
Please email in your own paranormal experiences at Tamworth
Castle and we will post them on this page. Email mailto:heritage@tamworth.gov.uk
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GHOST SEARCH SUPPER - MAY 18th
Summary of findings from the Mediums: Carole Haines,
Samantha Hawkins and James Musson
WALKABOUT BEFORE THE EVENT
Entrance hall: A spirit energy named 'Henry de Lanchester or
Leicester' was with us and saying that he had Leicestershire
connections. He said that he had been hanged in the town for going
against Philip Marmion. He was wearing a brown fur cloak or coat
and had a rugged appearance. He has also been seen in the
dungeon.
Dungeon: we had a spirit with us giving the name Henry but not the
same man as earlier. Sam and James both felt pain in their legs as
though they had received lashings and beatings. Henry said his land
and animals had been taken by the Marmion's and he was angry. His
hair was tousled and his clothes spoilt. His left eye was also
damaged or put out. We assured him that his story would be told and
he seemed happier.
Antechamber: from the moment we entered we all felt angry. We had a
high status servant with us who was wearing both black and red. We
could all smell burning paper. She said, 'If you knew what I had
done with the nightshade. I tested the poison on a chicken but it
did not work'. The lady finally gave the name Elizabeth Margaret.
When I asked if she had poisoned her master she broke down. 'If
only he had paid me any attention. My life is over'. James saw
people drinking mead and a man sitting at a high table. Elizabeth
talked of three Roberts and mentioned a man named Charles, which
might have been her master. The third Robert she said was not a
nice man.
MEDIUM WALKABOUT
Dungeon: We all saw a face on the wall of the man we had spoken to
earlier and he reminded us of Jon Pertwee. There was a man behind
the barred door who said, 'did you ask for my death? Help me. Can
you release me?'. His name was Matthew and he followed us.
Dining Room: a lady in her 50s who looked a little like Marie
Antoinette and who held a white dog that looked like a
poodle.
Tamworth Story: there was a distressed man giving the name Howard
by the jail door. He told us that he had spent money belonging to
George [a lady heard this name too] and that George does not know
about it. He stood by a lady who became very aware of him. Several
other people felt his energy too.
VIGILS
Drawing Room: The room was slightly heavy and everyone felt
comfortable. We had a Victorian lady with us and one of the ladies
heard the name Pin and wondered what it meant. The spirit lady was
in fact called Pym, which was her nickname in life and she made a
very small flash of light near the piano for us. We felt her energy
as she moved around us. Then she said, 'lady to you right is lane.
She wants me to go'. I asked the lady and she said, 'yes, I did
want her to go and my surname is Lane'. We also had a young lady
with us called Mary who was a servant with fair to ginger coloured
hair.
Dining Room & Antechamber: In the Antechamber we reencountered
Elizabeth who was still very agitated. One lady felt a pain in her
right hip and we all felt her warm energy. By now Elizabeth was
more than ready to be moved on so I gathered the group together and
we held hands so that she could draw on our energy. She passed into
the light very quickly and three people felt her energy as she
went
Haunted Bedroom: The room seemed dark and slightly oppressive but
otherwise settled. We soon encountered a spirit energy named Ben
who didn't seem to know where he was but wished us all a good life.
One of the men told me he had heard the name Benjamin before I gave
the name. Ben wasn't very old and aged about nineteen and possibly
from the late 1800s.
This information will only be here for a few weeks.
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No guarantees are made regarding the validity, truth, or likelihood
of any and all information obtained from Tamworth Borough Council
(TBC) employees, contractors, psychics, mediums and clairvoyants on
any of our ghost search events or anecdotal information detailed
here.