Haunted Devon
Haunted Devon - keeping with the Fortean / occult theme I thought to myself why not?
Especially since I now live in Exmouth. So here I'll offer up to you a couple of examples to see what you make of it all. Ask yourself real or not? Hoax, myth, over active imagination, or real- what do you think ?
Especially since I now live in Exmouth. So here I'll offer up to you a couple of examples to see what you make of it all. Ask yourself real or not? Hoax, myth, over active imagination, or real- what do you think ?
If you've any questions or experiences of your own you'd like to post up in the comments section please feel free -
Chambercombe
Manor, Illfracombe
Just
as a point of curiosity Illfracombe, in the Old English, means ‘Elf Haven’. Not
that that really has anything to do with this post, but I just thought I’d let
you know. North Devon, I’ve never been there, transport links are far too bad
for someone like me who doesn’t drive and goes everywhere by train- but, hey,
a High Speed link between London and
Birmingham that’s millions over budget surely makes far more economic sense
than allowing virtually the whole of North Devon and Cornwall a railway system that
might just allow for an increase in tourism and rejuvenate the areas –
especially if you’re a government minister with ties to the companies building
it.
A
rarity amongst properties open to the public you can actually sit on certain
items of furniture and even handle some of the artifacts kept there. As is to
be expected the place has its share of ghostly residents too- The most famous
story associated with Chambercombe was unearthed in 1738, or 1865 – the date
varies according to the telling so it seems and concerns a Kate Oatway.
As
the legend goes a tenant, whilst attending to roof repairs there, became aware
of a window that could not be accounted for, and his wife, who finding herself
somewhat intrigued by this, set about investigating the matter until she, by
knocking on the walls until she heard a difference in the sound, located a
hidden room which, when opened up, is reputed to have contained a four-poster
bed upon which reposed the skeletal remains of a woman- to wit, those belonging
to Kate Oatway.
William Oatway, whose daughter Kate had married an Irish captain named Wallace, was renting the house during the 1800’s although the story tells that he had a great desire to own it, yet it was far beyond his financial state to be able to do so. His father, Alexander, who had been the previous tenant, had been known as a ‘ship-wrecker’ and purposely guided ships on to the rocks in order to steal any cargo or valuables that may have been carried- in fact William was married to a Spaniard that he had saved on one of these occasions although he showed no inclination to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Temptation raised its head one night during a
storm as he watched for ships in distress and, quite by chance, he found a badly
injured young woman lying on the rocks. Rescuing her, he took her back to the
house where, despite the efforts of both his wife and himself she died soon
afterwards. Searching her in an attempt to discover her identity they noticed
she carried upon her person enough money and jewels to enable them to purchase
the manor, and so they stole them from the lifeless body. Somehow it was soon
revealed to him that the young woman was Kate, his daughter who had been aboard
a ship that had gone down in the storm. Wracked with guilt and shame at the
deed, William boarded up the body in a secret room which is visible via a small
hole in the staircase.
Reports
of other ghosts there include claims of sightings of two little girls who have
been seen a child’s bedroom, and of a lady that appears by the pond near the
café there. Other phenomena mentioned also lists cold spots throughout the
house, indeed the house has even made an appearance on the British comedy
programme ‘Most Haunted’ back in 2006. For those who wish to visit the manor, or even go on a ghost tour there a
link is listed in the photo credits below and, if any of you do get to go
there, or have already, I’d love to be told about your own experiences there.
And now-----
Berry Pomeroy Castle
Through the 80’s I spent quite a few of my holidays in Devon, Paignton to be precise, on what is known
as the English Riveria. It’s a pleasant enough place and, although I succumbed
to the lure of going abroad instead, after so many years in foreign climes I started
going back there in 2013. Sadly the area has lost, like so many coastal
resorts, most of its charms, which is probably due to the attitude of
successive councils that have done their best to rip out the heart of the place
in their quest to ….well I really can’t say what it is they want to achieve,
alas I don’t think they have any idea either. It’s sad to see how run down
places can become yet, for some reason I still return there – so if you see us
there you’re more than welcome to invite me for a coffee and a chat.
Now, I was fast approaching the not so tender age of 51 when I originally wrote this ( gods,,,I'm nearly 53 now!) and at the
suggestion of friends who live down that way we are thinking of going to
explore the reputedly haunted Berry Pomeroy Castle. As is natural for me, but
according to my wife signs of some obsessive mental aberration, I like to do a
little research on any place that takes our fancy – not just for my own
entertainment but also so I could irritate other tourists by loudly informing my now ex-wife to be of what I know about a place when we’re there.
Ralph
de Pomeroy, who came from La Pommeraye, Calvados in Normandy, was given the
lands by William the Conqueror, as a reward for services rendered during, and
after, the conquest of Britain and was one of the 52 Devon Domesday Book
tenants-in-chief being the first feudal
baron of Berry Pomeroy in Devon with a total of 58 landholdings in Devon.
His descendent, Henry de Pomeroy VI ordered a castle, or according to some a
fortified mansion, built on the family lands during the late 13th
century although by the time of his death in 1305, it was still not completed.
The Pomeroys still owned the lands until the 1540’s,
albeit some sources report the castle was already in a state of decay by then,
when Sir Edward Seymour (the brother of Jane , wife of Henry VIII) acquired the
territory with the help of his influential family and effectively rebuilt it according
to his needs and the current designs of the day. Despite this, by 1688 it was
abandoned after a seige by Cromwell’s forces during the civil war had left it
in ruins even if by that time a large number of its rooms were already
unusable.
1977 saw the English Heritage organization take ownership with the aim of saving
the castle from total ruin and even now restoration efforts are an ongoing
concern.
The Ghosts of
Berry Pomeroy Castle
Every
castle is said to have its ghosts, and a number of paranormal goings on and, of
course, Berry Pomeroy is no exception to the rule with a host of reported
sightings the most famous, or notorious if depending on your point of view, are
those of the Blue Lady and the White Lady.
The
White Lady is said to be the restless soul of Margaret Pomeroy who, according
to legend, incurred the wrath of her sister Eleanor after a possible suitor
changed the object of his affections from the one to the other whereupon she
imprisoned her in a dungeon and left her to starve to death. Those who claim to
have seen her have described her as rising out of the dungeon or wandering the
ramparts bringing with her an air of depression, uneasiness, and sadness.
The
Blue Lady is said to lure her victims into various parts of the castle where
they meet their doom. One myth claims she was the daughter of one of the Norman
castle lords who was raped by her father and became pregnant with his baby. Some versions state that her father then strangled
the child in one of the rooms of the castle whilst other versions say that it
was she who murdered the infant instead.
One witness to her appearing was Sir Walter Farquhar. A prominent doctor during
the late 18th century he was in the castle attending to the needs of
the sick wife of a steward. While there he is reputed to have witnessed the
apparition of a young woman who was wringing her hands in obvious distress as
she moved up a stairway and into a room.
Apparently
unaware of the legend of the Blue Lady he told the steward of his sighting who
becoming greatly upset, then explained that the appearance of the figure was an
omen of death and of his fears that this indicated that his wife would die.
Dismissing his fears the doctor claimed that she would soon recover, yet his
wife suddenly died later that day.
More
recent investigations into the paranormal activity at Berry Pomeroy Castle have
resulted in a flurry of reports of apparitions, shadows, electronic equipment
failing, inexplicable sounds emanating without any known source and it has even
been documented that some visitors to the castle who have taken a small
memento, such as a small stone etc., have quickly returned it as they feel that
as if some dark influence has followed them home.
So, there you are - you made it this far so give yourself a pat on the back and smile at the thought that there's only a few lines left to read. What do you think then- old wive's tales or something more? Are those places, and countless others, really haunted or is is all just a bit of fantasy? There is a comment box, so why not be brave ( or charitable) and use it - any feedback is more than welcomed believe me .
D W Storer 2018 / 2019
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