What happened
Chillingham in Northumberland grew out of a 12th-century monastery; Edward I stayed here in 1298 on his way to fight William Wallace, and in 1344 the stronghold received a licence to crenellate. Its owners market it as the most haunted castle in Britain. Its most famous ghost is the “Blue” or “Radiant Boy” who haunted the Pink Room. Guests spoke of crying and moaning at midnight from the wall near an old passage, followed by a blue flash above the bed and the figure of a child bathed in blue light. According to the story, when part of the wall was taken down during renovations in the 1920s, a child's bones and scraps of blue cloth were found inside; after they were buried, the apparition stopped. Another ghost is Lady Mary Berkeley, abandoned by a husband who ran off with her sister – the rustle of her dress is said to be heard in the corridors. Today the castle offers night-time ghost tours, and its attractions include a torture chamber.
Witnesses
Guests staying in the Pink Room, the owners' family and staff; the accounts were popularised by television programmes such as “Most Haunted.”
Explanations and hypotheses
There are no documents confirming the discovery of bones in the wall – the story comes from the castle itself and from ghost books, and its date varies. Lady Mary Berkeley is a historical figure: her husband Ford Grey caused a notorious scandal in the 1680s by eloping with her sister Henrietta. The “radiant boy” is a fairly common motif in English folklore. Sceptics point out that since the 1980s the castle has deliberately cultivated its haunted image with night tours.
Legend A story handed down through generations – it can be neither confirmed nor disproved.
Sources
- Chillingham Castle – Ghosts
- Sky HISTORY – Chillingham Castle: Investigating 'Britain's most haunted castle'
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