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 Castle Stuart Ghost Story

Are you brave enough to hear about the Three-Turret Haunted Bedroom at the top of the East Tower?

It is the room where, a long time ago, when the Earl of Moray was looking for someone to spend the night at Castle Stuart to prove to everyone that is was not haunted, he asked the minister at Petty Church to offer a £20 reward.

The local poacher, known as Big Angus, was neither afraid of man nor beast and he’s recorded to have spent the night in this room.

The next morning, unfortunately they found his body in the courtyard, dead, with a look of horror frozen on his face.

The mystery remains – did he jump or was he pushed?
Too much whisky?
Are you brave enough to stay and find out?

Castle Stuart Ghost Story

Are you brave enough to hear about the Three-Turret Haunted Bedroom at the top of the East Tower?

It is the room where, a long time ago, when the Earl of Moray was looking for someone to spend the night at Castle Stuart to prove to everyone that is was not haunted, he asked the minister at Petty Church to offer a £20 reward.

The local poacher, known as Big Angus, was neither afraid of man nor beast and he’s recorded to have spent the night in this room.

The next morning, unfortunately they found his body in the courtyard, dead, with a look of horror frozen on his face.

The mystery remains – did he jump or was he pushed?
Too much whisky?
Are you brave enough to stay and find out?

We have a number of ghosts. The most famous is the “blue boy”, who as midnight rang out would cry and moan in agony (or maybe fear). The noises could be traced to a spot near a passage cut through a ten foot wall.

When the bloodcurdling wails die away a soft halo of light appears around an old four poster bed. Anyone sleeping there, even today, can see the figure of a young boy dressed in blue, and surrounded by light. Behind the wall the bones of a young boy and fragments of blue clothing were discovered.

Another ghost, Lady Mary Berkeley, searches for her husband, who ran off with her sister. Lady Mary, desolate and broken hearted lived in the castle by herself with only her baby girl as a companion. The rustle of her dress can be heard as she passes you by in the turret stairs.

But there are more….come and visit if you dare!

Chillingham Castle now has it’s own DVD featuring resident ghost walker Bob Buxton, and Richard Felix from TV’s ‘Most Haunted’. DVD’s cost £15.00, plus £2.50 postage. Please call 01668 215359, or email enquiries@chillingham-castle.com to purchase your copy.

* See the ‘tours and events’ section for details of evening ghost tours.

We have a number of ghosts. The most famous is the “blue boy”, who as midnight rang out would cry and moan in agony (or maybe fear). The noises could be traced to a spot near a passage cut through a ten foot wall.

When the bloodcurdling wails die away a soft halo of light appears around an old four poster bed. Anyone sleeping there, even today, can see the figure of a young boy dressed in blue, and surrounded by light. Behind the wall the bones of a young boy and fragments of blue clothing were discovered.

Another ghost, Lady Mary Berkeley, searches for her husband, who ran off with her sister. Lady Mary, desolate and broken hearted lived in the castle by herself with only her baby girl as a companion. The rustle of her dress can be heard as she passes you by in the turret stairs.

But there are more….come and visit if you dare!

Chillingham Castle now has it’s own DVD featuring resident ghost walker Bob Buxton, and Richard Felix from TV’s ‘Most Haunted’. DVD’s cost £15.00, plus £2.50 postage. Please call 01668 215359, or email enquiries@chillingham-castle.com to purchase your copy.

* See the ‘tours and events’ section for details of evening ghost tours.

http://www.haunted-sussex.co.uk/

A Brief Story of Bognor Regis

In the mid 1780’s, Richard Hotham, a hatter from London, stayed at a farmhouse in Bognor. This hamlet of Bognor Rocks, named after the rocks in the sea to the south of the town, had originated from the Saxon settlement of Bucgrenora.

For centuries the hamlet existed from fishing and smuggling, with wheat and barley being farmed inland, until the arrival of Richard Hotham. Hotham subscribed to the popular belief of the time – that bathing in seawater cured a number of ills and recuperating in the sea air was beneficial to all.

With this thought in mind, Hotham purchased the farmhouse in which he had stayed over the previous years, together with 1,600 acres of land in the surrounding area. His dream was to create the town of “Hothampton” and it was from that dream that Bognor Regis was born.

http://www.afallon.com/

Armagh, Co. Armagh, Ireland – Armagh city has a generous helping of ghosts, gore and the grotesque. Ghost tours are held throughout the year, winding its way through Armagh’s centuries old streets taking in various historical sites. You will hear tales and stories of the darker and grislier side of Armagh’s past.

For further information contact, The Living History Department, Palace Demesne, Armagh, BT60 4EI. Telephone +44 028 37 529629

Bath, Somerset – Ghost Walks of Bath will take you to many famous places noted for their strange events. Take a walk round the ghostly places of the ancient and historic city of Bath. Tel: 01225 463618 Fax: 0117 909 9941

Birmingham – Birmingham Ghost and Graveyard Walks

Burton on Trent, Derbyshire – Burton is famous for more than its beer. The walks commence in the market place in Burton and last about 90 minutes. The walk includes such ghosts as the last Christian martyr in England to be burnt alive and his connection to the U.S.A. The reputed most haunted estate in Europe and much more. The walk costs £5.00 for adults and £2.50 for children & o.a.p.’s. Tickets can be booked at Burton tourist information on 01283 508111.

Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales – The Magical History Tour of Caernarfon. An offbeat look at the towns history with tales of ;Hauntings & Hangings , Riots & Rebellion–we walk on the town walls —visit the infamous Stryd Pedwar a Chwech — hear how Caernarfon is connected to one of the most brutal murders in British History and more !! tours are on Tues And Thurs meet outside The Anglesey Hotel, on Promenade, Caernarfon , 6.30 til 8pm ( approx) cost: Adults £3 Kids £1.50 Groups 10+ £ 2.50 just turn up in July And August no need to book.

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire – When: Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 8.00 pm June 1st-September 7th Where: Please meet our guides outside King’s College on King’s Parade, Cambridge (opposite Jim Garrahy’s Fudge Kitchen, King’s Parade) Tickets: Adult: £4.00, Concessions: £3.00 Children under 12 must be accompanied Group rates available Special group tours by arrangement.

Canterbury, Kent – 1. The Ghost Walk of Old Canterbury, and details of other ghost walks in Kent.

2. The Canterbury Guild of Guides do all sorts of walks around this historic city. They also do them in various languages other than English. There is no special ghost walk as such, but they will put one together around the haunted sites of the cathedral and pubs. Email Canterbury Guild of Guides & telephone on 01227 459779

3. The Ghost tour of Canterbury, meets every Friday and Saturday at 8pm opposite Alberrys Wine Bar, in St Margaret’s Street Canterbury. for info visit www.greenbard.8m.com or call 07779 575831

http://www.afallon.com/

Armagh, Co. Armagh, Ireland – Armagh city has a generous helping of ghosts, gore and the grotesque. Ghost tours are held throughout the year, winding its way through Armagh’s centuries old streets taking in various historical sites. You will hear tales and stories of the darker and grislier side of Armagh’s past.

For further information contact, The Living History Department, Palace Demesne, Armagh, BT60 4EI. Telephone +44 028 37 529629

Bath, Somerset – Ghost Walks of Bath will take you to many famous places noted for their strange events. Take a walk round the ghostly places of the ancient and historic city of Bath. Tel: 01225 463618 Fax: 0117 909 9941

Birmingham – Birmingham Ghost and Graveyard Walks

Burton on Trent, Derbyshire – Burton is famous for more than its beer. The walks commence in the market place in Burton and last about 90 minutes. The walk includes such ghosts as the last Christian martyr in England to be burnt alive and his connection to the U.S.A. The reputed most haunted estate in Europe and much more. The walk costs £5.00 for adults and £2.50 for children & o.a.p.’s. Tickets can be booked at Burton tourist information on 01283 508111.

Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales – The Magical History Tour of Caernarfon. An offbeat look at the towns history with tales of ;Hauntings & Hangings , Riots & Rebellion–we walk on the town walls —visit the infamous Stryd Pedwar a Chwech — hear how Caernarfon is connected to one of the most brutal murders in British History and more !! tours are on Tues And Thurs meet outside The Anglesey Hotel, on Promenade, Caernarfon , 6.30 til 8pm ( approx) cost: Adults £3 Kids £1.50 Groups 10+ £ 2.50 just turn up in July And August no need to book.

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire – When: Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 8.00 pm June 1st-September 7th Where: Please meet our guides outside King’s College on King’s Parade, Cambridge (opposite Jim Garrahy’s Fudge Kitchen, King’s Parade) Tickets: Adult: £4.00, Concessions: £3.00 Children under 12 must be accompanied Group rates available Special group tours by arrangement.

Canterbury, Kent – 1. The Ghost Walk of Old Canterbury, and details of other ghost walks in Kent.

2. The Canterbury Guild of Guides do all sorts of walks around this historic city. They also do them in various languages other than English. There is no special ghost walk as such, but they will put one together around the haunted sites of the cathedral and pubs. Email Canterbury Guild of Guides & telephone on 01227 459779

3. The Ghost tour of Canterbury, meets every Friday and Saturday at 8pm opposite Alberrys Wine Bar, in St Margaret’s Street Canterbury. for info visit www.greenbard.8m.com or call 07779 575831

Information supplied by Carol Nesbitt of

http://www.ghostsofgettysburg.com/

Over the years since the infamous battle, stories of scores of sightings, stranger than reality, have emerged from the quaint houses and gentle fields in and around the town of Gettysburg: Stories of sightings of soldiers, moving again in battle lines, across the fields where they once marched… and died; tales of visions through a rip in time into the horrible scene of a Civil War hospital; whispers of a look at men long dead held eternally captive by duty. These apparitions – and more – come back to remind us, in one way or another that they are not to be forgotten for what they did here…

In 1994, Mark Nesbitt started the first ghost walk in Gettysburg, The Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours®. Armed with tales from his ghost books – and with a few that are not in the books-guides dressed in period attire take visitors on evening tours through sections of town that were bloody battlefields 13 decades ago; through night-darkened streets to houses and buildings where it is not as quiet as it should be; to sites on the old Pennsylvania College campus where the slain once lay in rows, and the wounded suffered horribly, waiting to become corpses themselves; to cemeteries where the dead lie… sometimes not so peacefully. Gettysburg may very well be, acre for acre, the most haunted place in America.

For anyone contemplating a Weird Sydney Ghost and History Tour on Saturday 3rd March, we regret that we will not be able to operate that night due to road closures for the Mardi Gras. However the Weird Parramatta Ghost and History Tour will be running that night with up to 3 hearses travelling to the Asylum, the Catholic Cemetery, the former Children’s Orphanage and more! For those not resident in the Parramatta area, but still interested to do the tour, a free pick up and return service from Sydney CBD will be available. More details at http://www.destinytours.com.au/parramatta.htm

After 6 years in this business it is time for me to move on. Destiny Tours is now for sale, serious enquiries on this fun and unique business can be directed to me.

Look forward to seeing you soon.

Regards

Allan the Hearse Whisperer

Destiny Tours

http://www.destinytours.com.au/

Ph (02) 9943 0167 or 0414 232244
“Don’t leave the best ride of your life till last”

“The West Virginia Society of Ghost Hunters conducts weekly Paranormal Investigations of haunted houses and sites. It holds training and certification programs for Paranormal Investigators and conducts research into issues of vital interest to Paranormal Investigators. Founded in 1989 by Susan Crites, the West Virginia Society of Ghost Hunters has conducted over 1,000 Paranormal Investigations and interviewed more than 5,000 people who believe they have encountered the supernatural. It is the oldest and largest organization of its type in WV.”

Information supplied by Ayn Hunt
http://www.authorsden.com/aynhunt

While I was in the middle of writing my first mystery, we had a most unusual visitor who’d appear, then disappear, seemingly at will. At first, he seemed oblivious of us and gave the impression he wanted to be left alone…and we were all willing to let him go his own way. Anyone who could walk through walls the way he could had our utmost respect.

But the more often he appeared, the more curious I became about what we were dealing with here. At the time, I knew nothing about ghosts, wasn’t even sure I believed they existed, so I started researching from scratch. And this is how my mysteries changed from who-dun-its to Gothics.

For example, in my first book, Unwilling Killers, I changed the setting from an old, dilapidated house to an old haunted house which I researched not far from my home. I’d seen it, been in it, knew of its reputation, but never thought much about it. Being a stickler for realism for my books though, I wrote to the local historical society which proved to be a wealth of information about it, even sending me full-color pictures of every room.

The noise the ancient housekeeper hears is consistent with both that of ghosts and humans both. This element was crucial, as I had to figure out the limits of the powers of levitation for ghosts to make it seem realistic, while a skeptic could believe otherwise. Those noise and movement had to satisfy both as being from ghosts and humans. So I found out and I those limits of ghosts by doing research, primarily on the Net, but also using some books I picked up at a second-hand book store.

For the secret passageways, I used the color pictures of the back stairways which the historical society had sent. One of them, in particular, was ideal for what I had in mind.

In my second book, Obsessed, which has the same characters in the first book of two little old ladies who’ve taken to trying to solve old murders with their niece (who tries vainly to keep them out of trouble), I had to figure out the personalities of ghosts, which was challenging. I found out that a person’s temperament doesn’t change after death. So if a person was mean and ornery in life, their ghost would be the same way. Conversely, if a person was laid back and easy-going, they’d manifest the same traits.

For my third book, The Haunting, I used a combination of all methods for the setting, using color pictures, but also how such a house would look when getting ready for the wrecking ball to destroy it, so I had to research demolition techniques to get it set in my mind.

A collection of ghosts, one of whom was a small-time hood, plays an essential role in trying to kill both Jessica, the niece, and one of the old ladies (Emily, the one who’s a physic), so I researched con-artists, which was interesting to say the very least.

Then I featured a killer, also a small-time hood, very much alive, who also wants to kill Jessica and Emily, so I researched methods of murder with things readily available in a house which is about to be destroyed. The transformation however of this live killer to a ghost was the most challenging part, and which, in the end, I used part fact-part fiction.

The part about the ghost chasing Jessica to insert itself into her body in an attempt to reclaim life, I’ve found though, is true. If a soul thinks the body is dead, they’ll often depart, and an unscrupulous ghost can insert itself into that body. I thought I was making this up at the time but I found out later, it can happen.

My fourth mystery which I haven’t finished yet, will use a Doppelganger, which is a spiritual double we all have. Legend has it that if a person sees his Doppelganger, he’ll die, but my research has proven this isn’t necessarily true. Many famous people have seen their double, including a local ghostbuster I talked to recently, and still live to tell about it.

So that’s basically it. Most of us who write mysteries of various types do a lot of research both before writing and during the process as questions come up. Today as never before, realism and checking and double-checking our facts and methods are crucial.

Author Ayn Hunt

Information Supplied by Bulldog Tours

We have a wide variety of walking tours for you and your group. Our two main Ghost tours are the Ghost and Dungeon and Ghost and Graveyard Tours. Both are an hour and a half walking tour through the historic district talking about ghosts, legend, mystery, history, voodoo, and superstition. They will take you to some of the most haunted places in town and tell you their story.

The difference in the tours; the Ghost and Dungeon will take you into the Provost Dungeon built by the British in 1771; and the Ghost and Graveyard will take you into the oldest graveyard in Charleston. Both of which are exclusive to our company.

Ghost and Dungeon 7 pm and 9 pm Tuesday thru Saturday, Ghost and Graveyard 730 pm and 930 pm every night $17 per adult and $8 per child.

The Darkside of Charleston is an hour and a half walking tour through the historic district talking about adult history. That means prostitution, brothels, murders, corruption, and scandals. Darkside is at 8 pm and 10 pm every night, $17 each adult.

Haunted Jail Tour is a forty five minute tour of the Old City Jail, the city’s most haunted building. Meet your tour guide at the Jail, tour the property, cell blocks, holding cells, torture chamber, and solitary confinement. Haunted Jail 7, 8, 9, and 10 pm every night $13 per adult $8 per child.

Bulldog Ghost Tours Historic Charleston Walking Tour is an hour and a half walking tour through the historic residential district. Sightseeing, history, architecture, and mansions. Historic Charleston Tour is $15 each adult, $5 each child and goes every morning at 9:30 am.

Reservations are required for all of our tours. They can be made by phone or via email. To make a reservation I need a name, number of guests, tour and time, credit card number and expiration date to hold your reservation.

Details can be found on our website at www.bulldogtours.com. We can’t wait to take you on tour!