The Chillingham Ghosts: The Dark Secrets of England's Creepiest Castle

As is well known, every self-respecting English castle must have its own ghost. Chillingham Castle in Northumberland County in the north of England is no exception. Only it is inhabited not by one ghost, but by many. This is not surprising, because the history of the castle is almost a thousand years old and is full of secrets, cruelty and tragedy.

Chillingham Castle was built in the 12th century, but its history can be said to have begun much earlier. People settled here in the Bronze Age. During World War II, German prisoners of war conducted excavations near the castle. Many interesting finds were made then: flint arrowheads, items made from deer antlers and other ancient artefacts. Apparently, there was once a hunting camp of primitive people on this site.

When the Iron Age arrived, a Roman military outpost appeared on the hill. It was called Chillington, which is derived from the Latin "farmstead of Ceophel". The castle, which appeared in the 12th century, was considered a very controversial structure. The fact is that it was located almost on the border of England and Scotland, which had been at odds for centuries.

Chillingham was first occupied by a military garrison, and then the castle was given to a convent. It remained in this state for almost a century, until it fell into disrepair by the mid-13th century. Then one of the local officials sold the castle to a private owner, and it became the ancestral estate of the Gray family.

The new owners turned out to be good owners. They not only strengthened and repaired the walls, but also carried out a complete redevelopment. Windows appeared in the towers, which were glazed. The latter innovation was especially costly, since glass was very expensive at the time.

Soon after the reconstruction was completed, Chillingham was visited by the King of England Edward I. The monarch was heading to Scotland to fight William Wallace and stopped to rest at the castle. In general, kings liked to stay at the castle. Henry III, James I and Charles I visited it, shortly before his execution.

When Edward I visited the area again, he realized that the castle was in an excellent position for military purposes. Chillingham soon became the property of the king and became a key outpost on the border with Scotland. Inside, a spacious dungeon with a torture chamber was equipped, which was never empty.

The permanent inhabitants of the Chillingham cellars were Scotsmen whom the king considered unreliable. And these were not only men capable of fighting, but also old men, women and even children. The prison was run by a confidant of Edward I himself - John Sage. He had once been wounded in the leg and remained lame. John convinced the king that he could still be useful, and he was assigned to "work with people" in the Chillingham cellars.

Sage was ideal for the job. He hated the Scots and had sadistic tendencies. It is believed that during the first war with Scotland, which lasted two years, the executioner tortured 50 people a week. Many prisoners could not survive the torture, and a significant number of prisoners were executed.

After the war, Sage burned the remaining prisoners alive in the courtyard of the castle. He forced the children of these people to watch the massacre from the window of the so-called "Edward's Room" or "Murder Room". After burning the parents, the executioner dealt with the children as well.

Around 7,500 Scots died within the castle walls. Their bodies lie in a lake near Chillingham. As for John Sage, he also met his end within these walls. In a fit of jealousy, he killed his mistress Elizabeth Charlton. She came from a powerful family: her father was a major feudal lord and commanded a significant force guarding the border with Scotland.

Elizabeth's father told the king that if his daughter's murder went unpunished, he would join the Scots. Edward I could not allow this and sentenced Sage to be hanged in the very castle where he was accustomed to carrying out executions. But John did not live to see the gallows - he had too many enemies. As soon as it became known that the king had stopped patronizing him, Sage was immediately killed.

At night, the ghost of the bloodthirsty executioner John Sage roams the halls and galleries of the castle. As befits an English ghost, he groans and rattles his chains. However, John's spirit is not the only one who lives within the gloomy walls of the medieval castle. Thousands of people died within these walls, and not only because of Sage's cruelty.

It is believed that dozens of unfortunate people are walled up in the dungeons of Chillingem. Many have seen the ghost of a little boy in the castle, looking for his father. The child is dressed in blue and cries loudly. Often the ghost is surrounded by a halo of bright light, which is why he is called the "Shining Boy".

The ghost usually appears in or near the Pink Room. During one of the reconstructions, a child's skeleton was found walled up in the wall in this part of the castle. From the decayed scraps of clothing, scientists determined that it was probably light in color, possibly blue.

According to legend, this is not an ordinary boy, but a child of noble origin. He was killed because he accidentally found some compromising documents in the castle. The legend says that he was walled up alive in the wall along with the papers that were dangerous for the owner of the castle.

Chillingham Castle is haunted by a curse that, according to legend, was cast by John Sage before his death. The estate is too often plagued by inexplicable conflicts to simply brush this story aside. When the castle came into the possession of the prosperous Berkeley family, their lives were immediately plagued by constant scandals.

At first, these were just minor squabbles, but soon Mary Berkeley, the mistress of the castle, was in for a blow: she received a letter from her husband, Thomas Chambers. In it, he reported that he no longer loved her and intended to build a relationship with her sister Henrietta. The unfaithful husband abandoned his wife in the castle, where she spent several years alone, immersed in grief. Mary died in 1710.

According to local legend, as soon as an unfaithful husband crosses the threshold of the castle, Lady Berkeley emerges from her portrait and begins to pursue the scoundrel. She torments him until he runs away or repents. Over the centuries, the ghost of the unfortunate woman has been seen many times - although not everyone is ready to admit it.

The castle changed hands several times, and each sought to improve it. Chillingham was expanded, and a beautiful park was laid out around it. At some point, it became a favorite place for social gatherings, where the first persons of England and foreign guests gathered.

But the estate also often found itself in the epicentre of military action. Enemies destroyed its walls, destroyed the park and plundered furnishings. The Gray family, who owned Chillingham longer than others, repeatedly invested huge amounts of money in its restoration. After the Second World War, the castle, damaged by bombing, fell into such disrepair that the aristocrats preferred to give up ownership, fearing complete ruin.

As a result, at the end of the 20th century, the historical monument found a new owner - Sir Humphrey Wakefield. In the archives, he found plans for the castle from the time of King James IV, who ruled in the 15th century. The owner spent a fortune on the reconstruction. As a result, Wakefield gave the restored castle to his wife, who was a descendant of the Gray family.

Today, Chillingham Castle is no longer a family home. Its doors are open to tourists who are attracted by the dark secrets of the ancient walls and legends about numerous ghosts. In 1998, filmmakers immortalized the estate by choosing it as one of the main locations for the historical film Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett in the title role.

Historians and archaeologists are still studying the castle. Although many events of its past are well documented, there are still many blank spots. According to experts, the history of Chillingham is one of the bloodiest in England. In terms of the number of deaths, it even surpassed the infamous Tower of London.

Chillingham Castle is a place where history and mysticism are so closely intertwined that it has attracted researchers, tourists and paranormal enthusiasts for centuries. What fascinates you more: its rich history or legends about ghosts? Or maybe you yourself have encountered unexplained phenomena in ancient places? Share in the comments!