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Middleham

Ghosts Home >> Haunted >> Middleham >> Knightly Ghosts

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Knightly Ghosts

Once known as the 'capital of Wensleydale', the village of Middleham lies nine miles south of Richmond, in North Yorkshire.

At the top of the main street stands Middleham Castle, some of it thought to date from 1068, since the time of Alan the Red - a stout supporter of William I. Middleham is well-known as the birthplace of Richard of Gloucester, later to become Richard III. It was previously owned by Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick. The Victorian novelist, Lord Lytton, wrote of the castle and its notable guests: 'The most mightiest peers, the most renowned knights, gathered to his [Warwick's] hall. Middleham - not Windsor nor Sheen, nor Westminster, nor the Tower - seemed the court of England.' It was later forfeited to the crown when Warwick was killed in the Battle of Barnet in 1471. Imprisoned at Middleham during the Wars of the Roses, Edward IV subsequently passed it on to his brother, Richard III.

Some parts of this beautiful castle were destroyed by Cromwell, during the Civil War, but other parts remain standing, most notably the impressive Norman keep, with its walls measuring four yards thick. By the end of the 19th century, it had become nothing more than a ruin - and a dangerous one at that - and such it remained until the Ministry of Works restored some of the building in the 1920s. Currently in the care of English Heritage, the castle is open to the public for most days of the week, and well worth a visit.

It seems that most castles throughout Britain boast some sort of ghostly legend of one form or another. Tales of gallant knights, and damsels in distress abound in glossy tourist brochures, along with the odd dragon or two thrown in for good measure - and why not indeed? Everyone likes a lively, colourful tale which reflects the history, though maybe not wholly accurately, of a historic property such as a castle, which has borne witness to so many notable personages and events. And many of these ghostly tales, eccentric traditions or customs, like all folklore, have a basis, albeit a small basis, in truth. Middleham, however, is one of the few castles, along with Dover Castle, in Kent, and Windsor Castle, where modern accounts of the paranormal are still reported today. English Heritage staff, custodians of the castle, and many visitors have seen and heard odd things in recent years. Indeed, one retired Anglican priest claims to have had actual spirit communication, through a medium, with Richard III himself.

I had an interesting telephone conversation with Reverend John Dening, Honorary Chaplain to the Society of Friends of Richard III, and author of his fascinating study Secret History: The Truth about Richard III and the Princes (Plantagenet Press, 1996). Although he is obviously fascinated by the history of the Plantagenet prince, with his interest extending into the realms of psychical research and the afterlife, he is not in the slightest bit 'cranky'. Indeed, a more down-to-earth chap you would be hard pushed to find.

The first he heard about the supposed haunting at Middleham was from a colleague, Mannie Norman, the secretary and general organiser of the group, who had been strolling around the castle grounds one weekend evening during the May Day Bank Holiday of 1991. Ms Norman and two friends clearly heard strange, old-fashioned music emanating from somewhere in the ruins, and they excitedly told the rest of the Society members. With his interest aroused, Rev Denning and five colleagues, including the Society's chairman, Dick Boustred, arranged to go for a prowl around the ruins on the third night of their visit to Middleham, to see if the experience could be repeated. Some time had elapsed as the group walked through the almost completely dark environs of the castle, and as they came to a halt on the south side of the castle near the entrance to the Great Hall, Ms Norman suddenly whispered for them to listen. As the group strained their ears they all became aware of the sound of music. Ms Norman said that it was exactly what she and her friends had heard on the first occasion.

Rev Denning told me they were all fascinated as they listened to what he described as 'olde-world music of an early Renaissance type', which came floating over the night air, seemingly from somewhere near the north side of the castle. They listened intently for about half a minute, until it faded away. A few minutes later, similar snatches of the same type of music were heard again, until all was silent. Rev Denning points out another odd thing. Each snatch of music was accompanied by the sound of a dog barking from the same direction - though the group did not hear it either before or after the music played.

Rev Denning was not entirely convinced that there was anything even remotely supernatural about the music and thought there must, somehow, be a rational explanation. He admits to being really quite startled when, just 15 minutes later, at about 11 pm, the same music started up again. They were still standing outside the Great Hall, though this time it seemed considerably nearer and louder than before. However, although louder, the music still seemed to be vaguely muffled as if it was being played behind great doors, somewhere inside the castle.

Rev Denning points out that there was clearly no question of a hoax, and various explanations were suggested by the group of six — and subsequently dismissed - before retiring that night. He added that it was not a frightening experience at all, just intriguing. So intriguing that he returned the following year (May Day Bank Holiday, 1992) with the psychical research group of which he is a member to hold a vigil. Although they were hoping to record something on their sophisticated equipment, unfortunately -perhaps inevitably, he says - they did not hear a thing.

Rev Denning heard another first hand experience from the summer of 1991, from someone he describes as a surprisingly serious-minded boy aged ten who lived in a cottage close to the castle. The clergyman was sitting on the grass outside the South Wall, under the rounded (Prince's) Tower, when the boy approached him and they got into conversation about the castle. The Reverend mentioned the incident of the ghostly music. The boy seemed particularly glad to have found someone to tell his own story to -someone who would listen seriously to what he had to say.

He and two friends who had been staying with his family were walking along that very path on the edge of the field on the south side one night. It was nearly dark and the three were excitedly discussing their plans for the next day. Suddenly, in the gathering gloom, a knight appeared sitting astride a horse right in front of them. Without warning, he charged clean through them at full pelt before they even had the chance to stand aside! Dazed and confused, they looked back to where the knight should have been -but he was nowhere to be seen. Barely had they time to recover from this shock when they distinctly heard for about ten or fifteen seconds the sound of clashing metal, like sword-on-sword, from somewhere near at hand inside the castle ruins. Rev Denning said that the boy had a very real air of conviction about him, and the latter claimed no additional psychic experiences before that event.

Other incidents have been noted, collected by the Reverend Denning from society members, not to mention ASSAP Investigator Chris Huff's interviews with staff who work at the castle. Mannie Norman had a more recent experience one evening while standing nearly at the same spot where the music had been heard, accompanied by a young Irish lady, a fellow member of the society. They both watched a strange and seemingly inexplicable blue light appear at the top of the South Wall, and the young lady promptly fled in abject terror! Mannie, however, stood her ground, and watched as the light slowly descended to the foot of the wall, where it vanished.

The Society's research officer, Mrs Margaret Walker, was standing under the archway at the main entrance on the north side of the castle when she heard the very distinct sound of horses' hooves, 'clip-clopping' very close at hand. It must be said that the countryside around Middleham is well-known as an area where horses are trained and exercised regularly, but upon immediately checking for 'flesh and blood' horses in the vicinity, Mrs Walker drew a complete blank.

However, Rev Denning points out that perhaps the most intriguing of all sightings occurred around 1987, when former custodian of the castle, Sue Constantine was approached by a mother and her son who were visiting the ruins. The young boy had asked his mother if she thought 'the soldier' would be kind enough to show him his sword.

'What soldier?' asked his mother. Of course, she could see no one. Even as I write, various psychical research groups, including ASSAP who have compiled a gazetteer of sightings for research purposes, are planning 'vigils' or ghost-hunts to Middleham. And for any reader wishing to stage their own attempt, the ruins of Middleham Castle are perhaps one of the most fruitful places to start!