Dudley Castle

Sat 11th Feb 2023

Dudley Castle is regarded as one of the most haunted castles in England and perhaps the world. Many spirits have been reported here for hundreds of years. Perhaps the most famous of all the ghosts here is that of the Grey Lady, believed to be the spirit of Dorothy Beaumont.

She lived in the castle for a time and gave birth to a daughter there. Unfortunately, the daughter died during childbirth, and various complications led to Dorothy’s death shortly after.

She is said to wander around the castle and its grounds, believed to because her requests on her death bed were not granted. She asked to be buried beside her daughter and that her husband attend the funeral. Because neither occurred, Dorothy continues to be tormented to this day and therefore cannot rest.

The ghost of Dorothy can often be seen near the Castle Keep and in the pub that was named after her on the castle grounds, the Grey Lady Tavern. Since opening, there have been many reports here, mostly of unexplained sounds, alarms going off in the middle of the night without explanation, and extreme drops in temperature that’s often accompanied by a strange blue mist that floats through the bar.

In October 1962, Zoo staff working in the Undercroft, which then housed the Zoo aquarium, were disturbed by strange moans and groans, icy blasts of air, doors that opened and closed of their own accord and footsteps which had no visible cause. A ghost hunt was held there in 1953 by the “Birmingham Psychic Research Society” and reported experiencing similar manifestations, as well as one of the team feeling a “light tap” on her shoulder.

Above the undercroft is situated the Castle Chapel, which dates from the Fourteenth Century, and is fronted by a large window which looks out onto the courtyard. It is within this window that the figure of a monk has reputedly been seen.

In 1966, a teenager working at the Zoo reported hearing “weird noises” which were accompanied by the “shape of a woman in a white gown”. He resigned soon after the incident. This could be the ghost of the “Grey Lady” who has been seen in various parts of the castle. It has been suggested that she is Dorothy Beaumont, the wife of the Royalist Second in Command, who died during childbirth when the castle was besieged by Parliamentary forces in 1646.

In May 1978, three workmen repairing a broken electric cable saw several hooded figures a short distance away from them. In August of the same year another ghost hunt was held, this time in the Keep. This time a photograph was taken of a “faint figure with its arms folded”, while a ghost hunter felt a cold hand touch her shoulder.

According to legend an old woman once lived in the keep. One story says that she hung herself from the battlements on All Hallows Eve and her black cat was found dead beneath her swinging body. Another says that a gang of youths climbed the walls and discovered the old woman and her cat about to fly off to the Sabbath. Tying a rope round her neck, they threw them both from the battlements. She may haunt the castle. In 1983, there was a medieval evening with a prize for the best medieval costume. In the crowd the judges saw an elderly woman wearing a sackcloth shift and grey shawl with feet wrapped in sacking. She looked very different from the others and so authentic that they awarded her the prize, but she disappeared. The officials on the gates were certain that she had not slipped past.

People have also found, after taking pictures around the Castle, strange misty images appearing on their photographs which defy explanation.

YOUR EVENING WILL INCLUDE:

• Welcome briefing
• Investigation of the most active areas in small groups
• Unique paranormal experiments
• Traditional methods inc table tipping, spirit boards, glass work, dowsing rods and divination
• Use of high tech equipment inc SLS cameras, REM Pods, Proxy Sensors, Grid Lighting, Spirit Boxes, EMF meters and more.
• Free time to explore this vast location
• Lone Vigils (FOR THE VERY BRAVE!)
• Hot drinks and snacks provided

EVENT TIMES - 8PM - 1AM

Dudley Castle, Castle Hill, Dudley, DY1 4QF

(guests are advised that access is via the Fellow Pub car park)

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