In Pure Spirit

Does Henry still haunt Layer Marney Tower?

November 2, 2009 by Andrew Leave a Comment

Layer Marney Tower in Essex is an impressive Tudor building. Construction was begun by the first Henry Lord Marney but he died in 1523 before the project was finished.

Layer Marney Tower was inspired by Henry VIII’s belief that a building should reflect the status of its owner. It is said that Lord Henry, 1st Lord Marney’s tomb is the best example of this as it combines beauty, innovation and a lightness of touch.

After Henry 1st, Lord Marney died the ownership of the tower passed to his son John. However, John died two years later. Other owners have included Sir Brian Tuke, Nicholas Corsellis and Quintin Dick.

Gallows Hill – where the Pendle witches died

October 31, 2009 by Andrew 6 Comments

Gallows Hill is part of Lancaster, next to the Ashton Memorial and Williamson Park, and was the favoured execution site of the Hanging Judges until 1800. The infamous Pendle witches were executed on Gallows Hill. They died in the traditional manner of executions on the hill; they were first made to stand on a cart, […]

Using a Tibetan Singing Bowl in a seance?

October 30, 2009 by Andrew 2 Comments

Singing bowls are actually a type of bell. They’re used by buddhists as part of their meditation and prayers. Little, however, is known about Himalayan singing bowls and these may have been used in a more ritualistic way. Should a singing bowl be used in a seance? The opening night of Most Haunted Live 2009 […]

A smuggler’s ghost at Snatchems – the Golden Ball?

October 30, 2009 by Andrew Leave a Comment

The Golden Ball is a pub on the bank of the Lune and is known as Snatchems by locals. The pub has enjoyed a notorious past. It was frequently visited by press gangs – violent men who would ‘recruit’ or kidnap citizens in Lancaster and forcibly conscript them into the merchant navy and the cotton […]

Ghosts at the Maritime Museum in Lancaster?

October 29, 2009 by Andrew Leave a Comment

Lancaster’s Maritime Museum was designed by the famous Richard Gillow and initially opened as a Custom House in 1764. The building is one of the Georgian collection in St George’s Quay and alongside buildings once owned by the Quaker slaver Dodshon Foster. By 1801 there were 76 ships supporting by the port, all of which […]

The ghost at Lancaster’s Three Mariners

October 28, 2009 by Andrew 13 Comments

The Three Mariners Inn is a popular and historic pub. It’s notable for having a gravity-fed cellar. In the Three Mariners the cellar is above the pub, this means the casks need to be hefted upstairs but it means the beer and ale flows naturally downwards. The pub is old, perhaps one of the oldest […]

The haunted landscape of the Ashton Memorial

October 28, 2009 by Andrew Leave a Comment

The Ashton Memorial was built by the Oilcloth King; James Williamson. The Oilcloth King got his nickname from the vast empire and fortune he amassed from his oilcloth and linoleum empire. Williamson was so successful that, at one point, he employed nearly a quarter of Lancaster’s workforce. When he was made sheriff he threw a […]

The Judges’ Lodgings: home of witch-hunter Thomas Covell

October 27, 2009 by Andrew Leave a Comment

The Judges’ Lodgings take their name from the courts of Lancaster Castle. The current castle and priory were founded by Roger de Poitou in 1086 (the same man responsible for the founding of Ashton Hall). The Castle hosted the Assize Courts and was responsible for many trials. These courts became infamous for handing out more […]

“Sun Compass Templar” stone found in Scotland?

October 27, 2009 by Andrew 4 Comments

Archaeologists from Historic Scotland are divided over the discovery of a mysterious stone in the village of Temple, the site of the Templar Preceptory for Scotland. John Ritchie, author and historian, admitted the debate, “It is a crude carving, quite primitive, but I have never seen anything like it in my life. It has a […]

The starved ghost of Ashton Hall

October 26, 2009 by Andrew 6 Comments

There are two Ashton Hall’s in Lancaster. The first is part of the council complex of Dalton Square near the Buck Ruxton murder site and the second is currently the headquarters of the Lancaster Golf Club. Ashton Hall, now used by the Golf Club, was originally built by Roger of Poitou in the Barony of […]

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