Berry Pomeroy Castle
Day 3 of Jamie's birthday roadtrip, and his actual birthday, was the start of our trip to the Devon/Cornwall part of the country. We had a quick breakfast in Wiltshire before setting off and made good time as we hit Berry Pomeroy at 1pm.
This one had been a big one on our list ever since we had seen the Most Haunted episode and thus it was our first stop as we knew we didnt have much time in Devon.
When we arrived we knew this one would be special. The place had been reclaimed by nature and there was certainly a foreboding atmosphere surrounding the old mansion as we approached. Despite not having had any rain the stones looked saturated and the whole thing made it clear that while it was a picturesque romantic ruin- there was a nasty streak hidden somewhere beneath. We couldn't quite put our finger on it, but Yogi didn't want to go in certain places and there were cold spots dotted around despite the hot weather. It felt like while we were welcome we were being held at arms length. There were secrets to be explored but the ruins weren't sure if we were to be trusted.
Berry Pomeroy Castle has been named as one of, if not THE, most haunted castle in Britain. The ruins boast both a White Lady AND a Blue Lady, the latter quite sinister as she tries to kill you. There is also a smiling Cavalier, a man in a tricorn hat, a girl with canes for weaving, a medieval guardsman, and a dog.
Lauren: There has also been talk on the interwebs of Timeslips, this is something I want to address first. While I dont think we experienced a true Timeslip, our surroundings did change in certain areas. It was strange, on our approach from the car park just with the outskirts of the castle in view, our eyes sort of adopted a sepia colour in the area approaching the structure. We were warm, excited, and distinctly remember lots of shrubbery and flowers. Everything looked clean and peaceful and there was no one else around. However, the closer we got to the stones to enter the colder and darker it became and then everything just seemed a little bit overcast and the internal structures didn't seem as inviting as they had done in the grounds leading up to them.
I asked Jamie what he remembered of our approach, he remembers the flowers and the warmth and the bushes with petals in. He remembers how inviting it all seemed and how many photos he took leading up to the castle. The only issue is there aren't any flowers, there were a couple of people sitting in chairs by the giftshop and the several photos we took of our approach (Jamie always takes nice ones through and with flowers) are no longer on our phones as if they never happened. The few we have remaining of our approach just show the greenery and the dull stone walls. No flowers, no sun, and a not very inviting atmosphere. So with this in mind we think we experienced a minor Timeslip, nothing drastic, no people from the past or witnessing strange events, just a different view of the ruins in another time. It seemed more romantic in that time, thinking on it the ruins seem a cold jump from what we initially saw. If I hadn't have gone to look for those photos for this post I dont think we would have even realised that we'd experienced a slip, that and having our experience confirmed from others online.
Aside from Timeslips, BPC has two of the infamous coloured female spirits who haunt any building worth noting within the UK. Blue ladies are a new one on us, but White Ladies are common as muck. These two spirits' tragic tales intertwine depending on who you talk to, but the tale of the Blue Lady is very tragic and lends an explanation as to why in death she attempts to take the lives of the living from high places.
The Blue Lady is said to be a 14th century girl who in the height of emotion strangled her baby as it was sired by her own father. Legend has it that on a specific night of the year you can hear a baby crying in St Margaret's Tower and a blue light can be seen from the window. Otherwise the Blue Lady roams the grounds in a blue cape and seeks the help of men, who she lures to high places and throws them off to their deaths. The origin is a bit muddled here of the blue bit. Some say she's the Blue Lady because she is wearing blue, others assume she is the Blue Lady due to her tragic story and it manifests in her aura hence the blue light seen around the castle.
The White Lady is one of the Pomeroy's. Eleanor Pomeroy was jealous of her younger sister, Matilda or Margaret (sources claim she is one and the same), and locked her in the dungeon where she starved to death. They both took a fancy to the same man and Matilda being of outstanding beauty had caught his eye leading to Eleanor's evil deed. This particular tale has been cast in a shadow of doubt however as it was captured in 'The Castle of Berry Pomeroy' by Edward Montague. However, just because a tale of woe ends up lending to fiction, it doesn't mean there isnt a grain of truth to it. With this in mind Matilda or Margaret haunts the castle as a white lady and brings a sense of uneasiness and fear. She is often seen within the tower (we assume the one which has her name) and walking along the wall in her long ghostly white dress. She strikes people as a malevolent ghost and inspires goosebumps and terror where she is seen.
The Smiling Cavalier and the Man with the Tricorn Hat are often confused as the same spirit. The latter is often found within the grounds but the former is found on the road approaching the castle and interacts with the living through a smile. When asked he informs those who inquire that he is off to the local inn. The Medieval Guard is an odd one, wandering around with his lantern and flashing onlookers an evil grin before vanishing. The ghost of the dog is also an unfriendly one, he is said to bark and growl at those who approach, however another dog, a much friendlier one is said to be seen before fading to nothing. Could these be one and the same? Perhaps, much like living dogs, he merely takes a fancy to certain people.
Finally the cane bearer is said to walk the castle in her rags and an arm full of canes. She makes no noise but on occasion has been known to poke people with her canes. Those who look into the ghosts of Berry Pomeroy Castle will also learn of the Pomeroy Brothers who were trapped in the castle due to a siege and did not wish to wait to die at the hands of the enemy. Due to this they rode their horses to the top of the ramparts and leaped off. Witnesses to the ghostly phenomenon claim to hear clattering of hooves and horses screaming as they fall to their death. Luckily this is only a gruesome tale as there was never a siege at BPC and so happily no tragic deaths of horses from heights.
BPC was likely built in the late 15th century and would have been one of the last personal traditional castles built in the UK. The castle was built by the Pomeroy's deer park which they favoured and would have had a dry moat which has now been filled. Very few remains of these buildings exist now due to remodelling after the Pomeroy era so the exact placement is hard to tell, however when the Seymour's took over the large mansion was built and it is the shell of this which remains today. It is said that the castle remained in use until Lady Anne Seymour's death in 1694 and was described as a ruin come 1701, only 7 years later.
There has been archaeological interest here which has helped date the site to late 15 century and the medieval pottery found which pre-dates this time indicates that there was nothing standing here beforehand aside from a hunting lodge. Interest has been expressed as to how the castle had become a ruin especially in such a quick time frame. Some speculate that it came under cannon fire in the civil war and some say it was struck by lightning. There is no evidence to confirm either theory. There is evidence that the buildings were stripped of reusable material much like other demolished or ruined castles of the time.
The castle and grounds are actually still owned by the Seymour's and are loaned to English Heritage in order to preserve the history here.
In terms of history of BPC, it hasnt seen much excitement and wasn't built as any sort of fortification. This was merely a pleasure castle but one which still stands the test of time!
Aside from our Timeslip and the general atmosphere of being haunted, did we see any ghosts? Not in person no. It wasn't until looking back at our photos we saw a ghostly face peeking through one of the windows... BPC lives up to its reputation of being a ghostly hotspot for sure but is it the most haunted castle in the UK? Well we will just have to see wont we.
The giftshop was cute. Small and of a equally small selection but Lauren got her wooden keyring so all was fine. An adequate giftshop considering the size of the property to explore.
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