The Ghosts and Legends of Dudley Castle

02/11/2024

What follows is purely fiction..

Recently, I have found a small book containing ghostly Legends about Dudley Castle, so I thought I may recount one of those to you.

THE Ghost of the Great Chamber

There are many tales of ghosts of Dudley Castle, of murder, mayhem and madness and ofbutchery, burnings and beheadings that took place on the small triangle of grass outside the triplegate area. The area that would have ran red with blood of innocent men, women and children who fell foul of the barons of Birmingham and Dudley

During archeology investigation which took place a few years ago the bones of a number of horses or ponies which have evidence of butchery marks on them were found in the cellar beneath the great chamber of the castle. The cellar that never forms part of Castle creatures andis situated directly and interlinked with the old castle gift shop (now the bat enclosure)

Imagine my surprise when I discovered amongst the yellowing pages of "Curious facts and phantoms of Dudley Castle" by the Prioress Anna of wenlock Abbey an account of an occasion where she spent the night in the great chamber of Dudley Castle (She had been asked to advise on some new hangings that were required for the chapel) and was disturbed by a clip clop noise and saw the ghostly figure of a white horse with flared nostrils that glowed so brightly it seemed the fires of hell were burning deep within the body of the beast. The alarming apparition passed through the chamber and vanished through the wall adjacent to the chapel.

The Prioress greatly alarmed by the apparition leapt out of bed summoned her carriage and even though it was the middle of the night set off with all speed for Wenlock Abbey where she prayed for 3 days and nights and Its said she never left the Abbey.

Why does this white horse haunt the great chamber? Although it's never been seen again, the slow clip clop of a horse's hooves can be heard as the mists descend on a winter's evening in the silent and empty courtyard.

23/09/2024

26/04/2023

Today is the Anniversary of the Death of the legendary Grey Lady of Dudley Castle

Her name was Dorothy Beaumont she was married to John Beaumont second in command of the Royalist forces stationed at the castle and livedat the castle. Dorothy and John had a daughter who was named Frances ( possibly a tribute to the then Baroness of Dudley Frances Ward) but she died shortly after birth. Dorothy was maddened with grief and had become convinced that she had put the child down somewhere in the castle grounds, and all she had to do was to find that spot and there she will find her child.

Dorothy got Ill before her death on 26th April 1646 she finally accepted her daughter death and made two dying wishes firstly she wanted her body to be buried with her daughter and secondly her husband attend her funeral.

Her wish was not granted, for the castle was under siege by the Parliamentarians and they had torn down the church where Dorothy child was laid to rest, her husband was not permitted to attend for fear of assassination, as one of his men had shot a enemy solider under a banner of truce.

There have been many sightings of The Grey Lady throughout the castle grounds, she is said to appear as though searching

The most well known sighting was when a tour guide had paid an actress to portray The Grey Lady during a tour. Before the tour had started the actress was told her cue and at that point she would walk out and down some steps. During the tour the confused tourists had pointed out to the tour guide that there are two ladies walking down the steps.


On August 30 2014 a Birmingham couple, Dean and Amy Harper, were looking through images they had taken earlier that day during their visit to Dudley Castle with their children, when the spotted something unusual.
"Amy saw a glow, as though a light was on, on the top window level. On zooming in we noticed on the bottom, inside an arch, there was a lady and what appears to be a girl, too. Neither of us are ghost hunters but we do wonder if this could be the Grey Lady ghost – the picture is quite clear." Dean and Amy Harper

The image was taken from the top of Dudley Castle Keep and shows the courtyard of the Sharington Range - buildings erected within the castle between 1537-1550

23/09/2022

in 1645 Frances Beaumont was Born at Dudley Castle. Frances was the daughter of Dorothy Beaumont aka The Grey Lady, and John Beaumont the second in command of the Royalist Forces stationed at the castle during the English Civil War.
Frances lived long enough to be christened dying a short while later. Buried at the church opposite the castle St Edmunds, locally known has Bottom Church, a few months after Frances's death the church was pulled down has the advancing Parliamentary forces were advanced and the royalist didn't want it being used has a garrison for the advancing forces. The graves were destroyed (the church we see today was rebuilt in 1724.
The grief of the death of her daughter Dorothy is believed to have had some kind of breakdown and started to believe that the child was lost and started to searching for her constantly.
Dorothy got ill and by the following April she was dying, making her dying wish that she wanted to be reunited with her daughter, unfortunately this couldn't happen has the grave of her daughter had been one that was destroyed, and Dorothy was laid to rest at St Thomas and Luke's or Top Church.
It's said that Dorothy's ghost still searches the castle looking for her child.
The gravestone of Frances is still at St Edmund's and is in the nave.
In 2014 a couple taking photos in the courtyard captured an image, in the Sharrington Range thought to maybe that of the Grey Lady still searching the buildings for her lost daughter

08/07/2022

👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻

There's a month to go until we host an outdoor screening of Ghostbusters on Saturday, August 6 and tickets are flying out!

And what better place to watch the classic 1984 blockbuster than one of the alleged most haunted places in the country! 👻

Joining forces with Flatpack for a ‘Beware the Moon’ spectacle, we’ll once again be transforming the 11th century courtyard into an open-air cinema for a one night only summer screening.

And we’re delighted we’ll also be joined by The East Midlands Ghostbusters fan group for a great night of entertainment.

Tickets cost £12.50 for adults and £10 for concessions and are available from the zoo’s website or by calling 01384 215313.

Filmgoers are advised the event will go ahead whatever the weather.

Hot food and a licensed bar will be available, with guests welcome to bring their own picnic, chairs and blankets.

📸: East Midlands Ghostbusters

22/12/2020