The Chillingham Castle Ghosts | Haunted Houses

Image credit: Glen Bowman

A Brief History of Chillingham Castle

Chillingham Castle is located in Chillingham, Northumberland and was originally a monastery in the 12th century. The castle was in a very good place strategically, located between Scotland and England. Because of its location, it was used by King Edward I during his war against William Wallace and the Scottish military. 

Then in 1344, the castle was fortified and it is reported that some of the walls were made 10ft thick in places. In its long history the castle has been used as a stronghold, a royal residence, and during the second world war, it was even used as an army barracks. 

It has since been restored and some areas have been opened up to the public. Since the public has been able to visit there have been many reports of paranormal activity and ghost sightings. In this post, we are going to go over the most popular ghosts that have been seen at Chillingham Castle and their stories.

The White Lady

The White lady haunts the pantry area within the castle. The most documented sighting is from a footman that was guarding the silver in the pantry. He recalled being approached by a frail woman in white asking for a drink of water. As he turned to do so he remembered that the pantry was locked and nobody could possibly get inside. When he turned around again she had disappeared. 

It has been suggested that the reason why the white lady was seeking water was that she had been poisoned.

The Blue Boy

The Blue Boy is also known by the name The Radiant Boy, and he is the ghost that haunts the pink room in the castle. People have reported hearing a young child crying in fear at the stroke of midnight. Some say that he is a little boy dressed in blue surrounded by blue light, and others describe seeing a blue orb. 

It is thought that the manifestation is connected to the remains of a child found walled up inside the castle. The body was found while renovations were taking place, and the link was made because there were pieces of blue fabric found with the bones.

After the remains were found they were given a proper burial, and it appeared to have stopped the manifestations for a while. However, there have been new reports made by visitors saying they have seen a blue orb.

John Sage AKA John Dragfoot

Image credit: Derek Voller

The next ghost I am covering has the most gruesome story and he was called John Sage. John is described as a sadistic ex-soldier that became a torturer at the castle. He was also known as Dragfoot because of an injury he got when he took a spear to the leg. Even though his story is quite horrible there are no records that show John existed at all. Nonetheless, visitors have reported hearing Sage dragging his foot around the castle.

As mentioned above John became a torturer and he loved his work. He would take great pleasure in causing pain to others, and he would always try to find ways to improve his technique. His favourite way to torture prisoners was to put them into a cage and hang them over a fire.

Image credit: Glen Bowman

When the war of the Scots ended John gathered all of the adults and older children together and burnt them in the courtyard. He then gathered all of the young children together and hacked them with an axe.

John's downfall began when he accidentally strangled his girlfriend to death while they made love. When her father found out he threatened to gather an army to attack the castle, and he demanded that John is punished for what he did.

As a result, John was put to death and hung from a tree along the Devils Mile in front of a large crowd. His death was particularly gruesome, which you could say is fitting looking at his occupation. While he hung from the tree onlookers from the crowd started to cut off his toes, fingers, and even his testicles to keep as souvenirs (while he was still alive). 

Lady Mary Berkeley

Lady Mary Berkeley is a ghost that has been reported numerous times. Mary was married to Lord Grey of Wark and Chillingham, and sadly her husband ran off with her sister. When he left she was alone at the castle with their very young child. She waited there wandering the castle, hoping that he would return.

Visitors to the castle have reported hearing the rustle of her dress followed by a cold chill. People believe that this is Mary and that she still wanders the castle waiting for her husband to return to her.

Final Thoughts

I was both intrigued and saddened by these stories, especially when I read about The Blue Boy and Lady Mary Berkeley. Knowing that a little boy was found within the walls of the castle is sad enough, but reading the reports of a child crying really breaks my heart. It was the same when I read about Mary and the possibility that she is still waiting for her husband to return to her even in death.

The story of John Sage is very interesting and violent, and even though there is no proof he actually existed it is still fascinating to think a man like that could be haunting the castle grounds.

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever experienced anything you couldn't explain? Please share your stories below! 😊I would also love to hear suggestions, so please tell me what you'd like to read about!