Berry Pomeroy Castle

South Devon


Two miles east of Totnes, this ruined castle was originally built by the feudal Pomeroys in the 15th century. Within the walls is a second stronghold, a Tudor mansion constructed by Edward Seymour, the 1st Duke of Somerset. Unfortunately, the Seymour clan's fortunes turned for the worse after the English Civil war, and by 1700 it was nothing more than a ruin – and has remained so ever since. It's notorious for ghostly goings-on.

Several spectres are said to stalk the ruins: the Blue Lady, variously believed to be the ghost of a Norman lady or a Pomeroy daughter, who murdered her baby after an incestuous conception; and the White Lady who haunts St Margaret's Tower, allegedly the spirit of Lady Margaret Pomeroy, who was imprisoned and starved to death by her jealous sister.

And that's not counting the knights, spectres and hooded figures people claim to have seen – nor the feelings of dread and panic that have overcome many visitors here. You've been warned…


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