Ghosts of Newark Castle

Newark Castle, Guardian of the River Trent, was originally a wooden castle replaced by stone in the 12th century by the Bishop of Lincoln, Alexander the Magnificent. The castle was slighted during the English Civil War and restored in the 1800s.

Newark Castle

 

Newark Castle's most notable role in history was when King John died of dysentery at Newark Castle after a feast in October 1216. It is said that while he languished in pain, a tremendous thunderstorm swept through the area on the night of his death. The ferocity storm was described at the time as "the Devil himself coming to claim King John's soul."

Legends say that in the early 1900s, a castle ranger was found hanged in the King's Bedroom at Newark Castle, and castle tour guides have occasionally seen his ghost hanging from the ceiling with his body still writhing and twitching from the rope as if trying to catch his breath.

Unexplained voices and chanting have also been heard emanating from the dungeon, while in the oubliette, or place to be forgotten, visitors have felt as though they were being watched and a sense of unease. Some visitors have experienced cold spots in the castle undercroft, sending cold shivers down their spines.