The Ghost of Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, was beheaded at the Tower of London in 1536 on charges of adultery and treason. Her ghost is among England’s most frequently reported, seen at the Tower, at Hever Castle where she grew up, and at several other locations connected to her brief, dramatic life.

The Tower of London

Anne’s execution took place on Tower Green. Her headless ghost has been seen walking the Tower corridors, particularly near the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula where her body was buried. Guards have reported her figure near the Queen’s House, where she spent her final days.

Hever Castle

Anne’s childhood home in Kent has numerous reports of her ghost. She appears as the “Anne Boleyn spirit” gliding across the drawbridge each Christmas season. Other sightings occur throughout the year in the gardens and grounds.

Blickling Hall

The Norfolk estate where Anne may have been born also claims her ghost. On the anniversary of her execution, a coach driven by a headless coachman allegedly arrives, carrying Anne holding her severed head in her lap.

Historical Sympathy

Anne’s ghost sightings may reflect her rehabilitation in public memory. Once vilified as an adulteress, she is now often seen as a victim of Henry’s tyranny. Her appearances may represent a desire to restore her reputation or simply reflect her dramatic story’s hold on the imagination.

Assessment

Anne Boleyn’s ghost is one of the most widely reported in England. Whether genuine spirit or powerful legend, she has refused to disappear from the places where she lived and died.