Baddesley Clinton

Baddesley Clinton is a picturesque moated manor house with a dark and dangerous history. In October 1591, the house was the scene of a dramatic raid when priest-hunters arrived unexpectedly. The Catholic Ferrers family, who owned the estate, were harboring several Jesuit priests. In a desperate scramble, the priests hid in the house’s three ingeniously concealed priest holes while the residents created a diversion. The priests remained hidden for hours, cramped in darkness, listening to the searchers moving through the building. All escaped detection, but the terror of that day left an indelible mark on Baddesley Clinton.

The ghosts of these hidden priests are still encountered at Baddesley Clinton. Visitors and National Trust staff report seeing shadowy figures in dark clerical robes, particularly near the priest holes located by the fireplace in the great hall and above the garderobe. The apparitions appear anxious and hurried, sometimes vanishing into walls where the hiding places are concealed. During investigations, some witnesses have experienced sudden overwhelming feelings of fear and the urge to hide, possibly residual emotions from the priests’ ordeal.

The moat room and chapel area are considered the most haunted parts of the manor. People report hearing whispered conversations in rooms that are empty, the rustle of fabric, and soft footsteps on the ancient floorboards. Cold spots manifest without explanation, and the scent of candle wax occasionally permeates the air. One recurring phenomenon is the sound of a panel being urgently slid open or closed—echoes of that frantic October day when survival depended on seconds and silence. The spirits of Baddesley Clinton seem forever caught in their moment of greatest peril.