Berry Pomeroy Castle

Rising from the wooded hillside near Totnes, Berry Pomeroy Castle is considered one of the most haunted castles in England. Two spectral women have been seen here for centuries: the White Lady, who wails from the dungeons where she was starved to death by her sister, and the Blue Lady, a more sinister presence who appears to lure visitors to their deaths. The castle’s history of family betrayal, imprisonment, and tragedy has left an indelible supernatural mark.

The White Lady: Lady Margaret

The Legend

Lady Margaret Pomeroy:

• Imprisoned by her jealous sister Eleanor
• Locked in the dungeons
• Left to starve to death
• Her crime was being more beautiful
• Her punishment was slow death in darkness

The Haunting

Her ghost appears:

• Rising from the dungeon ruins
• Dressed in flowing white
• Wailing and crying
• Sometimes walking the ramparts
• A figure of tragedy and sorrow

The Sightings

Witnesses describe:

• A woman in white appearing suddenly
• Sounds of sobbing
• Feelings of overwhelming sadness
• Cold spots near the dungeon
• A sense of someone trapped

Her Story

The sisters’ rivalry:

• Both loved the same man
• Eleanor was jealous of Margaret’s beauty
• When she gained power, she imprisoned her
• Walled her in the dungeons
• Let her starve slowly
• Margaret’s ghost has never forgiven

The Blue Lady: The Dangerous Ghost

A Different Presence

Unlike the tragic White Lady:

• The Blue Lady is sinister
• She appears beautiful and beckoning
• Lures people toward danger
• Associated with sudden deaths
• A malevolent entity

The Warnings

Local legends say:

• To see the Blue Lady means death
• She leads people to the tower
• Where they fall to their deaths
• She is an omen of doom
• Not all ghosts are harmless

Her Identity

Various theories:

• The ghost of a woman wronged
• A servant killed at the castle
• Perhaps even Eleanor herself
• Condemned for her cruelty
• Now spreading death in turn

Documented Encounters

Over the years:

• Visitors have reported a woman in blue
• She beckons toward ruined stairs
• Those who follow feel compelled
• Narrow escapes reported
• A genuine sense of danger

The Castle’s Dark History

The Pomeroy Family

The original owners:

• Held the castle from Norman times
• Involved in rebellion
• Known for cruelty
• Multiple dark legends
• Their ghosts linger

The Seymour Family

Later owners:

• Built the Tudor mansion within
• More tragedy followed
• The castle was abandoned
• Left to ruin
• But never truly empty

The Curse

Local belief holds:

• The castle is cursed land
• Built on suffering
• Steeped in blood
• Cannot be peacefully inhabited
• The spirits won’t allow it

Other Phenomena

The Dungeon Spirits

In the underground areas:

• Multiple presences felt
• Not just Lady Margaret
• Other prisoners perhaps
• Cold drafts with no source
• Sounds of chains

The Crying Child

Sometimes heard:

• A child crying
• In the ruined nursery areas
• No child to be seen
• Perhaps a Pomeroy infant
• Lost to history

The Cavalier

A male ghost:

• Seen in the ruins
• Civil War era clothing
• Walking the battlements
• Identity unknown
• Guards the castle still

Modern Investigations

Paranormal Research

Many teams have investigated:

• Consistent reports of activity
• EVP recordings of voices
• Photographs with anomalies
• Temperature drops documented
• High levels of reported phenomena

Ghost Hunters’ Favorite

Berry Pomeroy is:

• Regularly investigated
• Featured in documentaries
• Known worldwide among researchers
• Delivers consistent activity
• One of Britain’s most active sites

English Heritage

Now managed by:

• English Heritage organization
• Open to the public
• Ghost walks offered
• History and hauntings explored
• Staff have their own stories

Visiting the Castle

The Experience

Visitors report:

• Strange feelings in the dungeons
• Photographs with unexplained mists
• Sudden cold spots
• Feelings of being watched
• Occasional sightings continue

The Setting

The atmosphere:

• Ruined walls and towers
• Thick surrounding woods
• Isolated location
• Easy to imagine ghosts
• But imagination doesn’t explain everything

The Warning

Local advice:

• Respect the spirits
• Don’t mock or provoke
• Especially avoid the Blue Lady
• Take care near ruined stairs
• The castle claims victims still

The Question

Two women haunt Berry Pomeroy Castle.

One is a victim - Lady Margaret, starved to death by her jealous sister, forever trapped in the dungeons where she died.

The other is a predator - the Blue Lady, who appears beautiful and beckoning, leading the unwary toward fatal falls.

For five centuries, they have walked these ruins.

The White Lady weeps. She wants to be free.

The Blue Lady watches. She wants company.

Visitors to Berry Pomeroy come for the history and the atmosphere.

Some experience more than they expected.

The castle is beautiful in its decay.

But beauty here has always been dangerous.

Lady Margaret was beautiful. It killed her.

The Blue Lady is beautiful. She kills others.

Come to Berry Pomeroy if you dare.

See the ruins. Feel the history.

But if you see a woman in blue, beckoning…

Don’t follow.

Others have.

They didn’t leave.