Hoghton Tower: The Green Lady

Hoghton Tower rises dramatically from the Lancashire hills, a fortified Tudor manor house that has witnessed kings, executions, and religious persecution. Among its many ghosts, the most famous is the Green Lady - a figure in green velvet who drifts through the corridors and is known, disturbingly, for her chuckling laughter. The house also holds darker secrets in its underground passages, where prisoners - possibly including some of the Pendle Witches - awaited their fate.

The Tower’s History

Tudor Origins

Built in 1565:

• By Thomas Hoghton
• On a site of ancient significance
• A statement of wealth and power
• Still owned by the de Hoghton family
• One of England’s finest Tudor houses

Royal Connections

King James I visited in 1617:

• Knighted a loin of beef
• Creating “Sir Loin” (sirloin)
• The Banqueting Hall remembers this
• A moment of glory
• Before darker times

Catholic Persecution

The Hoghtons were Catholics:

• Hiding priests
• Secret Masses
• Priest holes still exist
• Men died here for their faith
• The persecution lingers

The Green Lady

Her Appearance

The most famous ghost:

• A woman in green velvet dress
• Tudor or Stuart period
• Drifting through corridors
• Seen in the Banqueting Hall
• And the bedrooms

The Chuckling

Most disturbing:

• She laughs
• A chuckling, satisfied sound
• When no one is there
• What does she find funny?
• No one knows

Her Identity

Theories include:

• A lady of the house
• Someone who died there
• A malicious presence
• She seems pleased about something
• Her secret makes her laugh

The Sightings

She has been seen:

• By staff over centuries
• By visitors
• By de Hoghton family members
• Always in green
• Always smiling

The Underground Passages

The Dungeons

Beneath the tower:

• Ancient passages
• Prison cells
• Where enemies were held
• Some never left
• The walls remember

The Pendle Connection

Local tradition says:

• Some Pendle Witches were held here
• En route to Lancaster
• Before their trial
• Suffering in darkness
• Their spirits may linger

The Phenomena

In the passages:

• Sounds of moaning
• Chains rattling
• Cold spots
• Shadowy figures
• The prisoners remain

Other Ghosts

The Burning Figures

In certain areas:

• People on fire appear
• Catholic martyrs perhaps
• Burned for their faith
• Religious persecution’s victims
• Their suffering continues

The Priest

In the priest holes:

• A figure in black robes
• Hiding Catholics
• Still in hiding
• Even death hasn’t released him
• Still serving his flock

Children’s Voices

In the upper floors:

• Children heard playing
• No children there
• Laughter and running
• From centuries ago
• The house was full of life

The Banqueting Hall

The King’s Visit

Where James I:

• Was entertained royally
• Created “Sir Loin”
• The hall is magnificent
• But not empty
• Even when it should be

The Hauntings

In the hall:

• The Green Lady appears most
• Figures seen at the table
• Phantom feasting perhaps
• The party continues
• Invisible guests

The Atmosphere

Visitors feel:

• Watched
• Sometimes unwelcome
• The weight of history
• Celebrations and executions both
• The hall saw everything

Modern Investigations

Paranormal Research

Teams have found:

• Significant activity
• EVP recordings
• Photographic anomalies
• Temperature variations
• The tower is very haunted

Ghost Events

The tower offers:

• Ghost hunting nights
• After-hours access
• Expert guides
• Regular activity
• Popular with investigators

Staff Experiences

Those who work there:

• Accept the ghosts
• Know where to avoid
• Hear the Green Lady laughing
• See figures in corridors
• Part of the job

Visiting Hoghton Tower

The House

Open to visitors:

• Tudor architecture
• Original features
• The Banqueting Hall
• The underground passages
• Beautiful grounds

The Experience

What to expect:

• Stunning historic building
• Atmospheric locations
• Possible encounters
• The sense of presence
• History feels alive

The Gardens

Even outside:

• Strange atmospheres
• Cold spots
• The tower looms
• Something watches from windows
• The haunting extends beyond walls

The Question

Hoghton Tower has stood for nearly 500 years.

Kings have feasted here. Priests have hidden here. Prisoners have suffered here.

And the Green Lady laughs.

Why does she laugh? What’s funny about Hoghton Tower?

Is it the secrets she knows? The things she’s seen? The fate of those who died here?

She drifts through the corridors in her green velvet dress. She appears in the Banqueting Hall where a king once ate. She chuckles.

In the underground passages, other spirits moan. The Pendle Witches may have passed through here. Other prisoners certainly did. They didn’t laugh. They screamed.

But the Green Lady finds something amusing.

Hoghton Tower. A magnificent Tudor house. A place of royalty and religion, feasting and torture.

The Green Lady knows all its secrets.

And she thinks they’re hilarious.

Visit if you dare.

Walk the corridors where she walks.

Listen for her laughter.

And try not to wonder what the joke is.

Because if you’re in Hoghton Tower…

You might be part of it.