The Ghosts of Lancaster Castle

Lancaster Castle, one of the most historically significant buildings in England, has been a site of power, imprisonment, and death for over 800 years. As a prison from medieval times until 2011, it witnessed countless executions - including the famous Pendle Witches in 1612. Today, visitors report encounters with monks, shadowy prisoners, and the condemned dead. The castle’s dungeons are particularly active, where generations of the desperate and the damned spent their final days.

The Castle’s Dark History

Norman Origins

Built on Roman foundations:

• Castle constructed 1093
• On the site of a Roman fort
• Commanding position over the town
• Prison function began early
• A place of power and punishment

The Prison

For 800 years:

• Lancaster Castle served as a prison
• Both debtors and criminals
• Conditions were horrific
• Many died within its walls
• Only closed in 2011

The Executions

Outside the walls:

• Public hangings until 1800
• Then private executions
• The Pendle Witches (1612)
• Countless others
• The ground is soaked in death

The Pendle Witches Connection

The Trial of 1612

In the castle:

• Ten people tried for witchcraft
• Convicted over two days
• Imprisoned in the dungeons
• Hanged outside the walls
• Their ghosts return

The Witches’ Tower

The Well Tower:

• Where the accused were held
• Waiting for trial
• In darkness and despair
• Their presence lingers
• Crying sounds still heard

The Condemned

Those executed include:

• Elizabeth Device
• Alice Nutter
• Old Chattox
• Their ghosts seen in the castle
• And near the execution site

The Hauntings

The Shadowy Monk

Frequently seen:

• A hooded figure in robes
• Walking the corridors
• In the chapel area
• Near the well tower
• A medieval presence

The Prisoners

Multiple spirits:

• Shadowy figures in cells
• Sounds of chains
• Crying and moaning
• In the dungeons especially
• Hundreds of years of suffering

The Woman in White

A female ghost:

• Seen in various locations
• Perhaps a Pendle Witch?
• Or another condemned woman
• She appears and vanishes
• Never speaking

The Children

In certain areas:

• Small figures seen
• Children’s voices heard
• Prisoners’ children died here
• Or child criminals themselves
• The youngest ghosts

Key Locations

The Dungeons

The most active area:

• Below ground level
• Where prisoners awaited death
• Cold and dark
• Overwhelming atmosphere
• Frequent phenomena

The Drop Room

Where hangings occurred:

• After public execution ended
• Private executions held here
• The trap door mechanism
• Intense energy
• Visitors feel dread

The Well Tower

Also called Witches’ Tower:

• Where the Pendle accused were held
• Extremely haunted
• Strange sounds
• Temperature drops
• Overwhelming sadness

The Crown Court

Where trials were held:

• Judges condemned thousands
• The dock still stands
• Residual energy
• Voices heard
• Justice and injustice alike

Documented Phenomena

The Cold Spots

Throughout the castle:

• Dramatic temperature drops
• In specific locations
• The dungeons worst
• No natural explanation
• Consistent over decades

The Sounds

Regularly heard:

• Chains rattling
• Footsteps when empty
• Crying and moaning
• Whispers
• Distant screaming

The Feelings

Visitors experience:

• Being watched
• Touched by invisible hands
• Sudden dread
• Overwhelming sadness
• The urge to flee

The Orbs

In photographs:

• Light anomalies captured
• Especially in dungeons
• Moving lights on video
• Too consistent to dismiss
• Something manifests

Investigations

Professional Research

The castle has been:

• Investigated extensively
• Featured in TV programs
• Subject of documentaries
• Host to paranormal teams
• Results consistently positive

The Evidence

Investigators capture:

• EVP recordings
• Photographic anomalies
• Temperature readings
• EMF spikes
• Strong activity

Ghost Tours

Now offered:

• After-dark experiences
• Access to haunted areas
• Professional guides
• Regular sightings
• Very popular

The Living Prison

Until 2011

The castle was:

• A working prison
• Housing modern prisoners
• Medieval conditions in parts
• Staff had experiences
• Prisoners too

Prison Staff Stories

Guards reported:

• Figures in closed wings
• Cell doors opening
• Sounds with no source
• The feeling of presence
• Some wouldn’t work certain areas

After Closure

Since becoming purely heritage:

• Activity seems to have increased
• Perhaps the ghosts are freer
• More visitors to witness
• The dead are more visible
• Without the living to hide among

Visiting Today

The Tours

Lancaster Castle offers:

• Daytime heritage tours
• Ghost tours after dark
• Access to most areas
• Expert guides
• History and hauntings

The Experience

Visitors should expect:

• Powerful atmosphere
• Beautiful architecture
• Dark history
• Potential encounters
• A memorable visit

Respect

Remember:

• Real people suffered here
• Real people died here
• The ghosts were once living
• Treat them with dignity
• They’ve suffered enough

The Question

For 800 years, Lancaster Castle was a place of imprisonment and death.

Thousands were held in its dungeons. Hundreds were executed outside its walls. The Pendle Witches died here, along with murderers, thieves, and the merely unfortunate.

Is it any wonder it’s haunted?

The monk who walks the corridors - was he a confessor to the condemned? Or a prisoner himself?

The woman in white - is she Alice Nutter, maintaining her innocence for 400 years? Or another wronged soul?

The children’s voices - what did children do to end up in Lancaster Castle’s cells?

The castle closed as a prison in 2011. But the prisoners haven’t left.

They’re still in the dungeons. Still in the cells. Still waiting for justice that will never come.

Lancaster Castle. A monument to power and punishment.

The living have moved on.

The dead remain.

Eight hundred years of suffering doesn’t just disappear.

It seeps into the stones.

It waits in the darkness.

It watches from the shadows.

And sometimes, it reaches out to touch the living.

To remind them.

To show them.

That the past isn’t past at all.

It’s right here.

Waiting.