Pluckley: England’s Most Haunted Village

Pluckley is a small village in the Weald of Kent with a population of just over 1,000 - but according to the Guinness World Records, it’s the most haunted village in England. At least 12 distinct ghosts haunt its lanes, churchyard, woods, and buildings. The legends stretch back centuries, and sightings continue to this day. From the Red Lady of the churchyard to the screaming woods of Dering, Pluckley is a concentrated epicenter of paranormal activity.

The Ghosts of Pluckley

The Red Lady

In St. Nicholas Churchyard:

• A ghostly woman in red
• Believed to be Lady Dering
• Searches the churchyard
• Looking for her stillborn baby
• Buried in an unmarked grave

The White Lady

Also in the church:

• Another Lady Dering appears
• Dressed in white
• Seen inside the church
• And in the Dering Chapel
• A separate entity from the Red Lady

The Screaming Man

At the brickworks site:

• A workman fell to his death
• Into the clay pit
• His screams still echo
• Heard but not seen
• Particularly on foggy nights

The Highwayman

Pinned to a tree:

• Fryght Corner on Smarden Road
• A highwayman was captured
• Run through with a sword
• Pinned to an oak tree
• His ghost returns to the spot

The Hanging Schoolmaster

At Dick Buss’s Lane:

• A schoolmaster took his own life
• Hanged himself from a tree
• His swinging form is seen
• On dark nights
• Still hanging

The Phantom Coach

On the roads:

• A spectral coach and horses
• Races through the village
• Heard more than seen
• Hooves and wheels
• Then silence

The Watercress Woman

At the Pinnock Stream:

• An old woman appears
• She picked watercress here
• One day she fell asleep
• Smoking her pipe
• The gin she drank caught fire

The Colonel

At Park Wood:

• A military figure walks
• Colonel in uniform
• Took his own life
• Still patrols his woods
• In eternal service

The Miller

At the old mill site:

• A phantom miller appears
• Dressed in work clothes
• Covered in flour dust
• Still going about his work
• Though the mill is long gone

The Gypsy Woman

At the crossroads:

• Burned in her tent
• Some say murdered
• Some say accident
• Her ghost still roams
• Near where she died

The Tudor Lady

At Greystones:

• A woman in Tudor dress
• Seen looking from windows
• Walking through rooms
• Identity unknown
• Centuries of sightings

Dering Woods: The Screaming Woods

The Reputation

Known locally as “Screaming Woods”:

• One of the most haunted woodlands in Britain
• Strange sounds at night
• Screams and cries
• Dark atmosphere
• Paranormal investigators flock here

The Experiences

Visitors report:

• Bloodcurdling screams
• Footsteps following them
• Shadowy figures between trees
• Feelings of being watched
• Equipment malfunctions

The Theories

Explanations include:

• Lost souls from the village
• Ancient burial grounds
• Victims of crimes
• Natural sounds misinterpreted
• None fully explain it

The Dering Family Connection

The Derings of Pluckley

The village’s history intertwines with:

• The Dering family who owned it for centuries
• Surrenden Dering manor house
• Multiple family ghosts
• A dynasty touched by tragedy
• Multiple family members appear as ghosts

The Family Vault

Beneath St. Nicholas Church:

• The Dering vault holds generations
• Multiple family members in lead coffins
• Strange preservation of bodies
• Rose petals with Lady Dering
• Legends of the undead

Investigations and Evidence

Ghost Hunters

Pluckley attracts:

• Professional paranormal teams
• Television documentaries
• Researchers from around the world
• Thousands of curious visitors
• Halloween is especially busy

Documented Encounters

Over the years:

• Photographs with anomalies
• Audio recordings of screams
• Eyewitness testimonies
• Police reports of phenomena
• Consistent descriptions across decades

The Guinness Record

Recognition as most haunted:

• Officially documented
• Based on number of separate ghosts
• The concentration is unique
• A village-wide haunting
• Multiple generations of witnesses

Visiting Pluckley

The Ghost Walks

Local tours offer:

• Guided night walks
• History and hauntings
• Visits to key locations
• Expert knowledge
• Regular sightings reported

The Black Horse Pub

The village pub:

• Also reportedly haunted
• Serves ghost hunters
• Local knowledge
• Starting point for investigations
• Historic building itself

Respect for Residents

Visitors should note:

• This is a real village
• People live and work here
• Respect private property
• Stick to public areas
• Don’t disturb the peace

The Question

A small English village. Population just over 1,000.

Ghosts: At least 12.

For centuries, the dead have walked in Pluckley. The Red Lady searches for her baby. The White Lady drifts through the church. A schoolmaster swings from a tree. A highwayman is pinned to an oak.

In Dering Woods, something screams.

Why here? Why this village?

Is it the Dering family? The ancient burial grounds? Something in the land itself?

No one knows.

But the ghosts don’t seem to care.

They’ve been here for centuries. They’ll be here for centuries more.

Pluckley. England’s most haunted village.

Walk its lanes at night if you dare.

You won’t walk alone.

Something else walks here.

Many somethings.

And they’ve been waiting a very long time.