Ghost storys from the war of the roses era.

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Boleyn, Anne
Her spirit has been seen at the Tower of London. She is usually seen as headless and bathed in an eerie light, sometimes on the Tower Green, or in the Chapel Royal inside the White Tower.

Bosworth Field (battle of) Ghosts
Two spectral victims of the battle of Bosworth are believed to haunt the village of Sutton Cheney, in Leicestershire, which was located near the battlefield. One appears as a headless foot-soldier, the other as a phantom horseman.

Catherine of Aragon
Her ghost can been seen inhabiting the Queen's Chamber of Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire, where she spent the last years of her life.

Gates, Sir John
His spirit has been seen in Beeleigh Abbey, in Essex. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, he was one of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland's staunchest supporters, one of the few to get no pardon from Queen Mary. He was condemned to die on August 19th along with Sir Thomas Palmer. His ghost is seen on the anniversary of his death, which took place on August 22, 1553 (one day before Northumberland's) and sometimes is seen on the 11th, possibly hoping for a last-minute reprieve.

Grey, Henry Duke of Suffolk
The ghost of Lady Jane Grey's father is believed to haunt Astley Castle in Warwickshire, one of the Grey family's places of residence. Jane's ghost has puportedly been seen here also.

Grey, Lady Jane
Her spirit has been seen in more than one place. On Christmas Eve, a spectral coach drawn by four headless horses is supposed to be seen sweeping up to the ruins of Bradgate Park in Leicestershire (her birthplace). Inside Jane is seated, her head set carefully on her lap. Once the coach arrives at the manor, Jane is seen to alight, carrying her head and then she disappears inside the ruins. She is also seen on the anniversary date of her execution (Febuary 12, 1554) near the Bloody Tower in the Tower of London.

Henry VI, King of England
Henry's ghost has been seen in Wakefield Tower, in the Tower of London, always appearing within an hour of midnight. Henry was found dead, most certainly murdered there on May 21, 1471, on the very night Edward IV returned in triumph to London.

Hoby, Dame Elizabeth
She haunts Bisham Abbey in Berkshire. She was the wife of Sir Thomas Hoby. She was a good friend of Elizabeth I and a renowned scholar. Supposedly she beat her eldest son, William Hoby, who had a brain condition that was aggravated by this condition and caused the boy to die. Dame Hoby remained remorseful and grief-stricken until her death in 1609, and seems to have remained even beyond the grave. The ghost has been seen in the East Wing, trying to wash its bloodied hands in a basin. It has also been seen stepping out her portrait, and sometimes it appears looking like a photo negative, i.e. the skin is balck, the dress white. As a side note, copy books were found with the name William on it, the pages messy and splotched, appearing as if someone had wept over them. Messy books were the offense for which William was beaten.

Howard, Katheryn
A psychic manifestation in the form of hysterical screams is often hear in the gallery at Hampton Court. The screams are alleged to be those of Katheryn as she made her way down the gallery frantically trying to reach Henry VIII to beg for mercy. There has been some doubt thrown on this haunting.

Neville, Charles 6th Earl of Westmorland
He haunts Raby Castle, in Durham. He was the last Neville Earl of Westmorland, born in 1543, son of Henry, the 5th Earl and Anne Manners his wife. His ghost is seen floating up the stairs to the Baron's hall where it is said that in 1569 he and other great Catholic lords met to plan the Rising of the North (1570). They had initially planned against it, until Westmorland's wife (Jane Howard, the sister Thomas, the 4th Duke of Norfolk) stormed into the room and soundly berated the men, calling them cowards and knaves for refusing to fight for their faith. Supposedly they found their courage and revolted. The rising was of course put down, and Neville was forced to flee first to Scotland and then on to Flanders where he died in November 1601. Though his body rests in Flanders, his spirit has returned to his ancestral home, reenacting the event which led up to his tragic end.

Parr, Katherine
The ghost of a tall woman in green is believed to be that of Katherine Parr, who died in Sudeley Castle after giving birth to a daughter, Mary Seymour, on September 5, 1548. Those who have ssen the apparition get the impression she is looking for something or someone (possibly her daughter, whose fate is a mystery). Katherine was laid to rest in the chapel at Sudeley Castle, where her beautifully restored monument can be seen today.

Percy, Thomas 7th Earl of Northumberland
He was one of the conspirators of the Rising of the North, along with Charles Neville (above). He was captured and brought to the city of York, where he was beheaded on August 22, 1572, the head being displayed on Mickelgate Bar. His headless corpse has been seen staggering between the graves of the churchyard of the Holy Trinity Goodramgate, York, where the hapless Earl was buried.

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Plantagenet (Pole), Margaret Countess of Salisbury
Her spirit has been seen in a couple of locations. The daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, she had been married to Sir Richard Pole (Henry VII's half-cousin), with whom she apparently was quite happy. Pole died in 1504, leaving her a widow at the age of 31. She would later be restored to her mother's (one of the heiresses of the Richard 'the Kingmaker', Earl of Warwick) honour of Salisbury in the reign of Henry VIII and was a close friend of Catherine of Aragon, and acted as governess to her daughter the Princess Mary (later Mary I). In 1538, on the accusations (obtained from torture or the threat of) of her youngest son, Sir Geoffrey Pole, this lady and her eldest son Henry, Lord Montague, his young son and heir, Henry, were seized and placed in the Tower. Lord Montague was promptly executed along with the Marquess of Exeter. Young Henry Pole died forgotten in the Tower at an unknonw time. Margaret languished there until May 28, 1541 when she was brought out and executed in an appaling manner. The resident headsmen had been dispatched to the north to deal with a spate of traitors there, and a young apprentice was set in his place. What happened next appalled even those of that bloodthirsty era. Margaret was alleged to have refused to lay her head on the block, firmly stating she was no traitor and that the he (the headsman) msut get her head nay way he can. Supposedly the old woman (she was 67 at this time) was chased about the block, a large number of blows required to finally severe her head from body, blood spurting everywhere. This ghastly spectacle is recreated on the anniversary of her death, and those who witness this macabre spectacle walk away disturbed greatly by what they had witnessed. She appears more benignly at Dundridge Manor, St Leonard's, in Buckinghamshire, where she walks the grounds of the manor in late afternoons, her skirts making a swishing sound as she goes by.

Princes in the Tower
The sad ghosts of the young Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, have been seen walking hand-in-hand in the Tower.

Raleigh, Sir Walter
His ghost has been seen in a couple of different places. It is supposedly his spirit which sits on the masonry of Sherborne Castle in Dorset. He has also been seen in the Tower of London, chained and headless in the Queen's House, near where he was imprisoned, or sometimes on the Tower ramparts.

Seymour, Jane
Jane's ghost haunts the place where she died, giving birth to Edward VI. She has been seen in the Clock Court and the Silver Stick gallery, dressed in a white robe and carrying a candle.

Shore, Jane
The ghost of Edward IV's most familiar mistress is said to haunt Eton in Berkshire, appearing as a 'grey lady'. She was believed to have lived at the school until her death in 1526. Jane Shore was really one Elizabeth Lambert, who had been married to William Shore of London. After Edward's death she was forced to do public penance for 'adultery' by Richard III, by walking through the streets of London in a white sheet carrying a candle. She is believed to have married one Thomas Lyneham. Her last years were possibly spent at Eton, though her effigy is at Hinxworth Church in Hertfordshire.

Stoke Field (battle of) Ghosts
The specters of many naked dead men have been seen at East Stoke in Nottinghamshire. These strange apparitions are believed to be the ghost of dead Irish mercenaries who fought 'naked' at the Battle of Stoke in 1487.

Stuart, Mary Queen of Scots
It is believed to be Mary's ghost that haunts Oundle in Northamptonshire. The satirs of the house are said to have come from Fotheringhay Castle, where Mary was executed. These stairs are supposed to have been the one she descended on the day of her execution. The ghost always appears dressed in balck.

Tudor, Elizabeth I Queen of England
Like many famous persons, her ghost has been seen in more than one place. She has been seen on the Royal Library of Windsor Castle, always appearing in a black lace shawl and gown. She has also been seen at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, whee she spent may years growing up, and also where she received the news of Mary's death and that she was to be Queen of England.

Tudor, Henry VIII King of England
His ghost is said to walk the halls of Windsor Castle, followed by the sounds of him dragging his ulcerated leg behind him, accompanied by agonized groans.

Wenlock, Sir John Lord Wenlock
His ghost has been seen on the grounds of Somerie House in Bedfordshire. An old soldier, he first fought for Henry VI at St Alabn's in 1455, but later joined the Earl of Salisbury and supported the Yorkist faction, until 1471 when he joined Warwick and Clarence. He was killed by the young Duke of Somerset who accused him of treason, despite the fact that he was given command of the center division at the battle of Tewkesbury. Aged 71 when he died he was eventually buried in the chapel at Luton, Bedforshire.

Wolsey, Cardinal Thomas
His spirit was once seen at a Son et Lumiere show which took place in Hampton Court. Perhaps the Cardinal was allowed one final visit to his beloved palace.