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Top 10 Most Terrifying Ghost Sightings in Britain

Top 10 Most Terrifying Ghost Sightings in Britain
VOICE OVER: Ashley Bowman WRITTEN BY: Caitlin Johnson
Don't turn out the lights. Welcome to WatchMojoUK and today we'll be counting down our picks for the top 10 most terrifying ghost-sightings in Britain.

For this list, we're looking at the spookiest ghost stories from around the UK.

#10: Whitby’s Phantom Hearse


Whitby’s most famous supernatural resident might be Dracula himself, but there are plenty of strange encounters that don’t involve the world’s most famous vampire. One, in particular, is a story attached to St Mary’s Church, which was also an important setting in Bram Stoker’s magnum opus. A phantom hearse pulled by black horses appears at the graveside of a recently buried sailor, helmed by a headless coachman, which takes the sailor over the cliff and into the sea below. The grounds of Whitby Abbey itself also host numerous spectres, including a nun who was bricked up to die after falling in love with a knight.

#9: Beast of Barmston Drain


In 2016, a mysterious creature made itself known in Hull. The so-called “Beast of Barmston Drain” was described by witnesses as being “half-man, half-dog”, and was seen jumping across the waterway and eating a German Shepherd. Local Hull historian Mike Covell took an interest in numerous sightings at the Drain, which has seen more than 100 drowning deaths over the years. The creature was later identified as an 8-foot-tall “werewolf” nicknamed “Old Stinker.” While many don’t believe the stories, some researchers have blamed the folklore on collective guilt over wiping out Britain’s native wolves. Whatever the reason, you want to be careful walking near Barmston Drain at night.

#8: The Gorbals Vampire


A shadowy monster supposedly stalks the Southern Necropolis in Glasgow, Scotland. In the 1950s, this urban myth began to take shape, and it was rumoured that a vampire was preying on local children. Rather than cower in fear, dozens of kids teamed up with makeshift weapons to slay the vampire head-on. This was in September 1953, and police eventually found the kids on a mission to get revenge for their fallen friends. Though an actual vampire has never been found, the raid on the cemetery definitely happened, and the vampire is immortalised in a mural painted in 2016. There was even a play made about it.

#7: Mr. Boots


A prime candidate for one of the most haunted places in Scotland, the Edinburgh Vaults were a network of underground streets; initially used by tradesmen, they eventually became slums in the 1800s before being closed completely. Now a major tourist attraction, some of the old residents don’t seem to have left. The most notorious is “Mr. Boots”, so named for his loud footsteps, thought to be the ghost of a murderer. He’s been allegedly photographed numerous times and has a penchant for terrorising the visitors. One unlucky tourist even suffered a nasty head injury blamed on the ghost in 2011.

#6: Disaster Victims


First constructed in the late 19th century, the London Underground has no shortage of ghost stories to fill its tunnels. But one of the most distressing revolves around the victims of the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster in 1943. During the Blitz, the underground tunnels were routinely used by civilians sheltering from air raids. But on March 3rd, hundreds of people fled into the tunnels following an air raid siren, eventually leading to a fatal crush that tragically killed 173 people. Late at night, it’s said station workers and commuters can hear the cries and screams of the victims of the disaster.

#5: The Crier of Claife


On the shores of Lake Windermere, locals and boatmen will often hear the loud wails of a monk who died hundreds of years ago, the “Claife Crier” himself. It’s said the monk fell in love with a fallen woman but was rejected. Rather than move on with his life, his ghost now wanders the shore crying out for help. But beware: a grisly story says that once, a novice ferryman answered the monk’s cries – despite being warned away by his superiors – and decided to offer assistance. Whatever he found, he was driven completely mad, dying mere days later and taking his secret to the grave.

#4: The Roman Legion


In 1953, local plumber Harry Martindale was working in the cellar of Treasurer’s House in York, fixing pipes. History was made when he saw an entire Roman legion marching through the cellar from the knees up because the old Roman road beneath the building was lower down. Martindale gave specific details of the clothes the legionaries were wearing, and his account was consistent with real soldiers stationed there in the 5th century. The sighting has since become famous, with an entire exhibit about it in Treasurer’s House, and up until his death in 2014, Martindale never changed his story.

#3: Anne Boleyn


Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536 on charges of treason and adultery. She’s since become one of the most famous ghosts in the country. Her usual “haunts” include Blickling Hall in Norwich, Marwell Hall in Hampshire, Salle Church in Norfolk, and the Tower of London itself. These are all places Anne had a connection to, whether it’s where she was locked up, where she may have been buried, or where she spent parts of her childhood. A vicar in Northhamptonshire even claimed to have had conversations with the ghost of Anne Boleyn, while others allege her spirit appears headless.

#2: The Pendle Witches


In 1612, a dozen people in Lancashire were accused of witchcraft, eleven women and one man. Ten of them were found guilty and hanged, and many came from just two families. The witches’ ghosts are now said to haunt Pendle Hill, and sometimes are even snapped in photographs. It’s thought the spirits are restless because of their gruesome demise and unfair execution. If you go to Pendle and the nearby towns today, however, you won’t need to go far to find a witch; in 2012, on the 400th anniversary of the trials, the world record for the largest group of people dressed as witches at once was set.

#1: The Hampton Court Ghost


Hampton Court, a Tudor palace built for Henry VIII, is notoriously haunted. One of the most famous sightings of all time was actually caught on CCTV in 2008. In the footage, a figure wearing Tudor clothes can be seen throwing open a set of heavy fire doors and then closing them again. Security guards said that though an alarm went off to indicate the door was open, they didn’t see anybody, and neither did any of the other cameras. Plenty of sceptics believe the footage is a hoax, but many spectres are said to walk the hallowed halls of Hampton Court, including two more of Henry’s wives, Jane Seymour and Catherine Howard.

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