NGI

... Head over to Haunted UK for a review of the general history and haunted history of the Carlisle Castle. Alternatively, use the table of contents to view the reports for each location.

Altar Room and Storeroom

Although this location contained more than just the Altar Room and the Storeroom - it was these two locations where most attention was focused during the investigation.

These were two small rooms opposite each other - one of which (the storeroom) contained nothing more than a small amount of cleaning equpment and one slit-window. The other room contained a small table with a Scottish Flag draped over it and upon the table a cross.

The storeroom, in fact, had once been a holding cell for a very important Jacobite Major who had been held within it for over a year as a hostage. He'd been locked in there as is - pitch black and with no furniture.

The Altar room had probably just been a store room itself previously but had at once held a very important piece of 'stock' - King David I of Scotland died in Carlisle Castle and his body had been laid out in this small room for a number of days - hence the Scottish flag and cross.

Group 1 Report : Bekki Claire John Pete Ally Helen

We arrived at the location and after the lights went out we let ourselves adjust to the environment, but were suddenly interrupted by the caretaker of the building marching in to ask why the lights had been turned off. It turned out that for Health and Safety reasons the lights had to be turned back on, which totally ruined the atmosphere. But we carried on regardless.

We decided to try our luck in the small cell which seemed to be a little darker; this cell contained a table with a Scottish flag covering it and a wooden cross in the middle. We decided to try an energy circle and Bekki felt as if there was someone in the room at the same time Claire mentioned different visions she was getting, a man with a basket of fish, a man in chain mail etc, the guy who was with us then clarified the connections that her visions had.

Bekki also got the feeling that something found the presence of the cross in the room quite amusing, and while we where discussing this she felt something touch her neck in the area her crucifix pendant was. We questioned this and Bekki got a voice in her head saying ?The Irony of it?, what that meant she didn?t know.

As we where leaving this cell, Bekki looked into the larger room and got a vision of a posh guy, possibly royalty, It confused her a little because although he looked Scottish, she got the feeling he spoke French. Bekki mentioned this information as well as a name she got associated with him (Charles Edward), The English heritage guy with us connected this to Charles Edward Stewart, aka Bonnie Prince Charlie and clarified that he did indeed speak French and had spent some time over there.

Back in the larger room, Bekki mentioned to Claire that throughout the building in a number of different places she had been shown a vision of a woman in tartan with a small child. She also got a vision on a soldier shooting a ghost with a bayonet, which she was a little embarrassed to mention at first as she felt it seemed like something out of the Ghostbusters and thought it may be laughed at.

Helen said she was getting whilst sat in the chair. She said that when she looked towards the corner near the window it looked like it opened up and became a passsageway. Claire sat in the chair to see if she could also see this. Claire could see the shadowed area Helen was describing from the chair but to her it just looked like a shadowed area. Helen said she could see the wall opening up so she sat back in the chair and Claire went to the area Helen could see the wall opening up in. Helen said she could see it again and that Claire looked to be vanishing into it. Bekki then sat in the chair to see if she could experience. Claire stood against the wall with her legs on the chimmney/vet and said she felt a strong menthol energy there. She said it was cool and icy but it wasnt the obvious draught from the chimmney as she felt 'energy' from it. She felt this for 1-2 mins very strongly.

When in the room where the scottish flag was whilst the group was passing the twitch around Claire got the impression that the energy in hewre didnt like crosses. The in hear mind she saw the image of a man wearing silver chainmail in his head and chest and over it he was wearing a white tabbard with a red cross on it and he was holding a silver broadsword pointing upwards in front of this. Linked to this she got open moorland/rough ground and a basket of fish. She felt it was symbolic as everything was so clean and shiny.

She also got the same David. John said he felt this person was the man who introduced fish to the moat and helped built the castle.

Claire then got the image of a man with bright carrot red hair and a beard, which was shaggy not curly. He had a broad white face and as she got a pain in her neck and it felt pushed to one side at an angle she felt that he had his neck broken. She saw trees round him and felt he was not from round here. She got the names Harry/ Henry.

John said this sounded like a descendent who also helped build the original castle/settlement who wasnt from here he was from the New Forest and he had died falling from a horse which resulted in his neck being broken.

John also said more about both of these people but Claire felt that he was trying to fit them in around what Claire had said rather than it being exactly what she had gotten so they are not included.

At times Claire felt like she was swaying and had the urge to lie down and go to sleep. Claire liked it in this room, she felt a definate energy which she thought was unrelated to the images but it felt that the scottish flag and the cross and everything else was a joke.

Group 2 Report : Carol Mark Dell Virginia Camille

At this location our group was joined by Ralph (medium) and Jay. We were in the 'Altar' room just off the main Bell room. At the end of the room there was an altar with a scottish flag draped over it, this area - and around, is where Ralph was drawn to. Ralph felt he wanted to shout out the name John Major for some reason, also the name William. Ralph felt there were patterns i.e. Mosaic type, on the floor or at least underneath.

He felt that a coffin, which would have been put on the altar was related to someone specific. Ralph mentioned a 3 corned hat, carriage with Horses. At one point standing in an alcove just off from the actual Altar, Ralph felt pins and needles in his legs and hands. He also felt he was undressing/dressing something, could have been a body of a specific person.

The Altar he felt represented where this body was laid out. Ralph felt as though he was been pushed from behind. Jay used his EMF meter at the centre of Ralph's back to see if anything could be picked up. Ralph also felt, that it was as if there was a dead body stood up in this particular alcove....the name Charlie came in to Ralph's mind at this point too.

Camille then volunteered to stand in the same corner/alcove where Ralph had been. He also felt the pushing sensation. Virginia, when she stood there, felt as though she was being pushed back. Ralph felt a female presence in the same corner. Jay felt the pushing, and commented that his legs were shaking. Mark commented that he felt a slight tingle in his right leg. Unfortunately, Carol felt nothing.

The Storeroom off the Altar room was our next port of call. Ralph felt a Major's presence, and he felt the need to pace the floor. Ralph felt as though this location had a hostage feel about the place. Ralph felt an energy, and Mark felt something across his left cheek. Head height, it appeared there was a coldness around the head area whether you were on the ground or stood up, and with this Ralph also felt nausea. Jay felt a breeze past his face at one point. Ralph had a "playboy bunny" image spring to mind, or at least a rabbit. The Major Ralph felt was a Jacobite who was confined in this room for 1 year, and that this may account for his image of a rabbit as in "rabbit hole" sensation. This would also account for the "pacing" sensation Ralph felt he wanted to do.

Jay heard footsteps on the stone floor outside the room. Clicking in the corner was also heard. Dell heard 2 knocks in the same corner. A cat like sound (meowing) was heard by all the group. Ralph/Jay saw a shadow at the door and felt as though someone was on the other side - Mark went to investigate but no-one was there. A whistle was also heard.

Ralph at this point became inundated with various images, facts he said are as follows:

Ralph saw a stool, Austrian houses with pointed roofs, thin tracks right on the road. The name Wein was mentioned, and Dell commented that an engraved door in the Bell room had an Austrian connection. Ralph saw a Market Square, which was cobbled, 1/2 house down?? Bicycle, strange looking thing. A bird, a type of owl but not an owl. An Eagle, or winged woman, a real statue...Angel connected with owl like bird. Ralph's shoulders were aching at this point, and he commented on triple rings joined together. A Nun in a headdress, but larger than the normal Nun's headdress. A house 3 storey, very plain with shutters on either side of the window, on to a road leading to a square and a river. He also saw a St Benedict window.

Around Dell he saw the spirit presence of a male with long hair, sharp face/features, beard (all black and tightly knitted), strong eyebrows, and pronounced forehead. The spirit was aged between 35-40. Ralph felt that Dell possibly had a past life, and that this was an American connection...i.e in the era of Abraham Lincoln, which is where Ralph felt this particular spirit (near Dell) came from.