Throughout the years of the existence of Berry Pomeroy castle, there have been numerous sightings of ghosts. While some are fleeting memories in the minds of the locals, there are others who seem to make more and more appearances through the years, becoming some of the most popular tales associated with the area. In this article, we will take a look at the White Lady, who is said to haunt the area of St. Margaret’s Tower. To this day, her ghost still roams about the premises.
When it comes to the White Lady, her ghost is said to lay claim to the haunting of the dungeons and is known to make an appearance by rising from St. Margaret’s Tower. When encountered, witnesses describe her appearance as “all white.” From the tip of her head to the bottom of her feet, she is viewed as a vision in complete whiteness. As she roams about the premises, her hair is seen trailing behind her, just as wild and untamed as her presence. After coming face-to-face or close to the White Lady, witnesses characterize their encounter as one that brings about great feeling of depression. Sometimes they feel fear, while others simply describe to be overcome with intense anger and thoughts of violence.
So who is this White Lady ghost and why has she become a fixture at the Berry Pomeroy castle? It is the belief that the ghost is one other than Lady Margaret Pomeroy who suffered a cruel fate at the hands of her sister, Lady Eleanor Pomeroy. It was her sister who had her trapped within the dungeons after she was put in charge of the castle. Once their father, Henry Pomeroy, departed the castle so that he could fight in the Crusades, Eleanor took this opportunity to imprison her sister after a jealous rage.
Eleanor and Margaret became interested in the same young fellow and since Margaret was younger and more attractive than she, Eleanor had to do something to even the playing field. Consumed with jealousy, she managed to have Margaret locked up. The younger sister spent close to 20 years in the dungeons before her end came in the slow and painful death of not having anything to eat. She eventually wasted away from starvation.
Of course, with any sordid tale such as this, there is bound to be two sides to a story. There is a second story connected to this castle haunt. It starts off with Margaret, who some say was mentally ill. It is thought that she was not imprisoned due to jealousy but rather because of her own insanity. She threatened to kill Eleanor for reasons unknown to us. She stayed in the dungeons for about 20 years, but fought against eating, which eventually led to her death. When their father returned from fighting in the Crusades, he blamed Eleanor for the death of his young daughter. It is said that the ghost is actually that of Eleanor, who is plagued with guilt.
Legend has it that if you encounter the White Lady you will soon die a mysterious death.
