Hylton Castle
Visited 14 August 2005
Hot on the heels of Ryan deciding to hang up his EMF meter, the rest of the team were unavailable to come on an investigation this weekend. I could have spent Sunday evening watching "Where the Heart Is", "Last of the Summer Wine", or "Songs of Praise". Tempting as that may seem, I decided to pay a visit to one of the more haunted places in Wearside, Hylton Castle, at night – all alone.
Hylton Castle was built between 1435-1447, it was occupied by the Hylton family until the last Hylton died in 1746. The castle looks fantastic from the outside, unfortunately the inside is so unsafe that the castle is closed completely. Most people have heard Hylton’s famous ghost story of The Cauld Lad…
In 1588 a group of local barons gathered for a feast at Hylton Castle. They drank their fill and feasted on the grandest food – pheasant, beef, venison and partridge. The Great Hall was buzzing with merriment, musicians played and the drunk barons sang along tunelessly. Servants waited on them but the girls were groped and abused as they tried to do their job. Some of the elite even punched the servants for a laugh as they passed by. They considered themselves the elite and they could do whatever they liked. They had been known to set their hounds on small boys if they couldn’t find a fox to hunt, the terrified youngster would run for his life as the dogs tried to tear him limb from limb as the laughing barons followed on their horses. If the child was killed it was put down to a terrible accident and the family would be bought off.
In these dark times before a lady could wed one of the baron’s would take her virginity. They pretty much controlled the entire North and who could tell them otherwise. It was a vile practise and despised by everyone but any sign of dissent could cost people their homes.
The party at the castle was coming to an end and the drunks made their way to bed. One baron grabbed the hand of a young serving girl. He dragged her to his rooms and despite her screams she would be raped and none of the staff would dare to try and put a stop to the horror.
While the guests slept the castle’s staff had to clean the castle, removing vomit, mopping up pools of urine, lighting scented candles to try and mask the disgusting smell. The Great Hall was a terrible state and they had only six hours before the baron’s would rise to go on a boar hunt. Midway through the cleaning the young maid appeared at the top of the stairs, her dress torn and her eyes blackened. She sobbed her heart out. This was the way life was back then, raw and unfair. If you had money you could do whatever you wanted without fear of retribution.
As the first of the hungover elite surfaced for breakfast, the staff that had now been working solid for 48 hours were criticized for being slow to serve them the quail’s eggs and pork chops they’d prepared. Some of the more experienced staff were conditioned to working these hours but the younger ones were struggling to keep their eyes open.
Hylton’s lord and master, Sir Robert Hylton, demanded that his horse be saddled in preparation for the hunt. He was told the stable boy, 14 year old Roger Skelton, had already done it. Time passed by and Sir Robert became impatient, he went to the stables and found the stable boy fast asleep in the hay. He was furious and kicked the stable boy hard. He went to punch Roger but the terrified stable boy dodged the blow and the fist smashed into a metal bucket. The lord exploded in a fit of rage, he shouted and screamed at Roger who was now backed against a wall, tears running down his face. Sir Robert picked up a pitchfork and threw it at him, pinning Roger to the wall. There was silence as they looked at each other in shock, the lord’s actions hitting home. The boy’s vision began to fade then he was gone. His life extinguished. The boy’s body was placed in the hay and covered up, the lord saddled his own horse and told the staff that he had found the stable boy asleep and told him to leave Hylton and never return. Later that night the lord returned to the stable and put the boy’s lifeless body in a sack, the dragged it to a nearby, unused, well and threw the corpse down.
It’s historical fact that in 1609 Sir Robert Hylton was tried for murder. The baron was found guilty but since the body was never recovered he was later pardoned. It seems that the ghost of Roger Skelton found this too much and came back to Hylton Castle, heard sobbing and wailing in the dead of night. Witnesses all said that the ghost was naked, earning him the nickname “The Cauld Lad”.
The Cauld Lad was good at scaring staff that thought they could steal a little food and get away with it. One servant girl decided to have a crafty drink of cream when she was alone and heard a voice say, “Ye sip and ye sip, but ye never give the Cauld Lad a sip!”
In 1703 the well was excavated and a body of a young boy was found, he was given a proper burial and the number of happenings dramatically decreased. However, even to this very day there are reported sounds of wailings coming from the empty castle at night.
In 1970 a miner was coming home from night shift at a nearby pit when he heard someone shout to him from inside the ruined castle walls. The next instant a dark figure appeared alongside him. The terrified man ran as fast as he could and the figure kept pace no matter how fast he ran. As he neared his house the figure vanished, the man ran through his door and locked it behind him. When he plucked up the courage to look outside he saw the dark figure standing at his front door motionless for the next few hours.
In 1588 a group of local barons gathered for a feast at Hylton Castle. They drank their fill and feasted on the grandest food – pheasant, beef, venison and partridge. The Great Hall was buzzing with merriment, musicians played and the drunk barons sang along tunelessly. Servants waited on them but the girls were groped and abused as they tried to do their job. Some of the elite even punched the servants for a laugh as they passed by. They considered themselves the elite and they could do whatever they liked. They had been known to set their hounds on small boys if they couldn’t find a fox to hunt, the terrified youngster would run for his life as the dogs tried to tear him limb from limb as the laughing barons followed on their horses. If the child was killed it was put down to a terrible accident and the family would be bought off.
In these dark times before a lady could wed one of the baron’s would take her virginity. They pretty much controlled the entire North and who could tell them otherwise. It was a vile practise and despised by everyone but any sign of dissent could cost people their homes.
The party at the castle was coming to an end and the drunks made their way to bed. One baron grabbed the hand of a young serving girl. He dragged her to his rooms and despite her screams she would be raped and none of the staff would dare to try and put a stop to the horror.
While the guests slept the castle’s staff had to clean the castle, removing vomit, mopping up pools of urine, lighting scented candles to try and mask the disgusting smell. The Great Hall was a terrible state and they had only six hours before the baron’s would rise to go on a boar hunt. Midway through the cleaning the young maid appeared at the top of the stairs, her dress torn and her eyes blackened. She sobbed her heart out. This was the way life was back then, raw and unfair. If you had money you could do whatever you wanted without fear of retribution.
As the first of the hungover elite surfaced for breakfast, the staff that had now been working solid for 48 hours were criticized for being slow to serve them the quail’s eggs and pork chops they’d prepared. Some of the more experienced staff were conditioned to working these hours but the younger ones were struggling to keep their eyes open.
Hylton’s lord and master, Sir Robert Hylton, demanded that his horse be saddled in preparation for the hunt. He was told the stable boy, 14 year old Roger Skelton, had already done it. Time passed by and Sir Robert became impatient, he went to the stables and found the stable boy fast asleep in the hay. He was furious and kicked the stable boy hard. He went to punch Roger but the terrified stable boy dodged the blow and the fist smashed into a metal bucket. The lord exploded in a fit of rage, he shouted and screamed at Roger who was now backed against a wall, tears running down his face. Sir Robert picked up a pitchfork and threw it at him, pinning Roger to the wall. There was silence as they looked at each other in shock, the lord’s actions hitting home. The boy’s vision began to fade then he was gone. His life extinguished. The boy’s body was placed in the hay and covered up, the lord saddled his own horse and told the staff that he had found the stable boy asleep and told him to leave Hylton and never return. Later that night the lord returned to the stable and put the boy’s lifeless body in a sack, the dragged it to a nearby, unused, well and threw the corpse down.
It’s historical fact that in 1609 Sir Robert Hylton was tried for murder. The baron was found guilty but since the body was never recovered he was later pardoned. It seems that the ghost of Roger Skelton found this too much and came back to Hylton Castle, heard sobbing and wailing in the dead of night. Witnesses all said that the ghost was naked, earning him the nickname “The Cauld Lad”.
The Cauld Lad was good at scaring staff that thought they could steal a little food and get away with it. One servant girl decided to have a crafty drink of cream when she was alone and heard a voice say, “Ye sip and ye sip, but ye never give the Cauld Lad a sip!”
In 1703 the well was excavated and a body of a young boy was found, he was given a proper burial and the number of happenings dramatically decreased. However, even to this very day there are reported sounds of wailings coming from the empty castle at night.
In 1970 a miner was coming home from night shift at a nearby pit when he heard someone shout to him from inside the ruined castle walls. The next instant a dark figure appeared alongside him. The terrified man ran as fast as he could and the figure kept pace no matter how fast he ran. As he neared his house the figure vanished, the man ran through his door and locked it behind him. When he plucked up the courage to look outside he saw the dark figure standing at his front door motionless for the next few hours.
The plan for tonight had been for Dan, Harry and I to carry out an investigation somewhere else, but unfortunately Harry decided he was too tired after a poker session at mine the evening before, so Dan suggested we leave it until another night. Hylton Castle is just down the road from me and it is a location I’ve spent a lot of time researching. The main castle itself is inaccessible, so is it worthy of an investigation? When I checked my email the answer seemed to be handed to me on a plate. I received an email from a local woman telling me of her experience at the castle on Friday night. A group of them experienced stones being thrown at them, loud bangs and raps coming from inside the castle, a sound of horses hooves coming straight towards them in the woods, getting louder and louder until it suddenly stopped, they heard a woman’s voice, and saw dark shadows accompanied by laughing. It was decided, I would go to the castle on my own.
I went to the castle at around 5pm to have a wander around and get a feel for the place in preparation for my solo investigation later on. The place was really busy on this sunny Sunday afternoon, there is a kiddie’s play park near the castle, this was full of small children and their parents playing happily on the swings and the climbing frames. A large group of charvas merrily drank cheap cider and sniffed glue behind the castle. It truly was an idyllic picture, totally in contrast to what it would be like when I returned later on.
I went to the castle at around 5pm to have a wander around and get a feel for the place in preparation for my solo investigation later on. The place was really busy on this sunny Sunday afternoon, there is a kiddie’s play park near the castle, this was full of small children and their parents playing happily on the swings and the climbing frames. A large group of charvas merrily drank cheap cider and sniffed glue behind the castle. It truly was an idyllic picture, totally in contrast to what it would be like when I returned later on.
Ever since I decided to carry out this investigation I had a feeling nagging away at me, a feeling of dread. I’m not normally worried about these investigations, so I couldn’t understand why I felt this way. Perhaps because I was going to be alone, maybe because of what had happened to the group who went there only two nights ago.
I arrived at around 9pm and it was already very dark by now, it won’t be long until the dark nights start to set in earlier as the autumn months approach. I parked up and gathered up my torch and camera, the only equipment I would need tonight. I admit I was apprehensive about what lay ahead as I got out of the car, I left my torch off and made my way through the rusty old gate leading to the castle. As I walked up the gravel path towards Hylton Castle I tried to imagine what the castle must have looked like 400 years ago when it was in its prime. All the windows are boarded up, the main entrance locked up and the rear of the castle is covered in graffiti. I walked past the castle towards the keep gatehouse which, although ruined, it’s possible to walk around inside.
I arrived at around 9pm and it was already very dark by now, it won’t be long until the dark nights start to set in earlier as the autumn months approach. I parked up and gathered up my torch and camera, the only equipment I would need tonight. I admit I was apprehensive about what lay ahead as I got out of the car, I left my torch off and made my way through the rusty old gate leading to the castle. As I walked up the gravel path towards Hylton Castle I tried to imagine what the castle must have looked like 400 years ago when it was in its prime. All the windows are boarded up, the main entrance locked up and the rear of the castle is covered in graffiti. I walked past the castle towards the keep gatehouse which, although ruined, it’s possible to walk around inside.
The gatehouse has suffered a lot over the years and not a lot of it remains. It’s quite large inside, there is no roof, and it has a very intense atmosphere. I walked around inside taking lots of photos and constantly looking behind me, I had a feeling of being followed, probably paranoia since I was alone. I didn’t ask out loud for a sign as there is a main road very close and I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. All of a sudden something landed at my feet. I turned on the torch for the first time since I’d arrived and shone it at the ground, there were lots of stones lying around and not much else. As I was looking at the ground another object landed near me but this time I saw it land, it was a stone. It couldn’t have fallen though because I was in the centre of the building and there was no roof. Someone could have seen my camera flash going off and thrown stones from the road roughly 25 metres from where I stood. I walked over and looked over the wall, no one around. So where had these two stones came from?
Since I knew there was no one around I spoke out “Is there anyone there, can you give me another sign?” I waited quietly but nothing else happened. I spent a little while longer in the gatehouse then decided to go into the woods. As I was walking down the steps past the castle I jumped as I heard a loud bang to my right, the only thing to my right was the castle, my heart pounding in my chest I ran around to the front of the castle to see if anyone was there. I was now standing outside the main entrance to the castle. No one was around, silence. Then I heard another loud bang, this time it was obvious where the sound was coming from – inside the castle! The castle has been closed to the public for almost 10 years if not longer so how could anyone be inside? There is a gap of about an inch at the bottom of the door so I looked under it, couldn’t see anything because it was so dark so I turned the torch on. I couldn’t see anything moving around so took a couple of photos under the door and there doesn’t appear to be anything on them either.
Since I knew there was no one around I spoke out “Is there anyone there, can you give me another sign?” I waited quietly but nothing else happened. I spent a little while longer in the gatehouse then decided to go into the woods. As I was walking down the steps past the castle I jumped as I heard a loud bang to my right, the only thing to my right was the castle, my heart pounding in my chest I ran around to the front of the castle to see if anyone was there. I was now standing outside the main entrance to the castle. No one was around, silence. Then I heard another loud bang, this time it was obvious where the sound was coming from – inside the castle! The castle has been closed to the public for almost 10 years if not longer so how could anyone be inside? There is a gap of about an inch at the bottom of the door so I looked under it, couldn’t see anything because it was so dark so I turned the torch on. I couldn’t see anything moving around so took a couple of photos under the door and there doesn’t appear to be anything on them either.
Shaken but determined I picked myself up, dusted myself down, and headed towards the woods. The woods are very interesting as I can’t find any record of them in any of my books or on the internet of them being connected in any way to Hylton Castle’s hauntings. If they are haunted then I sure as hell don’t know what by! The group who were here experienced strange happenings in the woods so to the woods I would go.
The woods are fairly scary during the day, they are extremely spooky at night, even more so when you are alone. I knew I had to keep my imagination under control as I entered. I turned on the torch and made my way into the darkness.
I could hear twigs snapping behind me as I made my way deeper and deeper into the dense woodland, almost as if someone was following me. It could have been anything though, animals perhaps. I kept on walking, it was eerily silent. I took half a dozen or so photos to see if I could pick anything up on camera. As I stood looking at the photos I’d just taken I heard a noise that sounded like the wind whistling through the trees, then I heard a voice “go!” it said! Every hair on my body stood up! Could I have just imagined that? I regained my composure and looked around, it could have came from the park but that is quite far from where I now was and I couldn’t even see the park anymore. I waited. I heard nothing more. Making my way back through the woodland I never made a sound, hoping I would hear the voice again, but at the same time not wanting to hear it.
After leaving the woods I headed back to the car, my investigation was over for tonight, but what an investigation it had been!
I could hear twigs snapping behind me as I made my way deeper and deeper into the dense woodland, almost as if someone was following me. It could have been anything though, animals perhaps. I kept on walking, it was eerily silent. I took half a dozen or so photos to see if I could pick anything up on camera. As I stood looking at the photos I’d just taken I heard a noise that sounded like the wind whistling through the trees, then I heard a voice “go!” it said! Every hair on my body stood up! Could I have just imagined that? I regained my composure and looked around, it could have came from the park but that is quite far from where I now was and I couldn’t even see the park anymore. I waited. I heard nothing more. Making my way back through the woodland I never made a sound, hoping I would hear the voice again, but at the same time not wanting to hear it.
After leaving the woods I headed back to the car, my investigation was over for tonight, but what an investigation it had been!
Conclusion
Interesting ghost hunt tonight, I didn’t see a ghost but I do think there’s something going on at Hylton Castle. I heard loud bangs coming from inside the castle, I can’t think of any logical explanation for that, it certainly wasn’t my imagination. The stones that landed at my feet can’t have fallen from anywhere, they both landed very close to me as if they were perhaps aimed at me, or at least meant to get my attention. Perhaps The Cauld Lad was trying to give me a fright. I heard a voice say “go” when I was in the woods. This could have been my imagination, I’d have loved to have had the team with me to back up what I heard. I don’t think I imagined it but I guess I’ll never know.