Berry Pomeroy Castle

Berry Pomeroy Castle, Totnes, Co. Devon

Reputedly the most haunted castle in Devon, Berry Pomeroy is eerily set on a wooded hill close to the River Dart in the south of Devon.

Berry Pomeroy Castle was built in the 11^th century by the De Pomeroy Family, close allies to William the Conqueror , who remained at the castle and remodelled it numerous times, until the 16^th Century when it was sold to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector during the reign of King Edward VI. The Duke of Somerset made a number of renaissance renovations, including the lavish five-bayed loggia connecting the staircase towers. However the Duke of Somerset was ousted as Lord Protector, by the powerful Earl of Warwick, who had Seymour imprisoned in the Tower of London , before being executed for treason. The lands and castle remained in the Seymour family but by the 17^th Century, the Seymours had deserted the castle, leaving it to fall into ruin.

Berry Pomeroy Castle

Berry Pomeroy Castle has been the scene of many strange occurrences and apparitions. It is said a White Lady haunts the dark dungeons of the castle and St Margaret’s Tower. Local legend has it that she is the ghost of Margaret Pomeroy, who was locked in the dungeons and left to starve by her jealous sister Eleanor. There is also a Blue Lady who is said to lure people into the ruins. She is said to be the daughter of one of the Norman Lords of the Castle, who raped her. She then strangled the resulting child in the castle and is said to be the death portent of members of the Seymour Family. Visitors have witnessed strange lights, unearthly sounds and freak winds throughout the ruins, giving Berry Pomeroy Castle its reputation as the most haunted castle in Devon.