Friday, November 21, 2008

Question from Catherine - Anne Boleyn's ghost

Hi there, i am very interested in anne boleyn and there is a rumour that on the 19th of may every year anne boleyn's ghost appears at blickling hall. is this true?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is it true that her ghost appears? I guess that depends on whether or not you belive in ghosts. I do not, so I must say no, it is not true.

Anonymous said...

No.

Lara said...

I have to agree with PhDH on this, since I also don't believe in ghosts. But I guess the broader question (which I should have put in the main post) about the Boleyn connection with Blickling. I vaguely recall one, but I haven to admit to being a little too lazy to look it up this evening. ;)

Anonymous said...

The National Trust's web-site has a statement which says "Blickling Hall is reputedly the home of Anne Boleyn's headless ghost".

There must be some basis for that :)

Some folks have been able to 'tune in' to some presence which they then identified as Anne. The home is associated with her...perhaps the suggestion is already there that her ghost will be encountered?

So, in this case Catherine...I'm going to say that yes, Anne appears at Blickling Hall on May 19, as well as appearing at the Tower of London on the same day.

She is a busy 'person'.

Anonymous said...

I think you will find that many of our stately homes and historic royal palaces have managed to avail themselves of a resident ghost, which is good for business. For example, the ghost of Kathryn Howard is supposed to run down the corridors at Hampton Court. Even YouTube is in on the act, with videos of the 'ghosts' of both Henry VIII and Lady Jane Grey available for your inspection today!

Marilyn

Merlin said...

If I remember rightly, Bickling Hall (in Norfolk) was the original family seat and Anne was probably born there. Her father purchased Hever Castle some years later. As for her ghost walking- who knows? I expect there are more ghost stories connected with her than with any of the other wives. I once read somewhere that even at the time, people swore they had seen hares running on the anniversary of her death- proof that she was a witch...

Bearded Lady said...

I wrote about this one for scary raucous royals October. The Blickling Hall ghost tale also claims that Anne Boleyn rides up every year in a horse drawn coach. Now I ask you - why a coach? They did not exist in Anne's court. If you were going to haunt a place, wouldn't you choose the mode of transportation that you used during your life? Why doesn't Anne's ghost use a litter?

Anonymous said...

Merlin is right.. Blickling Hall was the original family seat. Some believe that Anne may have been born there (if she was born in 1501 or 1502).

But really, if she was going to haunt someplace, why Blickling? She had no real attachment to the place. She loved Hever Castle above all other places.

Many old castles and tourist sites like to report on ghost sightings of famous historical figures. It helps bring in business.

On a side note.. Ever see the movie 1408? The main character is a writer that visits places that report to have ghosts.. Proving that they're just a hoax to bring in money. Good movie.

Anonymous said...

Since we're talking Annie One's ghost...has it ever been reported that she haunts Hever?

Anonymous said...

A lot of places say that you can see annes ghost! i think a lot of places capitalize on the fact that it was known to famous people. For example, some say that you can see Elizabeth 1's ghost at Richmond Palace, where she died. Im not sure what i believe, but i know that when i went to Hampton Court, in the corrider Kathryn Howard is supposed to haunt, it definatly turned chilly and their was a strange feel.

Elizabeth M. said...

There was a book I saw many years ago on famous ghosts, and it had a photograph of what purported to be Anne's ghost coming down a flight of stairs at Blickling. She is supposed to haunt the Tower--guards have supposedly reported seeing her. There is also a tale that she comes out as a hare in the Norfolk countryside on the 19th of May, a hare being a sign of a witch.
I do believe in ghosts--the human energy--spirit--has to go somewhere. Wouldn't it be just too neat to run into her ghost? I would love it!!! :)

Anonymous said...

I think that ghosts may exist, but I have to say that all the sightings of Anne's ghost are not so believable. So many different places claim her as a ghost, it is hard to believe (especially when she supposedly has headless horses and a carriage and what not).

I think, if she haunts any place, it would be the Tower. So much sorrow, misery, and stress, she may have left a mark. I doubt her ghost travels the streets to Hever, Blickling, the Tower, and whatever other places on the day of her execution!

Anonymous said...

Admittedly I don’t believe in ghosts and, rather cynically, I view many Anne Boleyn ghost stories as mere tales to draw in tourists. I have briefly worked at one place that is somewhat related to Anne Boleyn and know firsthand how employees at historical sites can embellish certain aspects for the visitors. There is nothing wrong in this and I tend to see such harmless stories in an amusing light.

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone has claimed to have seen Anne Boleyn’s ghost at Blickling. I have heard the same sort of story connected to the vaguest of places (which Anne visited very briefly throughout her life). It seems that any place visited by this figure is liable to an alleged visit from the lady herself!

Anonymous said...

Tracey, regarding Anne haunting Hever:

There is a show on The Travel Channel on Friday nights called Most Haunted. It's an English show where they go out to various old manors, inns, pubs, etc. to look for ghosts. As they rely on "psychics", the show can be unbelievably lame and I can seldom watch an entire episode because it is so stupid. The only reason I watch it at all is that they go to some fascinating places. Earlier this year they went to Hever. We got a nice tour (in the dark) of the place, and the "psychic" at one point identified a room as having the imprint of Anne (or something like that) but did not detect her presence there. In fact he seemed focused on a priest in hiding having died there, which struck me as odd since the Boleyns were staunch Protestants. I don't know who owned the place after them though.

But if even the "psychic" said there was no ghost, I'm inclined to think there isn't. (For the record, I don't believe in ghosts. I'm open to having my mind changed, but I think it would take a lot to convince me.)

Anonymous said...

I agree with Kathy that Most Haunted was awful!

Hever was given to Anne of Cleves by Henry after Anne Boleyn's father died, and then, in Mary's reign, to the staunchly Roman Catholic Waldegrave family who were persecuted in later years for hsrbouring priests; a 'psychic' could easily have found that out.

On a lighter note, if you Google "Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm - Holloway" you will find Stanley Holloway's irreverent offering about Anne's ghost getting into all sorts of awkward situations,

With her head tucked underneath her arm
She walked the Bloody Tower.
With her head tucked underneath her arm
At the midnight hour.....

Not very politically correct nowadays, but they thought it was a lot of fun 60 years ago - although it's not a patch on his account of the Battle of Hastings fought according to the rules of football!

Marilyn

Anonymous said...

well ANNE BOLEYNS ghost could NOT appear at her excution spot and well practically appearing as a hare and such whatnot... I am a ghost hunter and i must tell you , i go with how she stays at the tower trying to make the unkind king suffer for his evil doings . does she relize she has not passed? It is possible to think that she thinks that the whole exicution was a nightmare... Which ever of those hypothesises you might some how believe , they might just be true ... keep on believing and dont let ANYONE tell you ghosts dont exist!!!!

thanks for te opportunity to do some new research!!!

ask me anytime for questions on ghosts!!! ,


logan

Anonymous said...

I have seen a picture of Anne Boleyn`s ghost

Amanda

Anonymous said...

i think its true i mean i have no proof and i've never left the country but i do thing ghosts exist. ive been fasinated with anne boelyn for awhile now and this ghost story doesnt seem that unbeleiveable. i mean she was wrongly accused of adultery, withcraft,and more just so henry could find a new wife. so if it is her ghost haunting the tower id beleive it.