Man discovers eerie 'cloaked ghost' in accidental photo at ancient castle
Historical sites see swarms of visitors throughout the year, some who want to know more about the past, and others who are looking for the unknown.
But what happens when the unknown finds you?
An unsuspecting person decided to take a trip in 2009, to the old Oxford Castle which was also used as a prison in the 18th and 19th centuries.
With more than 1,000 years of history, there’s no surprise some of that history could lead to some paranormal happenings in the modern world.
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Oxford Castle was originally built by Robert D'Oyly, who was a friend to the infamous William the Conqueror.
It’s been known to have housed many types of people throughout its history such as kings, sheriffs and then convicts.
Used as a prison for 900 years, it was subsequently cut off from the rest of the city until it was bought and developed as a public visitor site in 2016.
However, a Redditor soon discovered that it didn’t just house lords and the leery, it also held ghosts.
Writing in the subreddit r/Ghosts, user @lewjrew detailed his creepy experience in the castle: “I took this spooky photo way back in 2009, during a visit with my family to Oxford Castle/Prison.
“The photo was an accidental/unintentional shot taken on my digital camera while we were climbing back down the stairs from tower.”
The photo? A creepy figure hidden just out of view from visitors.
They continued: “It appears to show a cloaked figure/white dress in the doorway. The spooky bit, is that I am quite certain that the room was completely empty with no ‘white dress’ as me and my cousin poked our heads in the doorway during the climb up the tower.“
The user only noticed the picture after taking a look back at what they had captured on their trip and found the scary image.
But this is where it gets strange.
“Apparently there is a commonly seen ghost at the castle of Empress Matilda, who is said to have been draped in a white cloak/robe,” they theorised.
Empress Matilda was a real person and the daughter of King Henry the 1st.
She was due to become the first Queen of England after her father fought to gain her loyalty, but in 1135 the King died suddenly, and Matilda fought with her male cousin Stephen of Blois, who contested her right to the throne, naming himself the true successor.
During their fight for the crown, the Empress found herself besieged at Oxford Castle during the winter of 1142 and needed to escape.
It was there, in December, wrapped in a heavy white cloak, she was lowered from the walls of the Castle to sneak past enemy lines.
So, it could well have been Empress Matilda in the picture.
However, the user did come up with a theory that the castle’s ghost tours could be the culprit as staff dress up as characters during the night.
But he ‘didn’t see any other costumes on display or staff dressed in character during our trip which was in the middle of day’.
Commenters came through with their own ghost stories and others immediately shut it down, though it’s the similarity between the Redditor’s photo and depictions of the Empress that’s really creepy.
Britt Jones