Ghost Hunting At St Briavels Castle Gloucestershire

The castle was in Royal possession by the 1160s and was rebuilt, with the small but impressive keep, by Henry II (1154-89). The Forest of Dean was important for another reason - it was one of the centres of the medieval iron industry, small scale by present day standards but a vital source of supply for the manufacture of weapons, especially crossbow bolts. Under Edward I (1272-1307), thousands of crossbow bolts were produced at the castle in preparation for the king's Welsh and Scottish campaigns. Edward took care to ensure that his arsenal was well protected, adding the massive twin-towered gatehouse to the castle in 1292. With the conquest of Wales completed by the end of the 15th century, the castle's importance declined rapidly and unused buildings were demolished in 1680. The gatehouse became a prison where those accused of committing offences within the forest area were held while awaiting trial. A number of prisoners' inscriptions remain which testify to the unwholesomeness of the gaol but the legend that criminals were hanged from the battlements seems unlikely. Fines were a far more profitable form of punishment - or mutilation, which served as a public reminder of the consequences of breaking the King's law Many ghosts have been reported over the years. In the Solar Room is the ghost of the crying child, it is one of the more prolific ghosts, being heard on many occasions. Recently during ceiling repairs to the room, the wrapped corpse of a young baby fell from the rafters - possibly confirming the source of the crying baby! Another ghost haunts the grounds of the castle towards where the castle keep used to stand. He is a gentleman in a full suit of armour, who stands quite intimidating, watching your every move. The moonlight often shines on his armour and then in a blink of an eye he disappears. When he appeared in the 1950's it was rumoured that he was one of William the Conqueror's soldiers. Other areas of the castle also have reported paranormal activity; the "Hanging" room has paranormal activity and a strange atmosphere, while the Oubliette room has sent previous occupants leaving in the middle of the night to get away from the castle! The castle's jail has a strange atmosphere and the original graffito on the walls confirm that it was often the last place they saw before their deaths