lO Davis's video: Haunting History Of Corfe Castle Dorset England

Corfe Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is the site of a ruined castle of the same name. Burial mounds around the common of Corfe Castle suggest that the area was occupied from 6000BC. The common also points to a later Celtic field system worked by the Durotriges tribe. Evidence suggests that the tribe co-existed with the Romans in a trading relationship following the Roman invasion c. 50AD. The name "Corfe" is derived from the Saxon word, ceorfan, meaning to cut or carve, referring to the gap in the Purbeck hills where Corfe Castle is situated.The castle stands above the village and dates back in some form to the 10th century. It was the site of the murder of Edward the Martyr in 978. During the English Civil War it was a Royalist stronghold and was besieged twice, in 1643 and again in 1646. It is currently owned by the National Trust and is open to the public. Below the castle there is a bridge that is believed haunted by the headless ghost of a woman, dressed in a long white nightgown. She has been seen several times, the most recent on the 4th July 1967 by a local man, who was driving home at two o'clock in the morning, when the apparition drifted across the road in front of him. One of Corfe Castle's most grisly stories tells of the 18 year old Anglo-Saxon heir to the throne, who was murdered in the grounds of the castle at the orders of his stepmother Queen Elfrida. She was determined to bring about the succession of her son, Ethelred, later known as ‘The Unready’. While in the 14th century Edward II was imprisoned at Corfe prior to his own horrific murder. Another tragic tale is that of Eleanor the “Fair Maid of Brittany” (1184 - 1241). In 1203 she was captured since she posed a threat to John, King of England, as she had a legitimate claim to the throne. The beautiful Eleanor was thus taken to Corfe Castle where she remained a prisoner until her death in 1241. William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber (1144/1153? – 1211), also found ill favour with the king and as a result, his poor wife and child were starved to death at Corfe Castle. The disembodied sounds of a crying child can sometimes be heard around the castle grounds when there is no child to be found anywhere. During the English Civil War, Corfe Castle was successfully defended by the leadership of Lady Bankes, a Royalist, in the absence of her husband who was away on business. However in February of 1646, she was betrayed by one of her own people and the Parliamentary soldiers were then able to take control of the structure. Cromwell’s soldiers destroyed the castle, reducing it quickly to the ruin that we see today. Soon after, stories began to circulate of ghostly occurrences. The best-known apparition is that of the headless ‘White Lady’ who sends chills down the spine of anyone who crosses her path. Floating, flickering lights have also been reported moving around the castle at night. One popular explanation for this is that these are the spirits of the Royalists killed while defending Corfe against Cromwell’s forces. The sound of a galloping phantom horse has been heard and the sighting of an apparition of a man wearing a big floppy hat has been reported too! "I saw a ghost at Corfe Castle" Here http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/…/4380693._I_saw_a_ghost_…/ Corfe Castle Mist Timelapse 19.02.13 by Tom Burn Photography HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ12Yi5GIpk Corfe Castle: Facts and Information HERE http://primaryfacts.com/…/corfe-castle-facts-and-informati…/ http://www.darkdorset.co.uk http://archaicwonder.tumblr.com/ //www.hauntedrooms.co.uk //www.nationaltrust.org.uk Cover photo from http://www.cntraveller.com Photos Name on photos Clips from this video by jamie25152749 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIKSYU6y4Ik Village photos from Google map Music by kevin macleod