Sister Barbara the ghost of Marham Abbey, Vinegar HIll, Marham, Norfolk

In 1249 Isabel, Countess of Arundel founded the Cistercian Marham Abbey, it was dedicated to St Mary, St Barbara and St Edmund and was home to between 10 and 15 nuns.

Unfortunately in later years the abbess, Sister Barbara behaviour was far from saintly!

Sister Barbara was in league with a band of robbers who attacked travellers on nearby Vinegar Hill, the main route from Swaffham to Kings Lynn. The robbers not only stole from unwary travellers but aso made sure to leave them unconscious so that they could be "rescued" by the nuns at Marham Abbey. Of course the travellers, and their families, were grateful to be rescued and cared for and they showed their gratitude by giving gifts to the Abbey which became very prosperous.

As Marham Abbey continued to prosper the monks at nearby Pentney became suspicious of how this wealth was being achieved, they began to spy on Marham Abbey and on Sister Barbara in particular. It was only a matter of time before she was seen paying the band of robbers and Sister Barbara's fate was sealed. She suffered the punishment of being bricked up alive.

Sister Barbara is immortalized on the traditional Norfolk village sign, but that's not the only place she can be seen. It's said that on bright November nights the ghost of Sister Barbara walks Vinegar Hill.

As an aside it would seem that Sister Barbara's fate did not deter the bad behaviour of the nuns of Marham Abbey. In 1536 they were accused of disreputable behaviour and the nunnery was one of the first to be dissolved in Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monastries.

You may also be interested in other November hauntings:

The Ghostly Bell of Thunderfield Castle

Image: By JohnArmagh (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Comments

Hannath Hall

Hannath Hall, a private dwelling in Tydd Gote near Wisbech has a long history of paranormal activity. It's an Elizabethan manor house, formerly known as Sparrow's Nest until purchased by Josepth Hannath in 1812. Legend tells that when Joseph's wife died he became deranged and refused to allow the body to leave the house. For two months Joseph Hannath kept his wife's body in her bedroom and insisted that her meals were taken to her. One poor maid was driven to suicide by this madness and it's believed to be her ghost that has been seen walking the corridors of the house. Eventually Joseph allowed his wife to be buried, under a chestnut tree in the garden. But some say that thereafter no-one could sleep in the bedroom where the body had been kept. Fast forward to 1957 when a Peterborough journalist has car troubles near Hannath Hall. The then owners, Derek and Catherine Page (Derek Page went on to become the MP for Kings Lynn) invite him in and inevitably ...

The Princes in the Tower ghosts of Edward V and Richard, Duke of York

Nobody really knows the truth about the fate of Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York, their ghosts are said to haunt the Tower of London the last place they were seen alive. In 1483 following the death of his father, Edward IV, Edward V set out from Ludlow to London for his coronation. Along the way his train was intercepted, at Stony Stratford, by his Uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. Several of Edward's entourage were captured and and sent to Pontefract Castle where they were later executed. Edward continued his journey to London in the custody of his Uncle. Upon his arrival in London Edward was lodged in the Tower which was in those days a Royal residence. Word of what looked like a coup d'etat had reached Edward's mother Queen Elizabeth and she sought sanctuary for herself and her children in Westminster Abbey. Edward's younger brother Richard, the Duke of York was with her. She was however persuaded to rele...

Sarah Preston the ghost of Boston Stump a September Haunting

The ghost of Sarah Preston, who was blamed for spreading the plague that resulted in over 400 deaths in Boston, is a recurring ghost that is said to be more active during the month of September. Sarah lived in a cottage in the shadow of St Botolphs church in the Lincolnshire town of Boston, the principal port of England in medieval times, and it here, in her husband's absence, that she entertained a sailor who, unbeknown to Sarah, was carrying the plague. Guilt stricken, Sarah Preston climbed the 365 steps to the top of St Botolph's tower, known as Boston Stump, and committed suicide by leaping from the top. Sarah's ghost has been seen to jump from the top of the tower only to disappear before touching the ground. Image: Immanuel Giel via Wikimedia Commons Other September hauntings: Ghost of King Edward II Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire The Grenadier Pub, Wilton Row, London The Ghost of Annie Chapman, a September Haunting The ghost of Amy Robsart wife of Sir...

Haunted Isles -in the company of spirits

Search This Blog