Haunting - Moorhaven Plymouth Asylum Devon
Ghosts of Moorhaven Mental Hospital - Moorhaven Village
Many people that we have spoken to have been very wary about the history of Moorhaven (Blackadon Hospital) and the suggestion that paranormal activity takes place there. If you have any other stories on Moorhaven we would love to hear from you. Please contact us through the forum or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
We have no contacts in the area however we have come across several strange stories whilst working on our web pages we have included one such below.
History
Moorhaven was originally the Plymouth Asylum, built in response to a mental health act of the 1880's that required each major county and city to build an asylum for its own patients. J Hine and Odgers submitted the lowest tender of £25,900 and built the main buildings between 1886 and 1889. The hospital, designed to accommodate 203 patients, was formally opened by the mayor of Plymouth, J T Bond, in 1892.
The NHS took over the hospital in 1949 and finally in the 1980's a descision was made nationally to dispose of most asylums. Moorhaven was redeveloped and in 1998 was sold off as private dwellings
Hauntings
The following account was located on the BBC website if you are the author please email us ASAP and we will credit you. We have changed the names in order to preserve their identities:
"David and I were babysitting in a house in Moorhaven. The house in which we baby sit is part of a number of houses that used to be Moorhaven Mental Hospital (previously know as Moorhaven Lunatic Asylum, Blackadon Hospital).
The hospital was home to over 400 mentally ill patients who lived and died at the hospital. Their bodies either buried in the neighbouring chapel or in the morgue (now converted into a nursey). The nursey is said to be haunted by a ghost name Whinnie who haunts the baby room and near the toilets. She has been sighted by workers there. Hannah and I were babysitting one night when, as we sat in the lounge, the whole house blacked out.
We were left in embrace, in pitch black for 2 minutes before the lights returned. When they came back we armed ourselves with two fireplace pokers for protection and went into the hallway, towards the kitchen when the grand piano in the lounge began to play, which we have also encountered on a precious occasion. Having heard this we ran towards a cloakroom at the front of the house, armed still with the pokers and went into the room.
As soon as we had shut the door behind us the lights immediately cut out. We were left in complete darkness for 45 minutes with no phone connection, only the eerie sounds of the house. We were later informed that the houses fuse box, that is connected to the lights and switches, can only be manually switched back on after power failure, which we did not do due to not knowing where the fuse box is situated.
The houses are said to be haunted by the patients that were treated and died at the hospital. We have no doubt that the houses are indeed haunted and hold a tragic terror within them.
Our thanks to:
http://www.bbc.co.ug/devon/have_your_say/myths_legends.shtml
Unknown author
21 Camden Street - Plymouth - Devon
Ghosts of 21 Camden Street - Greenbank, Plymouth
Over the period between early 1995 - 1996 the above address was said to have been dogged by strange paranormal occurrences. The Plymouth Herald reported that strange figures had been seen in the house and that strange noises, whispering and figures had been seen by 2 previous occupants of the building - both of whom had been forced to leave! Steve Hensman was the occupant of the building in 1996 when the incidents where brought to the attention of the Plymouth Herald.
The Devon and Cornwall Housing trust must have treated the matter seriously and 2 separate visits were made by priests in an effort to stop the activity. Mr Hensman was also eventually re-housed.
Today it would appear that the house has returned to normality. The occupants living at the address reported to the Herald in December 2005 that in the 3 years that they had lived there no activity had been experienced.
Was the building haunted? if so who by I suppose that we will never know. If you have any similar stories please let us know.
Berry Pomeroy Castle - Devon
Berry Pomeroy Castle: The Hauntings and the History
Berry Pomeroy Castle is about two miles away from Totnes Bridge and is considered to be one of the most picturesque castles in Devon. However, behind the stone walls and stunning scenery is a dark history and more curiously, a series of hauntings.
History
Built in the 11th century, Berry Pomeroy Castle gained its name from Ralph de Pomeroy, who was a keen follower of William the Conqueror and appears in the Doomsday book of 1086. The Pomeroys were an extremely powerful family in their time and somehow managed to keep the Castle within the families’ possession for around 500 years. Despite this, the family were in danger of losing the property at one point due to the treachery of Henry de Pomeroy. This particular Pomeroy was a supporter of King John during his rebellion against Richard the 1st (or Richard the Lion heart). Of course, when King Richard returned from the crusades and crushed the rebellion Henry de Pomeroy was forced to flee the castle. He held out at the rock of Mount St. Michael until eventually he committed suicide by allowing himself to be bled to death in the roman style. As Henry de Pomeroy was never tried or condemned, King Richard allowed the lands to stay with Henrys two sons.
The Castle eventually ended up in the hands of the Seymour's, the most famous being Lady Jane Seymour who wed the notorious King Henry the 8th. This family decided to renovate the old Castle to bring it up to the current Tudor trends. A large luxurious mansion was built within the Castle walls, at the cost of 20,000 pounds. Five generations of the family continued to live in the mansion, but the Civil War, violent storms and general wear and tear over three hundred years has left the castle in its current grand, but dilapidated state.
Hauntings
There are several supposed hauntings in Berry Pomeroy Castle of which I will try to list hereon. A woman in a long blue cape has been seen around a particular archway and is said to be a Pomeroy daughter who murdered her own illegitimate child.
Photographs have been taken in the area by separate tourists who later discovered the figure of a man in a tricorn hat and a lady in dark clothes who weren’t apparent when the photos were taken. The Castle also boasts its very own “White Lady” who appears in the castle dungeons and upon the ramparts. It is said she is yet another of the unfortunate Pomeroy daughters, who was placed in the dungeons by her jealous sister and left there to starve slowly to death. Also, a child’s cry can be heard from the archways of the castle and visitors have described the site as having a ‘… feeling of absolute desolation, even stark evil…”.
It seems that Berry Pomeroy Castle has an interesting group of hauntings and perhaps it is worth the team at Haunted-Devon to investigate. I’m sure the people who said the place was “stark evil” were exaggerating …
Ralph de Pomeroy
Was at the Battle of Hastings. His home domain was at La Pommeraie in Bayeux, Normandy. Earthworks of his Castle still remain near Falaise called the Chateau Ganne. Granted 60 manors by Duke William, many in Devonshire. His chief domain in Devon was at Berry Pomeroy. Joselin Pomeroy succeeded him. Through Henry, his son, they retained their estates in Normandy at the Castle of Pont-Antou. Either this same Henry, or his son, supported King John (of Magna Carta fame) and held the Castle Pomeroy at his disposal and garrisoned it. The wealth of the Pomeroy estate was large and in the Exon Domesday he held many livestock in the northern part of the county. In the mid sixteenth century the castle and estates went to the Seymours, Dukes of Somerset and the main line became extinct. Junior branches were at Ingeston and Sandridge, and in southern Ireland by the Viscounts Harberton.
Manors: Ash (Bradworthy), Ashcombe, AunkBerry Pomeroy, Radworthy, Brendon, Clyst St George, Curtisknowle, Dunsdon, Heavitree, Highleigh, Huxham, Keynedon, Lank Combe, Mamhead, Peamore, Sheldon, Smallridge, Southweek, Stockleigh Pomeroy, Strete Raleigh, Tale, Upottery, Washfield, Weycroft, Yeadbury, Great Torrington, Bruckland, Caffyns Heanton, Cheriton (Brendon), Dunkeswell, Dunstone (Widecombe in the Moor), Gappah, Holcombe, Mowlish.
Sources:
http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/ghosts/gt_02.html
http://www.britannia.com/history/devon/castles/berrypcast.html
http://www.ghosthaunts.com/3_castles.html
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