Near the village of Moreton Corbet, Shropshire, England, there are some ruins which make up what is left of Moreton Corbet Castle. Actually the ruins are from two different periods in the history of England. One was a stronghold from the medieval times and the other was a manor from the Elizabethan era.
 
In 1086, according to the Doomsday Book, there were two Anglo-Saxon thegns living at Moreton Corbet, Hunning and Wulfgeat. It is possible that they had some kind of fortified residence on the site. The remains of a ditch around the site could possibly be the remnants of this early “castle”. By the early 12th century, another thegn by the name of Toret had replaced them. Toret was an Englishman who held the title of Lord of Moreton Corbet under the authority of the powerful Norman family of Verley.
 
This Toret and Toret Wroxeter, who was probably his son, were responsible for building the square tower keep which still stands today as an icon of Moreton Corbet Castle. During the reign of King John, Bartholomew Toret was lord of the castle. Batholomew became a member of the powerful anti-Plantagenet group called “The Northerners”. In 1215, they forced King John to sign the Magna Carta. When this did not produce the result they wanted, they raised a rebellion against the king.
 
Moreton Corbet Castle was one of the places which was garrisoned against King John. In February 1216, Earl William Marshall of Goodrich Castle, who was, at that time, residing in Shrewsbury, received royal orders to attack Moreton Corbet. He succeeded and a royalist garrison was stationed in the castle. By 1217, Bartholomew Toret and his friend and ally, Robert Corbet of Wattlesborough Castle, had given up on the rebellion and pledged allegiance to King John’s son, Henry III.
 
When Bartholomew Toret died in 1235, he had no male heir. His daughter, Joan, inherited Moreton Corbet Castle. When she married Robert Corbet, the castle became the property of the Corbet family. Before the marriage, the castle was known as Moreton Toret. Robert changed the name to Moreton Corbet. The Corbets still own the castle but they no longer live there. They moved to Acton Reynald Hall in about 1800. English Heritage manages the castle now.
 
The Corbets were responsible for many of the modifications and extensions to Moreton Corbet Castle. When they took over as owners of the castle, they rebuilt the Norman fortress they inherited. They made it into a part-fortified stone residence protected by a curtain wall with an impressive gatehouse. Most probably the fortifications were just eye candy for they were not constructed to withstand a heavy assault on the castle.
 
Around 1560, when Sir Andrew Corbet was lord of the castle, he rebuilt it and added a new east wing with a great hall. Then his son, Robert Corbet, extended the floor space by adding a beautiful L-shaped south wing. This latest addition was considered to be one of the landmarks in English architectural history. It was built based on drawings of Italian villas. However, despite the time and effort devoted to its construction, it stands as an empty shell to this day.
 
A Puritan Ghost
 
There is a story connected to its uninhabited fate. In early 17th century, Puritans were persecuted throughout England. The lord of the castle at that time was Sir Vincent Corbet. He was not a Puritan but he sympathized with their plight. He had a neighbor named Paul Holmyard. Paul was a Puritan. Sir Vincent took pity on Paul and offered him shelter at the castle.
 
However, when he got to know Paul better, Sir Vincent was dismayed by the radical Puritan ideals. Perhaps concern for his own welfare should he be found to be sheltering a refugee weighed in on the side of caution. In the end, he felt compelled to ask Paul to leave.
 
Paul fled into the surrounding countryside. He hid in caves and subsisted on wild berries. He also hunted what wild animals he could to keep alive. After some time, he returned to Moreton Corbet. Sir Vincent Corbet was still busy continuing with the construction of the mansion which was started by his brother, Sir Robert Corbet. When Paul met Sir Vincent, he cursed the Corbet family,
 
“Woe unto thee, hard hearted man, the lord has hardened thy heart as he hardened the heart of the Pharaoh, to thine own destruction.
 “Rejoice not in thy riches, not in monuments of thy pride, for neither thou, nor thy children, nor thy children’s children shall inhabit these halls.
 “They shall be given up to desolation; snakes, vipers and unclean beasts shall make it their refuge, and thy home shall be full of doleful creatures..”
 
Apparently the curse was effective. Sir Vincent Corbet was so mindful of the consequences of the curse that he never set foot in the castle again. Neither did his son, Andrew. The mansion was never completed.
 
It is said that on moonlit nights, the bedraggled ghost of Paul Holmyard has been sighted in Moreton Corbet Castle. It has been seen wandering among the desolate ruins. Perhaps it is checking to see that the building is never completed. Or perhaps it is regretting the curse that it had placed on the premises.
 
Visitors to Moreton Corbet Castle can see for themselves how glorious the building could have become if it had not been cursed. Perhaps some who might be adept with the rites of exorcism might consider doing something to lift the curse.

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Article credited to BBC.co.uk

Wem Town Hall was destroyed by fire for a second time in 1995.

Local people turned out to watch as fire fighters struggled to contain the blaze.

Among the watchers was Tony O'Rahilly, a keen photographer who took pictures of the scene from a safe distance on the other side of the road.

When the photographs were developed there appeared to be the figure of a little girl standing in a doorway on the stairs.

Could this have been Jane Churm, the little girl who was believed to be responsible for causing the 1677 fire?

Mr O'Rahilly sent his mysterious picture to Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena . They sent the photograph and the negative to Dr Vernon Harrison, the former president of the Royal Photographic Society.

He analysed both the photo and the negative and reported that he was satisfied that neither had been doctored: "The negative is a straightforward piece of black and white work and shows no sign of having been tampered with.

He was, however, still sceptical about the picture and suggested that the image of the little girl could have been a trick of the light with smoke, flame and shadow creating an optical illusion at the moment the photographer took his picture.

Photographer Tony O’Rahilly, who died in 2005, said at the time that he had discovered the ghost image when developing his snaps of the town hall fire.

Some time later the photo was examined by experts from the National Museum of Photography, who concluded it was a fake. But others were certain it was genuine.

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Article credited to www.hauntedlocations.net.

Lilleshall Abbey is located in Telford, Shropshire in England.

The abbey was built during the 12th century, founded by Richard de Belmeis.

Richard settled a group of Arrouasian (later know as Augustinian) Canons at the site in 1148.

The abbey was visited twice in the mid 12th century by King Henry 3rd.

Farmland, watermills and properties gained most of the income for the abbey but by the early 14th century the Abbey was in a vast amount of debt.

It was recorded that during the 16th century Lilleshall Abbey was suppressed by order of King Henry 8th and the building and its contents were sold for £75.

The Cavendish family bought the abbey and about a year later in 1539/40 Lilleshall Abbey was passed on to James Leveson of Wolverhampton.

Sir Richard Leveson fortified Lilleshall Abbey for King Charles 1st during the English Civil War. After the war the Abbey was left in ruins.

The Office of Works gained ownership of Lilleshall Abbey in 1950 and the Abbey was restored. It was then passed on to the English Heritage.

Today Lilleshall Abbey is still under the ownership of the English Heritage.

Reported Paranormal Activity

Eyewitnesses have reported seeing the ghost of a man in a black robe with very little hair and carrying a small book, possibly a Bible. He has been reported as being around 5ft 6in tall and middle aged with a warm smile on his face.