Scotney Castle

The ghost of a customs and excise man who was killed has been seen here; he had chased Arthur Darrell, a smuggler and owner of the castle in the 1700s before the two became involved in a tussle. His body was thrown in into the moat and according to a late 2025 article, "The story goes that from time to time, the excise man rises from the water, walks to a door that no longer exists and silently knocks on the door before vanishing." To escape authorities, it is believed that Darrell faked his own death, filling his coffin with stones and fled overseas. The 2025 article talks of whispering and footsteps and attribute them to Walter de Scoteni, who owned the castle in the 1200s; "One day, de Scoteni accompanied Richard de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, and his brothers and cousin to a parliament in Oxford. On the way back, it was alleged de Scoteni poisoned de Clare and his brother, William. He was later found guilty and hanged. It is said his ghost walks the castle ... Furthermore, in the early 1900s a young woman, who worked at the castle, had been jilted by her fiance. She was found drowned in the moat, with some believing she had cast herself from the tower. The coroner concluded she was murdered and she was given a Christian funeral." Some visitors claim they have seen her walking around the castle in a white shift dress."

Update 24/11/21: Staff at the castle responded to my Facebook query for recent occurrences; "there haven't been any reports that we know of."

Link: BBC

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