Dudley Castle was built in 1070 by Ansculf de Picquigny. Ansculf was a French Baron who came over to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. He was granted permission to build the first castle here in 1070. The Domesday Book records Ansculf's son William possessing the castle. In the early 1100s the Castle went into possession of the Paganel family, who built the first stone castle on this site. The Castle was strong enough to hold off a siege in 1136 against King Stephen's forces, but was demolished in King Henry II's reign.

 

The Somery family moved into the Castle when Gervase's nephew Ralph de Somery succeeded him in 1194. In 1262 Roger de Somery began construction of the second stone castle, but by the time of his death, the castle was far from completion and continued into the 14th Century. The Somery male line ended in 1321 when John Somery died. The Castle went into possession of his sister Margaret and her husband John de Sutton, and their family members subsequently took on the surname of Dudley. After his death the land passed on to his wife Isabel until her death in 1397.

 

In the 1500s another John Sutton is documented inheriting the Castle and land, but was ousted in 1537 by his relative John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. John Dudley rose to prominence during the reign of King Henry VIII. Around 1540, he ordered a new range of buildings within the Castle walls, referred to as the Sharington Range named after the architect. John Dudley was a strong supporter of Lady Jane Grey after the death of boy King Edward VI, and when Mary I arrested Jane and locked her in the Tower of London, she also executed John for treason in 1533. The Castle returned to the Sutton family during Mary's reign, under the ownership of Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley. In 1575 Queen Elizabeth I visited Dudley Castle, and a decade later it was greatly considered as a possible place of imprisonment for Mary Queen of Scots. However, due to financial problems, Edward's son Edward Sutton III married off his granddaughter and heiress Frances Sutton to Humble Ward, the son of a wealthy Goldsmith.

 

Dudley Castle was a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War, and Colonel Thomas Leveson garrisoned the Castle. The Castle was besieged by Parliamentary forces in 1644 and eventually surrendered in 1646. It was partly demolished once more to prevent the fortifications being used again. A stable block was constructed before the year 1700, and in 1750, terror arose when a huge fire broke out at the Castle, destroying most of the habitable buildings. It was then left as a romantic ruin in the early 19th Century. In 1937 the Dudley Zoo was established.

 

On 31st October 2002, the first ever Most Haunted Live took place at Dudley Castle, featuring the likes of Yvette Fielding, Derek Acorah and Richard Felix, with about 500 avid fans seated on the courtyard grounds.

Dudley Castle is one of the most haunted locations in all of the UK. Its most famous ghost is the Grey Lady believed to be Dorothy Beaumont, a woman who lived in the Castle and died in 1646. She walks the castle grounds and is often seen around Halloween. She has been generally seen on the steps by the Tower Keep and also in the ruins of the Kitchen area, with her black cat that follows her. On previous investigations we have had strong EMF activity when mentioning her name at the Keep, and the name 'Dorothy' has appeared on ITC devices at this location as well.

In the Undercroft, disembodied voices are heard, and the ghost of John de Somery haunts this room, sending investigators and visitors running and screaming out the door. Interestingly the Undercroft houses two stone coffins, with one being broken in two pieces. One time on a busy bank holiday many years ago, a cleaner came into the Undercroft to hoover up the carpet. As she knelt down, she looked up and saw a pair of legs wearing big black boots. The poor lady was so frightened she didn't stick around to watch the whole apparition develop and scarpered out the door terrified. On a previous investigation one group witnessed a stone get thrown towards the stage by unseen forces.

Ghostly monks dressed in black cloaks have been seen wandering the castle grounds, with one account saying a group of monks walked together with their hooded heads facing down. In the Cottage, the ghosts of a two females and a male have been sensed and acknowledged here, after a violent murder and two hangings happened shortly afterwards. All three are believed to haunt the Cottage, which is now used as the Castle's main office.

In the Castle Creatures and History Rooms (Sharrington Range), taps and loud bangs are commonly heard in those areas, with footsteps walking above despite the fact there's no floor above, only ruins. Dark shadows are reported on site too. Where the sand pit area is near the Cottage, that was the site of a plague pit dated back to the 14th Century. Also the site was used for mining limestone which makes up most of the castle ruins, and many men would've died from stone collapse and other means.

DATE: Friday 11th October 2024

 

TIMES: 9:00pm - 3:00am (Arrive at exactly 8:30pm and wait at the green gates at the Zoological Drive Car Park until a member of staff is there. DO NOT BE LATE!)

 

We will be driving up to the Castle together at 8:30pm so please arrive on time as gates will close after this time and you will miss out. After the event has finished, there may be a 10 minute waiting time where both the team, staff and guests will exit the Castle site together via the green gates at The Fellows Pub. This is because of a safety policy operated by the Dudley Castle management. Apologies if this may be an inconvenience.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: We will be driving up to the Castle together at 8:30pm so please arrive on time as gates will close after this time and you will miss out. After the event has finished, there may be a 10 minute waiting time where both the team, staff and guests will exit the Castle site together via the green gates at The Fellows Pub. This is because of a safety policy operated by the Dudley Castle management. Apologies if this may be an inconvenience.

 

LOCATION: Dudley Zoo and Castle, Castle Hill, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 4QF

 

PARKING AT EVENT: On the Castle site - Castle staff and BP team will direct you on where to park here DO NOT USE THE FELLOWS PUB CAR PARK.

 

REMAINING BALANCE: Needs to be paid FOUR WEEKS prior to the event date. Failure to pay your remaining balance before this deadline will result in you forfeiting your places and your places will be sold on.

 

WHAT TO BRING: A torch, a warm coat/jacket, sensible footwear, any equipment you wish to bring along (your responsibility), your positive and open-minded energies.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Bringing alcohol or drugs to this event is strictly prohibited. If anyone arrives at the event under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they will not be allowed to stay for the night and will be asked to leave immediately.