Hotel Spooked! Exclusive-Use Ghostly Guest May Not be Maud After All!
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A medieval Northumberland castle hotel, acclaimed as a venue for exclusive-use events such as private hires, weddings and bar mitzvahs, is currently, during UK lockdown, allowing its resident ghost to enjoy true exclusive use of the impressive rooms within its seven-feet thick walls. But, having had a bit of time to check out the credentials of its sole guest, the hotel is now appealing to genealogists to clarify exactly who she was!
For many years, both Langley Castle Hotel’s staff, and some of the visitors arriving at this impressive fortified hotel, located around seven miles from Hexham, have claimed to have seen an apparition which they have described as the ‘grey lady’. All of who have seen her speak of a woman who is sobbing uncontrollably and heading towards a window. She is said to look back, with a tear-stained face, and then jump.
Over the course of many years, it has been said that this was Maud de Lucy, who was broken-hearted when her knight husband was killed in battle and who, on hearing the news of his death, jumped from the castle’s highest window, at which she had yearned for his return.
But this is where the tale becomes interesting, as tracking down who this grey lady appears to be has become a little problematic.
Over the years, some have claimed she was the wife of the knight who built Langley Castle in 1350, Sir Thomas De Lucy, one of King Edward III’s favourite knights, having distinguished himself at the Battle of Crecy and been rewarded with 40 sacks of wool. The castle is said to have been built to protect his family against the Scots and was financed through the spoils he gained during the French wars. He died the year after the castle was completed, in 1365.[i]
However, a study of the genealogy of the De Lucy family reveals that Sir Thomas, born in Copeland in Cumbria, was the husband of Margaret de Multon and father to Maud de Lucy, who was born in 1350 at Egremont in Cumbria. That, in itself is not an issue, but records show that Maud de Lucy married twice – firstly to Gilbert de Umfraville, Earl of Angus and Baron of Prudhoe, and then to Henry Percy, First Earl of Northumberland.
Gilbert did indeed die in a battle – the Battle of Neville’s Cross in 1381 – but Maud remarried that same year. She died in 1398 and her second husband died in battle in 1408. So, who is the sorrow-filled grey lady?
Digging deeper, Langley Castle has discovered that Sir Thomas de Lucy had two wives, marrying again following the death of Margaret in 1341. Some records show that he married an Agnes de Beaumont, whose birth date is said to have been 1323, but whose death is shrouded in mystery.[ii] This now creates one big question. Has the grey lady been wrongly named ‘Maud’, when she is, in fact, Agnes, stepmother to Maud?
Langley’s executive general manager, Margaret Livingstone-Evans says: “The story about Maud has been passed down through time and seems to have become a little confused. Lockdown has given us some time to try to enrich our hugely popular daily Battlements Tour information, so that whenever we can this amazing castle - probably the only example of a fortified medieval castle hotel in England – that can be even more fact-filled. But having delved deeper into the past, we now have one burning question – who is the grey lady and has Agnes been living in the shadows for too long?”
Langley – North East Hotel of the Year 2018 - is now appealing to genealogy experts and history buffs to help it determine whether its sole lockdown, exclusive-use guest has indeed been checked in under the wrong name for decades, if not centuries, explaining more about her and why she might be suffering such uncontrollable sorrow.
To assist with this, the castle wonders whether answers might be found in Cumbria, from where the De Lucy family came and where Maud de Lucy was buried with her older brother, Anthony, at St Bees church. More information about the castle’s rich history can also be found at www.langleycastle.co.uk
One thing is for sure. Whilst the ‘grey lady’ has the free run of the 27-bedroomed, 14th century castle, she will be living in total luxury, whether she’s enjoying a sauna or spa bath, dancing under the chandeliers in the drawing room, or resting in a four-poster bed. That really is exclusive use!
[i]
[ii] https://www.geni.com/people/Agnes-de-Beaumont/6000000058221137827
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Editors notes
Langley Castle, built in 1350, is located in Langley-on-Tyne, Northumberland and is one of the few authentic, fortified medieval castles in England. It has a rich history, with strong links to Jacobite rebellions, is located just a stone's throw from the World Heritage Site of Hadrian's Wall and boasts features including battlements, seven-feet-thick walls, window seats set into the walls and the best example of medieval garderobes in Europe. It is one of the most exquisite wedding venues in the north and also offers a wide range of options when it comes to exclusive use, with the castle being available for weddings, family celebrations, Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs, D&D-style events and a wide variety of corporate functions.
The Josephine Restaurant at Langley Castle Hotel, Northumberland
