The 10 Most Famous Female Ghosts
March 06, 2018 6:00 AM ‐ Paranormal • Ghosts
This article is more than six years old and was last updated in August 2021.
Meet the ten most famous female ghosts from the history of hauntings, from fictional spirits in female form from movies, to famous women from history who are said to have come back from beyond the grave.
10. The Ghost Of Christmas Past
From the world of fiction, the most famous female ghost of all time has to be the Ghost of Christmas Past. One of Charles Dicken's three spooks which came to visit Scrooge on the night of Christmas Eve.
Although in the movie adaptations of 'A Christmas Carol' the spirit is portrayed as a female, in the original story it wasn't clear what gender the ghost was, "...being now a thing with one arm, now with one leg, now with twenty legs, now a pair of legs without a head, now a head without a body: of which dissolving parts, no outline would be visible in the dense gloom where in they melted away."
9. The Girl In The Fire
In 1995 the town hall in the Shropshire town of Wem was completely destroyed by fire. What makes this story really memorable is the photo, which was taken while the building was a blaze. It appears to show a girl stood amongst the flames.
Locals believe the girl seen in the photo, which was taken amateur photographer Tony O'Rahilly, is the ghost of a Jane Churn, a young girl who was accused of arson in the town in 1677.
The photo has since be debunked, but remains one of the most famous ghostly photos of all time and as such is still deserving of a place in this list, which contains other fictional spooks.
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8. The Red Lady Of St. James's Park
A small bridge spans the lake in St. James's Park in Central London, many have reported seeing a headless figure walking in front of them near the Blue Bridge before vanishing.
The figure, known as the Red Lady, is often described as wearing a red dress or cloak, sometimes she is said to be seen coming out of the lake.
She could be the wife of a soldier who, in the 18th century, lured her into the park and murdered her. After removing her head, he attempted to dispose of her body in the lake but was spotted and arrested.
7. Bloody Mary
Photo: pixabay.com
Bloody Mary is a very old ritual, it dates back to an evil, medieval witch by the name of Mary Worth. She was said to be a practitioner of black magic at a time in history when witchcraft was illegal. She was discovered and murdered for her crimes by her husband and daughter. It believed they slit her throat with a shard of glass while she stood in front of a mirror while getting a glass of water.
The witch now shows herself to those who call or summon Mary Worth, she will appear to you in a mirror as an ugly, haggard old lady, covered in blood. The game is dangerous as the witch is said to be angry about her murder and will wreak revenge on anyone who summons her.
Some who have summoned her say that scratches have appeared over their body or face, others say that in rare cases the game results in the player being driven insane, dropping dead on the spot or mysteriously disappearing never to be seen again.
It goes without saying that this is actually nothing more than a fun kid's game, but still the phantom witch ranks as a famous ghost and who doesn't love a good ghost story?
6. The Tulip Staircase Ghost
A former British Columbian priest took this photo in 1966, his subject was the Tulip Staircase in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. He never expected to see a shadowy figure climbing the stairs when he got the photo developed.
5. The Brown Lady Of Raynham Hall
The ghost of Raynham Hall in Norfolk is believed to be Lady Dorothy Townshend, the sister of Robert Walpole. It was rumoured that her husband suspected her of having an affair and locked her away in a remote corner of the house until her death many years later.
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4. The Little Girl Of 30 East Drive
30 East Drive in Pontefract is said to be the most haunted house in the UK. It is most famously haunted by the evil spirit of a 16th Century monk known as the Black Monk of Pontefract. It's believed that the monk assaulted and murdered a young girl. He was hanged for his crimes and he was then thrown down a well and left for dead, that well is said to be right underneath number 30.
The house also has another famous ghost, that of a young girl called Emma. It's said that she is the ghost of one of the Black Monk's victims. Her spirit is said to be much less violent than the Black Monk, she's often described as friendly and mischievous.
3. Hotel Del Coronado
Photo: © Rennett Stowe
The Hotel del Coronado in California is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young woman called Kate Morgan. She checked into the beachside hotel for Thanksgiving in 1892 but never left. Hotel staff said that she was waiting for a man to join her, but after five days alone she took her own life.
Since her death guests and staff at the hotel have reported plenty of paranormal activity, mostly focussed around the room Kate stayed in on the third floor. Guests have experienced flickering lights, a television that turns itself on and off, breezes coming from nowhere, inexplicable scents and sounds, items moving of their own accord, doors that randomly open and close, abrupt changes in room temperature, and unexplained footsteps and voices.
2. Lady Mary Berkeley
Photo: © Derek Voller
Lady Mary Berkeley is a resident spook at Chillingham Castle. It's said she lived in the castle with her husband and he ran off with her sister, she died of heartbreak in a room which is now known as the Grey Apartment. There's now a painting of her in the room which guests have claimed to see her come out of. Other visitors to the castle say they have heard her grey dress rustling.
1. Anne Boleyn
Photo: © Pikous
Millions of tourists flock to London every year to uncover its history and one of the city's busiest and most famous attractions is the Tower Of London, it's regarded as one of the most haunted buildings in London and with a history of over 900 years of torture and execution, it's no surprise.
The most notable spook visitors to the historic castle hope to spot is that of Anne Boleyn, the wife of King Henry VIII. She was beheaded in 1536, and her headless body has been seen walking throughout the building ever since, often near the place of her execution.
Anne really deserves the top spot in this list, as not only is she supposed to haunt the Tower of London, but also London's Hampton Court Palace, where her ghostly apparition has been spotted wearing a blue dress.
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