Ghosts in Carew Castle and sightings across Pembrokeshire

It is also a time when many people become curious about any spooky goings on in their area, whether it is suspected hauntings, UFO sightings or anything that could send a shiver down your spine.

Here we take a look at some of the spookiest stories to come out of Pembrokeshire over the centuries, including ghosts of apes in Carew Castle, shadowy figures on roads and much more.

Carew Castle’s ghosts

Like most ancient buildings, Carew Castle has many ghost stories associated with it, with the most famous being the barbary ape ghost.

This ghost is said to be seen on the stairway of Carew Castle on dark stormy nights, climbing to the battlements before letting out a howl. But what is the ghost? The ghost is a Barbary ape which came from the Barbary Coast of Africa and was the pet of the castle’s 17th century owner Sir Roland Rhys.

During his time at the castle, Sir Roland’s son eloped with the daughter of a local Flemish merchant called Horowitz, who then confronted Sir Roland at the castle in a heated argument due to his anger at the marriage.

Sir Roland is set to have set the ape on the man, with Horowitz barely surviving the savage mauling. As he left, he is said to have cursed Sir Roland, wishing the same fate on him.

That same night, the curse came into effect according to the legend. Servants heard screams coming from the northwest tower and rushed to investigate, finding their master on the floor in a pool of blood, having died from his throat being ripped open. Some of the sources telling the story say that the ape led dead next to him, with others saying that the ape was nowhere to be seen.

Also in Carew Castle is said to be the ghost of Princess Nest who roams the halls. The kindly spirit is described as a ‘white lady’ and when alive was one of the most beautiful women in Wales. Nest – the daughter of Rhys ap Tewder, the king of Deheubarth – is reported to have given birth to the son of King Henry I at the end of the 11th century after being in his court in London.

She was married off to Gerald de Windsor, a Norman knight in charge of Pembroke Castle, but being unhappy with the marriage – just like her husband, with Nest having never met her husband-to-be and Gerald was mourning the death of his mistress – Nest was able to take her servant and good friend Branwen with her. But following their marriage, Nest and Gerald did fall in love.

They were the first owners of Carew Castle, with the castle being built as their family home on land owned by Nest. However, things did not go smoothly for the princess as she was taken hostage by her cousin Owain after he laid siege to the castle. She was held at Cilgerran Castle for six years, having at least two children with her captor. Gerald and the couple’s five children evaded capture by escaping through the sewers and Gerald would later rescue Nest and kill Owain.

He died a year later and Nest would go on to marry Stephen, the castellan of Cardigan Castle and had another child.

Carew Castle was, however, Nest’s home and it is said that she can be seen during daylight or in the flood of the full moon and she welcomes visitors to her castle like she would have when she was alive.

Pembrokeshire’s ghosts in the road

There are a number of stories of ghosts wandering around Pembrokeshire’s roads, with the most famous being the A4076 Johnston sightings. It is believed that the road is one of the most haunted in Wales.

A number of crashes have happened on the road over the years, with some being reportedly caused by mysterious shadowy figures. A number of motorists have reported having to slam on their brakes as shadowy figures dart across the road and that shadows have been seen standing on the side of the road.

There is also a report of the ghost of a lonely woman who can be seen walking along the road. Motorists say they glimpse her out of the corner of their eye on approach to the crossroads and when they get out of their cars to check if they hit something, there is nothing there.

Another road ghost is the Waterston Lady. It is said that an old woman in a ragged dress can be seen with an eerie blue glow along Waterston Road between Llanstadwell and Waterston around 10pm and midnight on Saturdays and at times can be seen carrying a bundle of rags.

On the same road towards Blackbridge, it is also said that a ghostly horse and carriage can occasionally be seen.

In the 17th century, a coach would take a lady from Sampson crossroads through Jameston and Lydstep and Penally to Tenby. It was said that on moonlit nights, the lady, coachman and horse could be seen headless along the stretches of road.

Ghostly sightings and sounds in buildings

There are several reports of various buildings being haunted and here, we highlight two further interesting stories.

At Manorbier Castle, there was said to be a ‘white lady’ ghost which appeared to soldiers during the First World War. The report stated that a relief guardsman stationed on the battlements noticed his companion was passed out on the village green rather than at his post. When asked, he later said that he was approached by a woman in white who did not stop when challenged. He fired a shot and it went through her causing him to panic so he fled and fainted.

Animal ghosts

A number of animal ghosts have been seen and encountered with across Pembrokeshire according to reports.

One such incident took place in Camrose around 1830. The acting steward of the Camrose estate would often walk to Haverfordwest and on his way home one dark evening, he became aware of a loud commotion taking place in the wood. From the sound, he assumed that it was between some animals and wondered what bull had gotten into a neighbour’s territory and what dogs had joined in. He continued walking and arrived at a bridge, where he saw a huge black dog rising above the trees, roaring and swooping down close to him and into the stream beyond the bridge, leaving him terrified.

Another animal ghost story in Pembrokeshire is Hwch Ddu Gwta – Tailless Black Sow in English. It is said to be a large, black beast with red eyes and reportedly terrorised the people of Narberth for centuries. It is believed to haunt the banks of the stream nearby and anyone who crosses its path will be carried off to the underworld as it seizes the soul.

Due to these stories, it is said that no one would cross the river after dark but one day, a man – who had spent an evening at the local tavern – decided to cross it on his horse in defiance. He kept his eyes closed however, to not see the beast if the stories were true.

As the horse galloped towards the bridge, it missed and fell into the river. The man resurfaced and is said to have seen the beast glaring at him from across the bank.

As he fled back to the tavern on foot, his screams were so loud that it woke people in every house he passed and he is said to have never ventured out again.

There is also an old story of supernatural hounds appearing in Narberth. According to the First Branch of the Mabinogi, the beings appeared to Pwll, prince of Dyfed whilst he was out hunting a stag. It was written in folklore: “And of all the hounds he had seen in the world, he had never seen dogs of this colour – they were a gleaming, shining white, and their ears were red. And as the whiteness of the dogs shone so did the redness of their ears.”

Pre-warnings of death from spectral beings

There are reports of disturbing sounds around St Davids called ‘cyhyraeth.’ Reverend Edmund Jones wrote about the sounds: “That it is a doleful and disagreeable sound heard before the deaths of many, and most apt to be heard before foul weather: that the voice resembles the groaning of sick persons who are to die; heard at first at a distance then comes nearer, and the 7last near at hand; so that it is a threefold warning of death, the King of terrors. It begins strong, and louder than a sick man can make, the second cry is lower; but not less doleful, but rather more so; the third yet lower, and soft like the groaning of a sick man, almost spent and dying… If it meets any hindrance in the way, it seems to grow louder.”

Happy Hallowe’en.