A haunted house in Oliver Cromwell’s house and brothels with ghostly traces: Britain’s ten most haunted cities revealed

Ely in Cambridgeshire is the most haunted town in Britain – based on an analysis of more than 67 million newspaper pages.

Family history website Findmypast analyzed its extensive archive to find out which of Britain’s 76 towns had the most ghost stories to tell.

Researchers examined newspaper archives published between 1710 and 2021 to find out which city was mentioned the most in articles about ghosts. The numbers were then adjusted for population size, using an average historical value to reflect changes over time.

Ely had nine mentions of ghosts in newspapers per 100 residents. The haunted Cambridgeshire location was just ahead of the other cathedral cities in the top five: Durham (second), Salisbury (third), York (fourth) and Oxford (fifth).

Researchers examined newspaper archives published between 1710 and 2021 to find out which city was mentioned the most in articles about ghosts. It revealed that Durham came second with seven mentions per 100 residents

In the medieval cathedral city of Salisbury, six ghosts were reported for every 100 inhabitants. Researchers have uncovered written accounts of ghostly events dating back to 1861

According to the analysis, the cathedral city of York came in fourth with six reports of ghosts per 100 residents

In sixth place is Lincoln with five ghost reports, followed by Armagh (seventh) and Cambridge (eighth) with four reports each. Canterbury (ninth) and Derby (tenth) each had three entries per 100 inhabitants.

Research in the archives has uncovered a number of eerie tales from the past 300 years that explain why Ely came first.

First there is this Haunted house in Oliver Cromwell’s houseas the Lynn Advertiser reported in 1997.

Oliver Cromwell and his family moved to Ely in 1636 and lived for ten years in a 13th-century house near Ely Cathedral. Cromwell inherited the estate during his time and was Member of Parliament for nearby Cambridge, long before the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642.

This 13th century Ely house was lived in by Oliver Cromwell between 1636 and 1646. The bedroom is said to be haunted

The house has now become a popular tourist attraction and the bedroom is said to be haunted – some say it is the ghost of Oliver Cromwell himself. Visitors to the property have reportedly seen orbs and ghostly figures.

The following is a story reported by the Cambridge Independent Press in 1866 Creepy story about the ghost of Jeremiah “Jerry” Newell.

Jerry is believed to have died after getting very drunk and “sleeping on a damp pile of dung”. After his death, the residents of Ely claimed to have seen Jerry’s ghost at a place called Potter’s Lane, where he lived. An elderly woman was the first resident to encounter Jerry’s ghost, and an 1866 newspaper report said she was “scared to death.”

Newspaper reports of ghostly happenings in Ely (above) date back to the 19th century

The next night, neighbors stood watch and his ghost reappeared, causing one of the witnesses to faint. Following the sightings, several Potter’s Lane residents even considered leaving the area.

As reported in the Ely Times in 2015: Ghosts and ghostly noises have also been reported at several brothels in Ely. The Big Four brothel in central Ely is said to be haunted by the angry wife of a former brothel guest.

There have been reports of people hearing footsteps on empty floors. Another building called Mr G’s, just a block away from the Big Four, is also said to be haunted.

Mr G’s used to be a brothel when the building was called The Bank Club. Doors in the building were seen opening and closing on their own, and two witnesses even refused to re-enter.

Interesting stories for the rest of the top three

The second most famous castle in Durham is said to be haunted Gray lady – apparently the wife of a 19th century Bishop of Durham – who fell to his death from a height.

The analysis also revealed terrifying stories from Durham, which is said to be haunted by the Gray Lady, the wife of a 19th-century Bishop of Durham, who fell to her death.

Meanwhile, in 1861, the Wiltshire County Mirror reported a story, apparently dating back to 1669, about a Salisbury doctor and his wife haunted by apparitionswhile “in the room above them great noises were made above their heads”.

Jen Baldwin, research specialist at Findmypast, said: “From Dickens to the woman in black, people in Britain have clearly been fascinated by ghost stories for centuries.”

“Whether Ely really is a hotbed of paranormal activity or has a scarier history than most, it remains fascinating to see the forms in which this subject has appeared in newspapers then and now.

“This Halloween, it’s easier than ever to discover spooky stories from your hometown, thanks to the 70 million historical pages searchable online on Findmypast.” Who knows, you might even discover that one of your own ancestors in black and white was involved in a spooky local event.”