7 Historical Figures Who Inspired Ghost Stories

Who doesn't enjoy a good ghost story? Tales of spirits, specters, headless phantoms, and ghoulish goings-on populate the history and folklore of countries around the globe. Many of these ghosts remain nameless, but there are numerous entities that are said to be the wandering wraiths of real historical figures. Here are just a few whose unquiet souls are said to still terrorize the living.

1. The Lady of Raynham Hall
2. Pausanias
3. Abraham Lincoln
4. Anne Boleyn
5. Catherine Howard
6. Lady Isabella Shaw
7. Marie Antoinette

The Lady of Raynham Hall

The 400-year-old Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, is the setting for arguably one of the most well-known ghostly figures ever captured on camera. The picture in question, taken in 1936 and published in Country Life magazine, shows the ethereal figure of a woman poised on an elegant staircase. This is said to be the ghost of Lady Dorothy Walpole, who lived between 1686 and 1726. Known for her great beauty and charisma, Dorothy's marriage to Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, was said to be unhappy. Legend has it that Townshend locked her away and left her to starve to death.

Pausanias

The idea of ghosts is as ancient as written history itself, and for this entry we're going right back to around 470 BC and the figure of Pausanias. A Spartan military commander and member of the Agiad royal family, Pausanias led the Greek forces that defeated the Persians at the great battle of Plataea in 479.

He was clearly a gifted leader, but his adoption of certain Persian clothing and customs sowed seeds of doubt in the minds of his peers. Accused of treachery, Pausanias sought sanctuary in the Temple of Athena. His former Spartan comrades walled him in there alive and left the poor commander to starve to death. That his vengeful ghost was later said to have appeared to haunt the place should probably come as no surprise!

Abraham Lincoln

The 16th President of the United States certainly lived through turbulent times. He guided the country through a destructive civil war, pushed through the abolition of slavery, and finally met his unfortunate end at the hands of an assassin.

Hauntings are often associated with violent deaths, and reports of Lincoln's ghost being sighted in the White House date to a time only shortly after his death. The earliest tales of this nature are thought to have originated with Jeremiah Smith, who served in that establishment for many years and once told reporters that the White House was haunted by the ghosts of all of America’s deceased presidents.

Anne Boleyn

Another ghost associated with violent death, Anne Boleyn—who was born during the early years of the 16th century—is famous for becoming the second wife of King Henry VIII, and for having been beheaded by order of her husband on grounds of treason.

It's thought that Henry's Chief Minister Thomas Cromwell was the architect behind Anne’s downfall, since the two had fallen out over religious matters and foreign policy. Anne’s spectral, headless figure has been sighted both at the Tower of London and in her presumed birthplace of Blickling Hall in Norfolk, England.

Catherine Howard

Next, we jump forward to another of King Henry VIII’s unfortunate wives—his fifth, Catherine Howard. Catherine was actually a first cousin of Anne Boleyn. She married Henry in 1540 at just 17 years of age. Her husband was 49 at the time. Rumors later began to surface of Catherine's supposed love affair with one of Henry's courtiers, Thomas Culpeper. She was also accused of having led a prior romance with Francis Dereham. She was executed at the Tower of London on 13 February 1542, and her spirit is said to haunt the rooms and corridors of Henry's Hampton Court Palace, where she can be heard begging for mercy.

Lady Isabella Shaw

Now run as a hotel, the splendidly named Ballygally Castle lies in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and dates back to the 17th century. It is frequently cited as one of the most haunted places in that country, and its star specter is one Lady Isabella Shaw.

Legend tells that, after giving birth to a daughter, Isabella fell out of favor with her husband, Lord James Shaw, who supposedly locked her in one of the castle's towers, where she was tortured by the sound of her infant's cries and may have fallen to her death while trying to escape. Modern-day guests have reported sightings of a strange green mist, unusual noises, and other ghostly goings-on.

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette was born into a prestigious family in 1755. She was the youngest daughter of Emperor Francis and Empress Theresa. Aged just 14, she married Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France, earning herself the title of Dauphine. When Louis-Auguste ascended to the French throne in 1774, Marie became Queen Consort. 

Unfortunately for Marie, the French Revolution resulted in the abolition of the monarchy in 1792, and the following year, she was tried and executed by guillotine. Her ghost has been sighted at the Petit Trianon, a château located within the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. It is said that Marie's restless spirit still walks the rooms and gardens, especially on the anniversary of her death, October 16.

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