Palace ghost laid to rest Date 29/03/2003 | Topic: Locations |
The ghost of King Henry VIII's fifth wife may be little more
than a draught of air, say psychologists.| The famous Haunted
Gallery at Hampton Court Palace near London, UK, is reputedly
stalked by the spirit of Catherine Howard, who was executed on
13 February, 1542, by a monarch apparently enraged by her pre-
marital affairs. Visitors to the room have described hearing
screams and seeing apparitions in the gallery. Concerned by the
reports, Hampton Court authorities called in the professionals.
A team of ghost-busting psychologists, led by Dr Richard Wiseman
of Hertfordshire University, installed thermal cameras and air
movement detectors in the gallery. About 400 palace visitors
were then quizzed on whether they could feel a "presence" in the
gallery. More than half reported sudden drops in temperature and
some said they sensed a ghostly presence. Several people claimed
to have seen Elizabethan figures. But Dr Wiseman's team said the
experiences c