Sightings of a ghostly monk that could point to murder at a Shropshire abbey

One of them, Lilleshall Abbey near Newport, fell to ruin long ago but it is still a popular spot for day trippers - and ghost hunters.

For the abbey is supposedly home to one ghost in particular, that of a monk in black robes, that has been reported by a visitors to the abbey in recent years.

Shropshire folklore expert Amy Boucher, from Telford, has come across a number of such reports, and the legend of the ghostly monk is also told in Haunted Shropshire by Allan Scott-Davies.

Amy takes up the story: "The Augustinian abbey of Lilleshall was founded in 1148 by a local landowner called Sir Richard de Blemeis. No expense was spared in its creation... One of its most famous features is its processional doorway, which leads to the cloister.

"It is near the cloister that the ghost of the ‘black monk’ is seen. He is a recurrent apparition, and is said to be tall, middle aged and wearing the dark robes of the Augustinian order.

"Also, this monk appears solid, with his feet on the ground as you or I, rather than being translucent. He appears kneeling with his head bowed, as if in prayer or contemplation.

"No sooner than you have seen this spectre, does he realise that you are there. He turns suddenly, lunging forward and asks directly: 'Have you found the secret?'

"He stands for a moment or two, watching, trying to gauge your reaction, then he disappears."

A passage in Haunted Shropshire details one former custodian of the ruins having a similar encounter with a spectre.

Scott-Davies writes: "The man stood up and walked towards him. He was a monk in a black Augustinian robe who asked: 'Do you know the secret of Lilleshall Abbey?'"

Whatever that secret might be has never been uncovered, but one story goes that the abbey was the site of a murder in the 13th Century involving King Henry III and that one or more monks were complicit or even involved.

English Heritage confirms that the king, a controversial figure in his time, was entertained at the abbey twice around 1240.

Amy says local legend has it that, looking to make a quick profit while he was in Shropshire, the king decided to sell titles and appointments to the credulous locals.

"So, he did so, with some success, until he decided to sell the title of sheriff. The problem with this was there was already a sheriff.

"When he found out he was stupefied and rode out to Lilleshall Abbey to try and find out what on earth was going on. Perhaps he thought he could get his role back, or change the king’s mind, so the former sheriff entered the abbey.

"Unfortunately, the sheriff never left the abbey.

"It is believed that the ghostly monk is the abbot of the monastery, and the ‘secret’ is the sheriff’s murder. The abbot is said to have witnessed the murder and haunts the grounds still.

"Perhaps he is trying to gain justice, or absolution for having been involved. One can be sure that such actions, even if he only witnessed the murder, would be in direct opposition to the core tenets of his religious belief."

Read more of Amy's work at nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com.