The Cauld Lad of Hylton

By Crusader1307

An Ancient ‘’Ghost Story’’ from Northern England (originally) – The ‘’Cauld Lad of Hylton’’ Tale developed around the 16^th Century AD. Hylton Castle (now a Ruin), is where it began. The baron of The Castle learned that a lowly Stable Boy was ‘’courting’’ His Daughter. Enraged, The Baron beat the Stable Boy and cut off His Head. The Boy’s corpse was thrown down an old unused well. In weeks, The Baron was questioned if He had any knowledge of the missing Boy – of which he stated He did not. For many years when Hylton Castle was still occupied, MANY reports of ‘’poltergeist activities’’ were reported. From Chamber Pots be overturned, to fresh food spoiling to ‘’bangs and crashes through the night’’. All of this was attributed to the Ghost of the murdered Stable Boy. In time, ‘’physical manifestation’’ began to occur. The ‘’Boy’’ took on the visage of a ‘’demonic Entity’’ with ‘’fur and claws’’. Locals associated This with the ancient mythical Creature – The Barghast. Another element of The Story, is that on many instances, a ‘’Ghostly Voice’’ could be heard inside The Castle, bemoaning that ‘’IT’’ was ‘’Cold’’ (or in the Old English, ‘’Cauld’’).  This was associated with the cold and wet conditions inside The Well. In time, some have tried to find the remains of The Boy, but all Wells turned up nothing. And while Hylton Castle is unoccupied and ruined, the ‘’Voice’’ is still heard – as is ‘’strange lights’’ seen bobbing to and fro – even today.