The glory days of Blenkinsopp Castle were back in the latter years of the fourteenth century, but two hundred years later the castle was already a mass of ruined walls and overgrown chambers. Over the years many attempts to restore the fortress took place, but all ended in failure, leading to the only long term resident being its ghostly one.
The last recorded sighting of the Grey Man of Bellister Castle was over one hundred and fifty years ago, but before that time the Castle grounds and the forests around were known to be well and truly haunted by the Grey Man, whose appearance it is said foretold of death. The origins of this spectre are shrouded in folklore, but it seems that during the reign of Elizabeth I, a wandering old minstrel came to Bellister Castle looking for shelter and food, for which he was willing to pay in song and story. However, the young Baron of Bellister drank too much, and his wine-fuddled mind began to play tricks on him, rousing paranoia and suspicions that perhaps the old man was an agent of his enemies, come to spy on him.
