Glowing ghosts of boys who were killed by their mothers.
Their appearance foreshadows misfortune and violent death.
Glowing Boys are featured in English and European folklore. Perhaps they trace their origin to the Kindermorderinn (children killed by their mothers) from Germanic folklore. Numerous stories about glowing boys are circulating in the Cumberland region of England, which was inhabited by Germanic and Scandinavian peoples in the 9th-10th centuries.
The glowing boy once appeared at the Howard Corby family castle in Cumberland. Its most famous phenomenon dates back to 1803. This castle is, in essence, a feudal estate.
It stands on the site of the fortifications that were once used by the Romans. Part of the old house is adjacent to the tower, erected by the Romans. According to a story recorded in 1824, a luminous boy appeared in a room located in the part of the old house adjacent to the tower. The origin of the ghost is unknown, but it disturbed many guests who spent the night here with its appearances and noises. Howard tried to dispel the gloomy atmosphere of this room with new furniture.
According to Howard's diary entry, the apparition of the ghost occurred on September 8, 1803. His witness was a pastor from Greystoke, who, along with his wife, was among the guests who spent the night at the castle. The pastor and his wife intended to stay for several days, but after the first night they announced their intention to leave at breakfast. The Howards were amazed.
Some time later, the pastor confessed the reason for his sudden departure. According to Howard, he said: “We went to bed and soon fell asleep. At about one or two in the morning I woke up. I saw that the fireplace was completely extinguished; but although there was no light, in the middle of the room I made out a flicker, which suddenly burst into a bright flame. I looked closely, trying to figure out what had ignited, and to my surprise, I noticed a beautiful boy in white robes with bright golden curls. For several minutes he stood on my side of the bed, softly and benevolently peering into my face. Then he glided smoothly to the chimney, where there is no exit, and disappeared without a trace.
I was again in total darkness, and everything was calm until the usual hour of awakening. With the word of the priest, I affirm that this is a true statement of what I saw at Corby Castle."
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It is not known if anything bad happened to the pastor. About 20 years later, he was still talking about the ghost. The glowing boy no longer appears in the castle. The room, called the "ghost room", serves as a study.
Lord Castlerie, the second Marquess of Londonderry and one of England's most prominent statesmen of the early 19th century, allegedly saw the glowing boy several years before he committed suicide. Different stories are told about this. According to one of them, this incident occurred when he was a young captain, Robert Stewart. He served in Ireland and once went hunting, he got lost. At nightfall, he found refuge in the house of a gentleman. Other guests were there, and Stuart was invited to stay for a few days and join the hunt. He agreed.
When bedtime came, Stuart was assigned a room with little furniture and a fireplace. He fell asleep, but was suddenly awakened by the bright light in the room. At first he thought it was a fireplace. However, the fire in the fireplace went out and the light seemed to come from the chimney. Gradually Stewart began to distinguish the glowing contours of a beautiful naked boy surrounded by a dazzling brilliance. The boy looked at him seriously and then disappeared. Stewart thought he was being played, and was greatly offended. In the morning, he bluntly announced his departure. The owner managed to find out from him the details of what had happened and gave a blow to the footman who had placed the guest in the "boy's room."
The footman made excuses, saying that he had specially kindled the fireplace in order to "prevent its appearance."
The owner explained to Stuart that, according to family tradition, he who sees the glowing boy first acquires great wealth and power, and then suddenly dies a violent death. Stewart, the second son in the family, turned a deaf ear to this. A few years later, however, his older brother drowned while sailing on a boat. Stewart retired from the army and, having taken up politics, began to quickly climb the steps of power. He was instrumental in the passage of the England-Ireland Union Act (1800). He was the Minister of the Armed Forces (1805 and 1807) and the Minister of Foreign Affairs (from 1812). Despite his successful career, many people disliked him and even hated him for his coldness in handling. In 1821, when his father died, he became Lord Castlerie, second Marquess of Londonderry.
In 1822, Lord Castlerie's happiness turned away. He suffered from gout, and the stresses of his professional life left a heavy imprint on his personality. He became paranoid and could not shake off suspicion. His strange actions made him think he was going crazy. He was locked in a country house (North Cray Place), forbidden to use razors, so that he would not do stupid things. On August 12, 1822, he obtained a penknife and, cutting his own throat, died.
Subsequently, writer Edward Bulwer-Lytton told another story about how Castlerie saw the glowing boy. Before Castlerie's movements were restricted, he said, he visited Knebworth, the Lytton family estate. One morning he went to breakfast and, very pale, told that a strange boy with long golden hair had appeared in his room; he was sitting in front of the fireplace. The boy ran his finger across his throat three times and then disappeared. Most likely, this story is one of the Bulwer-Lytton fairy tales. He often invited guests to spend the night in the "ghost room" and then sneak upstairs and scare them.