North Wales: most haunted houses according to research

Compare My Move has been researching the most haunted properties in Wales to date.

Wales has several interesting properties that have many reports of ghostly sightings, and each one in its own right could be the most haunted house in Wales.

Here is a list of haunted houses across North Wales along with their history according to Compare My Move:

Penyffordd Farm

BBC series Paranormal cover the story of Penyffordd Farm (Image: BBC)

Located half an hour outside of Welshpool in North Wales is Penyfford Farm, a house once coined the ‘UK’s most haunted’ and had over 300 paranormal occurrences reported, including carvings on the walls, muffled voices in empty rooms, and the appearing figure of a pregnant girl.

The Gower Family, an English family who moved to the Welsh farm started seeing a flurry of Welsh words carved into their walls, including “tangneffedd” (religious peace), and “hir am aros” (long-suffering), which would be strange but not impossible in a welsh-speaking household, however, the Gower family did not speak a word of Welsh.

Another carving that appeared on the wall was the name of the Gower’s young son, Quinn, and as well as seeing a pregnant girl appear and disappear on the grounds of the farm, there was also a sighting of a hooded figure standing over the cot where Quinn was sleeping.

The explanation for these hauntings is thought to be the ghost of a child, Jane Jones, who died in 1778 aged just 15, whose tombstone was found on the farm.

A distant relative of Jane Jones, Maurice, told BBC’s Paranormal: “She (Jane) died in childbirth and they wouldn't allow her to be buried in consecrated ground because of the disgrace of having a baby at 14. It is plausible Jane is on that land.”

Due to the number of unexplained paranormal phenomena on the property, and the concrete nature of the evidence, Penyffordd Farm is considered not only one of the most haunted houses in Wales, but in the UK.

Plas Newydd

Plas Newydd from a Camera Club member (Image: Nerys G Jones)

Plas Newydd is a historic house in Llangollen that has a history steeped in romance. The house is most famous for its residents Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, two Irish women who ran away to start a life together in Llangollen, they were highly believed to be romantically involved and could have very well been the UK’s first openly lesbian couple. Because of this they were well known and coined the Ladies of Llangollen.

Their fame was noticed throughout the UK, and they would often host celebrities such as William Wordsworth, Lord Byron and Robert Southey. They rarely left Plas Newydd and when they did, they did not go far. Eleanor Butler died in 1829, and Sarah Ponsonby later died in 1831.

The house was later lived in by another famous face, British Army General, John Yorke, who acquired the house in 1861 where he lived in retirement. Yorke then passed away in 1890 and it is reported that both the Ladies of Llangollen and General John Yorke are still present entities in Plas Newydd.

In the 1930s Dr Mary Gordon claimed to have not only seen but to have had a conversation with the Ladies of Llangollen. Dr Gordon saw the ladies sitting in 17th-century outfits in the grounds of the house, the ladies would then tell Dr Gordon to meet them in the house later that night. Dr Gordon did just that, breaking into the house and having a conversation with the ladies that lasted until sunrise. The ladies have also been seen on multiple occasions since, however, they have only been seen by men.

In 1963, Plas Newydd was returned to the conditions it was in during the period the Ladies of Llangollen lived there, demolishing the East and West wings that were built under Yorke. Professionals who have visited Plas Newydd have reported the presence of an aggressive man, and loud, unexplained bangs can be heard across the property. This has been theorised to be the ghost of John Yorke, who could have been angered by the demolition.

The Ladies of Llangollen are reported to be benevolent spirits, however, the presence of an aggressive spirit that could be that of John Yorke is something visitors to Plas Newydd should look out for.

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Plas Teg

Plas Teg (Image: Google Maps)

Plas Teg is a country house that was built in 1610 and is located on the A541 between Wrexham and Mold, due to its longstanding history and unfortunate deaths, Plas Teg is said to be home to no less than 15 ghosts who roam the building and the grounds around it. It has had many reports of paranormal activity from hearing wailing and sobbing throughout the house to attempted physical harm.

The well of Plas Teg is the area that has seen the most concrete supernatural occurrences and for good reason, as the well has been the subject of not one, but two deaths related to passion and love. Dorothy is the first ghost that is reported to haunt the grounds of Plas Teg, Dorothy was the son of the esteemed Sir John Trevor I. Dorothy fell in love with Iorwerth who was a local farmer's son, but because of the family status, her father banned her from seeing him.

Dorothy and Iorwerth planned to elope and run away, and prior to this Dorothy buried her jewels in the well of Plas Teg. As the night came when they would run away, when retrieving the jewels, Dorothy slipped down the well and met an untimely end. Her body was not found until 2 months later. Iorwerth was distraught and feared being accused of the murder, so much so that he hanged himself. Dorothy’s apparition has been reported to walk the A541, supposedly looking for her lost lover. Sobbing can be heard throughout Plas Teg and is thought to be the sobbing of the distraught Iorwerth.

Another death of passion and love was that of Elizabeth Trevor-Roper who died aged just 16 in 1815 at Plas Teg. Two men had fallen for her, however, Elizabeth only loved one and refused the other, the man who refused killed Elizibeth’s lover and chased Elizabeth back to Plas Teg. Being chased by the man, Elizabeth also met her untimely death in the well - either slipping and falling or being pushed by her jealous pursuer.

Sightings have been reported of a woman running through Plas teg’s corridors and being followed by a man with a wound to his shoulder, this is thought to be Elizabeth and one of her two lovers.

In the late 1800’s a gardener at Plas Teg was reported to be near the well, where he felt a hand reaching out and grabbing his shoulder, trying to pull him down into the well. After a struggle, he was released, and when he looked down into the darkness of the well - he saw nothing.

When visiting Plas teg, there have been reports of people being prodded by nothing, even pushed by an entity. People also experience overwhelming emotional changes, of anger, despair, sadness, and sometimes happiness. Sobbing, wailing and talking are common as well as disembodied footsteps and apparitions.