The Mermaid Inn And Its Rogues’ Gallery Of Alleged Ghosts
David E. Smith/FlickrThe quaint exterior of the Mermaid Inn betrays nothing of the hauntings within.
Just off the Port of Rye in East Sussex, nestled in between tightly-packed English homes, is the charming Mermaid Inn. It was once a popular alehouse for medieval sailors, but these days, the haunt is apparently just that — haunted.
The haunted hotel was first built sometime during the 12th or 13th centuries and in its original heyday was known for its custom-brewed beer and cheap lodging. But in 1377, the French burned down almost the entire town of Rye.
After it was rebuilt in 1420, the Mermaid Inn operated as a popular bar and motel until it closed in 1770. In that time, the small port town of Rye became a hotbed for smugglers. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of smugglers, officials largely failed to curb any criminal activity. That’s how an infamous gang of privateers known as the Hawkhurst Gang, came to terrorize the region.
The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty ImagesYe Olde Mermaid Inn in West Sussex village of Rye, circa 1901.
The gang chose none other than the Mermaid Inn to become one of their primary hangouts. From 1735 until 1749, they were notoriously violent and intimidated other guests at the Inn by drinking with their loaded weapons on the table. The gang also got caught up in a series of murders, including that of an elderly official named William Galley who attempted to snitch on one of them.
A shoemaker in possession of the gang’s smuggled goods and who had been called as a witness against the gang was also brutally murdered. Fellow gang leaders Arthur Gray and Thomas Kingsmill would face justice for their crimes by being executed in 1748 and 1749. Kingsmill’s spirit, however, is said to live on in the Mermaid Inn.
FlickrThe inn’s lounge is said to be haunted by a ghoulish woman who sometimes rests here late at night.
Indeed, even before the modern day, the Mermaid Inn was believed to be haunted. Chambermaids once only dared enter room five of the Mermaid Inn in pairs, after a fellow maid was murdered there by a smuggler when he heard she had spoken of his exploits.
What’s now considered one of the most haunted hotels in the world was eventually reopened to the public in 1993, and has since been described as a hotbed for paranormal activity.
Besides the dead maid in Room five and the spirit of Thomas Kingsmill, which reportedly haunts a rocking chair in Room 17, hotel patrons have reported seeing a mysterious “lady-in-white” walking through doors at the hotel and stopping at the foot of their beds. The figure also sometimes sits in a chair by the hotel’s fireplace.
Several men have allegedly been seen walking through walls as well, some with women and children in tow. There’s said to be a ghostly woman who moves clothes around and several patrons staying in the “James’ Room” awoke in the morning to find their clothes — left on a bedside chair — soaking wet.
Haunted hotels like the Mermaid Inn certainly make fantastic stories, but it is of course impossible to ascertain whether there’s any truth to these supernatural happenings.
As such, if even just one of these stories is true, then it’s likely they all could be — but is that a notion we’re ready to check in to?
After reading about the most haunted hotels in the world, learn about the haunted history of the Myrtles Plantation. Then, learn about the most haunted places in the world that are not for the faint of heart.
