The air in Devizes, Wiltshire, carries a certain weight. It’s a town literally built on history, where centuries of conflict, tradition, and legend have seeped into the very stones of its streets. On a recent episode of the Wyrd Wessex podcast, we, the Wyrdo's, took a deep dive into the stories that make this town a true tapestry of the weird. From a Norman castle at its heart to a mummified hand that caused a riot, Devizes is a place where the past is always just around the corner.
The Castle at the Boundaries
At the center of it all stands Devizes Castle. Though what you see today is a 19th-century Victorian castle, it sits on the site of a Norman stronghold that gave the town its name, from the Latin Castrum ad Divisas—the castle at the boundaries.
This was no ordinary fortification. The castle was a royal prison, holding high-profile inmates like Robert Curthose, William the Conqueror's eldest son. It also played a pivotal role in England's bloody Civil War, serving as a Royalist stronghold until Cromwell himself laid siege to it. Ultimately, Parliament ordered its destruction, ensuring its grim history would be felt for centuries to come.
And indeed, the castle's history is alive with ghosts. The most famous is the Lady in White, said to be the spirit of a woman who was walled in by her jealous husband. While historical records cast doubt on the identity of the ghost, the story itself, of betrayal and a gruesome end, is a powerful echo of the past. Other phantoms include a rushing Cavalier whose sword clatters on the main staircase and a solemn, stooping widow who frightens dogs in the gallery.
The Battle that Shaped History
Just outside Devizes lies the site of the Battle of Roundway Down, a major turning point in the English Civil War. From the vantage point of Oliver's Castle, an Iron Age hill fort, we looked out across the valley where a Royalist cavalry force delivered a crushing defeat to Parliament's army. It’s a place still said to echo with the sounds of battle—phantom musket fire, the thunder of spectral hooves, and the cries of the wounded.
But the history of this hill goes back much further. It was here that archaeologists found the Roundway Archer, a man from the Early Bronze Age whose grave contained objects that showed a surprising truth about our ancestors: they were globally connected. The archer was buried with a copper dagger from Central Europe and a wrist guard made of jadeite, possibly from Spain. His burial proves that even in what we consider a remote area, people were part of a vast, interconnected network of trade and culture.
Devizes's Most Haunting Legends
As we wandered through Devizes, it became clear that the town's oddities are part of its character. The locals, in fact, are known as "Moonrakers," a nickname that comes from a tale of cunning smugglers who duped an exciseman into believing they were raking the full moon's reflection out of a pond.
But not all the stories are so lighthearted. The town is home to some truly unsettling legends:
The Hand of Glory: A local tale speaks of a mummified hand, taken from a hanged man, that was said to possess dark powers. It could render everyone in a house insensible, allowing thieves to rob them without resistance.
Ruth Pierce's Fate: The Market Cross is the site of a truly morbid event. In 1753, a woman named Ruth Pierce was accused of theft. She swore a false oath to God and, according to official records, was instantly struck dead for her blasphemy.
The Phantom Bell: The nearby village of Wilcot was plagued by a bell that rang non-stop inside a vicarage. It was the work of a local "cunning man" from Devizes who declared the ringing would only stop when he died—a promise that, chillingly, was kept.
A Town of Restless Spirits
Our tour of the town's weird history wouldn't be complete without visiting its most haunted locales. The Black Swan Hotel, a pub we can personally recommend for a good pint, is home to a restless highwayman who haunts the ancient cellars and a tragic female ghost who appears in a room on the stroke of midnight.
Even the everyday buildings have secrets. The now-closed Palace Theatre is still home to three male ghosts, including a former manager who waits in his favorite seat. The former Roundway Hospital, now repurposed into housing, is a nexus of unexplained activity, with accounts of a ghost that shouts at a resident for reading and a spectral cat. Even the woods behind the hospital, the site of a medieval cemetery, are haunted by an unsettling unseen presence that makes you feel like you are being watched.
Devizes is a place that reminds us that history is not just a collection of dates and facts, but a living, breathing thing full of weird, wonderful, and sometimes terrifying stories. It’s a town that wears its past on its sleeve, and if you listen closely, you can almost hear the echoes of the weird, weird tales that still linger in the air.
Want to hear more? Listen to the full episode of Wyrd Wessex on your favorite podcast platform.