The White Lady of Newsham Bridge ~ Newhouse Abbey
The White Lady of Newhouse Abbey (or Newsham Abbey ) is a ghost said to haunt the bridge and woods at Newsham on the Brocklesby estate in Lincolnshire
We are indebted to Chris Keyworth not only for the tip off but also for the information as everything I have managed to unearth is from his research.
The myth goes back to Newhouse Abbey which survived nearly 400 years from the 12th century to its suppression in 1536.
It is said if you go to the bridge and chant:
“ White Lady White Lady I Killed Your Baby”
The the ghost will appear and throw you from the bridge !
The white lady aspect refers to the fact that the monks and nuns all wore white habits so it seems reasonable to assume that one of them had a child that was possibly slain to avoid scandal - that was my first thought anyway.
Indeed, also that of Chris who has already published his theory which sounds pretty solid to me.
Chris has discovered that in 1491 bishop Redman excommunicated two people ‘for their acts’ a clear euphemism - could it be that a baby resulted from that union.
The White Lady Bridge !
Above you’ll see the actual bridge in question. CK highlights the issue of a dating problem in as much as the bridge wasn’t extant at the time of the Abbey’s existence though two of the stone carved bishops that were once there are now on the bridge.
Hopefully Chris can elucidate on this point if he sees this and possibly confirm whether I captured one of them in the picture above - albeit sans head.
Despite the dating it seems quite reasonable, if you’re a ghost that is, that the bridge would become a focal point for your paranormal activities if you were cursed and had to haunt the woods so I’m happy with the dating clash.
Have you seen of heard of this tale or myth ?
I hardly dare ask if you’ve experienced anything spooky or strange at the site but if you have or have heard of anything at all be it recent or related to the ancient Lincolnshire myth then please do leave a comment - I’d like to gather as much information as possible on this - thank you
All the best
Rod
Please report or suggest other Lincolnshire myths and legends here - many thanks
Steve... said,
November 17, 2009 @ 6:17 pm
Hi Rod,
I am aware of a slightly similar story about the Black Lady in Bradley Woods…
[edited by site owner]
[continues]
It is rumoured that if someone ventures into the woods on Christmas eve and shouts the words “Black Lady, Black Lady, I’ve stolen your baby!” three times the Lady appears to them to take back her child. This appears to be a modern addition to the myth.
Rod said,
November 17, 2009 @ 6:27 pm
Hi Steve,
that’s worthy of a separate post - many thanks for bringing it to my attention - very interesting indeed and some startling similarities
I’ll give it full justice Steve
Best
Rod
David J. Smith said,
November 18, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
Hi Rod,
Interesting stuff! I wonder if any of your readers have heard of the Ghost that is believed to be of a young girl who is often spotted on or near the A180 in the vicinity of Little London crossing?
Regards
Dave
Rod said,
November 18, 2009 @ 1:53 pm
Hi David,
many thanks indeed - Iim going to move the comment to a post I’ve just written
Best
Rod
alan said,
May 6, 2011 @ 8:59 am
when standing on the bridge were would the abbey have been .
History Hunter said,
May 6, 2011 @ 10:10 am
Alan, if you stand looking towards the large part of the lake, the Abbey would have been in the field beyond the trees that are behind the lake. If you have a look on Google Earth (other maps are available), you can clearly see earthworks and crop marks in the fields.
Chris Keyworth said,
May 6, 2011 @ 10:56 am
Alan, HH.. its a common misconception, the Abbey is most definatly not in the Fields as such it is very much in the woods only one small corner of the west cloister complex sticks out in the field, if you stand between the canons on the bridge and face the same direction then you will be looking across the abbey.
Regards
Chris
alan said,
May 7, 2011 @ 1:43 am
ty i now know were to look