Croydon Minster — the archbishop who finds no rest

London · United Kingdom · Church

A grey figure walks the churchyard in visible torment. Those who have seen it say it is Archbishop Gilbert Sheldon.

Croydon's old parish church burned almost to the ground in 1867 and was rebuilt by George Gilbert Scott, but the graves beneath the floor remained. Six Archbishops of Canterbury lie buried here, and the one said to walk is Gilbert Sheldon, who died in 1677 — the man who pushed through the harsh laws against dissenters after the Restoration. Witnesses describe a grey, stooped figure moving along the churchyard with a face full of misery, as though remorse keeps him tethered. He is not alone. A woman named Elizabeth Finch, whose children all died while she was still young, is said to walk the nave weeping. The sound of her lament has been reported even when the church stood locked and empty.

FAQ

Where is Croydon Minster — the archbishop who finds no rest located?

Croydon Minster — the archbishop who finds no rest is in London, United Kingdom.

More haunted places in London

• Eltham Palace London · Palace
• Syon House — the night the king's coffin split London · Palace
• Severndroog Castle — the widow's tower on the gallows hill London · Tower
• Shooter's Hill London · Road
• Cross Bones Graveyard London · Cemetery
• The Rose and Crown (Enfield) Enfield, London · Pub
• White Webbs, Enfield Chase — the Gunpowder Plot's hiding place London · Forest
• 284 Green Street — the Enfield Poltergeist London · House

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: hahnchen at Wikimedia Commons (must include link if medium allows) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons