Every culture on earth has its ghosts. From ancient castles to crumbling asylums, from grand hotels to blood soaked battlefields, the spirits of the past have a habit of refusing to move on. Some ghosts have become so famous they have transcended the locations that spawned them, becoming legends in their own right.
Here are the world's most famous ghosts and exactly where you might encounter them. We make no promises about what happens if you do.
1. Anne Boleyn, The Tower of London, England
If there is one ghost that defines British paranormal history, it is Anne Boleyn. The second wife of Henry VIII was beheaded at the Tower of London on 19th May 1536 on charges widely believed to have been fabricated by her husband. She was 35 years old.
Her headless apparition has been reported at the Tower ever since, most frequently near the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula where her remains are buried. Guards have reported seeing her figure gliding through the corridors late at night, and several have fled their posts in terror over the centuries. One 19th century guard was actually court martialled for abandoning his post after an encounter with what he described as a headless female figure carrying her own head.
Anne is also said to haunt Hever Castle in Kent, her childhood home, particularly around Christmas. If you are planning a festive visit, keep your eyes open.
Where to find her: The Tower of London, London, England and Hever Castle, Kent, England.
2. The Bell Witch, Adams, Tennessee, USA
The Bell Witch is arguably the most famous ghost in American history and the only paranormal case on record in which a spirit is said to have caused the death of a person. Between 1817 and 1821, the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee experienced increasingly terrifying paranormal activity on their farm, including disembodied voices, physical attacks on family members and the sound of chains dragging through the house.
The entity, which became known as the Bell Witch, allegedly tormented patriarch John Bell to his death in 1820. It is said to have spoken aloud, sung hymns and quoted scripture, and even claimed to be the spirit of a neighbour called Kate Batts. President Andrew Jackson allegedly visited the farm and had such a terrifying experience he refused to spend the night.
The Bell farm no longer stands but the land remains in Adams, Tennessee, and the nearby Bell Witch Cave draws thousands of paranormal enthusiasts every year. Visitors have reported hearing voices, feeling sudden cold spots and capturing unexplained anomalies on camera inside the cave.
Where to find her: Bell Witch Cave, Adams, Tennessee, USA.
3. The Grey Lady, Hampton Court Palace, England
Hampton Court Palace is home to several ghosts but none more frequently reported than the Grey Lady, believed to be the spirit of Sybil Penn, nurse to the young King Edward VI. Penn died of smallpox in 1562 and was buried in the nearby church of St Mary the Virgin.
When the church was renovated in 1829 and her tomb disturbed, strange things began happening at Hampton Court almost immediately. Staff reported hearing the sound of a spinning wheel coming from behind a sealed wall. When the wall was opened, a previously unknown room was discovered containing an ancient spinning wheel. Penn's apparition, dressed in grey, has been seen in the palace ever since.
She is not the only ghost at Hampton Court. Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife, is heard screaming in the Haunted Gallery, and the ghost of Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife, is said to walk the Silver Stick Gallery carrying a lighted candle on the anniversary of her death.
Where to find her: Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, England.
4. The White Lady, Hohenzollern Castle, Germany
Germany's most famous ghost haunts one of its most spectacular castles. Hohenzollern Castle in Baden-Wurttemberg is the ancestral home of the Hohenzollern dynasty, the former ruling family of Prussia and Germany. Its White Lady is one of the oldest and most consistently reported apparitions in European paranormal history.
The White Lady is believed to be the spirit of Kunigunde of Austria, a 15th century noblewoman, though some accounts identify her as Bertha von Rosenberg. She has been seen at Hohenzollern and at the Berlin Palace, always appearing before a death in the Hohenzollern family. Her appearances were reportedly recorded before the deaths of several Prussian kings, and she was allegedly seen before the death of Kaiser Wilhelm I in 1888.
Where to find her: Hohenzollern Castle, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.
5. The Flying Dutchman, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa
Not all famous ghosts haunt buildings. The Flying Dutchman is perhaps the most famous ghost ship in maritime history, a phantom vessel said to haunt the waters around the Cape of Good Hope and doomed to sail the seas forever without reaching port.
The legend dates back to the 17th century and is most commonly associated with Dutch captain Hendrick van der Decken, who allegedly swore a blasphemous oath during a terrible storm that he would round the Cape even if it took until Judgement Day. His ship was never seen again, but countless sailors over the centuries have reported seeing a glowing vessel with tattered sails emerging from storms off the South African coast.
Most famously, the future King George V of England recorded seeing the Flying Dutchman in his diary during a naval voyage in 1881. Thirteen witnesses aboard his ship reported seeing the phantom vessel. The lookout who first spotted it fell from the rigging and died shortly afterwards. Whether or not that was a coincidence is up to you.
Where to find it: The waters around the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.
6. Resurrection Mary, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Chicago's most famous ghost has been terrifying drivers on Archer Avenue since the 1930s. Resurrection Mary is described as a young blonde woman in a white dress and dancing shoes who hitchhikes along Archer Avenue before vanishing, most commonly outside Resurrection Cemetery, from which she takes her name.
The most credible sighting occurred in 1976 when a passing motorist called the police to report a woman trapped behind the gates of Resurrection Cemetery. Officers arrived to find the iron bars of the gate bent apart, with what appeared to be handprints scorched into the metal. The cemetery has since replaced those bars but locals claim you can still see where the damage was repaired.
Mary is believed by many to be the spirit of a young Polish girl who died in a hit and run accident on Archer Avenue in the 1930s while on her way home from a dance. She is one of the most frequently reported roadside apparitions in American history.
Where to find her: Archer Avenue and Resurrection Cemetery, Justice, Illinois, USA.
7. The Greyfriars Bobby and the Mackenzie Poltergeist, Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh gives us two famous paranormal figures for the price of one. Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier who allegedly guarded the grave of his owner John Gray in Greyfriars Kirkyard for fourteen years after his death in 1858, becoming one of the most celebrated animals in history. His own ghost is said to still wander the kirkyard to this day, and several visitors have reported feeling a small dog brush against their legs near his grave, only to find nothing there.
Rather less heartwarming is the Mackenzie Poltergeist, the spirit of Sir George Mackenzie who is buried in the Black Mausoleum within the same kirkyard. Since 1999 hundreds of visitors have reported being physically attacked by an unseen force, including scratches, burns and being knocked unconscious. It is considered the most active poltergeist case in the world.
Where to find them: Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh, Scotland.
8. The Brown Lady, Raynham Hall, Norfolk, England
The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall is one of the most famous ghost photographs ever taken. In 1936 photographers from Country Life magazine captured what appeared to be a translucent female figure descending the grand staircase of Raynham Hall in Norfolk. The photograph was published worldwide and has never been conclusively debunked.
The ghost is believed to be Lady Dorothy Walpole, sister of Britain's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole, who died at Raynham Hall in 1726 under mysterious circumstances. Her brown brocade dress gives her the nickname the Brown Lady, and she has been reported at the hall for nearly three centuries, most frequently on the staircase where she was photographed.
Where to find her: Raynham Hall, Norfolk, England. Note that Raynham Hall is a private residence and not open to the public, which makes her one of the more exclusive ghosts on this list.
9. The Phantom Monk, Borley Rectory Site, Essex, England
Borley Rectory, once described as the most haunted house in England, was demolished in 1944 but its most famous apparition predates the building entirely. The Phantom Monk has been reported in the grounds of Borley for centuries, often accompanied by the ghost of a nun. Local legend holds that the two were lovers from a nearby monastery and convent who were caught eloping and executed for their transgression, the monk hanged and the nun bricked up alive in the convent walls.
Whether the legend is true or not, the apparitions were among the most frequently reported phenomena at Borley Rectory during paranormal investigator Harry Price's extensive investigations in the 1930s. The site continues to attract visitors from around the world despite nothing remaining of the original building.
Where to find him: The village of Borley, Essex, England.
10. The Headless Horseman, Sleepy Hollow, New York, USA
Few ghosts have captured the imagination quite like the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. Immortalised by Washington Irving in his 1820 story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the Horseman is said to be the ghost of a Hessian soldier who lost his head to a cannonball during the American Revolutionary War and rides out each night in search of it.
The village of Sleepy Hollow, formerly known as North Tarrytown, in New York's Hudson Valley fully embraces its supernatural reputation. The Old Dutch Church and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, both featured in Irving's story, are genuine historic landmarks where visitors regularly report unexplained experiences, particularly around Halloween when the entire region transforms into one of America's greatest paranormal destinations.
Where to find him: Sleepy Hollow, New York, USA, especially around Halloween. Though we would suggest leaving before midnight just to be safe.
Find These Locations and Hundreds More on HauntMap
The ghosts in this list are just the beginning. HauntMap maps hundreds of haunted locations across the UK, USA and beyond, complete with full paranormal histories, ghost stories, visiting information and experiences submitted by real investigators.
Download the HauntMap app on iPhone or Android and start your paranormal journey today. The ghosts are waiting. Whether that's reassuring or terrifying is entirely up to you.
Have you encountered one of these famous ghosts or know of one we should add? Tell us about it at boo@haunt-map.com