Thursday, July 22, 2021

Ghosts: The White Lady of Kinsale

Photo by Phakphoom Srinorajan
Charles Fort is a bastion fort with one section of outer wall built in a star fashion finished in 1682. It's located on the water's edge at the of the village of Summer Come on Kinsale harbor in Ireland. It is now a National Monument of Ireland. 

At the Charles Fort in the 1600's, there was an officer named Sir Trevor Ashurst. He would meet Wilful Warrender who's father was Govoner Warrender, the commander of Charles Fort. The two would have a whirlwind romance and would soon fall in love and wed. The Governor was actually happy for the young couple. The two would soon marry and on the wedding day would end in tragedy.

On the night that the two had married, they went to take a walk on the grounds of the fort. The two were to spend their wedding night at the fort. Wilful would see some flowers at the base of the battlement. Trevor was going to go get them, but an on-duty sentry offered to get them instead. Trevor would ask Wilful to wait for him in their room, and he would take the sentry's post so the flowers could be retrieved. 

The sentry would not return quickly and because the groom was tired from the day's festivities he fell asleep at the post. Wilful's father went on his nightly inspections. He was known as strict and had a reputation for enforcing strict military codes. When he would stumble across a sentry, who he didn't know at the time was his son-in-law, leaning against the wall seemingly asleep. He called out to the sentry several times and when he got no answer he shot him through the heart.

This was when he realized that it was not any sentry, but his son-in-law. He would be filled with sorrow and regret. Wilful would soon after find out what her father did to her groom. She would be grief-stricken and would take her own life that night. She would jump from one of the ramparts into the icy waters below.  Her father knew that he killed his son-in-law leading to his daughter's suicide. After his daughter's suicide, he would take his own life by shooting himself. 

Other versions state after realizing he killed Trevor that he threw jumped the ramparts right after killing him. That Wilful found them both dead and jumped into the icy waters after losing two very important people in her life.

What is known in the tale is that three lives would tragically end on what was supposed to be a joyous day. 

It is said that Wilful who is known as The White Lady of Kinsale haunts the area. She is typically seen in her wedding dress. She usually is a kind but sorrowful spirit people in and around Charles Fort are said to have seen her. In particular, she is seen by or near children as if she's keeping an eye on them. Now she did have a mean streak and was known to push soldiers mostly captains down the stairs. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Irish Central

Authentic Vacations

Stories First

My Real Ireland

Ancient Origins

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