THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Hylton Castle is famously associated with the Cauld Lad of Hylton, traditionally believed to be the ghost of a stable boy named Robert or Roger Skelton who was killed by Baron Robert Hylton and whose body was reportedly hidden in a well. Legend says the mischievous spirit performed household chores when treated kindly but caused chaos when angered or insulted.
Robert (or Roger) Skelton was a stableboy who was murdered and disposed of in a well. After his death, messes that were left overnight became tidied by the morning, the imprint of a body appeared in ash, and a cook say a naked boy saying he was cold (leading to the ghost being nicknamed “The Cauld Lad of Hylton”).