On the 19th of November 1995 a terrible fire completely destroyed the inside of Wem town hall.

During the fire, local man Tony O’Rahilly took a photograph using a 200mm lens from the road. Later when he had the photograph developed, he found the image contained a young girl, standing in the doorway of the town hall’s fire escape.

As no-one was hurt in the fire, locals searched to find out who this girl might be. They discovered that there was a huge fire in Wem in 1677 which tore apart the town. A young girl called Jane Churm was accused of starting the fire unintentionally, by accidentally setting light to a thatched roof with a candle.

No one knows why she would haunt the town hall, but it is thought it could be down to her guilt for starting the original fire.

For more details about the town of Wem in Shropshire, see the Wem Guide website.

The young lady was a member of the highly esteemed Pomeroy family in the 14th Century. The girl gave birth to a child that was a result of an incestuous relationship with her own father. The father killed the girl’s baby in an upstairs room in the castle. The ghost of the girl has been seen wandering around in complete despair and upset. The sound of a crying newborn baby has also been heard on many occasions in the upper rooms of the castle – where the baby was murdered.
Lady Margaret Pomeroy is the other reported ghost who takers up residence in the castle. It is reported that Lady Margaret had a sister called Lady Eleanor. They were both very beautiful women and Eleanor wanted to be the only one. So, she imprisoned her sister into the dungeons and she eventually starved to death. Margaret’s ghost has been seen in the area of the gatehouse. Apparently Margaret lures passersby to their death by making them fall into the dungeons. So, if you do happen to see her in the gatehouse, make sure to not fall for her charms!

Source: Ghosts and Legends of Devon on the Teignmouth Online website.