When I mention living with ghosts, I’m not talking about Casper or Beetlejuice, I’m talking about serious ghosts, ones who haunt for a living and will ruin your life. 

In this case, the ghosts of the Cage have certainly run more than a few tenants out of the place. Whether it’s by moving things around, spirits wandering the halls or whispering in old dialect. 

The Cage is one of the most haunted houses in Britain and number one most haunted in Essex. Built in the 16th century, the bright yellow coloured house with the small wooden door, served as a lockup for drunks and criminals and most notably, witches.

The Cage is best known for holding Ursula Kemp, a local healer who was accused of witchcraft. She was sentenced to a trial and execution in 1582 and was hanged. 

Kay Radley, a St Osyth local, investigates paranormal activity in her spare time: “I have completed a few investigations in The Cage, I was alone in the child’s bedroom and ended up with scratches down my back.” 

This is not the first time a ghost had been physical in the Cage. The previous resident of the Cage, Vanessa Mitchell, moved into the house in 2005 and has reported various paranormal activity. She reported that ghosts would throw toys around her house, which would mysteriously start operating on their own. She was also shoved to the floor while she was pregnant, while alone in the house. Vanessa only managed four years before she moved her and her son out of there. 

When Vanessa decided to move out, she struggled to sell the house, for obvious reasons. St Osyth is a small village and many locals are already settled down and aware of the Cage’s history. Who would want to succumb themselves to such a terrifying fate? Estate agents told Vanessa that the property was too difficult to sell and advised her to auction it off instead. Eventually it sold, only twelve years later!

Kay continues to recount her experiences in the Cage while I am questioning if I need to go and visit this place for myself. 

“I received contact from a lady who was taken in The Cage and killed alongside her daughter and her dog, who were believed to be witches. They weren’t, the mother was a healer and told me where she was buried.” 

Kay believes the healer who contacted her was Ursula Kemp, whose body was believed to be found in 1921 after two female skeletons were recovered from St Osyth. Both skeletons were not coffined and had iron rivets driven into their knees and elbows. 

“I also had contact with the man responsible for capturing and murdering all those poor people. He was a dark evil spirit and made us feel uneasy. I had to come out of the Cage for fresh air and I saw a procession of people walking down the alley behind the Cage, with a coffin. They were spirits. 

There was a lot of activity when we used a planchette, there was a pentagram drawn. We also used an EMF recorder, a spirit box and dowsing rods. The chain on the wall in the dining room was swinging around like crazy at some point too. The activity on them was non-stop.”

Alongside the believers, like Kay, there are many St Osyth locals that don’t think the Cage is haunted and it’s all for show. Maybe locals are sick of St Osyth tourists gathering around the Cage. 

Victor Pettle says: “I don’t believe in any of it, I went inside when it was for sale and I think it’s all made up to make it a good selling point.” 

On my post in St Osyth spotted, which I am now a proud member of, David Wells also commented: “They will do anything to bump up the asking price. Not real, all made up.” 

Thank you David, very insightful. But is it a good selling point though Victor? Would anyone really want to buy one of the most haunted houses in Britain in a tiny village in Essex? Well actually yes they would. Australian YouTubers Amy and Jarrad who go by AmysCrypt online, announced on their social media that they bought the ghostly gaff earlier this year.  

Their channel has over three hundred thousand subscribers, consisting of lengthy paranormal content such as exploring haunted houses and abandoned locations all over the world. One can only assume they purchased the Cage because of their extensive interest in freaking themselves out. The pair are yet to post a recent update about the Cage, but have told their followers to anticipate posts about their restoration efforts for the building. 

I spoke to another St Osyth local, Susie Bernadette about her abnormal experiences in St Osyth and how her childhood was filled with strange encounters from spirits. And not just in the Cage but around the town. 

“I had a ghost lady come up right up to me in my house, she was dressed in black and she spoke to me. She asked me if I knew her and I touched her black dress, I could feel the material. Then she sat on the end of my bed and kept getting closer and closer to my face until she was pulled back.” 

Susie can only describe the woman being pulled away from her as an “unseen force.” Susie was only a child when this terrifying scenario occurred, although I would like to point out that children are allegedly more susceptible to seeing ghosts. 

Dr Kim Peirano, a Healer and Doctor of Chinese Medicine said that children are more likely to come into contact with ghosts due to their greater sense of awareness, compared to most adults. Children are likely to pick up on energies that adults cannot see. Very strange. 

Susie also reported seeing a figure of a ghost child outside of the Cage in 2024. Susie’s ghost encounters have occurred since she was younger, she even appeared in an article for the local newspaper in Essex where she talks about her encounter with a spirit at work. 

The Cage has brought much grief and even joy to locals and tourists around the UK. But it is a great historical attraction to have in the small town and is encouraging me further to go and visit this tiny village in Clacton on Sea. Even the new owners Amy and Jarrad have admitted to witnessing odd activity inside the house like strange shadows and whispers in the walls, but are we surprised. 

Will the spirits of the witches ever leave the Cage or will they carry on taunting forever? 

MindFckd paranormal glossary pending… 

Planchette: A small heart shaped piece of wood, an old fashioned ouija board shall I say? It has two wheeled casters and a pencil holding place which points downwards to encourage automatic writing. 

EMF Recorder: A device that records, analyses and measures the strength of electromagnetic field waves and anomalies. They are used in paranormal investigations, you’ve probably seen one on Most Haunted and they are great for data. 

Listen to MindFckd Down the Rabbit Hole episode 2 to hear more on Britain’s most haunted houses.