Waverley Abbey

The medieval period made a powerful contribution to Surrey folklore with a number of ecclesiastical hauntings and stories of graveyard ghosts. The ruins of 13th-century Newark Priory (above) on the River Wey are haunted by a phantom monk who has been seen standing in the water-meadows, no doubt regretting the pleasures of monasticism which he is no longer able to enjoy. In their time, the monks of Newark acquired a county-wide reputation for irreligious behaviour, good food and amorous exploits, hence, the old ode:
The monks of the Wey seldom sang any psalms
And little they thought of religious qualms
And they could not swim, so far were they . . . .
Those oily amorous monks of the Wey.
After years of sensual bouts with like-minded nuns, the monks were all drowned in the river . . . a just retribution, one might say.
Oh churchmen beware of the lures of the flesh.
The net of the devil hath many a mesh
And remember whenever you're tempted to stray
The fate that befell the poor monks of the Wey.
Phantoms and buried treasure are associated with the ruins of Waverley Abbey, the first of the English Cistercian houses which was also built on the banks of the Wey. There are old traditions still current in the neighbourhood relating to images of the 12 apostles which were concealed there in order to secure them from the ravages of the Protestant Reformers. On various occasions, visitors claim to have seen spectral apostles standing amid the ruins, only to vanish a moment later. A great treasure belonging to the monastery is also believed to be buried here.
     The same tragic period which witnessed the dissolution and destruction of the monasteries saw also the legal murder of many who sought to uphold the old way of life. Following the execution of Sir Thomas Moore in 1535, the martyr's head was rescued from London Bridge, where it had been exhibited, and taken to Baynards Hall for safe custody. Although the head is now buried in the family vault at Canterbury, Sir Thomas' ghost has been reported at Baynards Park.