Untruth Seekers

Untruth Seekers Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Untruth Seekers, Tour guide, Castle Hill Road, Hastings.

We are the Untruth Seekers, tasked with the solemn duty to meticulously collect all the facts, alternative facts, and alternatives to the alternative facts across the rainy Great British Isles.

03/06/2026

Hastings Castle: the first Norman castle built on English soil, on a promontory occupied since the Iron Age, with a documented connection to Thomas Becket before he became famous for being murdered.

However, despite its fascinating history, the castle's ghost traditions are rather sparse. Stories include a woman in a cloak, chain-rattling prisoners, and a spectral version of the castle floating above the Channel. None of these are traceable to a primary source, and they're similar to other generic tales.

The castle has weathered six hundred years of ruin, and a cliff that has been falling into the sea since 1287, but nothing paranormal seems to be as durable.

We have a longer blog post about the history of Hastings Castle, and more investigations coming soon! Check out the link in our bio and give us a follow... if you dare 👻 🕯️
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The origins of Jack in the Green are hotly contested, and for good reason. Folk customs have largely been undocumented, ...
02/06/2026

The origins of Jack in the Green are hotly contested, and for good reason. Folk customs have largely been undocumented, and the documentation we do get is often embellished or downplayed by whoever is doing the writing.

That said,here are the three things we know for certain about Jack in the Green:

1. The custom was first documented in the 18th century.

2. In Hastings, it was revived in 1983.

3. Jack in the Green is currently celebrated, making it a living and evolving folklore tradition.

Sadly, we don't have a time machine, so we have to make do with sparse evidence and speculation.

This post is an excerpt from our blog post, in which we explore what makes for an "authentic" folkloric tradition. It's more complex than one might expect, and in some ways, more fun.

Also, if you are wondering if Jack in the Green is related to the Green Man concept, you're in luck. We're working on a blog post for that (it just requires a bit more research), so stay tuned! 🌿

The full article is available on our blog, check out the link in our bio.
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Just a bit of fun with our favourite places in Sussex! We do love a good old fashioned doodle.We are working on more in-...
31/05/2026

Just a bit of fun with our favourite places in Sussex! We do love a good old fashioned doodle.

We are working on more in-depth explorations of the history, folklore, and legends of each place (have we mentioned our blog yet???) but, for now, we're keeping it light.

What is your favourite place in Sussex?

(Link to our blog in bio 🙃)
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29/05/2026

Pevensey Castle: Roman walls, five medieval sieges, two imprisoned queens, one witchcraft accusation, and a ghost no one can agree on.

🏰 The Normans didn't build it when they arrived in 1066 — they moved into a fort that was already seven hundred years old.

⚔️ Lady Joan Pelham held it under siege in 1399 and smuggled out one of the earliest letters written in English by a woman.

💀 Joan of Navarre was imprisoned here on a charge of plotting the king's death by witchcraft.

👻 The history doesn't need embellishing but someone embellished it anyway.

🔍 Read the full Investigations into Pevensey Castle, Hastings Castle, Holy Trinity Church and more on our blog. Link in bio.
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We've been loving taking part in the new events at Hastings Castle, so it seemed like the right time to finally share ou...
27/05/2026

We've been loving taking part in the new events at Hastings Castle, so it seemed like the right time to finally share our investigation.

To be honest, the ghost stories were somewhat disappointing, given the castle's fascinating history.

So, the castle didn't make the cut for our ghost story collection, Spirits of Hastings, while the smuggler's caves, Brassey Institute (now the library), and Old Town twittens did.

Hastings Castle does, however, feature prominently in Sussex Roots and The Treasure of the Cinque Ports. It's a perfectly dramatic location for confrontations with folkloric creatures and/or a hiding place for cursed Norman treasure... but somehow not a great place for ghosts! 👻 🕯️

Read our full investigation on our blog! (Sorry that we're always hyping up the blog. It's just that long form content is much more more in our wheelhouse so we'd love for it to become our "thing" rather than to continue struggling on social media... Link in bio 🔗)
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New additions to the research shelf: Carolyne Larrington's The Land of the Green Man, which is essentially a field guide...
26/05/2026

New additions to the research shelf: Carolyne Larrington's The Land of the Green Man, which is essentially a field guide to the uncanny geography of the British Isles.

Part folklore survey, part landscape history. We found it at Waterstones and had to snap it up! Already flagging pages...

And then someone was decluttering and wanted to offload Kingshill & Westwood's The Fabled Coast on us. One man's rubbish is another's treasure!

This chunky book explores the coastline of the British Isles, legend by legend, region by region, and covers smugglers, sea-serpents and sailors' superstitions. It also investigates the origins of these tales. We're thrilled!

Has anyone else read these? Are we in for a treat?
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Very pleased to announce that Sussex Roots has a new look! 🌿✨ Even more pleased to announce that we're officially not th...
25/05/2026

Very pleased to announce that Sussex Roots has a new look! 🌿✨

Even more pleased to announce that we're officially not the only weirdos interested in folklore from this often forgotten corner of England.

A massive THANK YOU to our readers, supporters, weirdos and normal people alike!

Looking forward to unearthing more stories from Sussex and beyond.

➡️ We have a blog now! We recently posted an article about the history of Hastings's Jack in the Green. Link in bio 🔗
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We can't stop banging on about the smugglers of the 18th century. At its height, smuggling was so pervasive that almost ...
21/05/2026

We can't stop banging on about the smugglers of the 18th century. At its height, smuggling was so pervasive that almost everyone in Sussex and Kent were involved in some form, and the smugglers were often evenly matched with the customs authority. Clashes inevitably ensued.

We dive into the real history, lore and legends in our book, The Treasure of the Cinque Ports.

But if you want the real facts about the Hawkhurst Gang, head over to our new blog. (Yes, we're bloggers now... for better or worse 🧐)
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We've done tonnes of research that never makes it into print for one reason or another, but it seemed like a waste not t...
18/05/2026

We've done tonnes of research that never makes it into print for one reason or another, but it seemed like a waste not to share it at all. So, we're dusting off our files and releasing our findings about our favourite local places! 🗃️ 🕸️

This Victorian Gothic beauty, Holy Trinity Church on Robertson Street in Hastings, is about to undergo a two-year renovation so we thought it would be a good time to tell her story.

We investigated the church for ghost stories for Spirits of Hastings but unfortunately didn't come up with anything for Holy Trinity Church. However, while the hauntings are sparse, the real history is fascinating!

We have already drafted investigations for Hastings Castle, Pevensey Castle, and Bodiam Castle, with more local landmarks in the works. If you're interested in history, folklore, and ghosts please do stick around.

Also, we struggle to fit everything into social media posts, so head over to our blog (link in bio) for the full articles! 🕯️💀
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The Cinque Ports confederation was one of the most powerful institutions in medieval England, and some of its member tow...
12/05/2026

The Cinque Ports confederation was one of the most powerful institutions in medieval England, and some of its member towns are now miles from the water.

The name means "five ports." There are, technically, more than five. That's just one of the incongruous facts about these once-great defenders of the realm.

We have a new post on the history, the decline, and the folklore that filled the gap. It's a bit too much to cover on social media so we'll be filling in the details and telling the full story of the Cinque Ports as a blog post.

That's right, we're bloggers now 😅

Find it on our website, link in bio 🔗
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Castle Hill Road
Hastings
TN343JL

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