Annie Palmer, also known as the Witch of Rose Hall, is a famous figure in Jamaican folklore. Legend has it that she was a white woman born in England who moved to Jamaica in the early 19th century. Annie Palmer married three times and was believed to have practiced witchcraft. The main idea of the story is that Annie Palmer was known for her cruelty and evil deeds. She was said to have killed all three of her husbands, as well as numerous slaves on her plantation. She supposedly used her dark powers to control and manipulate those around her.
Ok so I am writing a book an Rose hall and the white witch Annie Palmer is involved in this book . Is all the stories true or just made up ? I am really interested in this an just want to get the right info .. There is so many stories bout her , some how they all seem to tell the same story just different endings .. Was she really a slave owner that ruled with an iron fist that had a sex room that after she was satisfied sexually she would murder her lovers ? Or was she the totally opposite ? An left Rose Hall after her husband died …
I suppose this is the stuff of historical fame lots of stories about you which can t be verified, only embellished for th benefit of tourism and tips. I was shown around Rose Hall by a tiny little woman in a faux-plantation outfit imagine the Hattie McDaniel character in Gone With the Wind named Latoya.
She supposedly used her dark powers to control and manipulate those around her. One of the most well-known stories about Annie Palmer is the tale of the musician Robert Wedderburn. It is said that Annie fell in love with Wedderburn, but he rejected her advances.
Why Annie Palmer killed her husbands
The proper name of the resort I’m staying at is Ritz-Carlton, Rose Hall. Which seems a bit odd since Rose Hall is the name of the old estate across the street where Annie Palmer, known on the island as “The White Witch,” murdered three husbands, kept love slaves chained up in the basement, and was eventually murdered herself by a voodoo doctor who was also one of her slave lovers.
Of course, this all happened some 175 years ago, so maybe people are over it.
I’d been resisting a visit to Rose Hall since duppies (what Jamaicans call ghosts) really aren’t my thing, but it was a dark and windy day yesterday—bad for the beach but perfect for visiting a haunted house.
Why did Annie Palmer kill her husbands at Rose Hall, above? She didn't.
I was shown around Rose Hall by a tiny little woman in a faux-plantation outfit (imagine the Hattie McDaniel character in Gone With the Wind ) named Latoya. Now, I don’t want to step on any of Latoya’s well-rehearsed lines so I’m just going to basically repeat what she told me as we walked around the old stone house that was originally built between 1770 and 1780. I’m not going to use quotation marks, so just imagine that I’m now letting Latoya write the rest of this blog:
After the death of the original owner, John Palmer, the house eventually ended up in the hands of his grand nephew, John Rose Palmer, in 1818. Two years later he married a 17-year-old woman named Annie who was raised in Haiti by a nanny who taught her voodoo. Annie was nothing but wicked. Shortly after marrying John Rose, she poisoned him, mostly because she liked making love to the slaves on the plantation and her husband wasn’t down with that.
Then she remarried but that guy wasn’t too keen on her makin’ da sexy with the unhired help either, so she had one of her slave lovers take care of the guy. This gave her the time to redecorate the basement into one of the first orgy rooms on the planet, complete with torture equipment, sharp instruments, bear traps, and a round bed. Dis Annie was a kinky girl.
Well, she got married again but soon grew tired of this guy as well. I guess we all know what happened next. But at this point one of her sex slaves decided he just wasn’t that in to her. Most everyone on the plantation was scared shitless of Annie because she knew that Haitian voodoo shit, but this guy knew a little voodoo himself. So they had it out in a Harry Potter sort of way. In the end, they both died.
So the slaves buried her in a stone crypt meant to keep her soul caged up where it couldn’t cause anymore harm. But somebody forgot to say all the proper magical things during the burial ceremony and her soul got out. And now you can find Annie riding around the plantation at night, whip in hand, ready to lash anyone she comes across.
In short, Annie Palmer is one bad-ass bitch.
Okay, Latoya has gone off to escort the next tour group and I’m back. And I hate to spoil Latoya’s story because it really raised goosebumps up and down my spine, but almost none of this is true. According to an archivist for the Jamaica Archives, Annie Palmer was just a simple young woman (unfortunately, she was never trained in voodoo) who, when her husband died seven years after they married, “had no money, no slaves, no real claim to the estate—nothing.”
What? No slaves! Well, okay, according to the records there was an elderly housekeeper, who tried to keep the place up for a couple of years after John Palmer passed away, but Annie Palmer, who couldn’t afford Rose Hall, moved away.
Says the archivist, Geoffrey Yates, Annie Palmer “never married again, had no children, and was not destined to live to a ripe old age.” She died in 1846, at the age of 44, and “was buried in the church yard at Montego Bay. No tombstone has survived to mark the spot.”
Which sort of makes you wonder who’s buried in the massive stone crypt at Rose Hall where the guides like to end their tours by singing that old Jamaican spiritual “Ballad of Annie Palmer.” Which just happens to have been written by that old Jamaican singer/songwriter Johnny Cash.
Still, I have to say, I like Latoya’s version of the story better.
In revenge, Annie killed him, and it is believed that his ghost still haunts Rose Hall to this day. Annie's reign of terror came to an end when she was killed by one of her slaves. The main idea here is that after her death, the stories and legends about her grew, and she became known as the Witch of Rose Hall. Today, Rose Hall is a popular tourist attraction in Jamaica, and many visitors come to hear the stories of Annie Palmer. Some believe that her ghost still haunts the halls of the mansion, while others dismiss it as mere superstition. In conclusion, Annie Palmer, the Witch of Rose Hall, is a fascinating figure in Jamaican folklore. Her story of cruelty, murder, and witchcraft continues to captivate locals and tourists alike. Whether her ghost really haunts Rose Hall or not, her legend lives on..
Reviews for "The Ghostly Encounters of Rose Hall: Tales of Annie Palmer"
1. John Doe - 1/5 - I had high hopes for "Annie Palmer: The Witch of Rose Hall," as I am a fan of horror stories and legends. However, I was thoroughly disappointed with this book. The narrative was extremely slow-paced and lacked any suspense or excitement. The characters were one-dimensional, and I struggled to connect with any of them. The supposed "witch" aspect of the story was barely explored and felt like a mere afterthought. Overall, I found this book to be dull and uninteresting, failing to deliver on its promising premise.
2. Jane Smith - 2/5 - While "Annie Palmer: The Witch of Rose Hall" had an intriguing premise, the execution left much to be desired. The writing style lacked depth and failed to create a captivating atmosphere. The plot was disjointed and filled with unnecessary tangents that did nothing to further the story. Moreover, the characters felt flat and lacked development, making it difficult to care about their fates. For a book centered around a witch, there was a surprising lack of suspense or any real sense of danger. Overall, I was disappointed with this read, as it failed to live up to its potential.
3. Robert Johnson - 2/5 - Unfortunately, "Annie Palmer: The Witch of Rose Hall" did not live up to the hype surrounding it. The pacing was incredibly slow, and the story lacked any real substance or depth. The characters felt clichéd and lacked any real growth or development. The supposed witch aspect of the tale was overshadowed by mundane and uninteresting subplots, leaving me wanting for more mystery and suspense. The writing style was also rather bland, failing to evoke any emotions or create a vivid setting. Overall, I found this book to be underwhelming and not worth the time investment.