Archie Armstrong, the chief of his clan, had been captured and was flung into the dungeon of Haughton Castle. Sir Thomas Swinburne, the castle owner, had been summoned to York by the Chancellor, Lord Cardinal Wolsey. Well on his way he became aware of a large key hanging from his belt. Suddenly, he remembered – the prisoner. Three days had passed since his imprisonment and is was likely that he had been without food and water all that time. Without seeing the Cardinal, Swinburne turned his horse and, alarmed, rode at speed back north. His horse dropped dead at Durham with fatigue but he got another and eventually reached Haughton at midnight, exhausted. But when the entrance to the dungeon was opened his worst fears were confirmed, Archie Armstrong was dead. His features were contorted with a fearful look of horror and the flesh of his forearm had been gnawed away. The ghost of the reiver haunted the castle thereafter with dreadful shrieks coming from the dungeon. A priest was brought from nearby Simonburn to exorcise the ghost which he did with the help of a large black bible. Years later, the bible was taken away for repair and immediately the shrieking was heard again. The ghost had returned. Hastily, the bible was returned and the shrieking ceased. Archie was at rest again.