Haunted Castles of Scotland

Hello again! A month ago I wrote a post about fantastic and mythological Scottish creatures. In this one I am going to talk about some of the many legends of ghosts that are told about Scottish Castles.  Scottish green and darks landscapes have been always a great source for ghost stories. I have selected a few that I have most enjoyed.

Edinburgh Castle

Standing high on a rock in Scotland's capital, Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland's most important buildings.  The castle is home of The Honours of Scotland like The Scottish Crown Jewels and is reputedly haunted by several apparitions.  A drummer, sometimes reported as being headless, has allegedly been witnessed on part of the castle battlements and drums are reportedly heard more often than the apparition is seen.  The spectrum of a dog has been reported near the main castle entrance, other manifestations include ghostly soldiers, and in the recently opened up vaulted dungeons figures have been seen.


Glamis Castle

One of the most famous, and reputedly haunted, castles in Scotland Glamis is a splendid building, which incorporates a massive 15th century keep.  The property has long been held by the Lyon family.  Glamis is traditionally associated with Macbeth, and in the old keep is 'Duncan's Hall', but any connection is probably only based on Shakespeare's play.  On 3 December 1537 Janet Douglas, the widow of John Lyon 6th Lord Glamis and sister of the Earl of Angus, was burned to death on Castle Hill in Edinburgh on a false charge of witchcraft, which was fabricated by James V who hated the Douglases.  Her apparition, the 'Grey Lady of Glamis' is said to haunt the building, and has been seen in the chapel and the area of the clock tower.  The ghost of Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford, 'Earl Beardie', is said to haunt a walled up room where he played cards with the devil.  His apparition has also been witnessed in one of the bedrooms during the early hours of the morning.  Other manifestations include a tall man in a grey coat, a tongueless woman seen running around the grounds of the castle, a black servant boy in the Queen Mother's Sitting Room, two armored figures sword fighting in a corridor, a 'White Lady' seen walking up the avenue to the castle and there is a legend of vampire existence at Glamis.  James Wentworth Day investigated the hauntings of Glamis with The Ghost Club and recorded some very strange happenings during his vigil, among these were frightening screams which were caught on audio tape but strangely not heard during the actual vigil.  And a sighting of the Grey Lady which James Wentworth Day himself reported in witnessing while entering the Chapel.

Brodick Castle

An ancient stronghold, for a long time the property of the Hamiltons and now owned by The National Trust for Scotland.  The castle has a long turbulent history and is alleged to be haunted by a 'Grey Lady' clad in grey clothing with a large white collar.  Her apparition has been seen in Tea Room and the back corridor. these areas are in the older part of the castle.  The phantom form of a man dressed in a green velvet coat has allegedly been witnessed in the castle library.  Other manifestations include a figure seen on the back stair, temperature drops and a recent sighting of a tall dark robed figure which was witnessed in broad daylight in the castle grounds by two people.  The figure was followed through part of the Country Walk before mysteriously vanishing in front of the witnesses.


I would love to visit these places to find out if the stories are true. I do not really believe in ghost but I also think that Scotland is a place where it is difficult not to do that due to its huge woods and its gloomy and dark castles. I am sure that I would get into a panic attack if I spend a night in any of these castles, but I am also sure that the experience would be unforgettable.
That is all, I hope this post has encourage you to go there and try to meet the ghosts to have a talk to them!

marmarter

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