Haunted Castles in Scotland
Glamis Castle is reputedly the most haunted castle in Scotland. Situated just outside the village of Glamis, the castle has over 100 rooms and visitors to the spot have reported many individual sightings.
Legend tells us that King Malcolm II was murdered in the castle, leaving a bloodstain on the floor that couldn't be cleaned away.
The floor was boarded over eventually but it is thought that his ghost still hovers around the area. Also, in Shakespeare's Scottish play there is considerable description that leads readers to believe that the murder of Duncan by Macbeth took place here.
Glamis was also believed to have had a number of secret rooms, one of which was believed to have been the home of the Monster of Glamis. The 'monster' was thought to have been the son of a Laird of Glamis, who was horribly deformed and thus hidden away.
The haunting of Glamis Castle doesn't stop with ghosts though. Legend would also have us believe that a vampire worked and died here. The servant had been found sucking blood from a victim and was thrown into a secret room and left to die for her sins. In a similar case, men from the Ogilvy Clan had come to the castle seeking shelter but were given a room in which they were cruelly locked and left to starve to death. This event had a more terrifying ending though as many years later the Laird ordered the door to be opened after hearing strange noises from the room. It is said that the Laird fainted at the horrific sight of the men, who appeared to be still trying to eat their own flesh. The room is referred to as 'the haunted room'.
A lesson in watching what you say is taught by a story about the Earl Of Beardie. The temperamental gambler announced to the Laird of Glamis that he would rather play cards with the devil and was promptly whisked away by a tall man in a dark cloak for a sinister game. When the Earl died, his spirit returned to Glamis where he was to play cards with the devil for eternity. In the dark nights, many reports of cursing, stamping and the sound of rolling dice have been made.
Glamis Castle also has its very own 'Grey Lady'. This particular ghost is most often seen kneeling in the chapel but those who have seen her have noted that the sun shines right through her.
A disobedient boy was once confined to a stone chair by the Laird and told not to move from his spot. The poor lad was somehow forgotten about and was eventually found frozen to death. Visitors to the castle have believed that he still sits on the chair trying to trip them up as they pass.
Other mysterious sightings reported have been a 'Giant' that leans over children who sleep in the castle and the face of a tongueless woman from a high window in a tower. A figure, which they call 'Jack The Runner' can often been seen running across the park on moonlit nights while another cloaked figure appears halfway up a staircase of a tower. There was also once a door that opened every night, even when bolted!
In Aberdeen, the Norwood Hall Hotel is said to have two ghostly apparitions, one male and one female. The male is expected to be the ghost of James Ogston, who extended the hall supposedly for his mistress. The female ghost is imagined to be his wife, distraught that he would not end the relationship with his mistress.
Also in Aberdeenshire, the MacDonald Thainstone House Hotel and Country Club is home to sightings of a 'Green Lady'. The daughter of the house owner had been killed in an unfortunate riding accident and wears her green riding cloak. There is a particular room where objects move around of their own accord and pets at the hotel will not enter.
Another 'Green Lady' can be seen in Stirling Castle. This ghost in green has been thought for many years to have been an attendant to Mary Queen of Scots and to have saved her one night when the draperies on her four-poster bed caught fire. However, it is not considered lucky to witness an appearance of the Green Lady, for her visitations have heralded disaster in the past.
Ayrshire has a few spots of eerie interest too. In the ruins of Dunure Castle the sound of a crackling and roaring fire are heard accompanied by agonised sighs and smoke smothered screams. In the 14th century the owner of the castle, Gilbert Kennedy, had tortured Allan Stewart by roasting him over a fire in the hope of getting him to sign his land away.
Castle Hill has the remains of a long since destroyed castle but is reputed to be haunted by Sir William Wallace himself. The famous Scot had slaughtered and English Garrison and thrown the corpses into the castle dungeon.
Another ruined castle, Carleton Castle, shrill cries and fading screams can still be heard. This was the home of a baron who disposed of seven wives by throwing them over the cliff. Fearing for her own life, eighth wife May Cullean beat him to it and dispatched of him over the cliff first.
Edinburgh has a whole host of ghosts but some of the most interesting spots are not indoors but out in the Midlothian countryside. In the Firth Woods the ghost of a sad girl who had taken her own life, after seeing her lover murdered by her father and husband to be, can be glimpsed.
An area five miles south of the old Mount Lothian Quarry a galloping horseman has been spotted. This is expected to be the ghost of a man who passed by an injured gent refusing him help. Before the man died he gave the horseman's name, making him hated in the area. When he too eventually dies, he was buried in wasteland.
In the Cairngorms, climbers should look out for the Big Grey Man of Ben Macdghui who watches over mountaineers and follows them until they reach the safety of the lower foothills.
Described as over 10ft tall and walking with great strides, this spectre is an interesting one. A mountaineer once claimed he had shot at it three times when it loomed down on him but when the shots had no effects he took to his heels.
Skaill House in Orkney is home to a number of restless spirits, many of which are still being reported.
On July the 27th, head for Killiecrankie in Perthshire to see a ghostly glow. The red glow can be seen by some on the anniversary of the famous battle and locals think that its origin comes from a vision seen by Viscount Dundee on the eve of this battle.
In his dreams he saw a man with a head wound come to him and pointing in the direction of the plain of Killiecrankie. He was reluctant to go with his men go to lower ground throughout the battle but eventually when he did he was immediately killed.
Neidpath Castle is another spot in Perthshire with frequent sightings. In this case, the apparition is said to be Jean Douglas, or as she is better known, 'The Maid of Neidpath'. Her tragic story begins with her fall for the Laird of Tushielaw. When marriage was mentioned her father sent him away thinking he was below her station and only allowed him back after years of his daughter keeping true to her love. When her lover returned though he did not recognize her and she subsequently died of a broken heart.
Since then many people in the castle have observed her activities. She becomes most active whenever there are sounds of merriment, banging doors and showing her displeasure. Jean is described as wearing a brown dress with a large white colour and having long black hair.
Castle Facts
The haunted Stirling castle was knocked down to put it out of action after Robert the Bruce won the battle of Bannockburn.
The largest castle in England is Windsor Castle.
The first medieval castles erected in the 9th century were constructed of stone, timber and earth. In some places, old Roman monuments were turned into castles.
One of the longest siege of a castle was that of Donnington Castle located in Berkshire England. It lasted from July 1644 to April 1646.
During a siege at Exeter Castle in 1136, wine was used to extinquish a fire.
Medieval long-bows had a range of more than 200 feet.
Excavations have shown that Framlingham Castle was built over a Saxon burial ground.
The keep at Bridgnorth Castle, located in England, leans at 17 degrees, three times further than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The first castle in Britain to be designed specifically for defense by guns was Ravenscraig Castle located in Scotland. Built in 1460.
Spiral stairs in towers are designed to give defenders an advantage. When attackers are making their way up, the shape of the tower makes attackers expose more of their body to the defenders.
Cubbie Roo's Castle, built in 1145, was one of the earliest stone castles to be built in Scotland.
In 1813 a walled up skeleton was found in one of the vaults of Craigmillar Castle.
In 1787 Robert Burns was knighted at Clackmannan Tower by Henry Bruce's widow with the sword of Robert the Bruce.
The only five-sided keep in England is located in Mitford Castle.
New Buckenham Castle keep is the largest in diameter to be found in England.
In the Dark Ages, people believed that swords were blessed due to their cross-shape.
The first of the Edwardian castles to be built in Wales was Flint Castle.
Mitford Castle has the only five sided keep in England.