Festival Of Fear: Day 13: The List: Eleven Haunted Scottish Castles

If I were able to travel anywhere in the world, I'd most like to see the United Kingdom, in particular Scotland and Northern Ireland due to both my own heritage and my hubby's.  I'm also addicted to the Starz network series Outlander, and am fascinated by the Highlander history and most especially all the lovely castles.

But most of these castles have a violent past that creates a picture of haunted malevolence. And that, my friends, is why we're here today.

While we won't be hitting on Glamis Castle (because I already wrote about it back in 2012, as part of another haunted castle post, there are loads of castles in Scotland - plenty of strongholds to feature!

Many of these hauntings feature a "grey lady", a spectre that most likely met a violent death and refuses to leave the castle.  And due to Scotland's violent history of battles and uprisings in the search for independence, there are also countless stories of soldiers meeting horrific untimely deaths.  This makes for an extra-haunted country....

Eilean Donan Castle, Dornie, Scottish Highlands

Founded in the 13th century on a small tidal island where 3 lochs meet, this castle was partially destroyed during a Jacobite rising in 1719 but was restored in the early 1900's.  Clan Mackenzie and Clan Macrae both claimed this beauty as their home. It is supposedly haunted by the ghost of a Spanish soldier who lost his life during the Jacobite battle - he is oft seen near the castle gift shop, holding his head. Another ghost is called Lady Mary, and she haunts one of the bedrooms but there is little information as to why.

Inveraray Castle 

This beautiful castle in Western Scotland is the ancestral home to the chief of Clan Campbell and has been since 1746.  Ghostly legends here include a haunted galleon that when seen sailing up the adjacent loch foretells the death of a Clan chieftain, a harpist who had been hung for stealing sordid looks at the Duke's lady of the house, and the ghosts of a Highland battle have been seen in the sky over the castle on several occasions. Of note: one of the Christmas episodes of Downton Abbey was filmed at this picturesque location.

Stirling Castle, Stirling

 Surrounded by cliffs on three sides, Stirling Castle was one of the most important strongholds in Scotland and has been the site for the coronations of several kings and queens, including the infamous Mary, Queen of Scots. The Green Lady is the most famous presence here, and is presumed to be the servant of Mary. When a fire broke out in Mary's bedchamber, the servant saved Mary's life but lost her own in the process.  Also frequently seen is the Highlander ghost, a spectre dressed in full Highlander garb who is often mistaken for a tour guide by soon-to-be-surprised guests.

Auchen Castle, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland 

 An absolutely stunning example of medieval architecture, Auchen castle is currently used for weddings and is highly sought out for such events.  But it is haunted by the unidentified ghost of a small child often seen running up and down the halls, mostly in the morning hours.

Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran

 Thought to have had an old Viking fort on the grounds, Brodick Castle is haunted by several ghosts, one of which is the Grey Lady.  Another servant destined to haunt their charge, she drowned herself on the grounds after being spurned by a captain of the guard.  Another spin on the Grey Lady has her a victim of the plague, forced to live out her final days in the castle dungeon. This castle also holds another prophetic legend - it is told a stag is said to appear near the edge of the grounds when one of the chiefs of Clan Hamilton is about to die.

Castle Fraser, Aberdeenshire 

Started in 1574, this beauty was the stronghold of the Fraser clan for centuries.  Its most interesting ghostly legend tells the tale of a princess that was murdered and then dragged down several flights of castle stairs, leaving a trail of blood that could not be washed away.  The stains remained until they were covered over by wood to disguise the bloodshed. Eerie piano music is often heard at night and many visitors claim to have seen the woman walking the halls of the castle.

Delgatie Castle, Turriff 

 Dating to 1030, Delgatie has the distinction of being so haunted that a minister had to be called to perform an exorcism.  Apparently a Hays family member had a dream about someone being buried behind a wall. This wall was excavated and sure enough, a skeleton was found. Soon after, the castle was relentlessly haunted by what appeared to be the ghost of a monk. There were also several reports of ghosts by soldiers stationed at the castle during WWII - even enough to make the entire unit flee in the dead of night.

Fyvie Castle, near Turiff, Aberdeenshire

 In the 13th century a woman known as Lady Meldrum died and her body was placed in a sealed room, never to be disturbed, at her request. Unfortunately in the early 1920's, a skeleton was discovered when the castle was being renovated. The remains were interred in the cemetery on the grounds.  This is when the hauntings started.  They became so bad that the castle's Laird, having researched the history of the keep, had the skeleton sealed back up into a room in the castle, causing the hauntings to cease.

Craigievar Castle, Aberdeenshire

The pinkish hue of Craigievar may make it look like a fairy tale castle, but its reputation for being haunted is more in tune with the many gargoyles that line its turrets.  The Blue Room boasts the most talk of supernatural occurrences, with plummeting temperatures, ghostly music, dark figures in corners, and disembodied footsteps.  Legend has it that one of the Gordon clan fell through a window in the Blue Room to his death.  Apparently he's never left.

Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland

 The ghost at Dunrobin is a classic lover's tale of woe.  Margaret, the daughter of the 14h Earl of Sutherland, was in love with a boy her father found unbefitting of someone of her stature and royalty.  So he locked her in one of the attics.  Margaret and her servant devised a plan for her to escape her prison, but it involved climbing down a rope from high in the castle to her lover waiting below.  Her father arrived just in time to frighten her and make her lose grip on the rope, falling to her death below. It's said you can still her cry for her lost love.

Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh

 Standing high at the top of Edinburgh's Old Town, this impressive fortress is built upon an extinct volcano and dates back to the Iron Age. It boasts an extensive military history but also claims to be one of the most haunted locations in all of the UK. One of the ghosts is a bagpiper who was sent into the vast series of tunnels running under the castle to explore. When the bagpipes stopped, the haunting started.  Word is you can still hear the pipes, even from inside the castle, as the ghost wanders...lost in the underground. There is also a ghostly drummer boy and countless other restless spirits who lost their lives as prisoners within the many dungeons of the castle.

OCTOBER 11: ELEVEN HAUNTED CASTLES

LEAP CASTLE
Long considered the most haunted castle in Ireland, Leap Castle has one of the bloodiest histories of any castle in Europe. In one early instance of horror, a disgruntled man killed his brother (a priest, no less!) in cold blood inside the chapel where the priest was holding mass. Worse yet is the gruesome dungeon that was found full of human skeletons. Apparently prisoners were pushed into a pit onto spikes - if they survived the fall onto the spikes, they were left to die a horrific death by starvation.  In 1900 when this room was discovered, it took three cart-loads to rid the room of all the bones.  With all this bad karma, there have been countless ghost sightings and strange occurrences, leaving Leap Castle with the haunted, blood-soaked reputation it so deserves. ~CH

WARWICK CASTLE
This medieval castle was built in 1068 by William the Conqueror and is still used to this day for many events - haunted tours notwithstanding.  But its ghosts are many, and it has a malicious history.  Most famous is the ghost of Sir Fulke Greville, murdered in cold blood by his manservant, Ralph Haywood. Apparently they had an argument that went too far and Haywood stabbed Greville then, feeling uncontrollable remorse, slit his own throat. The fight was said to be about money, because Haywood had not been mentioned in Greville's will - as servants generally were not.  However - rumor has it that Greville and Haywood may have been a little more than friends, and when a lover is not thought of in a certain manner, moods dampen and things go a little haywire. Weirdest part of this haunting is that Greville's portrait hangs in the castle and his ghost manifests from the image to frighten anyone who happens by.~CH

WINDSOR CASTLE

Located in Windsor, England, it is the oldest castle that is still occupied and has some very prestigious ghosts. Constructed in 1066, it was inhabited in the later 15th century by Henry VII who did some remodeling to the building. After his execution in 1513, he was buried in the castle's chapel and now is said to haunt the castle, seem mostly groaning and stumbling around in the courtyard. The ghosts of Elizabeth I, Charles I, and George III all are known to gather in the royal library and two suicides, Herne the Hunter and a royal guardsman can be found on the grounds. ~MR

DRAGSHOLM CASTLE

This haunted beauty resides in Denmark, built in 1215. The first of their ghosts is called the grey lady, who simply remains to see that everything is in order. The second is the white lady, and was the daughter of the lord of the castle (there were many, many owners). She fell in love with a common man, and though they tried to keep their love secret, her father found out and sealed her up in the castle wall. Now she walks the halls at night and can be seen wearing a white dress. An interesting fact about this story is that in the 1930s, a skeleton wearing a white dress was found when the old castle walls were torn down. The final ghost is that of the Earl of Bothwell who was imprisoned in the cellar in the 1500s. We went on to lose his mind and die there, and now he is said to ride up to the castle in his horse and carriage. ~MR

MOOSHAM CASTLE
Also known as "Witches Castle"
This 14th century castle was built for Austrian royalty but its reputation is less than happy. It is most famous for being the site of thousands of tortures and beheadings of young women during the infamous witch trials.  Stranger yet are the stories of Moosham being a haven for werewolves. When the area became overrun with cattle mutilations, there were many residents of the town were imprisoned as werewolves. Supposedly, male townsfolk conspired with the devil to turn them into wolves. ~CH

CALVADOS CASTLE

What is now known as the French Calvados castle was built on top of an older structure--a renovation that apparently stirred up some lost souls. The castle was occupied by a couple, their son and his tutor in 1875 who began to hear strange noises within their new home. The Monsieur began to record the occurrences. There was a great amount of activity on the staircase, which included heavy footsteps; he described the sound as, "two legs deprived of their feet and walking on their stumps". They also heard what sounded like a body rolling down the stairs and an array of shrieks and cries, a woman weeping and calling for help. After a failed excorcism, the family finally decided to just sell the castle and flee.~MR

WALPOLE CASTLE / STRAWBERRY HILL

Although this castle was never believed to be haunted, it does have a series tie to horror history. It was built by Horace Walpole, who is known for writing what is considered to be the first Gothic novel "The Castle of Otranto". Walpole started construction on the building in 1749 in the Gothic revival style. You may know that one of the reasons Gothic literature got his name was because the stories usually took place in castles of the Gothic architectural style. ~MR

BRAN CASTLE

Another horror monument, this Romanian castle is also known as Dracula's castle and is advertised as being the inspiration for Bram Stoker's vampire's home (even though it actually wasn't). ~MR
Nowadays, it is strictly used for tourist purposes to drive the economy of Romania and encourage the legend of Dracula to continue. There's no telling if this particular castle is haunted, but I'd sure like to think so. ~CH

GLAMIS CASTLE

Considered to be the most haunted castle in Scotland, Glamis was constructed in the 14th century. There is a legend from the 1820's that the man who resided there fathered a deformed son, said to resemble an egg with small extremities. He was locked away in a secret room and became known as the Monster of Glamis. In 1880 a workman knocked down a wall and discovered the secret chamber, vanishing soon after. One of the ghosts of Glamis is the wife of the sixth lord of Glamis who resided there in the 1500s. She was burned at the stake for witchcraft and can now be sighted peering down from the clock tower, surrounded by an orange, fiery glow. Seventeenth century's Earl Beardie was said to have played cards with the Devil and lost his soul, now yelling and stomping can be heard from the tower they played. Shakespeare  mentions Glamis in "Macbeth" and it is thought that Macbeth's ghost haunts the castle. There is a walk on the roof known as the Mad Earl's Walk were a man is said to feverishly pace, a woman runs through the garden tearing at her mouth because her tongue was cut out to keep the secrets of Glamis castle. A woman can appear clawing at the windows with desperate eyes, as if wishing for escape, a tall cloaked figure, and Jack the Runner, a young boy who sprints up to the castle. A vampire is said to be trapped within the castle walls, sleeping until she is freed. And if you dare to stay in the castle you may observe faces peering in the window or hovering over you as you sleep. ~MR

CHILLINGHAM CASTLE
Long touted as the most haunted castle in England (if not the world), Chillingham has had many a ghost hunter wander its creepy halls and secret passageways to search for the spirits of the scores of people who met an untimely end here.  Its history is rife with blood and agony, with a torture chamber to rival the worst of the worst.  There were devices of every shape and size, in fact it's said that if you gaze down into the Oubliette (French for "to forget"), you can still see the bones of the last victim, which was a child. So gruesome was this castle's torture chamber, it was built on a slant, so the blood and guts would flow into a trench for easy disposal. Naturally, with a reputation like this, there should be no end to the unsettled spirits that can't rest. Unearthly moans and screams are heard within castle walls, strange lights are often seen in windows, and hallways are haunted by jilted lovers, a boy who was left to rot after being walled in, and ghosts that step out of pictures to frighten anyone nearby. Chillingham would certainly not be a place one would want to go after dark. I'm thinking daylight might not be much better.  ~CH

THE TOWER OF LONDON 
Home to the ghost of Queen Ann Boleyn among other tortured souls, The Tower of London is probably one of the most well-known fortresses in the world - and one of London's hottest tourist attractions. Besides Boleyn, the Countess of Salisbury was hacked to death with an ax on the premises, leaving her ghost to haunt the tower along side Boleyn and countless other victims from centuries or torture and death. A pair of pre-pubescent princes were reported missing but later their bones were found in a chest in what would later be known as the Bloody Tower. These are just a few of the stories of mayhem and murder. The tower's history speaks for itself, and anyone interested in ghosts and hauntings will be hard-pressed to find an more intriguing subject. ~CH