The Grey Lady and the White Hart

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Scotland is justifiably famous for its castles and countryside. It is also fabulously haunted with a wealth of apparitions – both friends and decidedly unfriendly.

Situated off the coast, in the Western Isles of Scotland lies the Isle of Arran where Brodick Castle has stood since Viking times. The present structure is newer, dating from the fourteenth century. Oliver Cromwell garrisoned his New Model Army here in 1648 during the Civil War. He killed the first Duke and the second Duke died in battle three years later.

The castle takes its name from the village of Brodick nearby and from Brodick Bay, (situated below Goat Fell) on which the castle sits. The castle was a former residence of the Dukes of Hamilton. They earned the title Duke of Arran when it was bestowed in them by James IV of Scotland who also gave them the castle in 1503. It probably did not hurt that the then Duke of Hamilton was James IV’s cousin.

In 1844, the castle was doubled in size by major alterations ordered by the 10^th Duke and his wife, Princess Marie of Baden. Finally, in 1957 its then owner, Mary Duchess of Montrose bequeathed it to the National Trust for Scotland following her death.

As for the ghosts - they are varied, but a Grey Lady, said to date from Cromwellian times, wanders the corridors. She is believed to have been a servant who fell in love with the captain of the Guard and became pregnant. As a result she was instantly dismissed from service. She turned to her family for help, but found no solace there. They disowned her. Abandoned by her lover, shunned by her family, penniless, homeless and alone, she drowned herself in the Wine Port Quay, by the entrance to the castle.

Now she walks the servants’ areas – kitchen, lower corridor and also the turnpike stairs which lead to the East Tower and the battlements, no doubt still hoping to reconcile with her faithless lover. Visitors have reported seeing her apparently shadowing staff working at the castle. She seems to be trying to talk to them but the staff affected are completely unaware of her presence.

There is another version of the Grey Lady story that states she was locked in the dungeons with two other women and left to die of starvation because all three were plague victims.

A male ghost of unknown identity appears to haunt the library. He wears a green jacket and sits quietly reading. Another man is sometimes seen in the long corridor. He is evidently shy as he disappears as soon as he is spotted.

There are conflicting legends surrounding the White Hart. One states that it only appears in the grounds of the castle when the Clan Chef of the Hamiltons is about to die. In total contrast, there is another tradition that states great good fortune will come to those who see it. Whichever is correct (and let's hope it is the latter), you can see a beautiful sculpture commemorating the mythical creature as this has been added to the extensive gardens. Created by artist Sally Matthews, it is lifesize and crafted out of local whitebeam and bracken.

Today, the castle has been extensively restored and you can visit it. Click here for details. With so many ghosts in residence, it looks like you are never really alone at Brodick Castle.

The Ghosts of Braemar

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You’ll need a steely resolve and a backbone to match when you encounter the many ghosts of Braemar…

Braemar Castle in Aberdeen has been in the possession of the Clan Farquharson for centuries so it is perhaps unsurprising that it has attracted its fair share of ghost legends. The present building was constructed in 1628 by John Erskine, the 18^th Earl of Mar who built it as a hunting lodge. Ironically one of the reasons he constructed it was as a means of countering the rising power of the Farquharson Clan – into whose possession it came in the following century.

Over the years there have been many reports of people hearing a baby crying and there is a legend associated with this. It is said that, many years ago, one of the serving girls had a newborn baby with her but the child spent night after night wailing and crying. Whatever the girl did she couldn’t get the child to settle. One of the soldiers guarding the castle, sick of being sleep-deprived, took matters into his own hands. He grabbed the screaming infant from its cradle and bashed its head repeatedly against the wall. 

Another frequent supernatural occurrence centres around the tragedy of a young honeymooning couple in the 19^th century. They were staying at the castle on their wedding night when the castle used to be let out as a holiday home. When the bride awoke the next morning, she found herself alone in her bed. She could not find her husband and immediately believed she had done something to displease him. Distraught and evidently suffering from – what could have been – temporary insanity, she threw herself off the main turret plunging to her death below. To this day, a ghostly woman wearing a long white nightgown appears to visitors – but only to newlyweds.

John Farquharson, who earned the title the ‘Black Colonel of Inverey’ as a result of his swarthy complexion, tried to burn down the castle in 1689, while it was still in possession of the Earls of Mar. He has been seen in a number of rooms – his silhouette has been witnessed on a four poster bed on many occasions. Visitors have also reported a lingering smell of tobacco in many rooms – even though no one there smokes.

The Colonel was a colourful character with a reputation for excessive violence – but he was living in violent times. In 1666, he was outlawed for the murder of a Laird of Ballater and became a fugitive, although he still managed to live most of the time in his castle at Inverey. He fought at Bothwell Bridge and Killiecrankie and was pursued by government redcoats. At one time they cornered him in the notorious Pass of Ballater but he somehow managed to evade them by galloping up the dangerous north side. The redcoats didn’t give up and ambushed him at Inverey where he was forced to watch his own castle burn. 

Once again, he escaped and he took refuge in a place that became known as the ‘Colonel’s Bed’ – a massive overhanging rock in a gorge on the River Ey. His mistress and the love of his life – Annie Ban – brought him food and drink and he eventually died of old age in 1698. Before he passed away, he instructed that he should be buried at Inverey but for reasons long forgotten now, his wishes were ignored and he was interred at Braemar but the Colonel was never one to be thwarted – even in death. The next morning, his coffin lay on the ground beside his grave. It was re-interred. The following morning, yet again, his coffin lay on the ground. The third day this happened, his coffin was removed and reburied at Inverey where it has stayed below ground ever since.

The ghosts of Braemar attracted the attention of artist Gustave Doré who, in 1873, painted Braemar Castle – complete with its ghosts. The painting used to hang in the Drawing Room.

Today the castle is still owned by Clan Farquharson but is leased to the local community. It is managed and run by Braemar Community Ltd – a local charity – and staffed by volunteers. It’s popular with visitors from all over the world

Dark Deeds and a Tragic Queen

Scotland has a rich heritage of history as well as spectacular scenery. It seems you cannot go more than a few miles in any direction before meeting up with evidence of some pretty colourful characters and many dark and sinister deeds.

Scattered around the rugged countryside, is a wealth of haunted castles, whose walls have seen much violence and bloodshed, but few can lay claim to quite as much bloodiness as the Hermitage, situated in the remote Liddlesdale Valley  around six miles from Scotland’s border with England.

More of a fortress than a palace, its forbidding presence still rises today out of the boggy landscape, its strategic importance vital in the centuries of border conflicts and it legacy, in addition to the violence and battle, includes tales of black magic and sorcery, betrayal and revenge.

Originally built by the Lords Soulis, the first structure was erected in the thirteenth century although little of that remains now. In 1360, the earth and timber structure began to be replaced by a more formidable stone edifice. Hugh Dacre was responsible for the work, starting with the central stone tower and, even today, it is possible to see the cobbled courtyard and spiral stairs which led to the laird’s upper quarters. A further three towers were built and the whole place became a stronghold, heavily fortified although with some fine accommodation.

Being so close to the border, over the centuries there were gains and losses on both sides and, from time to time the castle fell into English hands. Sometimes the exchange of ownership was aided and abetted by the laird of the day, accepting money from the English in return for possession of his castle.  From the Soulis lords, it passed to the Dacres, the Douglases, then onto the Hepburns (the family of the infamous Earl of Bothwell who married Mary Queen of Scots after almost certainly murdering her husband, Lord Darnley). Latterly it passed to the Dukes of Buccleugh and the Scotts before coming into public ownership in 1930.

As for the sorcery and black magic, there are a number of legends. In the thirteenth century one of the lords Soulis – possibly Ranulf or Sir Nicholas. He had made a pact with the devil and engaged in dark acts of sorcery and magic. The devil appeared to him in the form of Robin Redcap and kept him from harm so that no weapons or attempts to hang him could succeed. Rumours quickly spread that, in order to pay back his debt to the devil, de Soulis was capturing and sacrificing local children.

Frightened for their children’s lives the villagers sought the aid of famed prophet and poet Thomas the Rhymer and asked what they should do to kill a man who was incapable of being harmed by weapons or the hangman’s rope. The advice he gave, they followed. According to legend, the villagers captured de Soulis and dragged him off to Ninestane Rig, a nearby ancient stone circle. They then tipped him into a vat of boiling oil.

Justice had been served – or not actually. It all makes for a great legend but, in fact, de Soulis was murdered by his servants before the family moved to the Hermitage. Another version states that he was imprisoned at Dumbarton Castle where he died.

Whichever version you subscribe to, Lord de Soulis has been heard and seen returning to the vaults where he performed his sacrifices and various devilish rituals. He visits every seven years and his terrifying visage, along with the tortured screams of his victims, has been reported many times.

 The wicked and vile Lord de Soulis has another claim to fame. A frighteningly huge knight called the Cout of Keilder rode up in full armour one day, bent on killing the evil lord. His suit of armour held magical powers so that he too could not be harmed by weaponry. Lord de Soulis is supposed to have drowned him in Hermitage Water – although another version of the tale states that the Cout was also an evil soul who terrorized the castle’s inhabitants until he was drowned.

Later in the castle’s history comes the sinister tale of owner of the Hermitage, Sir William Douglas who was furious when he learned that Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie had been made Sheriff when he firmly believed that honour should have gone to him. He ambushed Ramsey and carted him back to Hermitage Castle where he kept him prisoner until the poor man starved to death. When his corpse was finally found it was clear that he had gnawed his fingers to the bone. Sir Alexander Ramsay is reported to haunt the castle to this day and his cries have been heard, screaming from the walls.

The castle’s royal connection is with the aforementioned and tragic Mary Queen of Scots who would visit Bothwell at the castle. On one such trip, she fell from her horse into a bog, contracted a serious fever and almost died. The castle has its own White Lady apparition and this is said to be that of Mary. Given all the places she is alleged to haunt, Mary Queen of Scots’ ghost leads a much travelled hectic afterlife. As for the evil scheming Bothwell - having killed her husband, married her and then abandoned her to her fate, he died insane in a filthy Danish jail;

With so much going on, it is hardly surprising that Hermitage Castle has attracted the attention of some distinguished ghost hunters over the years. Famed Victorian journalist W.T. Stead visited there when he was a young man and reported being terrified by screeches from overhead, followed by the trampling of what sounded to him like ‘a multitude of iron-shod feet’. A heavy door swung on rusty hinges and the whole place took on a chilling, menacing air. He was greatly relieved to escape the place as he felt at any moment, he might encounter the devil himself.

 When Mary Queen of Scots’ son James VI of Scotland also became James I of England, border skirmishes ceased and the need for such a fortification ended. The castle quickly fell into neglect and ruin and would not have survived today were it not for the efforts of Sir Walter Scott (whose family owned it for a time), the 5^th Duke of Buccleuch (a subsequent owner) and now Historic Scotland. You can visit it – but be warned, the spirits are still there…

There are ghosts aplenty in Henderson Close – and a devil or two. Here’s what to expect from The Haunting of Henderson Close:

Ghosts have always walked there. Now they’re not alone… 

In the depths of Edinburgh, an evil presence is released. Hannah and her colleagues are tour guides who lead their visitors along the spooky, derelict Henderson Close, thrilling them with tales of spectres and murder. For Hannah it is her dream job, but not for long. Who is the mysterious figure that disappears around a corner? What is happening in the old print shop? And who is the little girl with no face? The legends of Henderson Close are becoming all too real. 

The Auld De’il is out – and even the spirits are afraid.

The Haunting of Henderson Close is available from:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Flame Tree Press

Dark Dundee

Many of us have heard of Edinburgh's spooky dark, subterranean Closes and sinister history, but Scotland has a lot more just waiting to be discovered. So, if your taste runs to the supernatural, paranormal, or just plain macabre, you need to stop off in Dundee - and let the knowledgeable folk at Dark Dundee be your guides. They're my guests today...

Thank you for letting me talk a little bit about my website on your blog – it’s an honour and a privilege to be able to share with you. Dark Dundee is run by myself (Stewart Heaton), and Helen-Louise Murphy. Together, we scour the annals of our city’s dark history, uncovering its devilishly morbid past. Dark Dundee is the only web-based resource of its kind that faces Dundee’s blood-soaked history head on. When it comes to dark and supernatural history, Dundee is often overlooked, but we have our fair share of death, mayhem and carnage in our timeline too!

Once known as the place of “jute, jam and journalism”, Dundee is now a thriving medical, digital and cultural community. Helen-Louise and myself run a web and graphic design business called Blue Lagoon Designs, but we also have a passion for local history (more importantly, the darker side of history). With such a wealth of stories, myths and legends right here on our own doorstep, we took the brave step to combine our two passions and launched our website www.darkdundee.co.uk.
We had no idea how quickly it would take off, and, within months, we were inundated with stories, requests, images and offers of help from all over the city. Our social media pages quickly began to swell as more and more people visited our website and shared our content. It was a really exciting start for us as we did not expect people to be so receptive as quickly as they were.

On our site, you can read about the days when our streets ran red with blood at the hands of Oliver Cromwell’s army, led by the ruthless General Monck and his marauding men. In 1651, they breached the town’s defending walls and overwhelmed the citizens with brutal and barbaric force. For three days, Monck’s men terrorised the town, killing without mercy before finally leaving with the lion’s share of Scotland’s wealth, which lay within the fortified walls of Dundee. Read more about this story on our website.


You may have heard of the Tay Rail Disaster – the largest rail tragedy of its kind at the time in the world and still hailed today as one of the worst engineering disasters in history. On a particularly stormy night in December of 1879, the massive structure gave way to the elements and plummeted into the murky depths of the raging river Tay, taking with it the lives of every passenger on board. A lengthy search ensued, but some of the bodies were never recovered. The full details of the horrific disaster are here on our site, and it is a tragedy that is still felt in the hearts of the people of Dundee today.

Cold-blooded murders happen all over the world, and Dundee is no exception. From historic murders to some that are more recent, Dark Dundee explores the horrifying and public murder cases that have beset our city. Jack the Ripper suspect, William Bury murdered his wife Ellen in the city of Dundee in 1889. Was the Wife O’ Denside a stone-cold killer, or just an innocent victim? We’ll let you be the judge of that. From infanticide to poisoning, Dundee has plenty of dark offerings, and where better to tell them than on our website.

Not only do we look at murders, we also explore the supernatural side of Dundee. From witchcraft and sorcery to ghosts, myths and monsters, Dark Dundee has it all. Read all about Charmaine’s Bigfoot sighting near Carmylie, by Dundee, or indulge in the legend of the Nine Maidens, where Martin is alleged to have slain a ravenous serpent as revenge for eating the farm maids. The legend of the white lady of Balgay still leaves people fearful to cross the infamous bridge at night, even now, in 2015, for fear of her wrath. Grissell Jaffray, Dundee’s legendary witch, was burned on a pyre in the town in 1669, and was the last person to be burned in Dundee for the crime of witchcraft. With the records destroyed by fire, Grissell’s charges are now lost to time. Hop aboard the famous RRS Discovery and step back in time to visit the ghosts of its past and take a virtual tour of the deck whilst you’re there.

Dark Dundee offers history like you’ve never heard it before – a city that has risen from the ashes more than once, and continues to thrive, grow and reinvent itself as a centre for culture, trade and discovery. The Dark Dundee website blends fact with fiction by way of our free e-books and our online decision-making game whereby you control the outcome of events as situations unfold before you. We have lots more planned in the future for Dark Dundee, including walking tours which will hopefully start in the Autumn, and a potential 2016 calendar, filled with facts, dates and figures about our city and its rich, vibrant, and often bloody history. 

Because of our backgrounds in design and public engagement, we have been able to create all of the visual content you see on our website ourselves, from our website graphics to our videos, book covers and promotional materials. We keep in touch with our fans via our website as well as our social media, so please keep in touch with us on Facebook and on Twitter, and be sure to check out our videos on YouTube. If you are ever in the city, give us a shout and we’ll take you on a journey that’s sure to send a shiver down your spine. Perhaps you should do a bit of research into your own village, town or city…there’s bound to be a skeleton or two just waiting to be unearthed! 

For now, I’ll leave you with the link to the promotional video for the website. Thanks so much for reading!