Haunted Castles of Scotland

The castle is located near Angus, and its estate covers 14,000 acres (21.8m2) of the valley of Strathmore. The castle’s history is steeped in myth and legend, and it has a grim past as if to make up for its beauty. It has monsters, and demons, vampires, and the Devil himself who turned up to play cards with the unfortunate Earl Beardie. As if it didn’t have enough going for it, the castle is also believed by many to be the setting of Shakespeare’s cursed play; Macbeth.

A Grey Lady, haunts the family chapel, and it is suspected that she is the spirit of Lady Janet Douglas, who walks the corridors for all eternity, unable to find peace after her horrific death in 1537. She was burned at the stake as a witch on Castle Hill in Edinburgh having been charged of a plot kill the King (with poison). She has been spotted on a number of occasions, and may have been the inspiration behind J.K. Rowling’s Grey Lady in the Harry Potter series.

Another lady haunts the castle, and her ghost has been seen looking out of a barred window into the grounds and running about in the park, making sure that terrified witnesses get a good look at her mutilated face before disappearing off into the castle. She has no tongue, a clue to the horrors she suffered in her life, but history tells us nothing of who she was nor why she haunts the castle.

Last but not least is the infamous Earl Beardie, also known in his day as Alexander, Earl Crawford. It is said that he was staying in the castle one night as a guest, when in a drunken state he demanded a game of cards with his hosts, who flatly refused. Earl Beardie flew into an inconsolable rage, and declared that he would even play cards with the Devil himself to satisfy his thirst for the game. This had no sooner been uttered from his lips when a stranger hammered at the door, and inquired after Lord Beardie, asking if he fancied a game of cards. They holed themselves in one of the rooms, and began to play cards. No one knows how that game finished for screams and curses and yelling and cries of anguish issued forth, interspersed with the sound of rattling dice, and then silence as the stranger and the Earl disappeared. They say it was the Devil himself, and he took the Earl’s soul with him. Others say you can hear them playing still, in a secret room through which no door can reach.

Those who are not familiar with Scotland might be surprised by the sheer number of castles, but there are thousands of them, some crumbling ruins, some converted into flats and mansions, hotels and golf clubs. All have their own history, their own stories, none of them have escaped unscathed or unbloodied. All have had blood spilled in their halls, all have ghosts, all have hidden secrets. Remember and visit some of them next time you find yourself in bonny Scotland.