Scottish Ghosts (Waverley Scottish Classics)

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On 10th September 1297, William Wallace stood upon the lofty heights of Abbey Craig - where Scotland’s national memorial to him now stands - and gazed across the River Forth at the English held stronghold of Stirling Castle.

Towards the end of the 18th Century, the vaults became home to numerous taverns, merchants, and anybody who wanted to fly under the radar of law enforcement. When the Sheriff of Lanark, Hazelrig, had Marion’s brother put to death Wallace and his comrades stole into town and put fifty English soldiers to the sword. The inner walls and vaults have long since collapsed leaving a gaunt shell to whose sides a tenacious covering of dull plaster clings defiantly. Cawdor Castle also seems to have been influenced by “Romeo and Juliet” events, perhaps Bard’s most famous work. In the early 1880s, the daughter of the Earl of Cawdor entered into a relationship with a young man from a rival family.The whole castle, cut off from the outside world by a huge encircling wall, seems trapped in a time warp, and exploring it in in the company of the kilted and bearded Laird is an experience without equal. The Laird’s son, Stuart, has seen a ghostly old man walking across the courtyard; a head and collar materialise out of a wall and front of him, and even a phantom dog and its nebulous owner who disappeared into an invisible doorway. Glenlyon explained that they came as friends and merely sought suitable quarters against the winter snows. They thereupon received a warm welcome and were afforded food and lodgings. The white lady is, apparently, of no fixed abode and can suddenly appear unannounced at sundry locations around the property. It all began on 25th September, 1663 when Alexander MacDonald, the young Chief of Keppoch and his brother Ranald, were stabbed to death by rivals within their clan.

Sadly, it was not to be, for Margaret died en route from Norway and a fierce debate as to a successor ensued.

By the 1840’s the "Stage House," as the building was then known, had become a notable coaching halt for Victorian travellers. The great majority, however, managed to evade their pursuers and hundreds of men, women and children fled into the mountains. Whatever haunts the chilly depths of Loch Ness is neither a newcomer nor an idle legend to be derided out of hand. Blythswood Square in Glasgow was the place to live in the 1800s, but when Captain Smythe moved into his new des res he took a dislike to the bathroom, finding it dark and sinister. One night, just as he was about to enter the tub he saw the apparition of a beautiful woman strangle someone in the bath. Weeks later his son saw the bloated body of an old man in the water. The Smythes swiftly moved out, only to discover the former residents were a wealthy old man, who had been found dead in the bath, and his beautiful young Spanish wife, who inherited his fortune and was never seen again. The sentence, however, was commuted and instead he was stripped of rank, titles and lands and fined 100,000 Scots merks.

Wandering around the cosy interior of Ravenswood House, you might chance upon a bearded figure, wearing an Arran sweater, the arms of which are rolled up to the elbows to reveal an old fashioned long-sleeved vest. You might bid him "good day," or words to that effect, and you might even be tempted to exchange a few pleasantries. When the Kings Justiciar accused him of treason, Wallace refused to answer the charge, pointing out that since he had never sworn allegiance to Edward 1st he couldn’t be guilty of treason against him. While others were able to escape the bloodshed, many of them soon died of exposure on the mountainside. Overall, the estimated number of deaths lies somewhere between 40 and 300. At the age of twenty five he married Hariott Steuart of Auchlunchart, and set about turning Leith Hall into a suitable family home. She bore him three sons and was pregnant with a fourth when, just before Christmas 1763, John rode to Aberdeen to dine with friends. Copious amounts of alcohol flowed at the meal and John reacted angrily when one of the diners accused him of adulterating the grain sold from Leith Hall. But it was his summoning of King John in 1294 to join his war against France that turned the disagreement into open conflict.

The Loch Ness Monster 

On 13th June 1291, led by Robert Bruce and John Balliol, the Guardians and Lords of Scotland lined up to place their hands in Edward’s and, one by one, surrendered their nations independence by recognising him as "superior and direct lord of the Kingdom of Scotland." The anniversary of the slaughter is a particularly active time for the ghosts. During that time, many people say they’ve seen mysterious marching Highlanders, strange corpses, and bleeding men. Some say that they’ve witnessed the entire battle played out by the restless ghosts of the fallen, as the air fills with screams and sounds of fighting. Perhaps the most haunting Culloden ghost, however, is a single specter: a tall, lonely, dejected figure wandering the moor aimlessly and whispering, “Defeated...defeated...” over and over. + Ghost House Nanny A mysterious phantom skull often appears on photographs taken inside the tower, as does the indistinct form of a ghostly lion, said to be the revenant of a pet once owned by one of the Bishop’s. Unfortunately, this was soon revealed to have been a hoax perpetrated with the aid of a dried hippopotamus foot, otherwise being used as an umbrella stand!