Historic castles are dispersed across the landscape of the United
Kingdom. These magnificent fortresses stand as stone witnesses to the nation's
rich medieval history. Associated again and again with brutality and violence,
the castles' blood-tinged past, cultivated with grim times of desperation and
tragedy, leave a mysterious air within the confines of the buildings. With such
a bloody past, a legacy of tales, apparitions and spine-tingling supernatural
phenomena is left for present-day tourists to investigate.
EDINBURGH CASTLE
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| Edinburgh's
Castle Is Its Most Recognized Landmark. 1 |
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History
Perched atop a volcanic crag within the city centre of Edinburgh,
Edinburgh
Castle casts its eye over the city, surveying a view it has known for over
1,000 years. It has seen a millennium encompassed by war, trickery and scheming,
punctuated by periods of peace.
Known long ago, in the year 600AD, as Din Eidyn, Edinburgh Castle served
as a stronghold that bound together a band of war-torn men and their leader.
These tribal dynamics were upset in 638AD, when heathen invaders from Europe
(the Angles) besieged and overtook the castle. The Angles left behind a lasting
legacy—the English name Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Castle was continually involved in the bloody rivalry between Scotland
and England. This much-desired
bastion was repeatedly attacked and invaded, protected and defended. During
Edward I of England's time of rule the Scots barely survived destruction, and
boiled with anger and revenge. Edinburgh Castle symbolized what must be rightfully
taken back from the English if a free Scotland were to exist. In 1314, 18 years
after its capture, a vengeful group of men, led by Sir Thomas Randal, successfully
executed a plan to takeover. They silently scaled the rough face of the Edinburgh
Castle rock, and due to the sheer surprise of the attack the English soldiers
were unexpectedly ousted.
Edinburgh Castle would host several gory battles. The Long Siege began when
the castle's keeper, Sir William Kirkcaldy, announced his support for the exiled
Mary Queen of Scots. Outraged, supporters of King James VI, who touted himself
as the first king of Great Britain, laid siege, and thus the two-year-long battle
began. During this time the castle underwent substantial mutilation and damage,
the worst occuring at the battle's conclusion during an 11-day bombardment by
the English soldiers and their heavy artillery (sent by English royalty). The
English overtook the fortification and forced Kirkcaldy to surrender. The east
side of its defenses were decimated by the bombardment, and Edinburgh Castle
was left reeling from two years of battle wounds.
Years of quiet would follow, until 1689, when the war-torn fortification would
undergo yet another siege, though this time only lasting three months. It ended
when the Governor of Edinburgh Castle (the Duke of Gordon) surrendered. In 1745,
the Jacobites made an attempt to oust the English for once and for all under
the leadership of the "Bonny Prince", Charles Edward. They had some
success, taking over Edinburgh for a time and causing a lot of consternation
to the English. The Jacobites were, however, eventually defeated and rendered
impotent to the English Authority. After the battle of Culloden, the Jacobite's
last stand, they were mercilessly hunted and killed or imprisoned, quashing
their short-lived power.
Hauntings
As one might expect of a fortress consumed by such a violent past, Edinburgh
Castle is home to several ghostly characters. One is known as the headless drummer,
whose rhythms can be heard echoing through the castle's passages. The reason
as to why he haunts the castle is a mystery, but while he is supposedly heard
regularly by many, he can only be seen prior to an attempted invasion of the
fortress.
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Ghostly Figures.
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Another musical character, the Lone Piper, has haunted the castle since the
discovery of the secret passageways and tunnels hidden underneath the castle
complex. After they were found, a young soldier was sent down to investigate
the area with only his instrument as a companion. As he marched through the
tunnels he played his music, allowing the soldiers above to track his movement.
Suddenly, as if snatched away from this earthly sphere, his music stopped. Troops
were immediately sent below ground in search for answers, but the piper could
not be found. At present, as people walk the courtyard, the plaintive sounds
of the soldier can be heard echoing in the wind.
Far below the earth’s surface, hidden from sunlight, prisoners were tortured
and made to suffer until their death. The gloomy depths of the dungeon holds
many ghosts—thought to be the suffering souls of the prisoners who once lived
within the dismal underground catacombs. When entering these passageways many
have felt intense paranormal activity that sends spine-chilling, hair-raising
shivers flooding through the body.
GLAMIS CASTLE
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| Glamis Castle
Houses Several Unwanted Guests. 3 |
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History
The picturesque architecture of Glamis
Castle holds many secrets within its confines. Originally built as a hunting
lodge, it has been the property of the Lyon family since the 14th century, and
resides in the Scottish countryside near the village of Glamis.
Having been the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess
Margaret, the castle has observed many changes throughout time, and has consequently
been shaped by the plethora of well-documented, odd stories that are buried
within its past.
Some people blame the dark history of Glamis Castle on age-old superstitions.
After it was inherited by Sir John Lyon in 1372, the castle and the family were
thought to have had a curse bestowed upon them. While leaving his previous home,
the Forteviot House, Sir John Lyon defied local beliefs that the family chalice
must stay within their original estate. He removed the sacred artifact, and
in doing so apparently unleashed a dreadful presence that is believed will continue
to haunt the Lyon family for eternity.
Hauntings
Treachery and deceit litter the castle's history both in fiction and reality.
It housed the death and perhaps murder of King Malcolm II and was Shakespeare's
choice of setting for the dark play Macbeth. Later, in hopes of gaining the
estate, rumours were concocted that accused Lady Glamis (Janet Douglas) of planning
to poison the King, James V. Unjustly proven guilty, she was burned at the stake
as a witch. Near the clock tower and chapel, recent witnesses have claimed sightings
of her ghost, the Grey Lady of Glamis.
There have also been sightings of a horrific ghost of a woman with no tongue.
Legend has it, she is a vampire forced to spend eternity within the restrictions
of the castle grounds. As well, there is the famous ghost of a cruel man named
Alexander Earl Crawford, better known as Earl Beardie. Awaking panic-stricken
from sleep, numerous children have claimed to see him leaning over their beds
in the blackness of the night. Believed to have lost his temper while gambling,
Earl Beardie called upon the devil to play him a game of cards. Apparently having
bet his soul, Beardie lost the game, and consequently died a few days later.
Condemned to spend infinite years playing cards with the devil, his ghost resides
in a secret room hidden within the castle. Accounts have been made by various
people who have heard loud noises, swearing and the rolling of dice coming from
a hidden source.
According to local legend, there is also a terrifying monster believed to
be forever locked within another of the castle's secret chambers. The legend
began during the 19th century, when an Earl of Strathmore fathered a deformed
child and gossip spread; and so the idea of a monster took seed. Not wanting
to put the family name to shame, the Earl is said to have locked his misshapen
son in a forbidden tower where his existence would be unknown. The child was
forced to live with no knowledge of the outside world and little human contact.
Speculations and exaggerations occurring over the years have perpetuated these
stories, and now make up the legend of the Glamis Castle monster.
CHILLINGHAM CASTLE
History
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Chillingham
Castle Has Protected Its Inhabitants For 800 Years.4 |
Having been owned by Earls Grey and their descendants since the 1200s, Chillingham
Castle bears the scars of battle and has felt the sorrows of abandonment.
The early beginnings of this Northumberland
fortification date far back to the 1100s, following the Norman Conquest. A Norman
nobleman, in hopes of providing his family with a prosperous estate, built the
original watchtower of Chillingham, which would be used for centuries to warn
inhabitants of potential invasion and bloodshed.
Due to its strategic location, many infamous characters have resided within
the dark castle walls. One of the first visitors, though only residing within
the watch tower, was England's King Edward I. Better known as “Edward Longshanks”,
he stopped en route to war, where he was destined to fight the legendary Scottish
hero William Wallace. His ancient room is still intact. Other residents were
not guests, but were forced to call Chillingham home. Deserted inmates seized
from numerous battles could be found counting down the depressing days of their
imprisonment within the castle's shadowy depths. The torture chamber displays
gruesome instruments used to inflict pain and punishment, such as a bed of nails,
a stretching rack, thumb screws and branding irons, and the dungeon walls are
etched with notes from its despondant population.
A witness to violence, Chillingham has also experienced it first hand. With
raging armies to the north, attacks were not uncommon—thus explaining the many
enhancements made to the castle’s defense system throughout history. It has
a surrounding moat, a 12-foot-thick defense system and several towers, but after
regularly accommodating the first unified King of Scotland
and England on his journeys between
the two nations, Chillingham began to be transformed. Violence faded, and in
contradiction to previous reinforcements, Chillingham underwent an aesthetic
makeover, replacing previous defenses with residential luxuries formerly unknown.
It became a lavish estate with landscaped grounds and gardens, depicting the
peace that would continue to sweep across the area of Northumberland, England
and Scotland.
Centuries later, in a time more familiar, Chillingham was used as a barracks
during the Second World War. Soon after, the castle fell into wretchedness haunted
by infestation and rot. Though the castle was abandoned and the Grey family
moved to a new home, the area would soon be restored to the magnificence that
once radiated from within its core, and that can till be found today.
Hauntings
The name Chillingham Castle speaks for itself, as it is thought to be one of
the most haunted castles in Britain. Unnerving accounts of ghost sightings from
witnesses of both the past and present have given Chillingham its chilling reputation.
The Blue Boy, or Radiant Boy, could possibly be the castle's most famous ghost.
It used to be that at midnight, when the clock tower struck 12, there were fearful
moans and cries coming from The Pink Room—a bedroom within the castle. After
the moaning stopped, supposedly anyone in the bedroom would see a blurry image
of a boy dressed all in blue, accompanied by a bright halo of light surrounding
the four-poster bed. In the 1920s, a young boy’s remains were found by construction
workers behind a 10-foot-thick wall and given a proper burial. Sightings of
the Blue Boy have since ceased.
Another ghost believed to haunt the castle is that of Lady Mary Berkeley. In
her time she was the wife of Ford, Lord Grey of Wark and Chillingham,
and Earl of Tankerville. Having deserted his wife and their child, Berkeley
was left to wallow in sorrow within the castle walls. The rustle of her dress
is said to be audible as she wanders sadly through the hallways.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
- Uknown; Edinburgh Castle; Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- Unknown; Photos; Ghostly Figures
- Gemma; Chillingham Castle; Chillingham Castle; Chillingham, England,
UK
- Creative Commons Public License (CCPL); Glamis Castle; Glamis, Scotland,
UK
