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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

Edinburgh's Castle Is Its Most Recognized Landmark. 1

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.

	Ghostly Figures. 2

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

Glamis Castle Houses Several Unwanted Guests. 3

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

	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.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

1. Uknown; Edinburgh Castle; Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
2. Unknown; Photos; Ghostly Figures
3. Gemma; Chillingham Castle; Chillingham Castle; Chillingham, England, UK
4. Creative Commons Public License (CCPL); Glamis Castle; Glamis, Scotland, UK