Top 10 Haunted Scottish Castles
Number 10, Culzean Castle, Clan Kennedy.
Clan Kennedy built Culzean castle in the late 18th century, there is a legend that a bagpiper was exploring the near by caves and mysteriously disappeared, his body was never found. It is said that his apparition appears on the grounds of the castle when a member of the Kennedy family is getting married.
Number 9, Drumlanrig Castle, Clan Douglas
Built in the 14th century the castle features a hallway, located on the southside, that is named the bloody passage. It is believed that a grisly murder happened in that hallway. The very spot of the murder was said to be marked by a blood stain that the house maids were unable to remove. The spirit of a woman in her bed clothes is rumored to wander the passage.
Number 8, Dunrobin Castle, Clan Sutherland
This 13th century castle is said to be haunted by the ghost of Margaret, who was believed to be the daughter of the 14th Earl of Sutherland. Legend states that she was imprisoned in the attic of the castle by her father. She fell to her death in an attempt to escape. To this day guests claim to hear moans and cries coming from the attic.
Number 7, Duntrune Castle, Clan Campbell
Duntrune Castle dating back to the 13th century is said to be haunted by MacDonald, the phantom piper. In 1615 the MacDonalds sent the piper to Duntrune Castle to spy on the Campbells but unfortunately for him he was captured. The Campbells then hid, and prepared to ambush the group of MacDonalds that were planning to attack the castle. The piper played his pipes warning the MacDonalds of the awaiting ambush and was executed as a punishment. It is said that the pipes can still be heard around Duntrune Castle without anyone being able to locate the source.
Number 6, Eilean Donan Castle, Clan MacKenzie
In 1331 Randolph the Earl of Moray sent word to the Mackenzies that he was coming to visit Eilean Donan Castle. In response the MacKenzies gathered up 50 “wrong doers” from the area, decapitated them, and displayed their heads around the castle walls for the approval of the Earl. It is said that a soldier, of that era, currently haunts the castle and has been spotted in the gift shop carrying a severed head under his arm.
Number 5, Meggernie Castle, Clan Menzies
There is a story that dates from a time when Clan Menzies controlled Meggernie Castle. The laird of the castle, Menzie of Culdares, married a beautiful young woman but became extremely jealous because of her beauty and murdered her in a fit of rage. To hide the murder he cut up the body and hid it in the castle and left for Europe. When he arrived back he told the locals that his wife had drowned during their trip. Menzies feeling anxious, attempted to dispose of the body but was himself murdered before he could bury the upper half. He was found dead, inside the castle, next to the remains of his wife with no explanation who killed him. To this day, many claim to see the upper torso of a woman haunting the castle.
Number 4, Fyvie Castle, Clan Seton
Fyvie castle is supposedly haunted by Dame Lilias Drummond or the “Green Lady of Fyvie” . Lilias was married to Alexander Seton and died in 1601 due to suspicious circumstances. Alexander quickly married a young beautiful woman. During their wedding night Alexander’s new bride was awakened by a strange moaning coming from the bedroom window, she investigated and found nothing. In the morning they re investigated the window and found inscribed, into the stone, the words “D. Lillias Drummond”. The inscription can still be seen to this day. It is said that Lilias’s ghost visits the castle when each laird is about to die.
Number 3, Rosslyn Castle, Clan Sinclair
The Battle of Roslin occurred in 1303 during the Scottish War of Independence. An English Knight was slain by a Scotsman prompting his hound to attack his slayer. The hound was then cut down by the same Scotsman. It was said that the hound began to appear each night in the guards room of the castle, terrifying the Scottish Soldiers. One night the soldier who had slain the dog witnessed the apparition and screamed out in terror. Three days later that soldier was dead and the spirit of the hound disappeared. Many present day witnesses have claimed to have seen an English Knight and a hound walking the castle grounds.
Number 2, Dean Castle, Clan Boyd
The Boyd family acquired the castle as a wedding gift from Robert the Bruce upon Thomas Boyd’s marriage to Princess Mary in 1350. 400 years later the staff at the castle were frighten by an apparition of a head rolling around on the floor. At the time William Boyd was the chief of the Boyd Clan and laird of the castle, he was also a strong supporter of the Jacobite Cause. A few years later William was captured by the English at the battle of Culloden and beheaded. His last request was that his head was to be caught in a sheet so it did not roll around in the dirt. For years after his beheading there have been reports of Williams’s head being propelled, like a bowling ball, down the corridors of Dean Castle.
Number 1….watch the video to find out…