Ghosts From Edinburgh Castle

Arguably the most tragic is a mysterious lady, dressed like a 16th-century noblewoman, who has been spotted around the older parts of the castle, sometimes just wandering about, other times weeping. Well, she would be, considering that she is associated with two equally unfortunate historical figures.

Some say that she might be Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis, a woman accused of witchcraft by a vengeful King James V who took his grudge against her brother out on her. Even then everyone knew the accusations were baseless. But Janet Douglas was burned at the stake outside the castle on 17 July 1537, in front of her son. If that isn't enough to turn someone into a restless spirit, I'm not sure what would be.

Others speculate that the lady could be Marie de Guise, the Catholic mother and regent of Mary Queen of Scots. Marie de Guise found herself on the losing side of the Scottish Reformation. When she died in June 1560 her corpse was kept at the castle for months, wrapped in cloth and kept in a lead coffin to keep the smell at bay - before Protestant nobles finally allowed her remains to be shipped home to France.

 

 There have also been reports of a ghostly man who smells distinctly of manure and tries to push visitors over the castle’s battlements. The story goes that he was one of the many poor souls imprisoned in the castle's dark, damp, rat-infested dungeons. Desperate to escape, he crawled into a wheelbarrow full of muck, hoping to be taken out of the castle and emptied onto a nice soft dung heap. But the wheelbarrow was tipped over the battlements instead, and the poor man broke his neck on the jagged slopes of Castle Rock.Two of the castle’s best-known ghostly apparitions are soldiers. Legend has it that many years ago the entrance to an underground tunnel – perhaps an escape route in case of siege - was discovered in the depths of the fortress. A regimental bagpiper was persuaded to explore the tunnel, playing his pipes as he descended so his comrades above ground could follow his progress. But at the Tron Kirk – halfway down the Royal Mile – his underground piping stopped. Soldiers went down to look for the piper. But he was never seen again. The tunnel was sealed. And today people still claim to hear the faint sound of bagpipes underneath the cobbles of the Old Town.

Another military ghost seen on the castle’s battlements is that of a headless drummer. This grisly figure was first seen drumming a warning signal in 1650, just before the castle was attacked by Oliver Cromwell. Ever since then, the headless drummer has been considered a harbinger of danger.Did you know that Edinburgh Castle has its own pet cemetery? Dogs that were regimental mascots or belonged to distinguished soldiers are buried there. According to some visitors, the ghost of a scruffy black dog has been seen wandering about. As far as I'm concerned, out of all the ghostly apparitions this is the one I would most like to meet. You can visit Edinburgh Castle on our Secrets of the Royal Mile tour - ghost sightings not guaranteed!Following the ‘Union of the Crowns’ of 1603, Edinburgh Castle was rarely visited by the reigning monarch, but from the 1650s it grew into a significant military base. Defences were rebuilt and enhanced in response to the Jacobite Risings of 1689–1746. New gun batteries such as Dury’s Battery were constructed and new barracks such as the Queen Anne Building were added to house the many soldiers and officers.

Some 600 troops were housed in the New Barracks, built during the Napoleonic Wars with France. It’s still in use by the military today. Regiments often had a mascot, many of whom were dogs – some of them are laid to rest in the Dog Cemetery, along with other canine companions. But soldiers once brought home a far more unusual four-legged friend to live in the castle stables. (Clue: He also had a trunk.)

Not everyone who came to the castle enjoyed their stay. Even royals were sometimes known to complain about the draughts. But life was truly grim for many of the prisoners who were locked up in the vaults below Crown Square.

As a formidable stronghold, the castle was the most secure lock-up in Scotland. Between 1757 and 1814 the vaults became home to many hundreds of prisoners of war.Edinburgh Castle was home to kings and queens for many centuries. Queen Margaret (who was later made a saint) died here in 1093. The chapel built in her honour by her son, King David I, is Edinburgh’s oldest building. St Margaret’s Chapel still hosts weddings and christenings today.

The Great Hall, completed in 1511 for King James IV, hosted grand banquets and state events. But the king had little time to enjoy his new addition. James IV died at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, fighting English forces sent by his brother-in-law, King Henry VIII of England.

Above the door to the Royal Palace are the gilded initials MAH – for Mary Queen of Scots and her second husband Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. Mary gave birth to James VI in the Royal Palace in 1566. He became king of Scotland at 13 months old and united the crowns of Scotland and England in 1603.

The Honours of Scotland are the oldest Crown jewels in Britain. Made of gold, silver and precious gems, they were created in Scotland and Italy during the reigns of James IV and James V. The crown, sceptre and sword of state were first used together for the coronation of a monarch in 1543, when Mary Queen of Scots came to the throne. The iconic Stone of Destiny, used for centuries to inaugurate monarchs, is also on display in the Crown Room.Following the ‘Union of the Crowns’ of 1603, Edinburgh Castle was rarely visited by the reigning monarch, but from the 1650s it grew into a significant military base. Defences were rebuilt and enhanced in response to the Jacobite Risings of 1689–1746. New gun batteries such as Dury’s Battery were constructed and new barracks such as the Queen Anne Building were added to house the many soldiers and officers.

Some 600 troops were housed in the New Barracks, built during the Napoleonic Wars with France. It’s still in use by the military today. Regiments often had a mascot, many of whom were dogs – some of them are laid to rest in the Dog Cemetery, along with other canine companions. But soldiers once brought home a far more unusual four-legged friend to live in the castle stables. (Clue: He also had a trunk.)

Not everyone who came to the castle enjoyed their stay. Even royals were sometimes known to complain about the draughts. But life was truly grim for many of the prisoners who were locked up in the vaults below Crown Square.

As a formidable stronghold, the castle was the most secure lock-up in Scotland. Between 1757 and 1814 the vaults became home to many hundreds of prisoners of war. Following the ‘Union of the Crowns’ of 1603, Edinburgh Castle was rarely visited by the reigning monarch, but from the 1650s it grew into a significant military base. Defences were rebuilt and enhanced in response to the Jacobite Risings of 1689–1746. New gun batteries such as Dury’s Battery were constructed and new barracks such as the Queen Anne Building were added to house the many soldiers and officers.

Some 600 troops were housed in the New Barracks, built during the Napoleonic Wars with France. It’s still in use by the military today. Regiments often had a mascot, many of whom were dogs – some of them are laid to rest in the Dog Cemetery, along with other canine companions. But soldiers once brought home a far more unusual four-legged friend to live in the castle stables. (Clue: He also had a trunk.)

Not everyone who came to the castle enjoyed their stay. Even royals were sometimes known to complain about the draughts. But life was truly grim for many of the prisoners who were locked up in the vaults below Crown Square.

As a formidable stronghold, the castle was the most secure lock-up in Scotland. Between 1757 and 1814 the vaults became home to many hundreds of prisoners of war.One desperate prisoner chose to hide in a dung barrow, thinking that no one would be willing to search for him in there, and hoped to be carried out of the castle down the Royal Mile and escape to freedom.

However, our Dung Prisoner did not anticipate the method the castle staff used to dispose of the dung. Shockingly for him, he died when the barrow was emptied down the rocky slopes of the castle, sending him to his death.

Visitors have claimed that his ghost tries to push them from the battlements and a strong and unpleasant smell of dung follows.When the tunnels were discovered there was great curiosity to see where the tunnels beneath the castle would lead. However, the entrance was only small enough for the local boy piper to get through. He was sent down to investigate.

As instructed he played his pipes loudly as he walked through the tunnel. Above ground, people were able to keep track of the young boy and trace his progress and map out where the tunnel went at the same time.    

 THE END