EleanorBlog

30 August 2007

Haunting Legends

Posted by Alison under: BlahBlahBlah; History; Places to go .

Here, as promised, are a few tales of castle hauntings in my local area. Enjoy!

Is subject to the legend of the lady of the Green Bedroom. Legend has it that either a lady or a Princess was murdered here - stabbed to death by the fireplace and her body dragged or thrown down the tower stairs. Legend also tells us that the bloodstains could never be cleaned away, and the stairs were boarded over as a consequence. I’ve always liked this room, and have no problem in visiting it at all. Personally, I think this is just an old legend. You are far more likely to hear family members talking, singing and children laughing if you spend any time in the castle when it is quiet.

Fyvie Castle

The most famous of the hauntings reported here is that of a green lady, believed to be that of Dame Lilias Drummond, the wife of a former Laird who is rumoured to have poisoned her in order to marry again and have a son. Most people who know anything about the history of the family here do not believe this to be true, and think that Lilias simply died of natural causes. I certainly don’t know who the green lady is, but she apparently is still very active here and many strange occurrences have been reported by staff. Visitors to the castle too have reported seeing a lady look back at them from a mirror, and have seen a lady pass them in the hallways.

Craigevar Castle

Is a remote and strange place, I’m not sure I like very much. The castle itself does not have a bad atmosphere, I just didn’t take to it. Here, the Blue Room in the tower is supposedly haunted by a member of the Gordon clan who fell to his death from the window. The last sentence makes it sound so simple, yet in fact, this man was supposed to have been in love with a member of the Forbes family, and Sir John Forbes gave him the choice (when caught in the castle) of being run through by his sword, or taking his chance by jumping out of the window. Sadly, neither was a good choice for him. His footsteps apparently are also heard here.

Crathes Castle

Another green lady may be found at Crathes. She supposedly, is seen by herself or holding a baby and a room there is now know as the Green Lady’s Room. Spookily though, during restoration work at the castle many years ago, a woman and a baby’s skeletons were discovered. I believe they were found in the walls if memory serves, but it could have been under the floor.

This is just intended to be a snapshot of the tales that I have learnt about the castles. I have not gone into full detail, nor included every haunting reported at these sites. I have included a link to the website if you wish to visit and make up your own minds! Just click on the name.