Ghosts of Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle, meaning "fort on the shelving slope" in Scottish Gaelic, sits on a rocky headland along Scotland's east coast. Most of the ruins date from the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries.
Though considered consecrated ground due to the chapels built here prior to the castle, there is a long history of violence and death, which may account for the few ghostly inhabitants that still call this place home.
As Richard tells the story ...
From its clifftop prominence, Dunnottar Castle surveys the saw-toothed rocks that surround it with an air of almost arrogant indifference. The banner of power hangs around its walls, and it is one of Scotland's, if not Britain's, most impressively situated strongholds.
William Wallace, the hero of the Wars of Scottish Independence, dropped by uninvited in 1297 and, having captured Dunnottar, killed 4,000 Englishmen here. The present building dates from the end of the 14th century and was built by William Keith, hereditary Great Marischal of Scotland. In 1651, the Scottish crown jewels - the “Honours of Scotland” - were brought here for protection from Cromwell's invading force. The Roundheads besieged the castle in 1652, but, because of its natural defenses, it was eight months before they finally starved the garrison into surrender. The regalia, however, had already been smuggled to safety and hidden in nearby Kinneff Church.
In 1685, 167 Covenanters were imprisoned in a single room of the castle cellars during a long, hot summer. The conditions were appalling, and nine of their number died, although 25 others managed to escape down the cliffs. In 1716, owing to their part in the Jacobite uprising, the Keiths were forced to surrender their fortress to the government, and the castle became neglected.
By the 20th century, it had become a dramatic ruin that is today, and external shots of it were used in the film version of Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson. Where Hollywood leads, the ghosts have been quick to follow. A girl aged about 13 years has been seen hovering around the brewery. She wears a plaid-type dress and has the annoying habit of simply melting away in front of startled witnesses. The spectral figure of a "Nordic" man has been seen in the vicinity of the guardroom at the main entrance. There are places where a decided chill hangs in the air, and ghostly voices have been heard chattering in empty rooms. Thus, this magnificent pile stares across the centuries contemplating past glories and infamies. It might not be the most haunted castle in Scotland, but it is certainly her most haunting.
- Richard Jones
