There are many castles and other historic buildings in Scotland that are said to be haunted. Here are 5 of the most famous.
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel, which is actually named the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, was founded in 1446 as a Roman Catholic Chapel and is located in the village of Roslin, Midlothian. It was founded by William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness. The Sinclair's are a noble family descended from Norman knights.
Rosslyn Chapel is the third Sinclair place of worship at Roslin - the first being in Roslin Castle and the second being in Roslin Cemetery.
The purpose of the chapel was to celebrate the Divine Office throughout the day and night and also to celebrate Holy Mass for all the faithful departed, including the deceased members of the Sinclair family.
Roman Catholic worship was ended after the Scottish Reformation in 1560, when Catholicism was outlawed. It was reopened in 1861 as a place of worship for the Scottish Episcopal Church.
The Chapel is a major feature in the last part of Dan Brown's 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code.
Rosslyn Chapel is said to be haunted; according to Sir Walter Scott, monks have been seen floating around and lights appear around the chapel before a member of the Sinclair family dies.
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is the most famous castle in Scotland. It is said to feature many ghosts, including:
The Ghost of the Headless Drummer: The ghost of the headless drummer boy appears when the castle is about to be attacked. He was first seen before Oliver Cromwell attacked in 1650.
Ghost Dog: The castle has a cemetery for dogs which is supposedly haunted by a phantom dog that is seen and heard occasionally.
The Dungeons: The dungeons of the castle are said to be haunted by the ghosts of those tortured within its walls. People as recently as 2001 have experienced feelings of a ghostly presence.
Culloden Moor
Culloden Moor is where the Battle of Culloden was fought in 1746; the last battle in the civil war between England and Scotland. It was fought in order to restore the House of Stuart, and particularly Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) to his rightful place as King of England and Scotland. The Scottish lost and the prince fled to France.
The battlefield has been cleared and a visitor's centre welcomes visitors from all over the world.
The ghost of dark-haired highlander in Stewart tartan has been spotted on one of the grave mounds and a Highlander has also been spotted around the memorial cairn.
Fyvie Castle
Fyvie Castle is located in the village of Fyvie in Aberdeenshire; it dated back to the 13th century. It was reportedly built by William the Lyon. Charles I lived in the castle as a child.
American industrialist Alexander Leith bought the castle in 1885 and it was sold to the National Trust for Scotland in 1984 by his descendants.
Supposedly, in 1920 when the castle was undergoing renovations, a woman's skeleton was discovered behind a wall. After the remains were buried, strange noises and happenings started occurring in the castle. The woman's remains were removed from her grave and place back in the wall when the strange happenings stopped.
Dunstaffnage Castle
Dunstaffnage Castle is a partially ruined castle in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland and is surrounded on three sides by the sea. It is one of Scotland’s oldest castles, dating back to the 13th century.
It was built by the MacDougall lords of Lorn, and has been held since the 15th century by the Clan Campbell and is maintained by Historic Scotland. Most of it is open to the public.
A woman in a green dress (said to be a glaistig, or fairy woman) appears at the castle before special events in the lives of the Campbell family.
