Scottish Ghost Stories

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Wandering around the cosy interior of Ravenswood House, you might chance upon a bearded figure, wearing an Arran sweater, the arms of which are rolled up to the elbows to reveal an old fashioned long-sleeved vest. You might bid him "good day," or words to that effect, and you might even be tempted to exchange a few pleasantries.

On the forest periphery stood the town of Lanark where lived a beautiful young heiress called Marion Braidfute to whom Wallace was, if not married, then certainly betrothed. The disembodied head of an old man, with a grey wispy beard and terrible eyes was seen floating around their rooms. It was sometimes accompanied by a severed arm, which seemed intent on shaking Thomas Coltheart’s hand. Spynie Palace is one of Scotland’s eeriest and most haunted buildings, yet it possesses an atmosphere that both captivates and engrosses.Located in the village of Roslin, this 500-year-old chapel has long been rumoured to be home to several spirits. It is said that on his way to Invergarry castle, to present the heads to the chief of Clan MacDonald of Glengarry, Lom stopped at the spring to wash the heads to make them more presentable. A portrait of Lady Louisa Stewart, sister of the 9th Earl of Traquair, and the last Stewart lady to live there, can be seen inside the house. She died in 1896 a few months short of her 100th birthday.

Edward’s army then swept northwards, inflicting a crushing defeat on Balliol’s army at the battle of Dunbar and capturing the ancient coronation stone, the Stone of Destiny, which was taken from Scone to Westminster Abbey. However, while she was still dangling from the window, the Earl drew out his sword and slashed off his daughter’s hands. My interest in this book was not to read stories as fiction, but rather to see what people in Scotland believe to have experienced of paranormal events. As a historian, it is also interesting to know what people believe in and what types of lore they have so one can get to know their culture better. This book is not just about the paranormal, but also has some other details and facts added to the stories like description of the places, people or general history.Wallace was a national hero as he moved on to capture Dundee and drive the English forces further and further south until, by October 1297, not one English soldier remained in Scotland. A ghostly child appeared hovering in mid air and a veritable menagerie of strange, deformed phantom animals paraded before the astonished couple. But history remains mute about his activities until in 1305, betrayed by one of his own countrymen, he was captured and taken to London. When the great seal of Scotland, that most precious emblem of Scottish Sovereignty, was presented to Edward, he cast it contemptuously aside, observing facetiously that "a man does good business when he rids himself of a turd." As the Royalist soldiers scattered, the ferocious Highlanders threw down their muskets and continued the fray with the flash of cold steel.

Sir John Dalrymple, Secretary of State for Scotland, seized the opportunity to make an example of the Macdonald’s by "rooting out that damnable sect, the worst in all the Highlands."If you're looking for scary entertainment, this book might not be what you're looking for. It's more about Robertson presenting original stories as they were told by people, rather than just stories intended for entertainment. It is also likely that he has intentionally not added some stories to the book because they were too exaggerated to be "credible" ghost-stories. Built in the 14th century, and massively strengthened in the 16th century when it became an artillery fortress, it has also been a Royal Castle, an armaments depot and a State prison. The Jacobite force never really recovered from his death and their army was later forced to disband after failing to capture Dunkeld.