Edinburgh Castle- One of Scotland's Most Haunted Places!

Welcome to Edinburgh Castle!

This is my 23rd "Haunted Places" blog post! Thank you to everyone who has followed and read my blogs. We are going out of the country again in this post, all the way to one of the most haunted places in Scotland; Edinburgh Castle.  Scotland has actually been proclaimed to be one of the most haunted countries on Earth.  The country has all of the key ingredients needed to create rumors that are whispered in corridors, and passed across the campfire, then brought to you in my blog! Scotland has dark skies, darker history, old towns and ancient tales that all add to the spooky experience, causing your mind to open a little. Perhaps you are a skeptic? Do you doubt the existence of the supernatural? That's fine, but perhaps you should reconsider.  Edinburgh Castle is a place that might just make you believe in ghosts, other supernatural phenomena, and things that go bump in the night.

 Over a million visitors flock to the castle each year.  It is built high upon a non active volcano overlooking the capital city of Edinburgh.  Edinburgh castle has a very haunted history. Many battles have been fought there over Scottish independence. Many Scots and Brits alike spilled their blood and died upon it's grounds and it's walls.  Edinburgh was exposed to battle for most of it's history. It was even mostly destroyed at one point to be rebuilt in 1356. During the Napoleonic War it was used as a prison to hold captured French and allies. In 1440 the Castle was home to the infamous "Black Bulls Diner," where 16 year old Earl of Douglas and his brother David were murdered in front of the 10 year old King James II.  The castle also is home to the "Witches Well," where women were put to death if convicted of witchcraft. There is also an extensive dungeon that claimed countless lives in it's long history of warfare

 In 1645, anyone who came into contact with a rat was likely to catch the Bubonic Plague. Then anyone they came in contact with might catch it as well. Scotland lost over a quarter of it's population as the Plague ravaged the country. At the height of the plague, when the fear of further outbreak was widespread, the dead and dying were rounded up and placed into unused tunnels, vaults and passageways underneath the grounds. Now they are called, Marys Kings Close, and very haunted. The chambers were sealed up tight, leaving those still alive inside to die horrible deaths.The doomed souls were abandoned, left only with their illness, suffering, and slowly taking their last breaths of stagnant, death filled air in the dark. The chambers are home to many tortured souls who died terrible deaths and seem doomed to haunt the passages for eternity. 

The Plague

The castle changed hands many times up until the 18th century.  With over 900 years of documented history behind the castle, it would almost be a surprise if the castle wasn't one of Scotland's most haunted sites.  Since it's construction  as a military fortress in the early 12th century, the castle has witnessed many battles, executions, the Black Plague, and even a brief capture by the English. Stories exist there that aren't painted on the tourist information boards.  There are underground tunnels, dungeons, the spirit of a wandering piper, ghostly drums heard in the castle walls, and dark figures.  Welcome to Scotland's haunted Edinburgh Castle, that I've officially added to my list of Haunted Places that I'd Love to visit!

depiction of the Black Plague

The volcanic crag that Edinburgh castle sits on was formed around 70 million years ago and the castle is protected on 3 sides with sheer cliffs that rise sharply over 400 feet! I find this fascinating. The plug of the extinct volcano is estimated to have risen approximately 350 million years ago during the Carboniferous period.  The Castle Rock is the remnant of a volcano pipe, which broke through the surrounding sedimentary rock before cooling to form dolerite, which if a very hard type of basalt, or igneous rock.  The dolerite protected the softer rock to the east, from subsequent glacial erosion, leaving a crag and tail formation. 

 Now, Archaeologists have even dated human occupation all the way back to the Iron Age in 2nd century AD!  Historical references known as Din Eidyn or "Fortress on the Rock," place a fortified settlement there around 60 AD.  If that is true, that is incredible and more historic than most think.  It was renamed Edinburgh in 638 AD, when the Angles captured the fortress, and held it for 300 years.  The fortress became a castle in 1130 AD, when King David I, expanded the original fortress and developed Edinburgh as a seat of royal power. His late mother, Queen Margaret had passed away there and he expanded it, intending for it to be a memorial to her as she was well known for her kindness to the less fortunate. Upon her death, she was canonized as Saint Margaret. It is now called St. Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building of Edinburgh Castle, built in memory of Queen Margaret.  There are stained glass windows with pictures of her.  The legend says that she died of a broken heart in 1093.  She heard the news that her husband, King Malcolm III had died and it was too much for her to take. 

St. Margaret's Chapel

Chapel in honor of the late Queen Margaret

During construction, in the early days of Edinburgh Castle, a tunnel system was discovered beneath the very hill that the castle sits upon today. It led along the Royal Mile, towards what is known as the Palace of Holyroodhouse.  This was found when a single man was sent into the tunnels to survey them.  In retrospect, that turned out to be a bad idea for the unfortunate fellow. The man took his bagpipes with him, playing his tune as he went so that those above him could listen and figure out where he was. About halfway on his journey, the piper's music stopped abruptly.  When a search party was sent into the tunnel to find the piper, they never found a trace of him. But it is said that to this day, the sound of the piper's song can be faintly heard beneath and within the castle.  

There was also a drummer boy that haunts the castle.  He was killed in one of the many battles that took place there.  He was decapitated by a cannon ball or a sword.  He was first seen before Cromwell's attack on the castle in 1650.  Over the centuries, the ghost of the headless drummer boy has been seen roaming the grounds, many times before an attack.  As if it were an omen, the castle would be attacked by opposing armies.  The drummer boy still wonders the grounds, playing the drums.  You may just hear the drums if you listen hard enough.  

Scottish Crown Jewels

"Stone of Destiny"

Some things that had been lost in the castle through the years have been rediscovered.  For example, the Scottish crown jewels, some of the oldest in European history were lost for over one hundred years, then discovered in a locked chest deep within the Edinburgh Castle vault.  Also, the Stone of Scone, or the "Stone of Destiny," or "Corinthian Stone," was recovered in the castle as well. These items are on display now for all the see a part of Scottish history that was once lost. There are also statues of King Robert the Bruce and William Wallace that flank the entrance, as a reminder of the price of Scottish freedom and to honor the fallen.  The tale of William Wallace was very real. They have actors that do reenactments in the dungeon during the tours.  Now reincarnated as a top tourist attraction, the Castle offers haunted tours of it's dungeons.  Over 1,000 prisoners were kept, tortured and perished there.  Most who went there, took their last breaths there. There are ghosts of French prisoners from the Seven Years War, and colonial prisoners from the American Revolutionary War there.  It once held the Duke Alexander Stewart of Albany, who actually escaped, by stabbing his guards to death and burning their bodies. There was also Lady Janet Douglas of Glamis who was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake. 

William Wallace dungeon reenactment

Robert the Bruce

ghostly image in hall

One of the Dungeon cells

In 2001, Edinburgh castle was the site of the largest paranormal investigation in history.  A team of 9 researchers and over 200 members of the public explored the castle's forgotten chambers and secret passages for signs of ghostly happenings.  The public was not told which areas of the castle were rumored to be haunted and which areas were not.  51% of participants in haunted areas reported paranormal experiences, while only 35% did so in the non-haunted areas. Feel free to draw your own conclusions. Shadowy figures, sudden drops in temperature, feelings of being watched and touched were all reported.  They are everyday experiences in Edinburgh castle.  Some visitors have just felt a presence, or their clothing was pulled on, as if by a dying plague victim asking for help, taking their last breaths, as their lungs filled with blood.  As you've read, there are many reasons for the hauntings, and many horrible deaths over the span of centuries; or even longer.  There are many unsettled spirits that freak out visitors to this day.  This is not a place for the faint of heart. There are extremely cold spots that have been reported in different areas of the castle grounds and many people have felt as if they were being watched by invisible eyes.  Shadow figures also make appearances in the halls.

Carvings on a dungeon door by actual prisoners 

In the Great Hall of the Castle, there's a small window or hole above the fireplace.  This is called Laird's Lugs in Scotland, which means "Lord's ears".  King James IV would use this window to eavesdrop on important meetings.  When Gorbachev planned to visit the castle in 1984, the Soviet National Security insisted that the hole should be closed because it was so effective and was a safety risk.  

Laird's Lugs

Great Hall Roof

There's also, Mon's Meg Cannon, which is a huge super gun that was made around 1449.  It used to fire huge solid stone cannonballs, almost 3 times the size of a human head.  Considering the year it was made, it is amazing that the cannon could fire a distance of 2 miles, especially with the cannonballs weighing in at 400 pounds!  The ritual of firing the One O' Clock Gun continues to date. The gun is fired every day except Sunday.  This began in 1861.  It is even said that someone gave birth in it because it is so huge they were able to hide in it and give birth. That is more of a story than a fact. It could be true. But is interesting nonetheless. 

Mon's Meg Cannon

One O' Clock Firing

I could go on and on, but how about you should add Edinburgh Castle to your "Haunted Places to Visit" list and go see this historic marvel! You can take haunted Edinburgh tours, or just buy tickets to tour the castle itself.  With all of the ghostly experiences people have had and it's chilling history, I can't wait to visit!  I dare you to challenge yourself, to open your mind, and visit Edinburgh, the most haunted city in Scotland.  I also happen to have some Scottish heritage and am particularly interested in Scotland as a whole. It is a beautiful country, and the whole country is haunted. That would be a perfect vacation for me!  

The Royal Apartments

Swords in the Great Hall

A ghostly figure caught when no one was in the room

Possible ghost of a soldier?

A figure in a room-look at the chair

Use your imagination ;)

My Visit to Jamaica's "Haunted" Rose Hall Plantation

Beautiful Jamaican Sunset

Rose Hall

     My husband and myself went to Jamaica for a vacation recently. It was beautiful and the culture and food is amazing. Everyone is so friendly and accommodating.  I strongly recommend going there.  We stayed at Xtabi Resort ("meeting place of the gods) in Negril, Jamaica, on the cliff side overlooking beautiful, hypnotic, turquoise, surprisingly clean water that doesn't look nasty and polluted like our water in Virginia Beach. The restaurant at Xtabi had really great, authentic food.  We had a private cabin that overlooked the water and had caverns underneath of us.  It was an adventure!  We also rented a car to get around.  I strongly recommend this for other people, but not the faint of heart. The driving is crazy there and the roads are rough and holey. But Jamaica is truly beautiful. 

A private cabin at Xtabi

View from the Restaurant

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

     I also recommend taking some Jamaican coffee home. It's the best coffee I've ever had!  We stayed for a week and didn't want to leave! It was paradise, so that alone, is reason enough to go. Since I had written a blog about Jamaica's Haunted Rose Manor and Annie Palmer, the "white witch," who haunts the sugar plantation; I had to visit it while I was there.  It has such an intriguing history.  Rose Hall is located near Montego Bay. It was a beautiful drive from our hotel in Negril, Jamaica.  We passed the famous "Seven Mile Beach" on the way, with it's white sand, and beautiful water where you can see all the way to the bottom.

The beach

Margaritaville

7 mile beach

The rock beaches at the resort, with caves in them

     I was already familiar with the history of Rose Hall, especially after researching the Rose Hall blog I had written..  But I wasn't fully prepared for the beautiful plantation, that was once a booming sugar plantation, owned by Annie Palmer, an evil and sadistic women who murdered her 3 husbands for money, then sealed each of them in the bedrooms after she killed them.  We decided to take the day tour, to feel the experience and hear the oral history, perhaps even fill in some blanks and answer questions. We wanted most of all, to tour the halls she wanders as a ghost, perhaps trapped there for eternity, for punishment of all of the horrible things that she did. She had a lot of bad karma coming her way, then she met her end during the slave rebellion, in which they murdered her in her bed, where she kept taking slave lovers, then killing them.  She was an evil woman who relished having complete control over her slaves, and apparently in her short marriages, which she ended with poison or stabbing. Annie Palmer was a hardened, serial killer of sorts in her time.  Annie was a true "black widow."  No husbands survived her. She learned the dark arts and used them to intimidate the slaves.  

Sign for Rose Hall and Cinnamon Hill

Rubber tree

part of the property, in the back

lily pond in yard

We got a brief chance to wander the property

Me at Rose Hall

   The Rose Hall Plantation is still in wonderful condition. They have tried to preserve as much of the original decorations and furniture as possible.  Most of it was there, behind velvet ropes, so that you can't touch it. There was even the original silk wallpaper, rich, darkly stained chairs, and other luxurious decorations.  A local young woman, dressed in a dress for the time period, took us in a tour of the house and told us the story.   They do not let you tour the house alone or touch anything, so that made it hard to do any "ghost hunting."  When we go back to Jamaica, which we will because its great, we will do a night tour. But when we went into her bedroom and the rooms where she killed and left her husbands, I got chills.  I felt drawn to them but a creepy vibe that literally raised the hair on my arms.  It was a bit freaky. I definitely felt something, like a presence, lurking. I felt stuck for a minute, feeling the creepy vibe go through my body.  My husband called me as I was getting left behind on our tour due to getting sidetracked by creepiness.

Annie's balcony where she watched punishment and executions

     The dungeon had the expected amount of foreboding, actually more than expected. I couldn't take my eyes off of the awful contraptions she used to torment prisoners.  There was a bear trap big enough for an elephant that she had several of to make sure no slaves escaped. Was that actually one of the traps that had crippled innocents slaves just trying to get away from the voodoo and black arts practicing, "white witch." While most people might wake up and have some coffee, maybe even stepping outside, Annie would stand on her balcony in her bedroom in the mornings to watch executions and beating of slaves.  What a horrible person.  

A huge "slave trap" large enough to take a leg off. Awful

     Since she was crazy and sadistic, she never expressed remorse, never stopped killing until she died, and somehow wanders the plantation still. A former slave lover and other slaves that she had inflicted cruelty on, murdered her in her bed, during the one of the Jamaican slave rebellions in 1831.  She had it coming though. I suppose you could call it karma? What goes around comes around. The slaves then buried her in a coffin with stone sarcophagus around it.  It had crosses on the top and side to help keep her evil spirit trapped.  I guess it didn't work. They say that no one is sure if she's in there anymore. Some say, her body was later moved elsewhere to avoid desecration.  

Annie's murder

Where Annie Palmer is supposed to be buried

canopy we passed over to and from Rose Hall

     The slaves were finally free from her wrath to escape and try to get to friendlier territory.  They must have felt such freedom when she was finally gone.  The white witch was dead.  Finally, Annie Palmer would no longer torture, or kill, or abuse any of them again. Her reign of terror was finally over.  There would be no whipping, or horrible treatment. It was the freedom they had dreamed of and probably not believed it would ever happen.  So, I didn't technically "see" or "hear" any ghosts or "supernatural entities" while I was there, but I'm determined to do it again and get some sort of documentation.  I do recommend that you visit Rose Hall. It is still super creepy with such a dark, and  has a twisted and strange history.  

Rose Hall written with stones in the yard

In conclusion, I did not obtain actual proof of haunting in the Rose Hall Plantation, but it definitely feels foreboding and dark. I felt something that chilled me to the core and made my arm hair stand on end.  You can feel the pain and suffering that took place there.  You can imagine the pain of her victims she took into the dungeon, never to come out again.  Then there's a heaviness in the air and a creepy feeling.  I totally believe that Annie Palmer may be long dead, with her blood lust, but she haunts Rose Hall to this day. 

 Jamaica is just so amazing! It's breathtaking. It's a wonderful vacation spot, and you may even meet a ghost at Rose Hall if you are lucky!  

My husband out back of Rose Hall.. Notice the white blur that appears to come from my arm and go past my husband?  Could that be some sort of entity that people claim to see in their pictures.

One of the cliffs

Front View of Margaritaville

me, at our cottage at Xtabi