Well its Halloween tonight, 31 October. In Scotland we go
guising – children disguised in costume going from door to door for sweets or
coins – its a traditional Halloween
custom, and is recorded in Scotland at Halloween in 1895 where masqueraders in
disguise carrying lanterns made out of scooped out turnips, visit homes to be
rewarded with cakes, fruit and money. I am a bit too old to go out guising
myself and its changed days since I was a kid so would not fancy my son going
out either.
I have read a few blogs online about spooky goings on which
I would like to share, I can’t take any credit for the following as it was
written by Gary Hayden in Issue 31 of the Scotland Magazine…
Edinburgh is one of the world’s most haunted cities. During
its 1,000-year history it has seen more than its share of horror:
witch-burning, plague, body-snatching, torture and murder.
Tour-operators now capitalise on the city’s macabre past.
Costumed guides lead thrill-seekers through dank labyrinths, eerie vaults and
creepy graveyards. Many tourists hope for supernatural encounters en-route;
others are content to hear ghostly tales in atmospheric locations.
If you stroll along the Royal Mile, you can see many of the
city’s haunted sites for yourself – and pick up some history along the way.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse At the foot of the Royal Mile
lies Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland.
King David I founded the palace as an Augustinian monastery
in 1128. Since then it has been home to a number of monarchs, including Mary Queen
of Scots, who lived there from 1561 to 1567. It is a fine old house, richly
furnished, and commanding fine views of Holyrood Park.
Like many old buildings, Holyroodhouse has its phantoms.
Some say it is haunted by Mary Queen of Scots herself – though she was executed
at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire, and her remains now lie in
Westminster Abbey.
Holyroodhouse’s most notable spook is Mary’s private
secretary, David Rizzio, who was murdered in the Queen’s apartments by Scottish
nobles led by her jealous husband, Lord Darnley. Legend has it that after the
deed, Rizzio’s bloodstains could not be removed from the floor – and that they
can be seen to this day.
Queensberry House Walk a short distance up the Royal Mile.
On the left, incorporated into the strikingly-modern Scottish Parliament
complex, is a red-roofed 17thcentury building, Queensberry House. This was home
to James Douglas, the second Duke of Queensberry, who was influential in
arranging the 1707 Treaty of the Union.
When the treaty was passed, Edinburgh’s disgruntled citizens
flocked to Parliament Square, where the Duke – accompanied by his entire
household – attempted to placate them.
Meanwhile, the story goes, the Duke’s lunatic son escaped
from his locked room and roamed through the deserted house. Before long he came
across a solitary kitchen boy who had been left turning meat on a spit.
The servants returned to find the kitchen boy roasting above
the fire, and the Duke’s son feasting on his flesh. The oven is still visible
in the Parliament’s Allowances Offices.
Museum of Childhood Further up the Royal Mile, just past St
Mary’s Street, stands the Museum of Childhood. Town Councilor Patrick Murray
founded it in 1955.
ts deceptively large interior is crammed with dolls,
teddy-bears, toys, games and other childhood memorabilia.
Children will be intrigued by the simple toys that kept
earlier generations amused; adults will rush around exclaiming, “I had one of
those!” But not all childhood memories are happy ones. In the 1600s, an
outbreak of the plague occurred in a nearby nursery. According to local lore,
the building was sealed-off with the children and their mothers inside. If you
pass the museum late at night, you can still hear their cries.
South Bridge Vaults Further up the hill, the Royal Mile
passes between North Bridge and South Bridge.
The South Bridge was constructed in the 1780s. Most of its
arches were enclosed on both sides by shops and tenements, and the arches
themselves used as storage-space by South Bridge merchants, or as makeshift
workplaces by local tradesmen.
Unfortunately, the bridge had not been dampproofed.
So the arches and vaults quickly became unusable. The
merchants and tradesmen moved out… and the poor and destitute moved in.
Eventually, the squatters were evicted and the vaults filled
with rubble. They were largely forgotten until excavations in the 1980s made
the eerie chambers accessible again.
The South Bridge Vaults are now a tourist-attraction, and
feature on many of Edinburgh’s ghost-tours. So much paranormal activity has
been reported that the vaults are considered amongst the UK’s most haunted
locations.
The spooks of South Bridge are too numerous to mention. Two
of the most celebrated spirits are a mischievous boy who pulls visitors’ legs,
and ‘Mr Boots,’ (who I have actually seen I believe but thats a story for another day...Dearn) who whispers obscenities.
Fishmarket Close Continue up the Royal Mile. On the left,
just before St Giles’ Cathedral, is Old Fishmarket Close where a fish-hawker
named Maggie Dickson once worked.
in 1724 Maggie fell pregnant to her landlady’s son. Her
attempts to conceal the pregnancy resulted in the premature birth and
subsequent death of the child. She was tried under the Concealment of Pregnancy
Act of 1690, and sentenced to death.
Maggie was duly hanged, and pronounced dead by the attending
doctor.
just as the coffin was borne to the graveyard, muffled moans
emerged from inside. Maggie was found still alive, and within weeks was
restored to full health.
Her astonishing recovery was seen as an Act of God, and
‘Half Hangit Maggie’ was left to live out her days.
Mary King’s Close The City Chambers stand almost opposite
Fishmarket Close. Beneath them lie a network of narrow closes, which were
covered over when the Chambers building was constructed. In the 1600s, these
streets were amongst the most denselypopulated in Edinburgh.
The subterranean streets have recently been opened as a
tourist attraction, The Real Mary King’s Close. Costumed guides take visitors
on an underground tour that features accurate reconstructions of how people
used to live.
The area has long been considered haunted. In 1685,
Professor George Sinclair of Glasgow University wrote about Mary King’s Close
in his work, Satan’s Invisible World Discovered. He recounted the terrifying
tale of Mr Thomas Coltheart, who moved into the Close and encountered
disembodied heads and arms, and ghostly cats and dogs.
Supernatural sightings continue to this day. In the 1990s a
Japanese psychic identified the spirit of a little girl named Annie, who had
lost her favourite doll. Since then, numerous visitors have felt Annie’s
presence. Many leave dolls in what has become known as the Shrine Room.
Other visitors have reported scratching noises coming from a
chimney where a young sweep is said to have died.
Deacon Brodie Further up the Royal Mile, just past Melbourne
Place, is Brodie’s Close. This was once home to ‘Deacon’ William Brodie:
respectable tradesman by day, and desperate villain by night.
Brodie’s gang committed a number of daring robberies before
the gentlemanthief was finally apprehended. He was hanged at the Tolbooth on
the Royal Mile.
Brodie’s dual-life provided the inspiration for Robert Louis
Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Deacon Brodie’s Tavern, named in the
villain’s honour, stands opposite Brodie’s Close.
Edinburgh Castle It is a short walk from Brodie’s Close up
to Castlehill.
Perched atop its rocky crag, Edinburgh Castle looks for all
the world like a haunted house, especially when viewed from Princes Street
Gardens, below. With 1,000 years of bloody history, it is no surprise that the
castle has acquired some spooks along the way. Two of the best-known have a
military/musical connection.
A ghostly (some say headless) drummer is reputed to haunt
the ramparts. He was first sighted in 1650 before the castle fell to Oliver Cromwell,
and has been seen or heard a number of times since then. His appearance is
considered a warning that the castle is about to be attacked.
There is also a ghostly piper. Legend has it that a secret
tunnel runs the length of the Royal Mile, connecting Edinburgh Castle with
Holyroodhouse. Long ago, a piper was sent to investigate the tunnel, piping as
he went so that those above ground could follow his progress.
Part-way down the Royal Mile the piping stopped. Some
calamity must have befallen the piper, for he was never seen again. But they
say his ghostly piping can still be heard.
