Post by dreamy on Jun 10, 2005 20:54:34 GMT 10
Glamis Castle: Britain's most haunted house?
DIANE MACLEAN
GLAMIS Castle, the childhood home of the late Queen Mother and family home of the Earls of Strathmore, could well be the most haunted house in Britain.
Various people claim to have seen a praying lady, a screaming lady, a tongueless lady, a frightened-girl lady, a white lady, a grey lady and a black boy. The ghosts come from all classes, with Earls and Lord Provosts representing the upper echelons of society, whilst butlers and maids bring up the lower orders.
The members of this mystic menagerie float around accompanied by the usual cacophony of orchestral ghostie-noises. They bang things and make things go bump. They rattle chains and weep and wail. Oh, and scream, there are lots and lots of screams!
House of Malcolm
Malcolm II and Duncan I both had eventful reigns for different reasons.
It is no wonder the castle, which has been a royal residence since 1372, has seen more than its fair share of nastiness. Malcolm II is reputed to have been murdered in or around the castle in 1034, a servant girl had her tongue ripped out by her master and most horrifying and tragic of all is the story behind the grey lady.
In the 16th century, Janet Douglas married the Sixth Lord of Glamis. When he died she was left unprotected and exposed to the full wrath of James V who had a deep and vicious hatred of all the Douglas clan. Determined to get his hands on Glamis Castle and avenge himself on his hated enemy, James accused Lady Janet of witchcraft. She and her son were imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle’s dark and dank dungeons.
Nobody believed that Janet was a witch, being beautiful and kind. However, never one to let the truth stand in the way of a good story, James ordered her to be punished nonetheless. Janet was tortured, her servants were put on the rack and stretched and her young 16-year-old son, the heir to Glamis, was made to watch his mother’s agony, before experiencing it all for himself first-hand. In the end, they confessed.
Lady Janet was convicted and on 17 July, 1537, she was burned alive. When James V died, Lady Janet’s son was released and parliament restored Glamis back to him. It is said that from that time on his mother’s spirit has roamed the castle, praying in the chapel or wafting round the clocktower. Ghostly hammering accompanies her travels, with a knock, knock, knock echoing the building of the scaffolding on which she died.
Less tragic and altogether more "serves you right" was the death of the second Lord Glamis, Earl Beardie. This avid card player was deep in a game one Saturday night with the Earl of Crawford and was less than happy to be interrupted by his servant, sent to warn his master that the Sabbath was close. Lord Glamis is believed to have shouted: "I will play until doomsday," and threw the hapless servant out of the room.
At five minutes to midnight the servant knocked again, to beg the earl to cease playing. "I will play with the devil himself," Lord Glamis is said to have replied. The chimes of midnight rung out. The Sabbath was upon the household. There was a knock at the door and a mysterious stranger dressed in black entered the house and joined the game.
When the servant next dared to look he saw the Earls of Beardie and Crawford engulfed in a ball of flame, as the stranger looked on in sardonic amusement. Earl Beardie had apparently indeed played "with the devil himself". Legend has it his spirit still visits the gaming room to play cards and will until doomsday.
This article: heritage.scotsman.com/myths.cfm?id=40042005
