The Sack of Berwick must surely be one of the bloodiest atrocities of the Scottish Wars of Independence. Today a ghostly piper is said to play his pipes while pacing the ramparts of Berwick Castle. We do not know who this spectre is, but could he be a victim of Edward I of England’s rage? [...]
Alexander III, King of Scots' wedding to Yolande de Dreux was unforgettable. Wine flowed freely in the Great Hall of Jedburgh Castle. This was a grand affair and a masked ball had been organised by the king. Thousands of candles lit the hall and the numerous guests danced to the music. Suddenly the doors burst [...]
Saint Kessog (also known as MacKessog) is an obscure figure in Scottish history who appears out of the mists of time. However, he was once venerated by Robert the Bruce and there are those who argue that he was once the Patron Saint of Scotland, before Saint Andrew was given that iconic role. Saint Kessog [...]
The sleepy coastal town of Burghead becomes the focus of an ancient pagan ritual on the 11th January every year. As the Clavie, a barrel of burning tar is placed on the altar at the Doorie Hill the Brochers (natives of Burghead) watch on. The wood crackles. Sparks rise into the night skies. The flames [...]
February the 14th is a time when all the romantics' hearts are set aflutter at the prospect of Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. People find themselves travelling around to globe to places renowned for their romantic moods. Paris, Rome and Venice all lay claim to being 'The City of Love' but did [...]
Mary Queen of Scots took her first tentative steps down the stairway as the sun rose over Fotheringhay Castle sometime between 7 and 8 in the morning of the 8th of February 1587. But Mary was a queen, and she would meet her fate with the dignity of her office. A deadly hush would have [...]
The events which led to the North Berwick Witch Trials began, not in Scotland, but at the other side of the North Sea. It all began on the 22nd October when James VI, King of Scots set sail for Norway to collect his bride, Anne of Denmark. The Scottish King got caught up in [...]
Between 1563 and 1763 Scotland was a country in flux and the resulting paranoia fueled the Scottish Witch Trials. Belief in witchcraft was common during the Middle Ages, but the leaders of the Catholic church were largely skeptical, seeing it as folklore rather than something sinister. Lawyers were only interested in cases were harm [...]
St Andrews Cathedral is the place to visit if you are interested in stones, bones, and ghostly groans. Like all of Scotland’s ancient buildings, it is shrouded in its fair share of myth and mystery. How could it be anything less when it once housed the bones of Scotland’s Patron Saint, Saint Andrew whose feast [...]
William Wallace was executed on the 23rd of August 1305. He began life as an obscure laird or lord, one of Scotland’s lesser nobility. Wallace was never king of Scotland but for a short while, he led the country. He was a soldier and yet he fought in relatively few battles. So what caused his [...]