The martyrdom of George Wishart at St Andrews on the 1st of March 1546 has a déjà vu feel to it. Only eighteen years prior to this, Patrick Hamilton had a similar fate at the hands of a Catholic Beaton in the town, once said to hold the relics of Scotland’s Patron Saint. George Wishart [...]
Murder! Massacre! Betrayal! Treason! Glencoe is one of the most spectacular areas of unspoiled wilderness in Scotland. There is a haunting quality about the moor-clad mountains that stand as sentinels over the eight-mile long glen which runs from east to west along the northern border of Argyll. And there are those who say that the [...]
When it comes to dark history, Rait Castle has it all: a tale of forbidden love, two feuding families, a banquet treacherously planned with murder in mind, a betrayal, a massacre and a ghost known as the ‘Wraith of Rait’. The ruined remains of this 14th Century building are a fine example of a Hall [...]
As the tide ebbs out at Little Gruinard in Wester Ross, it reveals an expanse of golden sands. Tiny coves become accessible. The Inverianvie River gurgles gently down to the sea and the red deer come down to drink. The air is cut by the sounds of the mewling oyster catchers and if you are [...]
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 [...]
At Spooky Scotland we were very excited to get the following article published in The Spooky Isles, a website with a large following. You can also read our article at Janet Horne, The Burning of the Last Witch in Scotland. Ignorance and fear make dangerous bed fellows! In the wake of the Protestant Reformation, a frenzied [...]
Eilean Donan lies in one of the most scenic spots in Scotland. Built on an island, where Loch Duich, Long Long and Loch Alsh meet, it was once the site of an Iron Age vitrified fort, built by the Picts. It takes its name from a Gaelic Priest, Saint Donnán of Eigg who lived around [...]
Immortalised by Shakespeare in his play ‘Macbeth’, built around a holly tree and haunted by an apparition said to be the ghost of an heiress once kidnapped by one of the most powerful families in Scotland, Cawdor Castle lies in a peaceful location which belies its dramatic and intriguing past. Nestled in the heart of [...]
Betrayals and Besiege! Nestled between the shores of Loch Assynt and the looming peaks of the Quinag, Ardvreck Castle (Caisteal Àrd Bhric in Gaelic) in the Scottish Highlands was once home to the MacLeods of Assynt. It is an achingly beautiful part of Scotland with mountain faces of sheer rock and bleak moorland interspaced with [...]
Down through the ages, Scottish graveyards or kirkyards have had a variety of uses other than laying our dear departed to rest. This includes the following: being used as market places, being used as prisons, wappenschaws, weapons practice, feeding grounds for animals and inspiration for writers such as Charles Dickens and J K Rowling. [...]