The ghosts of Glamis Castle
Trip Start
Sep 12, 2006
1
89
100
Trip End
Sep 08, 2008
Glamis,
Scotland,
United Kingdom
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Glamis Castle looked every inch the Scottish Baronial castle, with its roofline sprouting a forest of pointed turrets and battlements. A royal residence since 1372, it was the home to the earls of Strathmore, and the Queen Mother spent her childhood there. It was also the setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth.
We had a 45 minute guided tour through the castle, led by a rather uninspiring elderly woman. The interior was quite impressive, although it was the numerous ghost stories which interested me the most. The most famous legend was that of the Monster of Glamis, a hideously deformed child born to the family. In the story, the monster was kept in the castle all his life and his suite of rooms bricked up after his death. There is an old story that guests staying at Glamis once hung towels from the windows of every room in a bid to find the bricked-up suite of the monster. When they looked at it from outside, several windows were apparently towel-less.
During the tour we visited a small chapel within the castle with seating for 46 people. We were told that one seat in the chapel is always reserved for the "Grey Lady" (supposedly a ghost which inhabits the castle), thought to be Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis. The chapel is still used regularly for family functions, but regardless, no one is allowed to sit in that seat.
Another story was that of Earl Beardie, a guest in Glamis Castle. One night he was drunk and demanded to play cards. It was the sabbath, and his hosts refused. Lord Beardie was so furious that he claimed that he would play with the Devil himself. A stranger turned up at the castle and enquired if Lord Beardie wanted a partner to play cards with. They began to play in one of the rooms. Later, the servants heard yelling and curses coming from the room. One peeped through the keyhole, and the story goes that a blast of light through that keyhole blinded him. The stranger disappeared,taking the Earl's soul with him. Since then, many have claimed to hear shouting and the sound of dice rolling. It is claimed that the Earl is still playing cards with the Devil.
Following the tour we had about 25 minutes to have a look around the grounds. Ania and I used the opportunity to escape from the kids for a while, and took a couple of photos near the entrance. It was certainly a worthwhile trip, and despite having to chaperon more teenage Italians around, it was a good way to spend a free morning.
