The Mostly Ghostly Team

Sorbie Tower is the ancestral home of Clan Hannay, between Garlieston and Sorbie, with the keyholders Steve Hanna and his wife Chris showed the investigation team around.
Their investigation showed varying degrees of temperatures, interference with technology and inexplicable red lights.

Sorbie Tower

Kathleen Cronie of the team said they were very interested to hear the story of the Grey Lady who is known to haunt the tower and the surrounding woods, and this was the main reason for the investigation.

She said: “She has appeared regularly both coming out of the woods to the driveway at the front and standing in the road watching people coming towards her.

“She is described as being tall and elegant but becomes grim and grey as you get closer. Intrigued by this fascinating story, we decided to investigate, wondering if perhaps the famous Grey Lady would make an appearance.”

The team of four were shown around the tower, built around 1450, by Steve and Chris on what Kathleen describes as a calm and mild evening – much more appropriate for the use of recording devices than a blustery or stormy night.

Kathleen said: “As we got closer to the tower we were impressed by the sight of it against the starlit background and were able to appreciate how grand it would have looked at its height.”

The team took various ‘trigger’ items with them which may have be recognised by spirits of the time such as a candelabra, beer tankard and cutlery which were placed in the kitchen, great hall and stairs.

Chris told the team of the legend that if you walk around the tower in an anti-clockwise direction three times, the Grey Lady is supposed to make an appearance.

Derek, one of the team, decided to give this a try and the others were ready to film but as they prepared their equipment, it transpired that the battery was dead.

“This was unusual,” said Kathleen. “The battery had been on charge until we left for Sorbie.”

But then, in a flicker, the battery found itself fully charged again.

A dictaphone used by the team also played up, recording a high-pitched noise before stopping itself.

Derek began to feel a presence so at this point, the team decided to hold a vigil during which Chris began to feel a sudden change in temperature.

Kathleen added: “Chris now told us that she felt something warm on her face. When we all returned to the area by the entrance door Chris felt very uncomfortable with her back to the woods, and wanted to leave this spot as soon as possible.”

The crew then took a break but as Steve and John stood looking up at the tower, a strange light was spotted.

Kathleen explains: “The red light was seen through one of the ground floor windows. It was seen long enough for both Steve and John to notice the movement and it appeared to be moving from side to side not dissimilar to someone carrying it.

“Shortly afterwards, John looked up and saw the red light again, almost touching the tower, but this time at the very top. The light was not moving on this occasion, appearing to be quite stationary.

Everyone present then started to walk anti-clockwise three times around the tower as according to legend the Grey Lady would appear. Each time a certain corner of the tower was past, Derek again felt a sense of something.

Vigils were held inside and during one, candles which had been lit began to flicker when the spirits were asked to make themselves known.

Kathleen added: “Steve invited the spirits of Patrick Hannay, Robert Hannay and Major General Stewart to make an appearance and the candles started flickering rapidly. John invited any spirits present to blow out a candle – one candle flickered whilst the others were very still.”

Strange noises came from the woods throughout the evening but the team realise these were probably animals, however they found the evening very worthwhile and would be happy to return.

Since the investigation, the team have spoken to a member of staff from the Bladnoch Inn, who told them that she and some of her friends witnessed a red light when visiting the tower – her description matched John and Steve’s account. The source of the mysterious light is as yet unknown.

Who is the Grey Lady of Sorbie Tower?

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Jenny Geddes

Throughout history there are incidents that at the time may seem small or even insignificant, the action of a few individuals who would normally be considered mere spectators in the pageant of history. Some obvious incidents come to mind; The Boston Tea Party or the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand both give rise to a ‘butterfly effect’ theory of world events.
Edinburgh’s very own ‘madam butterfly’ has become a legend in Scotland’s history… the infamous Jenny Geddes.

Jenny Geddes (c. 1600 – c. 1660) was a fruit and veg seller who kept a stall outside the Tron Kirk. Not a person that you would imagine as a significant historical character, but on 23rd July 1637 Jenny Geddes was a catalyst that started one of the most infamous riots in Edinburgh’s history.

Firstly some background:

The origins of the incident date back to the accession to the throne of King Charles I in 1625. Charles was not a popular monarch north of the border; in particular the rites used in his coronation angered the more puritan post reformation church in Scotland. The Anglican form of worship was very close to Roman Catholicism and it was seen by many as an attempt by King Charles to bring back Catholicism through the back door. His new archbishop of Canterbury William Laud was also very unpopular in Scotland, but undaunted by the rise of feeling against his reforms Charles and his archbishop assembled a commission whose remit was to produce a prayer book suitable for Scotland that would bring it much more into line with the Church of England. In 1637 a new Book of Common Prayer was printed in Edinburgh, and it was to be first used in St Giles’ Cathedral on Sunday 23 July 1637.
The stage was set – enter Jenny Geddes.

St Giles Cathedral

There had been some unrest up to the date of the service so it is arguable that many came into St Giles that day ready for a fight. Ms Geddes took her place, not on one of the pews but among the womenfolk who were required to bring their own stools into the cathedral and use one of the aisles. A very nervous James Hannay, Dean of Edinburgh began to read from the new prescribed service to the sound of unruly murmurings from the congregation.

Jenny geddes sat fuming on her “fald stool” or a “creepie-stool” meaning a folding stool. Finally she had heard enough and stood up and cried; “Deil colic the wame o’ ye, fause thief; daur ye say Mass in my lug?” meaning “Devil cause you severe pain and flatulent distension of your abdomen, false thief: dare you say the Mass in my ear?” And at that she hurled her stool straight at the Dean’s head. This sparked a full scale riot in the church. one congregation member who had been heard uttering a response to the liturgy was thumped with bibles. The Dean took cover and the Provost summoned his men to put down the disturbance. The rioters were soon ejected from St Giles and the Bishop of Edinburgh appealed for calm. However this was not going to end quietly, The Presbyterians of 17th Century Scotland would have made the al-Qaida look moderate! Abuse reigned in from the street outside, windows were smashed and the doors looked to be broken down.

The riots continued on that day throughout Edinburgh, The City chambers were laid siege to with the provost now sheltering inside. Eventually they negotiated a ‘truce’ of sorts. At the suggestion of the Lord Advocate a committee was appointed known as the Tables to negotiate with the Privy Council. Their suggestion of a withdrawal of the offending liturgy was not surprisingly thrown out by King Charles.
This led to even more unrest including the signing of the National Covenant in February 1638. Later that year the bishops and archbishops were formally expelled from the Church of Scotland, which was then established on a full Presbyterian basis. Charles responded in his trademark arrogant manner by instigating the Bishops’ Wars which ultimately led to the English Civil War and the execution of Charles and his Archbishop.

The Stool Monument

In St Giles Cathedral a monument stands to this unlikely heroine. A bronze 3 legged stool (not the folding stool as described in many accounts) stands to commemorate that day a market trader pawn took the head of a king.
As an aside to the story, around 1787, Robert Burns named his mare after Jenny Geddes in tribute.

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