The spirit that stalks the kirkyard of Greyfriars, known as the ‘MacKenzie poltergeist’ is believed to have been one Sir George MacKenzie, known to the Scots as ‘Bluidy MacKenzie‘. The summer of 1679 saw defeat for the Covenanter’s at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge and 1,200 men were captured. It was MacKenzie who organised an enthusiastic and bloody persecution of these unlucky men. MacKenzie brought them to Greyfriar’s and they were held within a small courtyard to the back of the kirkyard, now referred to as the Covenanter’s Prison, in horrible conditions open to the elements. MacKenzie had some of the men hanged, others beheaded, their rotting skulls displayed around the city. The more unfortunate were publicly tortured. Many died due to this harsh treatment and those that didn’t were executed or sold to slavery. Their only way out was to swear an allegiance to the King, which they refused to do. Those that died in Greyfriars remain there to this day and ironically share their final resting place with Bloody George Mackenzie.

MacKenzie Tomb

Although stories of unusual occurrences within the kirkyard had been told for years, it seemed to intensify greatly after one incident 1998. A homeless man looking to get out of the Scottish weather, made the unfortunate decision that the MacKenzie tomb looked like a cosy and safe place. For reasons known only to himself, the man began to break into the coffin that lay within, whilst doing so he slipped dragging the coffin down with him and ending up sprawled on the floor with the remains of Bloody MacKenzie across him. He understandably fled the area, but it seems the disturbance he caused awoke something in the tomb.

Covenanters Prison

By early 1999 reports of strange goings on in the kirkyard had significantly risen, but not by the MacKenzie tomb but around the corner in the Covenanter’s prison, so much so that the council made the decision to close the area off from the public. Luckily for those looking for a thrill or keen on the paranormal a tour company was granted access to the prison, to guide small groups through the area in controlled visits. Those on these tours have reported many strange phenomena including being scratched, attacked, feeling nauseous, discovering large marks and bruises on their bodies the following day and drastic changes in temperature. There are even those that have been knocked unconscious! In 2000, an exorcist, Colin Grant was summoned to the graveyard to perform an exorcism ceremony; he was said to have picked up “evil forces” and claimed that the forces were too overpowering and feared that they could kill him. A few weeks later, he died suddenly of a heart attack.

Only a short walk from Greyfriar’s can be found the Edinburgh or South Bridge Vault’s, but only by venturing under the streets of Edinburgh. The vaults are a distinct series of chambers formed in the 19 arches of the South Bridge, built to span the Cowgate gorge between High Street and the growing University of Edinburgh on the Southside, which was completed in 1788. These vaults where walled in on either side due to the building of tenements leaving spaces ranging from 2m square to 40m square.

From taverns and tradesmen’s workshops, a red light district and even, a rumoured hunting ground for serial killers Burk and Hare – each vault has its place in history and a story to tell. They were also home to an infamous distillery that once labelled the area ‘Whisky Row’ and, at some point they served as stables to the Royal Families’ bodyguards, the French Cavalry. As the conditions in the vaults deteriorated, mainly because of damp and poor air quality, the businesses left and the very poorest of Edinburgh’s citizens moved in, though by around 1820, even they are believed to have left too. That people had lived there was only discovered in 1985 during an excavation, when middens were found containing toys, medicine bottles, plates, and other signs of human habitation. The vaults on the southside where converted into several very unique venues, the most well known being the Caves, the vaults on the northside however are used for ghost tours and are known to house several unique and characterful spirits…

The most famous of the spirits that roam the vaults is known to the guides as Mr Boots, an apparition that earned its nickname from the many unexplained reports of heavy footsteps heard since the vaults opened nearly 20 years ago. Mr Boots is regularly spotted within the vaults and has been described as being attired in a long blue frock, tri-corner hat and large leather boots. He seems to have an issue with the visitors that regularly explore the area and has been reported blocking doorways, shoving and breathing whisky fumes on the guests and has even been known to throw stones at those he deems unwelcome.

Another apparition, on who little is known, is a wee bit friendlier. Little Jack as he is known, is believed to be the spirit of a small boy who was murdered within the vaults. He is reported to take the hand of guests in the hopes they will lead him out of the dark and foreboding vaults. An unsettling event you might say, but with innocent intentions.

As with areas such as these other phenomena have been reported such as sudden drops in temperature, whispers heard in the distance and even fire doors opening of their own accord(these can only be opened from one side, and never is a figure seen on the side with a handle). Even stranger is events that go unnoticed until mentioned by the guide. One room in particular was believed to have been a men only drinking establishment, and guides advise the patrons that the feeling of segregation of the sexes pervades the room to this day. Invariably the guests then notice that the group has separated on it’s own accord, men on one side of the room, women on the other.

Another short walk away, a little up Edinburgh’s world famous Royal Mile, you will find another of Edinburgh’s most haunted areas, Mary King’s Close.

Mary King’s Close, possibly named after the daughter of Alexander King a wealthy property owner ran from High Street all the way down to Market Street, before Cockburn Street was built. In 1645 the inhabitants of the buildings served by Mary King’s Close were stricken with the plague. It had probably come from rats arriving in Edinburgh through Leith docks. In order to quarantine them and prevent the spread of the disease throughout Edinburgh, Mary King’s Close was sealed, possibly according to legend with some people still alive and suffering inside. Due to housing shortages becoming a worry, the people of Edinburgh wanted to open up Mary King’s Close and shortly after it was opened and the houses reoccupied due to overcrowding.

The new inhabitants of Mary King’s Close found the buildings to be haunted and various reports were made of apparitions including a dog, headless animals, a young girl and several severed limbs and body parts such as heads.

The inhabitants were then evicted in 1753 to make way for a new building project. The upper stories of the buildings around Mary King’s Close and its immediate neighbours were demolished and The Royal Exchange, now the City Chambers was built on top of them. The lower eight stories of beneath the City Chambers, dropping down to Cockburn Street were sealed up, including Mary King’s Close.

Sealed for two hundred and fifty years, Mary King’s Close has now been re-opened for tour groups and you can go down beneath the City Chambers to the lane and buildings that still exist, hidden away. Visitor’s still report to this day strange goings on and apparitions…

The most famous ghost to haunt Mary King’s Close is that of a little girl known as Annie. Her tale starts in 1992 when she scared the daylights out of a Japanese psychic. This lady had been unimpressed by the tour until she arrived at one of the many small rooms. There she was suddenly struck by an overwhelming feeling of sickness, hunger and cold and, when she tried to leave felt the ghastly tug of a ghostly hand on her leg. In order to placate the spirit the women left a small doll within the room, and was released and allowed to leave.

Annie’s story has been fleshed out since then, and it is now believed that she had been left to die in the close by her family during the plague outbreak, although there is very little evidence to back this up. A tradition has built up from the ‘gift’ the psychic left, and now many tourists leave a toy for Annie, and the room in which she was found has turned into something of a shrine…

Dr Caroline Watt of Edinburgh University’s Koestler Unit had her own experience when conducting experiments into the paranormal activity within the close…

“I was in a part of the close where no one else was supposed to be,” she says. “I heard footsteps and the sound of rustling clothing. From a professional point of view I was annoyed because I thought it was someone intruding on our experiment, but when I asked the tour guides I found out there was no one there.”

Another short walk, and almost taking us full circle through the Old Town, leads to Edinburgh’s biggest and most famous tourist attraction, Edinburgh Castle. With a history hundreds of years old it’s not surprising that the Castle has it’s own share of ghost stories.

Edinburgh’s hidden underworld is said to be strongly connected to the castle due to a series of secret tunnels leading from Edinburgh castle down the Royal Mile. One of these is even rumoured to lead all the way to Holyrood House, at the very bottom of the Royal Mile. When the tunnels were first discovered several hundred years ago, a piper was sent to explore. As he navigated the tunnels, he played his bagpipes, so that his progress could be tracked by those above. About half way down the Royal Mile the piping suddenly stopped. When a rescue party was sent, there was no trace of the piper. He had simply vanished. Several search parties went into the tunnel system but no trace of the piper was ever found. It is said that the Piper’s ghost still roams the tunnels to this day, and those on the Mile on a quiet evening can hear the sounds of the pipes drifting up from below the streets.

Another apparition commonly reported at the castle is that of a drummer on the battlements. One account, reported in 1960, told of a sentry who whilst patrolling the battlements heard the faint sound of the drums. On closer investigation the sentry witnessed a figure standing on the battlements and as he drew closer he found the figure was missing his head. As he watched, it turned to face him, then vanished completely. Who this drummer is and why he haunts the castle is something that still remains a mystery.

The next ghostly presence from Edinburgh castle is believed to be that of a rather desperate prisoner. In a rather unsanitary bid for freedom the man hid himself in the castles dung cart, ready to be carried out and down the Royal Mile where he could make a run for it. Unfortunately the men in charge of the dung cart were not willing to heave the smelly load quite so far and instead emptied it over the side of Castle Rock and the prisoner plummeted to his death. Visitors have claimed that this man attempts to push people from the battlements and is always accompanied by the strong and unpleasant stench of dung.

On April 6th 2001, a 10 day study scientific investigation into the paranormal events at Edinburgh castle took place. Dr. Richard Wiseman, a psychologist from Hertfordshire University enlisted the help of 240 volunteers to explore allegedly haunted sites. Chosen from visitors from around the world, each was carefully screened to ensure only those that knew nothing about Edinburgh’s hauntings were selected to participate.

The volunteers were not told of any areas previously reported as haunted and were led in groups through locations with a reputation for strange activity as well as ‘red herring’ sites that had no history of activity at all. Interestingly the volunteers only reported paranormal experiences in the areas with a history for it, and not one of the 240 volunteers reported activity in the ‘red herring’ areas.

Some of the activity recorded include seeing shadowy figures, and unseen presence touching the face, sudden drops in temperature and a feeling of being watched.

Wiseman, a sceptic who has in the past attempted to expose the myths of several British hauntings, admitted his surprise at the results. “The events that have been taking place over the last 10 days are much more extreme than we expected,” he said.

So although there is no solid proof, there is evidence to suggest that something odd is definitely going on at Edinburgh castle and the surrounding old town. But is it ghosts or something else? Let us know what you think in the comments…

The post Haunted Edinburgh! appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

Greyfriars Bobby is known around the world as the epitome of man’s best friend, not budging from his masters grave from the day of his burial in 1858 up until his own passing in 1872. The story is well known in Scotland and around the world, through several books and films, particularly the 1961 Walt Disney film Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog. Bobby even inspired the small monument above, interestingly Edinburgh’s smallest listed building, which was originally built as a drinking fountain with an upper section for humans and a lower section for their dogs.

However new evidence goes to support the idea that Bobby was a hoax cooked up by local businessmen to keep the tourists flowing and as such the coin from their pockets.

Dr Jan Bondeson, a senior lecturer at Cardiff University, has uncovered evidence that there were in fact two Bobbies from 1858 to 1872 and that neither of them belonged to the man buried in Greyfriars cemetery whose grave they sat by.  Dr Bondeson has saidthat he ‘smelt a rat’ whilst researching the story of the famous dog for a book on amazing dogs throughout history.  His research shows the first dog was in fact a stray which wandered into the nearby Heriot’s hospital, now George Heriot’s School, and was then taken to the graveyard. James Brown, the curator of the cemetery, treated him so well that he stayed, and locals assumed he was mourning his dead master. This worked in the favour of Brown and a local restaurant owner, John Triall, with donations coming in thick and fast to Brown and many of the visitors stopping for food in Triall’s restaurant.

His research goes on to show that this dog passed of old age around 1867 and was replaced by Triall and Brown in an effort to keep the visitors flowing.  Artwork and pictures of Bobby show a distinct change in 1867.

The first was an elderly, tired dog who wasn’t much to look at, and the second a lively terrier who ran around and fought other dogs. This would also go some way to explain the longevity of Bobby, who lived a long 16 years, when even today 10 to 12 years is a good life span for a Skye terrier. Dr Bondeson has also stated that these two dogs where joined by many others. Visitors would think such strays were mourning their masters and leave them scraps of food, and not surprisingly, considering the treatment they were receiving, the dogs would stay for more.

‘It won’t ever be possible to debunk the story of Greyfriars Bobby – he’s a living legend, the most faithful dog in the world, and bigger than all of us.’ Dr Bondeson added.

But what do you think? Is the story of Bobby true or does this new information hint at a Victorian money making scheme? Let us know in the comments…

The post Greyfriars Bobby-The Lie Behind the Legend appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

Greyfriar’s nose shines again

Last week we reported that Edinburgh’s famous Greyfriar’s Bobby statue had undergone restoration work after years worth of tourists rubbing his nose for good luck. Less than 48 hours following the painstaking work to turn his shiny nose back to black, an abrasive material was “intentionally used” on the nose, stripping the repaired area. Police have launched an investigation, and are asking for anyone who witnessed suspicious behaviour near the statue in the last week to come forward.

The story is causing quite a stir in Scotland’s capital, with Bobby campaigners fighting it out on social media, and Bobby even gracing the cover of the nation’s newspaper, The Scotsman:

Bobby graces front page of The Scotsman

Here’s the latest from the BBC:

Edinburgh City Council confirmed it called the police after experts said the repair paint used should have lasted several years.

Police Scotland said the statue was damaged sometime between 13:00 on Tuesday and 17:00 on Wednesday.

The estimated cost of the damage is believed to be between £200 and £300.

Officers are conducting inquiries and urged witnesses to come forward.

PC Nick Davies, of Police Scotland, said: “This crime is as unusual as it is disappointing to observe.

“The statue is a beloved tourist attraction and is also very popular with Edinburgh’s local residents.

“The nose has recently been touched up to restore it following years of wear and at first it was believed the repair had not adhered correctly to the monument.

“However, we are now treating this as an act of vandalism after discovering that an abrasive has been used to remove the material from the repaired area.

“As such, anyone who remembers seeing any suspicious activity around Greyfriars Bobby in the past few days is asked to contact police.”

Richard Lewis, Edinburgh City Council’s culture and sport convener, said: “The work carried out should have lasted for a number of years and it is highly unlikely that it would have worn away naturally in such a short space of time.

“We will, of course, organise the repair work to be undertaken again and hope that in future people respect the statue of Greyfriars Bobby.”

We’ll keep our nose to the ground for any further developments in the case.

The post Bobby Update – Police Launch Investigation appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

Greyfriar’s Bobby, Pre-op

Edinburgh’s world famous pup Greyfriar’s Bobby got a facelift earlier this week, following a successful Facebook campaign by Bobby enthusiasts. On Tuesday sculpture conservation and bronzework specialists enlisted by Edinburgh Council worked to restore the black on the dog’s snout after years worth of passerbys rubbing his nose for good luck.

Bobby campaigners had resorted to making nocturnal restoration visits to the statue in the past, touching up the dog’s nose with boot polish. They also called for the statue’s original purpose as a drinking fountain for dogs to be reinstated.

Work undertaken on the statue included a thorough clean with a mild detergent, then heated with a blowtorch to restore colour, followed by a microcrystaline wax and finally two further coats of wax were applied once the dog had cooled.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Although Bobby has never been in any immediate danger, it was highlighted to us that the practice of rubbing his nose was starting to make him look a little scruffy. As one of the most famous – and most popular – statues in the Capital, it’s only right that he looks his best at all times.

“Once we became aware of the local concern it was clear that we had to act and I’m delighted we’ve been able to get specialists in to restore Greyfriars Bobby to his former glory.”

Greyfriar’s Bobby, Post-op

The Facebook campaign, entitled Stop People Rubbing Greyfriars Bobby’s Nose It is NOT a Tradition, called on the council to restore the commemorative statue and was started by local resident Becky Thomson.

She said: “This campaign started out as a bit of fun and I was amazed by how many people supported the page. We discussed ways we could address the problem as ordinary members of the public – by asking tour guides to discourage it or maybe using anti-climb paint.

“Given that this is a world-famous statue in a World Heritage site it now makes sense the council are involved. Now it is up to anybody who is passing just to keep an eye open and politely ask people to keep their paws off Bobby’s nose so it doesn’t happen again.”

Bobby was a Skye Terrier owned by John Gray (or ‘Auld Jock’ as he was known to locals). Bobby was so loyal to his master that when Auld Jock died of tuberculosis on 15th February in 1858 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, the dog kept a daily vigil and lay over his masters grave for 14 years until his own death on 14th January 1872. Bobby’s story is well-known across the world, with his statue in Edinburgh visited by thousands of tourists every day.

The post Council Weighs In On Bobby Rubbing appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

Scottish Poet William McGonagall dubbed ‘world’s worst’

A handwritten, unpublished work by a Scottish music hall performer known as the world’s worst poet is set to fetch thousands of pounds at auction. Edinburgh-born William McGonagall, won notoriety in the 19th century as an extremely bad poet, and to this day is regarded as the worst in English literature.

His works were so detested he was pelted with rotten fish, with critics stating that he was deaf to poetic metaphor and employed inappropriate rhythms that resulted in unintentionally amusing poetry. The manuscript belongs to Roy Davids, a collector who is selling his entire hoard of poetry. It is expected to fetch £3,000 at Bonham’s in London in May.

Born in 1825, McGonagall claimed he was inspired to write poetry when he felt a strange feeling steal over him, which lasted for approximately five minutes. He realised if he were to succeed as a poet he needed a patron, and wrote to Queen Victoria to request the honour. Inspired by the  “thanks, but no thanks” letter from one of Victoria’s functionaries, McGonagall set off to Balmoral to proove himself in person. In July 1878, he walked from Dundee to Balmoral, a distance of about 60 miles over mountainous terrain and through a violent thunderstorm to perform for the Queen. When he arrived, he announced himself as “The Queen’s Poet”. The guards informed him “You’re not the Queen’s poet! Tennyson is the Queen’s poet!” McGonagall presented the letter but was refused entry and had to return home.

McGonagall struggled with money throughout his life, but found lucrative work performing his poems at a local circus. While he read his poems, the audience was permitted to pelt him with eggs, flour, herrings, potatoes and stale bread. He seemed happy with this arrangement which he received 15 shillings s night for, however the events became so raucous that city magistrates were forced to put a ban on them. Throughout his life he seemed oblivious to opinions on his poems, with some suggesting he was a lot shrewder than he is given credit for, playing to the audience’s perception of him.

In 1895 McGonagall and his wife moved to Edinburgh, where he met shortlived success as a ‘cult figure’. However he died penniless in 1902 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard. A grave-slab to his memory was unveiled in 1999.

The Tay Bridge Disaster
Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.

To The Rev George Gilfillan
He is a liberal gentleman
To the poor while in distress,
And for his kindness unto them
The Lord will surely bless.

Robert Burns
Immortal Robert Burns of Ayr,
There’s but few poets can with you compare;
Some of your poems and songs are very fine:
To “Mary in Heaven” is most sublime;
And then again in your “Cottar’s Saturday Night”,
Your genius there does shine most bright,
As pure as the dewdrops of the night.

Jottings of New York
Oh mighty City of New York! you are wonderful to behold,
Your buildings are magnificent, the truth be it told,
They were the only things that seemed to arrest my eye,
Because many of them are thirteen storeys high.

The post ‘World’s Worst Poet’ Has Last Laugh appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.