Fyvie in Aberdeenshire is a small, unassuming village. Bordering it, however, is Fyvie Castle, a stunning piece of architecture that has a bloody history as intriguing as its architecture.
The castle has around 800 years of history. The National Trust for Scotland records William the Lion at Fyvie between 1211 and 1214, with Robert the Bruce later among its royal visitors. The estate subsequently passed through the Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon and Forbes-Leith families before the Trust acquired the castle in 1984.
Fyvie Castle boasts many hauntings, staff report nine separate ghosts in the building, although only a few have much information of note.
The Green Lady of Fyvie Castle
One ghost, the Green Lady, has an especially horrific background. It is said she was Alexander Seton’s wife, Lilias Drummond, who was imprisoned by Seton after failing to provide him with an heir.
A rescue was attempted, however, this led to Lilias having to witness her family being murdered in front of her very eyes and then watching their dismembered body parts thrown out of the window. After living a life of misery and horror she died an agonising death at the hands of starvation.
After Lilias’ death, Seton was perfectly happy to marry another young lass but understandably Lilias was not too happy about this.
Their wedding night was interrupted by ethereal screeching and screaming and in the morning it was found that Lilias Drummond had been scratched into the stone windowsill.
Now, Lilias still roams the halls of Fyvie Castle and is followed by the scent of roses. She has stated she does not wish to harm anyone and acts as a leader for the ghosts of Fyvie in conversations with mediums.
The ghost of John Pollock
This is shown in her dealings with another ghost, John Pollock. While Lilias does not want to hurt anyone, John is out for blood and Lilias is perpetually trying to stop him.
He haunts the library where his death mask is displayed. It details marks around his neck which are meant to represent his death by strangulation, he was hanged on murder charges.
Many ghost-sensitive people feel very worried and fearful around the library and some even state they feel nauseous and refuse to enter.
Some other notable spectres of Fyvie Castle are Annie, a little girl who plays on the stairs, and an unknown man who smells of cigar smoke. Another story concerns the phantom housekeeper of Fyvie Castle.
Even if we exclude the phantoms, the castle is still affected by not one, but two curses!
The curses of Fyvie Castle
The first curse is of unknown origin but its effects are well documented. There is a sealed dungeon underneath the Charter Room at Fyvie and it is warned that if it is opened the Laird of Fyvie will die and his wife will begin to lose her sight.
In the two occurrences this warning has been ignored both things happened.
The second curse was instituted by a man named Thomas the Rhymer. He requested shelter at the castle but was denied. In annoyance, he cursed that castle so that unless three bricks that fell into the river during construction were retrieved the Castle would never have a first born heir.
One of these bricks is in the Charter Room and one was built into the foundation. The other remains in the river and as a consequence Fyvie has never had a first-born heir.
Fyvie Castle is a ghostly place, but it reminds us that not all ghosts are to be feared. Some, however, certainly should be.
Watch a virtual tour of Fyvie Castle
CALLUM CAMPBELL is a determined writer who lives in Blantyre, Scotland, and enjoys reading, writing about the supernatural, weightlifting and cycling.
