We researched all of Edinburgh’s ghost stories so you don’t have to

We are well into the spooky season, and Halloween is less than a week away, so what better way to get into the spirit than investigating the ghosts of Edinburgh’s scary past (and present)? Stop by one of these spooky sites on your way to your next lecture…

The Ghosts of Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle was built in the 11th century, so it has had plenty of time to accumulate a fair few ghost stories. We’ve all heard the myth that if you enter Edinburgh Castle during your time at Edinburgh University, you are bound to fail your exams, which you might think is the scariest thing you can possibly imagine. However, there are far scarier things associated with this ancient building.

Some paranormal investigations were carried out as part of the International Science Festival in 2001. The investigation used a $42,000 Oriel thermal imager with geomagnetic sensors was used to record changes in the magnetic fields and sensors that measure changes in air temperature and monitor shifts in movement. Such changes apparently indicate something spooky is going down.  The dungeon cells of the castle are rumoured to be crawling with ghosts of famous leaders that were thrown in the castle’ dungeon cells amidst the 1745 Jacobite uprising. Such leaders include the Earl of Kellie, MacDonnell of Glengarry, and Macdonald of Glencoe.

Other ghosts that have been sighted in the Castle include a “ghost dog” from the dogs’ cemetery; a ghostly piper who supposedly sent to explore the tunnels underneath the castle hundreds of years ago; and a headless drummer who circled the central courtyard in 1650, the same year that Oliver Cromwell invaded Scotland and captured Edinburgh Castle during the Battle of Dunbar.

Mary King’s Close… haunted or just plain creepy?

Mary King’s Close was home to Edinburgh’s inhabitants during the 16th and 17th centuries. However, the plague swept through the families occupying the tightly packed buildings. A century after illness broke out the city sealed off the abandoned close, which encouraged conspiracies regarding the potential paranormal activity taking place on these spooky streets. The most notorious of the ghosts making themselves at home in Mary King’s Close is Annie, a young girl who allegedly haunts the area. The story goes that Annie died of sickness in 1645, and her ghost talked frantically of a beloved doll that she had lost. Annie’s ghost was made famous when a Japanese medium visited Mary King’s Close when investigating the most haunted places in Britain. The medium, Aiko Gibo, was overcome with emotion when she entered one of the 17th-century rooms in the close as she felt an overwhelmingly strong presence of a child whose desire to go home and see her family haunted the space. Gibo communicated with the young girl, who told the psychic about her doll, and Gibo purchased a doll from a local Royal Mile shop to try and comfort the little girl. The creepiest part of this whole story is that the doll, which became known as the “tartan barbie”, went missing in 2019 and was no longer in her usual spot in the 17th-century house.

Greyfriar’s Kirkyard: the most haunted graveyard in the world

I’m not sure if being home to the most haunted graveyard in the world is necessarily a flex, but I feel a sense of pride that Edinburgh holds this achievement. Most famous for being home to a loyal dog, Greyfriars Kirkyard is a cemetery that dates back to the 1560s and is home to many spooky occurrences involving violent ghosts and body snatchers (and a few Harry Potter characters). The MacKenzie Poltergist, aka George MacKenzie, is one of the Kirkyard’s aggressive and active paranormal figures whose spirit was released in 1999 when a tired homeless man broke into the Black Mausoleum, George’s final resting place, to sleep. In recent years, those embarking on nighttime excursions around the graveyard have emerged with bruises, burns, scratches, and even broken bones.

While Greyfriars Kirkyard is not your ideal location for a nighttime stroll, during the day it is picturesque in a gothic sense and watched over by the Greyfriars Bobby, who famously stood over his deceased owner’s grave for 14 years until his own death.

The cemetery is also mere steps away from The Elephant House Cafe, where J.K. Rowling supposedly first conceptualised her Harry Potter series, as she was inspired by the nearby school George Heriot’s. One of the headstones in the graveyard belongs to “Thomas Riddell”, which likely inspired the real name of the villain of the Harry Potter series.

The South Bridge Vaults

An article about Edinburgh’s most haunted histories would not be complete without mention of the city’s terrifying vaults, which contain 19 stone arches and a large number of vaulted chambers. Initially built for businesses, stores, and taverns; the vaults were quickly neglected as they were built on a low budget and were not waterproof enough to survive Edinburgh’s relentless rainy weather, meaning that the vaults became damp and flooded. After being abandoned by their original inhabitants, brothels and pubs emerged, which became popular with the city’s poorest citizens, meaning that crime and murder flourished.

Amongst the many crimes that took place in these scary vaults were the murders of serial killers Burke and Hare, who sold the corpses of their victims to medical schools. There is no doubt that the South Bridge Vaults are a hotspot for ghosts and ghouls. If even half of the ghost stories told about the South Bridge vaults are true, then it should be considered among the most haunted places in the world.

Hopefully, the scary stories of Edinburgh’s most haunted spots haven’t scared you too much. Just try not to stumble in Greyfriars Kirkyard in the dark and steer clear of the South Bridge Vaults, and you should be fine. Good luck sleeping tonight!

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