Culzean Castle with the Fair Coves engraving by William Miller |
Overlooking the Firth of Clyde, in Aryshire , Scotland ,
stands a mighty fortress...”
First known as Coif Castle (House of Cove) in the fifteenth
century, and then Cullean
Castle in the seventeenth
century, castle Culzean took on its present name, during the eighteenth
century.
Recorded history first speaks of Culzean castle in 1569. At
this time, the 4th Earl of Cassillis, member of the powerful,
ancient Scottish clan Kennedy, gave the estate to his brother, Sir Thomas
Kennedy.
As you can imagine, the castle is home to several ghostly
residents...
Some say they have heard a piper who plays his pipes on stormy
evenings, his mournful melodies mixing with the sounds of howling winds and the
crashing of thunderous waves. However, he also plays when the castle folk
celebrate the marriage of a clan member.
An eerie mist ascending the staircase is a common sight within
the castle. There are those who believe this is the ghost of a woman, (a
princess, some say,) foully murdered in the green room. There are those who
have witnessed the shade of another lovely young woman, dressed in a ball gown...
And have I mentioned the presence that lurks near the dungeon?
One final legend connected to a resident of Culzean, but not
the castle itself... According to this story, Sir John Cathcart, reported to
have murdered his wife, kidnapped May Kennedy, with the intent to murder her as
well. (I’ve yet to find a reason for his murderous tendencies...) Once inside Carelton Castle where Cathcart resides, May gets
wind of his plans and manages to thwart them by pushing the knight over the
cliffs and to his death. Despite his mortal demise, Cathcart has refused to
leave his home, and haunts its ruins to this very day...
Love reading ghost stories and castles!!!
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