Macbeth was hailed, among other things, as "Thane of Cowdor and Lord of Glamis."
Legends are thick as Scottish mist around Glamis Castle in the ancient land of Angus. Tales centuries old of underground passages, sealed with dreadful secrets. Whispers of witchcraft and treachery. Ghostly sightings and sounds survive to this day.
Glamis (pronounced "Glahms") has been called the most haunted castle in all of Scotland. Even the construction of the castle evokes mystery. The original planners called for Glamis to be built at the top of the nearby Hunters Hill at a site called "Fiery Pans."
But the resident fairies and sprites had other ideas. The builders would invariably find their previous day's work completely destroyed the next morning.
Undaunted, they carried on, only to be finally dissuaded by an unearthly voice heard to proclaim, "Build thy castle in the bog where t'will neither sag nor shog." So, now the setting of the castle's massive structure is in the lush vale of Strathmore, where it has stood, neither sagging nor shogging, for almost 1,000 years.
Visitors, however, have been known to do both. A very young Sir Walter Scott (the novelist) spent an uneasy night in the summer of 1793, experiencing that degree of superstitious awe which the Scots call "eerie." "Too far from the living and somewhat too near to death."
In the early 1500s, Lord Glamis, his kinsmen John Lyon, and an old priest, were indicted for designs against the life of King James V, by poison or witchcraft, with the intention of restoring the house of Angus. Lady Glamis was condemned to the flames, and endured the savage sentence on the Castle-hill of Edinburgh, July17, 1537. Her husband, Campbell, endeavoring to escape from the castle, was dashed to pieces on the rocks which form the base of that edifice. Her son was also sentenced to be executed, but respited until he should attain majority; in the interim, he was ordered to be closely confined, and his estates were declared forfeited. The accuser, however, one Lyon, confessed that the whole story was a fabrication, and his lordship was released, restored to his estates and honours by parliament, March 15, 1542-3.
The ghost of the lady and her husband returned to Glamis searching for their son adding to one of the many spirits that haunt the castle.
From a distance, the castle seems serene, standing majestically at the end of a tree-lined avenue, surrounded by manicured lawns and clipped yew trees-very much a home.
It is lived in by the 17th Earl of Strathmore and his family. Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) spent a very happy childhood there as Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and Princess Margaret was actually born there.
Glamis Castle has many links with royalty, and can be traced back to the 11th century, where it served as a hunting lodge for the Scottish kings.
Malcolm II died at Glamis in 1034. Whether he actually expired in what is known as the Malcolm Room is a matter of conjecture. But someone surely did. As family members recall, a large bloodstain formed on the stone floor, which proved impossible to remove. Eventually, the whole floor had to be boarded over.
"Glamis, thou art, and Cowdor thou shalt be; thou shalt be what thou art promised." So, Lady Macbeth began her wicked plotting.
Shakespeare took tome liberties with the setting of his famous tragedy (although, Macbeth was a real king of Scotland in the early 1100s). The witches who hailed Macbeth as "Thane of Glamis" were ahead of themselves by 200 years. Thanes in that part of Scotland were not to appear for another two centuries.
And "Birnham Wood moving to Dunsinane" could be quite a hike. Ordinance maps reveal a distance of more than 10 miles between the two forests and the terrain itself is more than a bit difficult. Even for the sturdiest of soldiers done up as shrubbery.
Also, King Duncan was mortally wounded near Elgin, probably in battle, rather than while sleeping at Glamis Castle. But his spirit certainly lingers on in Duncan's Hall. In fact, spirits abound in Glamis Castle.
On the ladies' side, in the chapel of Glamis, there has been seen a ghostly grey lady wafting around and occasionally going through the walls of Glamis.
The late Lady Granville, sister of the Queen Mother, liked to tell how one afternoon, while playing music in the chapel, she was suddenly aware of being watched. Looking up from the organ, she saw a gray lady kneeling in prayer in one of the pews. The sun, shining bright through the chapel window, shone right through her. This appears to be an omen of good luck on the way.
There are many more ghostly tales connected with Glamis of ghosties and goolies and things that go bump in the night. But we'll save that for another time while you prepare for your ghostly visiting trick-or-treaters.
TTFN until next time.
[[In-content Ad]]
