Although ghosts of important figures are far from rare, Mary Queen of Scots seems to have a distinct lead over everyone else when it comes to her own personal hauntings and those related to her. The tumultuous life of the unlucky queen seems to have had the result of leaving her spiritual presence in just about every place she visited in life. People have reported seeing her at Craignethan, Loch Leven, and Hermitage castles, and it is believed by some that the "pink lady" who haunts Stirling Castle could be her as well.

There are also several ghosts directly connected to her. The green lady of Stirling is said to be servant who saved Mary when her bedclothes caught fire. In addition, a young boy who haunts Glamis is believed to be another servant of hers, and some people have even claimed they've seen the ghosts of her horses.

One way in which Scotland's female ghosts appear to differ from their male counterparts is their colour. The green and pink ladies of Stirling have already been mentioned and there are quite a few others.

The well-haunted Glamis is home to both a gray lady and a white lady, and Corstorphine Castle can also claim a white lady, believed to be the ghost of Lady Christian Nimmo who was tried and executed for murdering her lover. There are also a few purple and blue ladies, in addition to other colours. The most prevalent colour however is green. The reason for this is unknown, but there are a few theories, including one about how green was considered unlucky in the middle ages and also that it is the colour most commonly associated with envy.

"Green Jean" is one is one of these emerald-coloured spirits, said to haunt Ashintully Castle. It is believed that her uncle killed her so he could obtain the lands and the castle itself that she had inherited. Nearby Newton Castle is reportedly haunted by another green lady, Jean Drummond, whom the legend says drowned herself after having falling in love, but being forced to marry another man.

Tales of failed romance are very common in the backgrounds of Scotland's female ghosts. One of the more haunting tales (pun intended) is that of "Pearlin' Jean" (Jeanne de la Salle), a young Frenchwoman who never actually set foot in Scotland during her lifetime. She did however meet and fall in love with one Robert Stuart who was sent to school in Paris during the 1670's. Robert and the 15-year old Jeanne had an affair, but it was cut short by Robert being called back to Scotland. He however neglected to tell Jeanne about this, and she only found out that he was leaving by seeing him board the coach. Clinging to the side as it began to drive away, she begged him to take her back to Scotland, but Robert refused. Angered, Jeanne swore that if he married another woman she would always come between them. It was then that she lost her grip on the side of the carriage, falling underneath the wheels and being killed instantly.

Robert proceeded home as planned, but was horrified when, upon reaching his home in Allanbank, he saw the ghostly figure of a woman wearing a white dress and pearls looking down at him from the archway of his gatehouse. From then on, Jean became a regular resident of the house; she was seen several times and her screams could often be heard throughout the house. Jeanne was keeping her promise. Apparently, these disturbances only occurred at times when Robert was in the house; whenever he left for any period of time the disturbances would cease. Pearlin' Jean is one of the best known of Scotland's ghosts; there are even other very similar (possibly derivative) tales, like that of "Bloody Mary."

In addition to romances-gone-wrong, another significant sources of Scottish ghosts are the hundreds of women who were persecuted and executed as witches between 1563 and 1735. During those years, suspicion of performing witch craft could fall upon any woman who did something which was seen as less than good and proper, and many of the innocent women burned as witches would we well justified in seeking some post-mortem satisfaction.

So if on some lonely night in Scotland you see a white, pink, green, purple, gray, or blue glow... you may have just encountered a ghost of fairer sex.

SBB, October, 1999

MORE about The Ghosts of Scotland on Gathering of the Clans:

Famous Scottish Ghosts: Ghosts of Scotland Part One

Famous Women Ghosts: Ghosts of Scotland Part Two

Famous Children's Ghosts: Ghosts of Scotland Part Three

Great Books on Scottish Ghosts: Ghosts of Scotland Part Four

Those who want to further explore the subject of the ghosts of Scotland should take advantage of the enormous amount of information available on the Internet. Below are links you can follow to find out more about Scottish Ghosts and hauntings.

SBB, October, 1999

Links:

Great locations and stories in Scotland on Shady Ladies

Walking tours of haunted sites from Gruesome Glasgow

Stories of many Scottish hauntings and other ghost stories

Ghosts of Scotland and their stories by county

Famous ghosts of Scottish castles on Highland Ghosts