-
(#13) People Were Locked Up To Perish In Plague Houses
Edinburgh survived many outbreaks of plague - even the deadly 1645 outbreak, which wiped out up to half the city's population. The city desperately tried to stop the spread of disease, issuing a quarantine for infected people. But that was just the start: On some streets, city officials took even more drastic measures.
In several areas, the city simply bricked up the homes of people suspected of carrying the plague. The victims were left inside to perish with no way of escaping. Just like the residents of Mary King's Close, the people who met their ends behind brick walls in Edinburgh have inspired their own eerie ghost stories.
-
(#10) Eerie Coffin Cages Protected Human Remains
Human organs were in high demand in Edinburgh. Anatomists working at the medical school needed cadavers to examine, but in the 19th century, dissection was still thought to damn your soul to hell. Since no one wanted to donate their remains to science, some industrious individuals dug up coffins and sold their contents to medical schools.
To protect their souls, Edinburgh's residents began using mortsafes, basically cages above their graves. The heavy iron apparatuses kept bodysnatchers away. Greyfriars Kirkyard, called the most haunted graveyard in the world, features multiple mortsafes around its many graves. The coffin bars are an eerie reminder of a time in Edinburgh's past when people sold cadavers on the black market.
-
(#11) Infamous Bodysnatchers William Burke And William Hare Hunted In Edinburgh
William Burke and William Hare turned bloodshed into a profitable business in 19th-century Edinburgh. The two got a taste of riches in 1827 when they sold the cadaver of a man who perished in Hare's boarding house from natural causes. The scheme quickly spiraled into a bloody spree, as the men began slaying the poor and elderly and poor.
Burke and Hare invited unsuspecting guests into the boarding house, offered them whiskey, and quickly suffocated them. Then they sold the cadavers to Edinburgh University. When they were caught, Hare turned on Burke, who received a capital sentence. After Burke was dissected, his skin was used to make a book.
-
(#1) A Ghost Bagpiper Lost Under Edinburgh Castle Still Haunts Its Tunnels
Edinburgh Castle is one of the oldest fortresses in Europe, dating back to the 9th century. It sits atop a hill overlooking Edinburgh, and underneath the castle, a network of tunnels connects it with the rest of the city. But some of the secret tunnels are more mysterious than others. Where did they lead? Did they make the castle vulnerable to a surprise invasion? To learn where the tunnels went, the Scots sent a young boy with bagpipes to investigate.
The boy played loudly as he walked deeper into the tunnel, and above ground, people used the sound to trace the tunnel's route. Then, the bagpipes suddenly fell silent. Search parties tried to find the boy, but he had vanished. Assuming he had perished, they blocked the tunnel. However, since 1650, people have reported hearing the ghostly sound of bagpipes from deep under the castle.
-
(#4) The Wizard Of West Bow Haunts His Old House
According to legend, the Wizard of West Bow, AKA Major Thomas Weir, still haunts the city. In 1670, Weir spontaneously confessed to incest, bestiality, and the use of magic to communicate with spirits. Even though his friends tried to convince him he wasn't a witch, and a doctor declared him unstable, Weir insisted on his own guilt.
Weir received capital punishment for his deeds. After his passing, locals claimed his house was haunted. The stories included mysterious lights in the windows of Weir's home and the sound of distant music. And although the house was torn down in the 1800s, parts of Weir's haunted house were allegedly incorporated into a Quaker Meeting House. Now, according to at least one staff member at the Quaker House, Weir still haunts the area where his house once stood. Today, it's a toilet.
-
(#7) King James Hunted Witches Who Still Haunt The City
Scotland hunted down as many as 200 witches during the North Berwick Witch Trials in the 1590s. And the trials were unusual for more than just their size. King James VI of Scotland was personally involved, punishing accused witches himself in Edinburgh Castle. The North Berwick event was just one of Scotland's many witch hunts - as many as 4,000 accused witches burned at the stake in Scotland.
The women detained by King James aren't the only witches who allegedly haunt Edinburgh Castle. The spirit of Janet Douglas, burned at the stake in 1537, has been spotted in the castle. And as many as 300 witches were and thrown into Nor' Loch.
New Random Displays Display All By Ranking
About This Tool
When people are intoxicated by the beauty and the long cultural history of Edinburgh, they may not remember that Edinburgh had a very dark history and various bloody stories in the past. This city sometimes happens weird haunted events or spooky events, but many people feel that this bloody history makes Edinburgh more attractive. Edinburgh Castle is one of the oldest fortresses in Europe, dating back to the 9th century.
Ancient cities, vicissitudes of castles, melodious bagpipes, etc., so many attractive things in the capital of Scotland, and these characteristic cultures have passed down countless rumors and legends about ghosts. From Edinburgh cemeteries to corpse trading, more about its dark history can be found with the random tool.
Our data comes from Ranker, If you want to participate in the ranking of items displayed on this page, please click here.