Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Country and County: Angus

Buried Treasure / Devil / Legends

Vayne Castle

The ruin of the Z-plan Vayne Castle dates from the 16th century was built by the Lindsays. There is a Devil legend associated with the castle according to ‘The History and Traditions of the Land of the Lindsays’ (1882), which states that:

Ancient Sites / Dragons / Legends / Wells

Nine Maidens Well, Strathmartine

As with the dragon that was associated with it, very little remains of the Nine Maidens Well at Strathmartine, as the farmer upon whose land it could be found had the well covered up to stop it’s visitors from trampling his crops.

Apparitions / Devil / Featured Sites / Hauntings / Legends

Glamis Castle

Glamis Castle is known as one of the most haunted castles in Britain. It certainly has more stories and legends attached to it than any other castle within the British Isles, perhaps with the exception of Hermitage Castle in the Scottish Borders.

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Folklore / Folktales / Scottish Folktales

The Laird of Balmachie’s Wife

This tale involves a fairy abduction and replacement by a changeling, in this case a Laird’s wife, a rather larger burden than the usual child. The original story can be found in Folklore and Legends of Scotland by W.W Gribbins.

Hauntings

Cortachy Castle

Cortachy Castle is large baronial manor built around a 15th century stronghold and is the hereditary seat of the Earls of Airlie. The lands were granted to Sir Walter Ogilvy by King James II in 1473 which is probably when the construction of this castle began, though there had been a an earlier castle of the Stewart Earls of Strathearn dating from 1330 on the site previously.

Apparitions / Haunted Battlefields / Hauntings

Dunnichen Hill

This is the site of the Battle of Nechtansmere found between the Picts and the invading Northumbrians of King Ecgfrith. The battle took place at 3.00pm on 2 March 685AD. The Picts had been subjugated under Drust, a puppet King supported by King Oswui of Northumberland. When Oswui died in 672AD the Picts (called Picti ‘painted ones’ by the Romans) overthrew Drust.

Scottish Folktales

Kelpies Footmarked Stone by Vayne Castle

In James Mackinlay’s ‘Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs’ (1893) he states ‘If anyone refuses to believe in the existence of water-horses, let him go to the parish of Fearn, in Forfarshire, and there, near the ruined castle of Vayne, he will see on a sandstone rock the print of a