Crathes Castle

This 16th Century tower house is haunted allegedly haunted by two ghosts, a Green Lady and another young woman.

Now cared for by the National Trust for Scotland since 1952, Crathes Castle was held by the Burnett family for over 350 years.

The Green Lady was always seen in the same room, walking across it and going into the fireplace whilst carrying an infant child. It thought she was a girl who had a child with a servant from the castle. When the lost his job he and the girl were thought to have moved away. It is said that when the castle was be renovated they uncovered skeletons of a woman and child under the fireplace that the Green Lady is seen to enter. Queen Victoria is counted amongst those who have witnessed the Green Lady, when she stayed at Crathes Castle. The Green Lady has not been seen for many years and tradition says that when she is seen it is an omen of death for a member of the Burnett family.

Crathes also has an anniversary ghost that could be either a girl named Bertha or that of Lady Agnes. The ghost relates to a story concerning the old Crathes Castle. The son of Lady Agnes, Alexander fell in love with a girl of a lower social standing called Bertha. Whilst Alexander was abroad, Lady Agnes is supposed to have poisoned Bertha who then died in the castle. Alexander was distraught and his mother tried to help him by holding a grand meal. During the meal, Alexander reached for a goblet of wine, the same one that Bertha had been poisoned with. Lady Agnes snatched it from him and through it into the loch, thus confirming Alexander’s fears that his mother had killed his love. Bertha’s parents arrived several weeks or months later to collect their daughters remains when Lady Agnes suddenly died crying out “She comes, she comes”. On the anniversary of the murder a white lady is seen.