Description: An impressive building that was formerly a royal stronghold, Fyvie features five towers and is possibly one of the finest examples of Scottish Baronial architecture.
Era: A castle has been on this site since 1211 but most of the existing castle was built in the 14th/15th century.
History:
– William the Lion was at Fyvie around 1213 and Alexander II granted a charter at Fyvie in 1222
– English King Edward I stayed at “Fyvin Chastel” in July 1296 during his punitive campaign. Later Robert the Bruce dispensed justice in an open-air court held at Fyvie
– From 1390, following the Battle of Otterburn, five successive families — Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon and Leith — each built one of Fyvie Castle’s five towers
– In 1596 the castle was sold to Alexander Seton, later Chancellor of Scotland. He greatly enlarged the castle and added the upper works
– In 1601 Dame Lilias Drummond, Seton’s first wife, died. Some believe she was starved to death by her husband because she failed to give him a male heir. Tradition says that she was imprisoned in the Douglas Room. Her family tried to rescue her but apparently they were caught, slaughtered in her presence and their mutilated bodies thrown from the window
– By 1885 the then laird of the castle, Sir Maurice Duff-Gordon, was in financial trouble and Fyvie was put up for sale
– In 1982 Sir Andrew Forbes-Leith sold the castle and its contents to The National Trust for Scotland
Ghost ratings:
– The ghost of Lilias, otherwise known as The Green Lady, has been seen wandering all around the castle. Legend has it that on the wedding night of Alexander and his second wife, heavy sighs and scratching noises were heard from outside their chamber window. In the morning they found the following words carved upside down on the sill, from the outside: D LILIAS DRUMMOND
– The lonely spirit of a man has been seen wandering the library
– A guest who was staying in one of the guest rooms, woke to find a woman standing over her, staring at her
Spooky experiences:
– Recently a terrible loud banging has been heard throughout the building. The staff are never able to figure out where the noise is coming from. When they move to where they think its coming from, the banging then moves to another part of the building
– In the Morning Room the sound of a baby crying has been heard. A skeleton of a baby was found in the fireplace when the Gordon clan lived there
– The Library Corridor is said to induce intense feelings of suffocation and oppression
– In The Charter Room it is always cold and visitors have had to be removed from the room because they feel ill and faint Batteries drain and cameras fail to work properly in this room
– The Gordon Bedroom often emits an inexplicable odour of roses. People will often stand aside as if someone is walking past them — even though there is noone else in the room — while some of the staff refuse to enter this room. They get mysterious feelings of being watched
– The Douglas Bedroom is said to be the room in which Lilias was starved to death. There are numerous reports of cold spots and people often feel overwhelming feelings of sadness and sickness when they enter the room
– In Robert’s Flat lights turn themselves on, doors open on their own and taps have turned themselves on
First Broadcast: 14th June 2005
A self confessed super fan of Most Haunted and editor of GhostMag.com. Matt’s passion for ghost hunting began when he moved into a haunted house in his second year of university in Leicester! His favourite location is the Niddry Street Vaults in Edinburgh.
Everyone loves a good story, and there may very well be some paranormal activy at the castle…however, many of the legends have proven to be completely erroneous. For example…the story about Lilias Drommond. She did not die at Fyvie Castle, nor was she starved to death. The facts:
Dame Lilias Drummond was said to be very happy with her husband for many , producing five daughters within the first nine years of their marriage. Only one of these was born at Fyvie, as the family mainly lived in Edinburgh, Elgin, Dunfermline, and Dalgety. It was only after the birth of her last daughter that relations between husband and wife soured, and she moved permanently to Dalgety, where she died suddenly, and apparently of natural causes. In fact, none of Alexander Seton’s three wives died at Fyvie Castle. The facts: 1580 – m. Lilias Drummond, at Seton, East Lothian. She died at Dalgety, Fife.
1601 – m. Grizel Leslie at Rothes, Moray. She died 1606 at Haddington, East Lothian.
1607 – m. Margaret Hay at Dunfermline. She died at Dalgety, Fife.
True..the facts are not as interesting as the legend, nor do they bring the tourists with all that lovely money, but truth is truth, and there are enough real, verifiable and fascinating stories, to keep people interested and coming out to see the castle. For that matter, if there is a ghostly lady, it brings yet another mystery into play that could be a source of great speculation and keep those interested in such activities happy. But…for those who are reading this, when you hear the idiots, charlatans, and overly romantic people who play on this TV show using proven erroneous facts as part of their supposed spiritual contacts, then get a grip and realize its all hype. Too bad their researchers couldn’t have done a better job preparing them for this little outing. Sheesh!