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Glamis Castle is situated beside the village of Glamis — pronounced Glahmz (in IPA *) — in Angus, Scotland. It is the home of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, who open it to the public. It is not run by the National Trust for Scotland. Glamis Castle was the childhood home of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, best known as the Queen Mother, and her daughter, Princess Margaret, was born there. A picture of the castle is featured on the Royal Bank of Scotland ten pound note.
The plasterwork ceilings of Glamis are noteworthy for their detail and preservation, and along with Muchalls Castle and Craigevar Castle, are considered of the three finest in Scotland.
The castle is one of the most legended castles in the world, it is “ a soaring pile of keep and towers, turrets and battlements.” It is said to have more dark secrets than any castle in Britain.
Few families are older than the Bowes-Lyons, The Lady and Earl of Strathmore. They had their own army 600 years ago and their own private hangman. King Malcolm II of Scotland was murdered here. Shakespeare placed the murder of King Duncan by Macbeth in the stone floored vaulted Duncan’s hall of the castle. And when the Queen mother was a child, she and her sisters always scuttled at top speed through this room.
No family has had a more intriguing past. A Lady Glamis was burnt by James V as a witch, yet a few years later, Mary, Queen of Scots dined with the family and stayed the night. A monster is said to have dwelt in Loch Calder near the castle. There are many bricked up rooms in the castle. Somewhere in the sixteen-foot thick walls is the famous room of skulls, where the Ogilvies family, who sought protection from their enemies the Lindsay’s, were walled up to die of starvation, being no friends of the Strathmores. The tradition of the heavy pile contain much by its appearance and is impressive to the imagination.
There is a tea room in the castle, and the gardens and grounds are also open to the public. They are also open to functions like dinners and weddings.
Legends and Tales relating to Glamis Castle
The castle is legended to have numerous ghosts. The gentlest ghost and most often seen is the "Grey Lady." She appears in the chapel.
The Grey Lady is not the only ghost to haunt its halls. The most appalling legend of all if of the tongueless woman, The late Sir David Bowes-Lyon is said to have seen her while taking a late stroll after dinner on the lawn. There he saw the girl gripping the window bars and staring distractedly in to the night. He was about to speak to her when she disappeared abruptly as if someone had torn her away from the window. There came one appalling scream – then utter silence. It was one minute to midnight. The Tongueless Lady is said to be a vampire whom the lords had punished savagely. Since vampires do not die, it is a pretty thought that she lies entombed in the castle, her eyes closed, her teeth sharp, her menace still potent.
It is said that one of the ghosts that haunt the castle would be that of Earl Beardie or Lord Crawford, rumoured to be a cruel man. A story tells of his game with cards with the Devil and eventually, losing his soul.
Earl Beardie was a guest in Glamis Castle and wanted to play cards on Sabbath once, which of course led to no one wanting to play with him. At that moment he was drunk and he was so furious that he claimed that he would play with the Devil himself. Then, a stranger visited the castle and enquired if Earl Beardie wanted a partner to play cards with. The Earl undoubtedly said yes, and they began to play in one of the rooms. Later, the servants heard yelling from the room, coupled with curses and one peeped through the keyhole. Certain versions claim that a blast of light through that keyhold blinded the servant's eye. Then the Earl came out of the room and caught the servant peeping at them. After, the Earl went back to the room, but the stranger had disappeared along with the soul of the Earl which he had lost when he was playing cards with the Devil.
Many have claimed to hear shouting and the sound of dice rolling and thus it is claimed that the Earl is still playing in some secret room with the Devil.
There are also apparently, still a few rooms that are undiscovered. This stems from an experiment where guests staying over hung towels from the windows of all rooms, but there were still windows which were towel-less.
Mentions in fiction
See also
External links
"Glamis Castle"