Haunted Reputation Rank: 4 of 5
Listing Name: Edinburgh Castle
Category: Castle, Fortress, Royal Residence, Military Prison
Difficulty Level: Very High Haunted Reputation
Country: Scotland
City: Edinburgh
Address: The Esplanade, Edinburgh EH1 2NG, Scotland
Map Search: Edinburgh Castle, The Esplanade, Edinburgh EH1 2NG

Short Description

Edinburgh Castle dominates Scotland’s capital from an ancient volcanic rock. Its long history as a royal residence, battlefield fortress, military garrison, prison, and place of death has produced legends involving spectral soldiers, prisoners, mysterious music, unexplained footsteps, and apparitions.

History

Edinburgh Castle is one of Europe’s oldest fortified sites. Evidence of settlement reaches into prehistory, and an Iron Age hill fort once occupied the rock. The castle later became a royal residence, national fortress, military base, treasury, and prison.

The castle changed hands repeatedly during Scotland’s wars and is described by its official history as the most besieged place in Britain. It housed Scottish kings and queens, including Mary Queen of Scots, who gave birth to James VI there in 1566.

From the eighteenth into the nineteenth century, its vaults held hundreds of prisoners of war, including French, American, Spanish, Dutch, Irish, and other captives. Portions of the castle remain connected to the military today.