Ghosts of Drum Castle

Drum Castle, near Aberdeen, Scotland, was gifted to William de Irvine by Robert the Bruce in 1323 for his service as armor-bearer and secretary. The castle has one of the oldest intact Keeps in the country.

In the 17th century, Alexander Irvine added a Jacobean mansion to the castle. The Irvines later faced financial difficulties while supporting the Jacobite cause, and stories tell of Mary Irvine hiding her brother, the 17th laird, in a secret chamber after the Battle of Culloden to avoid capture by the redcoats.

In the 19th century, further Victorian alterations gave the castle a unique blend of three different eras. The Irvines passed Drum Castle to the National Trust for Scotland in 1975, but it is still home to a few ghostly residents.

One of the most frequently reported spirits is that of "Little Alexander," the son of the 20th Laird of Drum, who died at the age of six in 1865. Visitors and staff have seen his apparition and often hear his laughter echoing through the castle corridors. It is thought that he returns to play with his siblings.

The wife of the 20th Laird, Anna Forbes Irvine, also haunts the castle. A female spirit has been sighted in the castle and matches the portrait of Anna that hangs there, linking her history to the haunting.

Others have reported hearing footsteps in empty rooms, objects and family heirlooms on dressers moving on their own, and cold spots.

In 2014, a motion-activated webcam captured what staff described as a "strange mist" or ghostly figure in the castle's old stables. The webcam was set up to monitor a family of nesting swallows during the summer. The stables already had a reputation for strange happenings, including reports of women laughing when no one was present.