Cawdor Castle dates back to the late 14th century and is located in Nairn, Scotland. According to legend, the castle was built around a holly tree, where a donkey carrying a chest of gold lay down to rest. The 3rd Thane of Cawdor decided this was a divine sign and built the castle on that very spot, incorporating the tree into the lower level.
The castle became the seat of the Thanes of Cawdor and later the Earls Cawdor. In 1510, the 12-year-old heiress Muriel Calder was kidnapped by the Campbells, who wanted to marry her to Sir John Campbell and seize control of Cawdor Castle. The Campbells were successful and Cawdor has remained in Campbell hands ever since.
While the castle is often associated with Shakespeare’s Macbeth, who was made Thane of Cawdor in the play, in reality Macbeth died in 1057, several centuries before the castle was built. This connection was a later embellishment to the Macbeth legend.
Cawdor Castle is considered one of the most haunted castles in the Scottish Highlands. Several ghosts are said to roam its ancient stone walls and towers. The most well-known specter is the ghost of a young woman in a blue velvet dress. Many believe she is the spirit of Muriel Calder, the kidnapped heiress forced to marry into Clan Campbell in the 16th century. She is often spotted in the drawing room, gazing longingly at a portrait of her husband Sir John Campbell, the man she was made to wed.
Interestingly, the ghost of Sir John Campbell, the 1st Lord Cawdor, is also said to haunt the castle halls. He served as a member of Parliament in the late 18th century before his death in 1821. Perhaps the spirits of husband and wife still roam the castle together, unaware of each other’s presence.
Another famous Cawdor ghost is the handless young woman. Legend tells that the daughter of an earl fell in love with a rival clan’s son. When her furious father found her trying to elope, he dragged her to the top of the tower and chopped off her hands with a sword, sending her falling to her death. Visitors have reported seeing a handless female apparition in the castle’s tallest tower.
Other reported paranormal activity includes the sounds of mysterious footsteps, the feeling of unseen presences, and ghostly laughter heard echoing through the halls. The 5th Earl Cawdor even wrote in the 19th century of experiencing strange phenomena that convinced him the castle was haunted.
