HGB Ep. 632 - Haunted Inveraray, Scotland

Moment in Oddity - The Dancing Plague of 1518

In July of 1518, there was a strange plague outbreak in Strasbourg, Holy Roman Empire, which is now modern day France. The plague has become historically known as the 'Dancing Plague' and although not the first of its kind, it has been the most thoroughly documented. This 'dancing plague' saw more than 400 people uncontrollably dancing for weeks, ultimately leading to deaths from exhaustion, heart attacks and stroke. The epicenter of the 1518 'dancing plague' was Frau Troffea in mid July of that year, who danced, twisted and shook in the streets for days on end. History has differing theories as to the cause of this dancing plague. One theory was that Saint Vitus, a Catholic saint cursed those who were sinners with a plague of uncontrollable dancing. This caused local leaders to organize pilgrimages to St. Vitus shrines. Another theory was ergot poisoning, which is caused by the ingestion of ergot fungi, a hallucinogenic mold found on damp rye. The medical doctors of the age believed that the dancers had 'overheated blood' which caused a misunderstanding by the city officials who hired musicians to play music, worsening the frenzy. But today's modern day theory, attributed to historian John Waller, is that the event was a case of mass psychogenic illness, also known as mass hysteria. The sufferers were driven by extreme psychological stress, famine and superstitious fears of the times. The victims of the dancing plague of 1518 did not exhibit dance moves of their current time, but danced with flailing limbs and scared expressions. Regardless of the cause, 400 people dancing themselves to death, certainly is odd.

Haunted Inveraray, (In vah rare ee) Scotland (Suggested by: James McKenna)

The town of Inveraray in Scotland holds one of the most famous castles in Scotland and a jail from the 1800s that was one of the most modern jails for its time, making this the perfect spot for those seeking history with haunts. Nearby Loch Fyne attracted a long history of clans and people with its rich fishing of herring and oysters and is the longest sea loch in the country. The waters also harbor dolphins, seals, otters and even basking sharks. Stories claim that a phantom galleon occasionally appears on the loch and it seems to signal death is coming. What are some other haunts around this village? Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of Inveraray, Scotland.  

Argyll is located in western Scotland and is a region of dramatic coastlines with a mountainous terrain. It is known as Earra-Ghàidheal (Err-uh-GAA-ul or EH-ruh-GHAAL) in Scottish Gaelic and means "coastland of the Gaels." This area is said to be the birthhplace of the Scottish nation, where Irish Gaels established the kingdom of Dál Riata (dahl REE-uh-tuh ) around 500 A.D. There were conflicts with Vikings and this became a stronghold of Clan Campbell, whose Dukes resided at Inveraray after it was established as the seat of the Campbells in the 15th century. The quaint town of Inveraray sits on Loch Fyne and has a main street full of shops and restaurants. For centuries, country people carried wool, cheese, feathers, eggs, broom, salmon, and skins to the market and the main industries were in fishing, hunting, agriculture, cattle and sheep rearing, curing of hides and iron working. A castle was built in the 1400s, but was later replaced with the current Gothic Revival castle that is absolutely stunning. The entire town was rebuilt in the mid-18th century as a planned Georgian town by the Duke of Argyll who hoped to make this a base for herring fishing. And it did become that for a little while, but when the herring were gone, the town turned to tourism. There are many wonderful sites to see here like the Inveraray Castle. 

Inveraray Castle 

The Inveraray Castle was preceded by another castle that eventually became uninhabitable. It was demolished in 1745 to make way for the castle that stands today. That first castle was built by Sir Colin Campbell in 1432 and became the main residence of the Earls of Argyll in 1457. 

The current castle was designed in the Gothic Revival style with the foundation stone being laid in 1746. The design was inspired by a sketch drawn by the architect of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, Vanbrugh. Architects Roger Morris and William Adam came up with the final design said to be architecturally before its time because it mixed modern, baroque, Palladian and Gothic-style. The construction took 43 years to complete. The castle was only two floors at first, but a third floor was added after a major fire in 1877. At this time, the conical roofs were also added to the four corner towers. The interior rooms were neoclassical and the castle was heated by open fires. The basement had the Old Kitchen, which was last used by Duchess Louise in the 1950s. There were seven fireplaces that featured different cooking methods like two ovens for baking, two stewing stoves, a boiling stove, a hot plate and a roasting fire that had a spit. copper utensils were used for cooking. Today, there is now a tearoom serving light lunches and teas and the castle's gift shop in the basement. 

The main floor's entrance is fairly modest, but does contain a 1600 German decorated strong box commonly known as an 'Armada Chest' that holds cannon balls recovered from Tobermory Bay on the Isle of Mull. 

The entrance hall leads to the French-influenced Tapestry Drawing Room that still contains original Beauvais tapestries. The room also has painted shutters by Girard and he also painted the ceiling, which was designed by Robert Adam. A painting of Lady Charlotte Campbell, daughter of the 5th Duke, by John Hoppner hangs on the wall and there are a pair of confidantes with matching armchairs and a circular giltwood palm tree table with a specimen marble top inlaid with the 7th Duke of Argyll's coat of arms. There is also the Armoury Hall that has a high ceiling - said to be the highest ceiling in Scotland - and this room holds a large collection of weapons that include 1,300 pikes, Brown Bess muskets, Lochaber axes, Broadswords and other weapons. Pikes are those very long, two-handed thrusting spears. A highlight of the collection is the dirk and sporran belonging to Rob Roy MacGregor. The upper parts of this room contain the Campbell family c rest and the various cadet branches of the Campbells. The Saloon has a collection of portraits and furniture. The State Dining Room is extravagantly decorated and features a 1784 painting by two French artists, Girard and Guinand. We aren't art experts, but we've heard that the quality of this painting is unparalleled in Britain for that time. The dining chairs were specifically commissioned by the 5th Duke from France and feature coverings of tapestries dating to the 1780s. The dining table is from 1800 and was made by Gillow of Lancaster. There is a Waterord chandelier, which is part of a trio and it is the largest. The other two are in the Tapestry Drawing Room. 

The China Turret is entered through a secret set of doors concealed with tapestry panels integrated into the design of the drawing room. Its ceiling is made of papier-mâché and was designed by Robert Mylne in 1773. This was originally a library, but today has a collection of Oriental and European porcelain, including Japanese Imari-ware (known for its vibrant designs of cobalt blue, red and gold) of the early 18th century. 

The Saloon was a room for music and billiards, so there is a grand piano in the corner. But not just any piano. This one was where the songwriters Lerner and Loewe composed some of the songs for their musical My Fair Lady when they stayed at the castle. The North West Hall has a collection of clothing from the Campbells including Coronation robes and the present Duke's uniform of the Royal Company of Archers. A more recent addition is the stunning cream gown designed by Bruce Oldfield and worn by the current Duchess at her wedding to the 13th Duke in June 2002. The next level has the Victorian Room that is aptly named because there is a Maplewood writing desk in here that was given to Princess Louise by her mother, Queen Victoria, as a wedding gift in 1871. There is also a piece of art that the Princess created from porcelain that is of her mother, Queen Victoria, at her spinning wheel. There are also two intriguing pieces of furniture converted from an old coach presented by the Duke of Sutherland to the 8th Duke of Argyll. The MacArthur Room features the state bed of the MacArthurs of Loch Awe. This is a four poster bed with elaborate carvings and is very old and was moved here from the original castle. Remember this bed, it will come up again. The Picture Turret has a bunch of photographs with one featuring HMS Argyll, named for the county. Three Royal Navy ships have had the name, the first dating back to 1715, which was a 50 gun fourth rate frigate. The second was a Devonshire Class armoured cruiser from 1904 and the third is a 1991 high-tech duke class frigate. 

The Gallery has a bunch of portraits. One of which is of Lt. Col Duncan Campbell of Lochnell who raised the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders Regiment of Foot. This was painted by Sir Henry Raeburn. Queen Victoria made her first visit to Inveraray Castle in 1847, but obviously came several times to see her daughter. A visit in 1875 lasted for a week.

There are several spirits haunting the castle. The bed in the MacArthur Room has a young ghost attached to it. There was a civil war in Scotland in 1644. Archibald Campbell was the 1st Marquess (Mar kwiss) of Argyll when the 1st Marquess of Montrose marched in with his regiment. The Marquess of Argyll didn't remove his castle staff with him though and left behind was a young harpist whom the family thought very highly of. When the enemy troops arrived, they stormed the castle and found the harpist and brutally killed the boy, dismembering him and leaving the parts on the Marquess' bed. That bed eventually made its way into the new castle and it was after that that the Campbell family claimed to hear the faint sound of harp music. This mainly came from the MacArthur Room, but the ghost seems to be able to move. Family members spoke of a sudden stillness in multiple rooms and then the faint sound of harp music echoing along the corridors. Tradition holds that the soft strains of harp music drifting through the halls are a sign, a solemn reminder of loyalty, history, and the deep ties that bind Inveraray to its past. But another legend claims that the music is heard when a member of the family is about to die.

Lynelle Hayes claimed on Facebook that she toured the castle in 2017 and that her tour guide Kenny told her, "The daughter of the Duke's line will hear the harp." She also said, "I more than heard the harp. I saw the Irish lass playing, along with the horrific murder of the young boy. I also saw another lady in a long white nightgown walking carrying a candle in a holder. She was watching over the young boy." Now our understanding is that the harpist was the young boy, so we're not sure what she saw her. Kelly Nicholls wrote on Facebook, "I saw a face in that bedroom's mirror. Took a picture of it. I was the only person in the room at the time."

A strange story told about the castle is dated to 1758. On July 10, 1758, a physician named William Hart was walking along the castle grounds with two other men. The trio all witnessed what they described as "a battle taking place in the sky, between Highland soldiers and French soldiers." They saw the Highlanders retreating, leaving behind many of their dead soldiers. Two women later came forward claiming to have witnessed the same ethereal conflict. Weeks passed and chilling news reached the castle that a Highland regiment from a British Force had indeed suffered heavy casualties during an ill-fated attempt to capture the French held fort in Canada. Could this have been a vision of a battle taking place thousands of miles away? The castle has two libraries, one decorated in green and the other in brown. The Green Library has a strange story to go with it. Several times, people have heard inexplicable loud bangs echoing from the library's walls. These sounds are so forceful that they shake the very foundations of the room. A former owner said that one evening, a tremendous commotion shattered the peace and that it sounded like dozens of books being thrown to the floor inside the locked library. When the owner went to investigate, the library was completely put together with all the books sitting neatly on the shelves. The mystery sounds persisted. Every time, the room was empty and securely locked. And strangely, it seems that only members of the Campbell Clan hear the noises. If there are non family members around, they don't hear the noises when a Campbell claims to hear them.

Inveraray Jail

The Inveraray Gaol and Courthouse Act of 1814, commissioned the building of a replacement for the old town house that would not only have a new courthouse, but also three jails: one for males, one for females and one for debtors. The courthouse was designed by James Gillespie Graham in the neoclassical style and was constructed from ashlar stone. Building was completed in 1820. The courthouse had three bays facing Church Square and relatively plain windows. There really is nothing fancy about this building. However, the main courtroom that was at the rear of the building offered great views of Loch Fyne. 

The prison block was two storeys and built from coursed rubble and didn't have a separation of prisoners because funds didn't meet the lofty plans. This eventually was known as the Old Prison Block.  In 1845, a three storey prison block was added and became the New Prison Block. On arrival in Inveraray Jail, all prisoners went through a process of having their weight and height recorded by the Prison Surgeon and they were tested as to their proficiency in reading and writing. They were given a bath and issued with a set of prison clothing, although in the very beginning, prisoners wore their own clothing. There was only one prisoner to a cell. Everything happened in a prisoner's cell. They slept, ate and worked there and were kept from any interaction with each other. Prisoners could leave their cells to go to the bathroom and to exercise once a day. Cells contained a hammock, mattress, blankets, sheets, a pillow, towel, comb, spoon and salt cup, a stool, box and chamber pot with lid. On the wall hung a copy of the prison rules. Religon was encouraged, so Protestant prisoners were given a Bible, Prayer Book and Hymn Book, while Catholic Prisoners were given the Douai (doo ay) Bible, Garden of the Soul and Crown Hymn Book.

After some time, guards noticed that prisoners seemed to have it pretty good, so they decided to make it tougher by requiring new inmates to sleep on less comfortable, wooden "guard beds" with wooden pillows for the first thirty days of their sentence. Inveraray Jail had four of these beds. The prison was run by the governor, the matron - who was the governor's wife - and one warder, who was often a retired soldier or policeman with a pension. The warder slept there seven nights a week. This wasn't a well paying job. In 1874, Archibald Turner, who was the Warder at the time, made 15 shillings a week, while a man who cut wood or made fencing was paid 20 to 25 shillings a week. 

The New Prison was an upgrade from older prisons, which were dark and dank. New regulations required that cells had to be kept warm and well ventilated. The jail here was heated by a coal fired system with pipes passing through all the cells to carry the heat. Hygiene at the jail included a bath every two weeks. The Prison Rules laid out the guidelines for feeding prisoners and a staple of the diet was porridge. A female prisoner considered unfit to work got 1.5 pints of soup and 6 oz of bread, while a male prisoner who could work got 2 pints of soup and 12 oz. of bread. Prisoners who weighed more than 12 stones also got and extra ounce of cheese and 4 oz. of bread daily. Milk for the prison was bought from a passing milk cart, but eventually there were also milking cows on premises. Breakfast was served at 7:30am. A prisoner would receive 5 ounces of oatmeal made into porridge with 3/4 pint of milk. Dinner was served at 1pm and this was just soup and bread. Soup was made from marrow bones or ox head, barley, green peas, leeks, carrots, turnips, onion and other similar vegetables. Supper was served at 6pm and was usually 5 ounces of oatmeal made into porridge and 1/2 pint of milk. Food was prepared in the kitchen, which was located on the ground floor. Prisoners ate in their cells.

The type of work that prisoners did in their cells included manufacturing herring nets for the local industry, sewing prison clothing and doing something called picking Oakum. What is that you ask? This sounds like great fun. Prisoners would pick apart and shred old, tarred ropes into fiber.

As we have found through our years of featuring haunted prisons, they all seem to have their own flair for punishment. These might be techniques or devices. Inveraray Jail had a Whipping Table where the prisoner was laid across it with his arms through these holes. The body was strapped down across the small of the back and a strap across each leg. They were then given striped, not to exceed 12 for each boy under 14-years-old and not exceeding 36 for those over 14-years-old. There was also the Crank Machine, which was a form of useless labor, that wasn't as hard as breaking rocks or moving rocks. The rocks thing was probably more interesting though. The machine was just this big crank on a metal drum in the wall that was attached to a mechanism with a bunch of cups on it that would turn the cups through sand when the crank was turned. The sand gave resistance and this could be adjusted by the Warder by using a screw. Prisoners called Warders a "screw" for this reason. Just a little prison slang there for you. The prisoners had to turn the crank between 6,000 and 14,400 times a day. And there was also the Treadwheel. This was an elongated wheel of a paddle steamer that had 24 steps instead of paddles. Prisoners would hang onto a bar or strap in a compartment above the treadwheel and the wheel would turn under their weight. Prisoners had to keep climbing or they would fall off. This could get very exhausting. Another form of hard labor was called Shot Drill. This entailed stooping down without bending the knees and picking up a heavy cannon-ball, bringing it up slowly until it was on a level with the chest, taking three steps to the right, replacing it on the ground and then stepping back three paces to start the procedure all over again. Warders shouted orders while prisoners, sweating profusely, moved cannon-balls with precision from one pile to another.  

There were some escapes from the jail. Twelve people managed to make a break for it. Most weren't gone for long because villagers were vigilant and the terrain was tough. One of the most impressive escapes involved John Campbell, William Dickson and John Duncan on August 12, 1874. 

These three men made a makeshift crucible from a tin cup that they could melt pieces of lead scrap inside. Over three months, they secretly gathered lead scraps. They then used a gas light to melt the medal and they molded replica keys for their cells. And it worked! They managed to get a hold of their civilian clothing and used a rope to climb down the outside of the jail after exiting through a skylight. Duncan and Dickson were captured a few days later, but Campbell evaded capture and his ultimate fate remains unknown. The prison closed in 1889, but the courthouse remained open for several decades after that. Over 4,000 prisoners had passed through the doors of the jail from 1820 to 1890. Meetings of the Argyll Commissioners of Supply, which was the main administrative body for the county, would meet in the courthouse. The County Council occasionally had meetings here starting in 1890. By the mid-20th century, the courthouse had become dilapidated and it shut down in 1962. The Argyll County Council sold the courthouse and converted into a museum that opened in May of 1989. The museum focuses on recreating 19th-century prison life and also has an escape room. This is now one of Scotland's premier tourist destinations. It also happens to be haunted.  

Visitors and staff feel as though they are being watched, they hear disembodied footsteps and voices and they see shadow figures. The giggling and whispering of children is heard because, yes, children were incarcerated here too. 

An employee named Sam Potts who plays a prisoner in the jail shared this experience on the jail's website, "I often sit in Cell 4 in the Old Prison. When I started working here I used to hear footsteps and see shadows passing the cell. At first I thought it was visitors and I’d call out ‘good afternoon’, but there was never anyone there. After a few months the activity stopped. Perhaps the spirits got used to me being there! Cell 2 in the Old Prison is interesting. A number of times I’ve seen young children crouching in the left-hand side of the cell chatting. When the parents ask who they’re talking to they say ‘the old lady’. I’ve never felt scared in the Old Prison though. It’s the New Prison that gives me the creeps. I was taking a guided tour there one day with a guy who turned out to be a psychic. He told me that there was a man following me who doesn’t like me. The psychic reckoned it was an angry Warder from the past who doesn’t like his routine being disrupted." 

A large man who is thought to be a violent ex-prison guard is regularly seen in the new prison. When he is there, the temperature drops and angry, heavy footsteps can be heard going up and down the corridors. Mournful cries are heard in Cell 1 sometimes apparitions are witnessed huddling in the corner of the room. 

And speaking of a warder, Rob Irons plays a Warder and he shared, "I’ve worked here for over 13 years and I’ve seen stuff that the would make your hair stand on end. I’ll often see someone crossing from the washroom to the dayroom in the Old Prison. It’s always from the corner of my eye. I used to check, but it’s happened so often now I don’t bother. Visitors see the same thing. One Sunday morning I stepped into Mad Archie’s cell. I was on my own in the jail but I heard someone call out ‘Rob’. It was so clear that I remember replying ‘I’ll be there in a minute’. I looked everywhere, but there wasn’t a soul in the building. We’ve held over 60 ghost hunting events here at the jail and they’ve all picked something up. One night I was locking up after an event at 4.30am. There was a light left on in the New Prison, but I couldn’t go through the door to turn it off. I froze at the entrance. I knew someone was waiting for me. I left the light on and hurried home." 

Paranormal investigator Mark Turner of Ghost Events shared what happened during one of the ghost hunts he hosted, "One evening we set up a motion sensor on the top floor. We watched it for about two hours but nothing was happening, so we all trooped downstairs for a cup of tea. Just as we got to the very bottom step, the motion sensor went off." 

Graeme (Gray um) Wilkins has done restoration and maintenance work on the jail and he shares, "To be honest I don’t really believe in ghosts, but I’ve had a few experiences here at Inveraray Jail that I can’t explain. I tend to be the first to arrive and the last to leave. One morning I arrived and I could hear voices. I looked everywhere but there was no-one around. On another morning I arrived and all the corridor gates and doors were shut; I’d left them all open the night before. When I work up in the loft at the top of the building, I always sense something strange. It’s such a spooky space. I was working there the other week and I felt someone standing right behind me. Perhaps it’s just the atmosphere in these old buildings that makes my imagination run wild – who knows! Why not come and visit us this Halloween weekend? Check out our gruesome Torture, Death and Damnation exhibition, where you can see a hangman’s noose, thumbscrews, branding irons and iron masks with tongue holders, supposedly for nagging wives. And if that hasn’t totally terrified you, take a walk through jail – you never know who you might meet!" 

Susan Simpson, SiMBA’s Highland Ambassador, was part of a ghostly lock-in to raise funds for SiMBA and she shared, "Our group was standing in the Courtroom and we heard a babble of voices at the door. We all heard it and thought it was the other group standing outside chatting. We even joked about how rude they were being! It wasn’t until later that we found out that it wasn’t them – they’d never been there. That was my first encounter with something I couldn’t explain...We were in the New Prison and we formed a human pendulum, which is when three people hold hands and the spirit communicates through the person in the middle. I really can’t make sense of what happened next, in fact I can’t quite believe that I’m saying this, but we made contact with a woman called Mary. She told us that she had fallen in love with a prison guard."

Inveraray is a beautiful patch of land and the history locked into this landscape is rich. Could this little Scotland village harbor two of Scotland's most haunted locations? Is Inveraray, Scotland haunted? That is for you to decide!