Kingdom of Shadows:Souless De Soulis and His Ghostly Friends.

Today we are leaving England proper and taking a trip north to the land of good scotch, the undying love for sheep and manly men who love to go commando under plaid skirts. Of course I speak of Scotland. Scotland is a country that has known one military siege after another either by the Romans, the English and the Saxons and because of this Scotland is a land filled with rich tradition and rich ghost stories of which most will keep you up late at night afraid to turn the lights out.

Nine out of ten cute little Scottish Terriers agree that Scotland’s most famous haunted castle is Glamis, a castle world famous for it’s “lively” spirit population. However one ancient castle has known so much war and bloodshed in it’s seven hundred history it would seem that it’s mortar is held together by blood and that tenth Scottish Terrier would say that not only is this perhaps the most haunted castle in all of Scotland but because of the tragedy that it has known over the centuries it is the most cursed. The Castle is the Hermitage castle located in Roxburghshire, Scotland and this lonely old building has quite a story to tell.

Built in the early thirteenth century, Hermitage castle was erected as a border fortress to protect the land from the maurauding armies that considered Scotland to be a piece of prime grade A real estate. Over the centuries the castle changed hands between the Britsh and Scots probably more times than it should have with each lord of the castle meeting an untimely and oftentimes gruesome demise which has it the reputation for being cursed. Several owners drowned, several died under myterious circumstances which cried murder and others committed suicide feeling unable to live in such a horrible place with such a horrible history.

Hermitage castle is a place known to hold many secrets and a place that houses the souls of those who have died behind it’s walls and have been witnessed many times over the years by credible witnesses. One of the most active spirits is that of Alexander Ramsay, the Sheriff of Tivetdale. Ramsay, was a cop who took his job seriously and performed his job well, perhaps a little to well for the lord of Hermitage, Sir William Douglas, who was under investigation for possibly practicing witchcraft. When Sheriff Ramsay got a little to close, Douglas had his henchman seize the lawman and threw his butt in the dungeon where he starved to death. Visitors to the castle have heard the cries of Sheriff Ramsay pleading to be set free from his dank cell while others have seen the pathetic image of his apparition wandering around the dungeon and cellar of the castle.

One of the most famous specters said to pay a visit to the castle is a former queen, Mary Queen of Scots. It is said that in a single day, Queen Mary rode from Jedburgh to Hermitage a distance of well over fifity miles to comfort her lover, the Earl of Bothwell as he lay wounded and dying after a battle. It is believed that the Earl died in his lady loves arms, and although Mary did not die at Hermitage, her spirit as well as the spirit of the Earl of Bothwell are seen walking around the castle hand in hand enjoying each others company for all eternity.

The most famous spirit said to haunt the Hermitage castle is certainly it’s most terrible as well as it’s most malevolent, The wicked Lord De Soulis. De Soulis is perhaps Scotland’s most notorious serial killer and it’s most Evil. While in possession of the Hermitage, De Soulis gave raucous parties for his freinds and family who suffered from the same lack of morality and propriety. However, the one thing that many did not know was De Soulis, was a practitioner of the black arts and a worshipper of the prince of darkness. One day during one of his rituals, De Soulis summoned the grotesque demon known as Robin Redcap, a demon believed to be one of Lucifer’s chief demons and a terrible spirit that had a taste for the blood of children.

Robin Redcap told De Soulis, that if the wicked lord would scoure the land and bring children to the castle for his dining pleasure, De Soulis would be endowned with all the riches of the world. Apparently greed and avarice over rode De Soulis’ good sense for the evil owner of the Hermitage stalked the streets of nearby villages seeking children to abduct and present to his dark master. De Soulis would cut the throats of his young victims and drain their still squirming bodies into a giant cauldron from which the demon Robin Redcap would sate his unearthly hunger.

The party, so to speak, was soon over for lord De Soulis when the villagers from the surrounding towns took notice of the strange habits of the wicked lord and put two and two together and came to conclusion that Lord De Soulis was repsonsible for their missing children. Just like the horror stories from the 30s and 40s, the villagers laid siege to the castle and when they finally gained access they discovered the broken and blood drained bodies of their youngsters scattered throughout every room of the castle. Not wanting to wait for the official justice of the crown the villagers seized the wicked lord and boiled his body in a cauldron of boiling lead, the terror of the evil lord had finally come to an end. The apparition of wicked Lord De Soulis is still seen from time to time stalking the halls of the castle calling out to children to come and meet his good friend Robin who wants to play with them. Jeeze even in death this guy is a sick F*&k.

When it comes to Scotland forget Glamis the Hermitage castle is where it is at. So many apparitions have been seen here over the years this ancient structure should be considered Scotland’s most haunted castle.

Rick E. Hale

t_seeker@hotmail.com