Haunted Tioram Castle in Scotland

Haunted Tioram Castle in Scotland
Paul Dale Roberts, HPI’s Esoteric Detective
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Tioram Castle is a gorgeous picturesque castle in Scotland. The castle was a principal stronghold of Clan Ruaidhrí. The castle sits upon an island called Eilean Tioram. The island was first recorded in a charter of Cairistíona Nic Ruaidhrí, daughter of Ailéan mac Ruaidhrí. The castle was erected by Ailéan’s granddaughter, Áine Nic Ruaidhrí. For centuries the castle served as the seat for all of Clan Raghnaill descendants. With the history of this castle comes tales of the supernatural. In the 17th Century, there were sightings of Kelpies (water elementals). In 2020, a tourist named Davina Bruce was at the edge-of-the-water and could see at a distance Tioram Castle. From out of the water and for a moment on the island, she described seeing a very handsome man, that gestured Davina to join him in the water. Then when Davina looked back, he was gone. Davina believes she saw a shape-shifting Kelpie that was trying to lure her into the water.

LADY JEAN
A former resident named Lady Jean haunts the castle. Lady Jean is seen every Halloween. Locals have said that she sings a sad song from the castle’s tower. Some locals have seen Lady Jean weeping at the bottom of the tower. Other spirits reflect upon the time that Tioram Castle was the traditional seat of the Clan Ranald aka Clan Raghnaill branch of Clan Donald. Visitors of the castle have seen the residual energy of Scottish soldiers taking control of the castle. Historical records say that the castle was captured by government forces in and around 1692, when the clan chief Allan Macdonald of Clan Ranald joined the Jacobite Court in France, despite having sworn allegiance to William III of England (II of Scotland) and Mary II of England (and Scotland). A military unit was transferred to the castle during the Jacobite rising of 1715. Parts of the castle was torched. Blair Stewart, a visitor of the castle claimed to have seen a ghostly image of a man on fire and jumping from the tower. This may be a residual haunting from the Jacobite rising. The castle was torched to keep it out of the hands of the Hanoverian forces.

THE BLACK FROG
According to a Scottish folklore blog, the legend of the black frog involves John of Moidart, who was known for his cruelty. It is said that a black frog, believed to be a manifestation of evil, followed him and even saved his crew from a storm. Some say it disappeared with a loud “crackling noise” after John’s death.

THE CASTLE AND JOHN OF MOIDART
John of Moidart returned to Castle Tioram. He was able to reach the castle during low tide when the ground is dry. The castle has massive walls that face the sea. The walls have no windows. In 1547 Scotland assembled the clans, including Clan Huntly, to do battle with England. Clan Ranald did not support Scotland. From the Scottish point of view, they were traitors. From a Clan Donald point of view, they felt no loyalty to the Saxon Scottish government who granted Clan Ranald portions of their own lands only on condition they pay rent. Clan Ranald and specifically John of Moidart actually benefited from Scotland’s defeat. The Scottish government recalled the warrants against John on condition he stop raiding his neighbor clans. Legend has it that John of Moidart was brutal with his captives and that is why people have heard disembodied screams coming from the castle.

Some of the methods that John of Moidart used were the Boot. That is a device in which the torturers place the victim’s leg in a metal sheath and drive wooden wedges down the inside, slowly crushing and breaking the leg. This was used in high-profile cases. It is rumored that John of Moidart may have used it for low-profile cases. Then there was the Pillywinks aka thumbscrews. Similar to the Boot, these devices crushed the thumbs or fingers by tightening a vice-like mechanism. Other ways to torture the captives were beatings, impalement of hands using daggers and nails and in extreme cases, drawing and quartering, or back breaking on the wheel. John of Moidart was not shy in using various torture devices. Tourists Caitriona Anderson and Callan Campbell have heard the screams coming from the castle. Caitriona believes the past replays itself in that castle. Some locals also believe that there is a curse on the castle and at one time it was haunted by a Baobhan Sith (a beautiful female vampire) that lured hunters to their deaths by draining their blood.