The Ghosts of Mary Queen of Scots

A poem written by Mary Queen of Scots in Fotheringhay Castle as she awaited execution.

Fotheringhay

Alas what am I? What use has my life?
I am but a body whose heart's torn away,
A vain shadow, an object of misery
Who has nothing left but death-in-life.
O my enemies, set your envy all aside;
I've no more eagerness for high domain;
I've borne too long the burden of my pain
To see your anger swiftly satisfied.
And you, my friends who have loved me so true,
Remember, lacking health and heart and peace,
There is nothing worthwhile that I can do;
Ask only that my misery should cease
And that, being punished in a world like this,
I have my portion in eternal bliss.

There has already been much written about Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. Some of the information is accurate, some probably so, much is conjecture - perhaps to fit in with an image already formed by centuries of hearsay and rumour.

However, there is not that much about her ghost or spirit that allegedly walks in so many places. Is it even possible for one person to haunt in so many varied locations?

There are many locations throughout the UK where Mary's ghost has been seen. We start with some of the Scottish locations:

Stirling Castle: Stirling

There are two interesting female ghosts at Stirling Castle witnessed by numerous people. One is said to be that of Mary and this ghost is referred to as the 'Pink Lady'. The second ghost is called the 'Green Lady'. This is reported to be the ghost of a servant woman of Mary's. While alive this woman saved the Queen's life from a serious fire. While Mary slept, the bed curtains and canopy of the four-poster bed was set alight by a candle. Mary was unaware of the danger and it was the serving woman who noticed the smoke and managed to waken the Queen in time and help her to safety. Both the pink lady and the green lady have been observed walking in various parts of Stirling Castle.

Borthwick Castle: Midlothian

During one of Mary's many escapes from capture she is said to have dressed as a page boy. This is the ghost that is said to haunt Borthwick Castle in Midlothian. Mary dressed in boy's clothing and was able to escape from the castle in this disguise. The ghost of a tall page boy is said to haunt this castle and it is thought that it is in fact Mary.

Loch Leven Castle: Kinross

Mary was imprisoned here for quite sometime. It was only on her second attempt that she finally made her escape from this castle, situated on an island in the centre of Loch Leven. Her ghost is said to walk around the now ruined remains and part of the island itself.

Holyrood Palace: Edinburgh

Holyrood is still used by the present Queen Elizabeth and has been used by royalty for hundreds of years. This was a place that Mary lived in for long periods of time and yet it is not actually her ghost that haunts here but there is a link. Her Italian secretary, David Rizzio was murdered on the orders of Mary's second husband Lord Darnley. You can still view the plaque on the floor of the old Queen's Apartments when you visit the palace, that commemorates the tragic fate of Rizzio. Underneath the plaque is a patch of blood from the dying Rizzio. Many attempts have been made to clean the stain away but it still remains. Mary is alleged to have forbidden any servants at the time of the murder from washing away the stain. Mary wanted it to remain as a reminder to all, of the horrible deed that had been committed to her beloved secretary in front of her eyes.

Craignethan Castle: Glasgow

Some of the reports from this castle say that the headless ghost of Mary walks the grounds. The ghost is alleged to be recognisable because of the design and colour of the dress. This apparition is said to have first appeared shortly after Mary's execution. However, it is rather strange, if it is indeed Mary, that she should choose this sight to haunt without a head. No other sightings of her report this peculiarity.

Interesting Facts:

• Mary was born in December 1542 at the Palace of Linlithgow. Situated between the historic town of Stirling and the capital Edinburgh. Linlithgow is a popular tourist attraction and the room where Mary was probably born is still visible.
• Mary was crowned Queen of Scots at Stirling when she was only 6 days old. She was the only legitimate heir of King James V of Scots, who had just died. Mary's mother, Mary de Guise, was a high born French lady and was elected as Regent of Scotland until her daughter was old enough to rule. Mary de Guise was a doting and courageous mother and was destined to fight for her daughter's rights until she died in 1560 in Edinburgh.
• During what is called by historians as 'the rough wooing', Mary was sent to France for safety at the age of about 5 years. This was to prevent King Henry VIII capturing the little Queen and betrothing her to his son Edward.
• Mary was very tall - almost 6 feet in height. Although the contemporary portraits show an attractive woman, by all accounts they do not do her justice at all. She was reported by people who met her - including her enemies - that she was not only stunningly beautiful but had a charm and magnetism that was almost impossible to ignore.

Mary spent about 19 years in captivity in England and was moved to many different locations during that time. Some of them are alleged to be haunted by Mary.

Fotheringhay Castle: Northamptonshire

Fotheringhay Castle - the place of Mary's execution - is now no more than a few bricks and a mound where the castle once stood. However there are two artifacts from the castle still in existance. The first is a wooden chair that is now situated in the nearby Fotheringhay Church - the church has survived intact unlike the castle. This is the chair that Mary is thought to have arisen from when moving forward to be executed. Although we have no accounts of her ghost near this chair. The same can't be said for an oak wooden staircase and stone work rescued from the castle and used to build the nearby Talbot Hotel. This staircase is the one that Mary would have walked down, from her apartments, into the great hall where her execution took place. Her ghost has been seen on many occasions on or walking down the staircase. She has been witnessed standing near to the reception counter and at a stone window surround - this stone work was taken from Fotheringhay. Her ghost was recognised because of the famous white cap and veil that Mary most often wore.

Tutbury Castle: Staffordshire

It is well documented that Mary loathed Tutbury Castle. This stress may well have affected her physical health as well, as it is reported that she suffered a lot while in prison here.

Mary's ghost still haunts this gruesome, semi-ruined castle. To the present day she has been observed by many different people in various locations. One of the best documented sightings happened in 2004 when she was seen by about 40 men of Her Majesty's Services. A figure dressed in white was observed very clearly standing at the top of the South Tower of Tutbury -witnesses described her as a good likeness to Mary. Another impressive sighting took place on a lovely summers day, when a serving Marine saw Mary walk quickly across the grass and then disappear. The window of the Great Hall is also an area where Mary has been seen on numerous occasions. As people are leaving the castle they have reported seeing the figure of a beautiful woman dressed in black looking down at them from this window. She was also seen by a group of highly respected archaeologists working within Tutbury a few years ago.

Bolton Castle/Nappa Hall - Lancashire:

At Bolton Castle itself, Mary is allegedly reported strolling in the courtyard, wearing a black velvet dress. However, it is near-by Nappa Hall that had one of the most spectacular sightings of her in 1878.

The observor was a young girl who was playing with a small child in the Great Hall. The Hall was large and very poorly lit. As the children were playing the older girl saw a female figure enter the hall from the far end and walk towards the dais. The girl, thinking it to be one of the family ran after her and tried to pulled at her gown. When the figure turned, the girl noticed that the dress was not of the present day, puzzled and looking up, she saw the face of a beautiful woman with a gentle gaze. The woman looked at the young girl for a second or two before walking on and disappearing through a door that led to a winding staircase. When the young girl later saw a portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, the girl identified the beautiful and gentle woman in the Great Hall as Mary.

Interesting Facts:

• Mary was highly intelligent and received a superb eduction. She spoke several languages including French, Scots, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish and English. She could also play several musical instruments, sang beautifully, learned about science, was an excellent needlewoman and excelled at sports - especially hawking and golf. She was also an expert horse rider.
• Mary's preferred language during her life was French. She used the French spelling of her surname - Stuart - instead of the Scottish spelling - Stewart. She also signed her name as the French 'Mari' instead of Mary.
• It is true that Mary, for most of her life had at least four ladies-in-waiting all named Mary after her. The four Mary's all belonged to some of the noblest families in Scotland. They were Mary Fleming, Mary Livingstone, Mary Seaton and Mary Beaton. There may have been two more according to historians - Mary Carmichael and Mary Hamilton.
• Mary was brought up as Catholic in France. This would put her at odds with her English cousins who were brought up in the new Protestant faith. Mary was directly related to English Royalty as her Grandmother, Margaret Tudor, was the elder sister of King Henry VIII.

The following are not actual sightings of Mary but people asscociated with her when she was alive.

• Linlithgow Palace. Although the birth place of Mary her ghost has not been seen here. However there is at least one, perhaps two female ghosts. People have suggested that one of the ghosts may resemble Mary de Guise, Mary's mother. Another suggestion is that it is Mary's grandmother, Margaret Tudor, sister to Henry VIII. There has also been a sighting of a 'blue lady' walking around the palace but she has, as yet not been identified.
• Holyrood Palace. There is a 'Grey Lady' ghost that haunts the beautiful palace. Not identified as Mary, but it's suggested that this grey lady is actually the spirit of a close companion of Mary - perhaps even one of the four Mary's? In addition her footsteps are heard along the long gallery and she has also been seen in the Queens Audience Chamber. The second ghost association takes place in the room where her second husband, the ineffectual Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, would entertain guests. In this section of the palace strange shadow entities have been observed moving swiftly throughout the rooms of Darnley's former apartments.

Interesting Facts:

• Mary married three times in her life. Firstly to Francois, Dauphin of France, who later became king. Mary was only Queen of France for a short time when Francois tragically died, after which she returned to Scotland. She later married Lord Darnely, her cousin - he was murdered in the 'Kirk O' Fields' by unknown assailants. Her final marriage was to James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. He died a prisoner in a Denmark jail many years later.
• Due to bitter clashes and plots over religion and political intrigues, Mary was imprisoned. She was later forced into abdication of her throne in 1567. She finally escaped and fled to England. However, she was viewed as threat to the English crown and was imprisoned. Queen Elizabeth I was Mary's cousin but they never did meet.
• After many years in captivity and years of planning escapes and other political battles and intrigues, Mary was executed at Fotheringhay Castle, February 1587. The execution was a botched one - perhaps deliberately? Taking three harsh strokes of the axe before her head was seperated. But Mary, courageous to the end, made little if any sound. Many were not only angered by her execution but also that the common axe was used. As a royal and high born woman she was entitled to be executed by the sword - a much cleaner and swifter method of decapitation. Those who witnessed Mary's execution, including her enemies, could not but admire her courage but most were also horrified at the atrocious execution technique used.

• Mary was buried initially in Peterborough. However, when her son - James VI of Scots, Ist of England - came to the throne, her remains were re-interred in Westminster Abbey along with the other Kings and Queens buried there. In 1867, in a vault in Westminster, a huge coffin was discovered that was found to be Mary's. So well had Mary's remains been interred in lead, that the coffin was still in one piece. Also discovered were dozens of children and babies coffins, surrounding Mary's. They were her descendants from the Stuart/Stewart line who had died at a young age. The vault was tidied and cleaned with all due respect and re-sealed without any of the coffins being interferred with.

The story of the tragic and beautiful Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots will continue to be told for centuries to come and this may include sightings of her ghost.

But is it possible that her ghost can be seen in so many places? The answer could be yes. It is possible that many of the sightings of Mary are residual energy apparitions. This means that it is not Mary's spirit being viewed, but simply a replay of an action she carried out when alive. These apparitions cannot hear or see anyone - the same as actors in a movie can't interact with the audience watching them.

Having said this, many of the sightings would seem to suggest that it is Mary's spirit and not just a playback. For example we have the sightings of Mary watching people from windows etc. And also the encounter with the young girl at Nappa Hall.

Spirits are energy and are therefore free to move in ways that the physical world doesn't allow for. Therefore, some of the sightings of Mary might be her spirit coming back in what is called 'visitation'. These spirits are not actually trapped in one place nor haunting it, but are free to come and go. If, as some people believe, we are on this earth to learn certain lessons, then perhaps this education continues after death? If this is the case, Mary could just be re-visiting locations that were painful to her, in order to come to terms with the parts of her life that need to be healed - it would seem, understandably, that this process can take a very long time and so her spirit is still being seen in the present day. Personally I would think that for the most part Mary's spirit is to be found in her beloved France - the place where she had some of the happiest times of her life - but that is another story.