The
Spirits of Kellie Castle
There are reportedly two
spirits still living at Kellie Castle and there are also
rumors that the castle may have connections to the
notorious Beggers' Bennison Club that was a cover for
local smugglers and those against the government back in
the 1800s. That being said, Kellie Castle, one of the
finest castles in Scotland, is located just outside Arncroach, about 5 kilometres north of Pittenweem in the
East Neuk of Fife.
The first known owner of
the castle was the illegitimate son of King William the
Lion, Robert of London, back in the 1150s. The castle
then passed to the Siward family from Northumbria by
1266. The estate passed to a relative of the Siward
family, Walter Oliphant in 1360. It was later purchased
by Sir Thomas Erskine, Earl of Mar, in 1613. Erskine
saved the life of King James VI during the Gowrie
Conspiracy by killing Sir Alexander Ruthven. The King
stayed at the castle in 1617, and appointed Erskine the
Earl of Kellie in 1619.
It is believed that the
spirit of Lady Erskine, wife of the Earl of Kellie, who
fell to her death from one of the castle windows, now
makes her presence felt by mysterious footsteps, on the
spiral staircase. It is also thought that the 5th Earl
of Kellie hid in a burned-out tree stump in the grounds
of the castle for an entire summer after the Battle of
Culloden in 1746.
The lineage
of the Earls of Kellie ceased in 1829,
and the castle lay abandoned for many
years. In 1878 it was rented from the
Earl of Mar and Kellie by James Lorimer,
Regius Professor of Public Law at
Edinburgh University, and father to Sir
Robert Lorimer, the renowned Scottish
architect. The Lorimer family set about
restoring the castle for use as a
holiday retreat, but it soon became the
family home. It is said that the spirit
of James Lorimer is seen occasionally,
seated in one of the castle corridors.
Robert
Lorimer was instrumental in much of the
restoration work, designing magnificent
plaster ceilings, painted paneling and
furniture. Sir Robert's son, the
sculptor Hew Lorimer, purchased the
castle in 1948 and it remained in his
ownership until 1970. Later, he sold the
castle, together with 6.5 hectares of
gardens and an organic walled garden to
the National Trust for Scotland in 1970.
The walled garden is 17th century, with
late Victorian additions, and contains a
fine collection of old-fashioned roses,
fruit trees and herbaceous plants.
Kellie
Castle is open to the public from April
through October, and features a walled
in organic garden where you can buy
fresh product, a wonderful collection of
Sir Robert Lorimer's furniture,
paintings by John Henry Lorime and
Phoebe Anna Traquair, and a sculpture by
Hew Lorimer.
For up-to-date information
on the San Diego Games, articles, recipes and more...sign up below.
San Diego Scottish Highland Games & Gathering of Clans