Fort George, Highlands

Fort George is situated a few miles North East of Inverness on a narrow strip of land which projects out into the mouth of the Moray Firth, overlooking the North Sea. It would be easy to imagine that such a dominant, heavily fortified building in a prominent defensive position would have a dark and bloody past however, the fort has never been involved in direct active duty.

After the British Army defeated the Jacobites at nearby Culloden in 1746, King George II ordered defences to be built to protect against and defeat any future Jacobite uprising and Fort George was the result. The scale of the defences is impressive with it being considered to have been the most heavily fortified building in the country, if not the whole of Europe. The fort was designed to accommodate a large army of around 2000, consisting of officers, artillery detachment and up to 1600 infantry. The fort also houses large gunpowder stores, estimated at around 2500 barrels, and an impressive supply of firearms and canons. The scale of the fort is massive compared to other defensive buildings from the same era, with the site being over 40 acres and the external walls almost a mile round. There is little doubt that the fort would have created a formidable opposition to any further Jacobite unrest, however, by the time construction on the fort was completed in 1769, the Highlands had been and remained peaceful and although the fort was maintained for defensive purposes, the feared future Jacobite rising never came.

[caption id="attachment_446" align="alignnone" width="559"] Outer works showing the principle of defence in depth.[/caption]

Because the fort never faced an attack, it has remained undamaged and much as it was originally constructed, offering an almost unique insight into military life in the 18th century. Although the fort is run as a tourist attraction by Historic Scotland, it is still an active military base, creating the unusual situation where tourists walk around while army personnel go about their day to day duties and training.

Despite not having been involved in battle, the fort is still reported to be haunted due to the military life of those who have, and still do stay there. It is said that a soldier haunts the jail that is within the complex. The jail was often referred to as ‘the black hole’ not because it is a pit, but the room has no windows and becomes pitch black when the door is shut. The ghost that is seen is this area is sometimes called ‘Abernethy’ after a prisoner, David Abernethy who carved message on the prison wall, which is still visible. The message tells that he was imprisoned for sixty days for being drunk on guard duty! A seeming severe punishment for the level of the offence, but no doubt considered necessary at the time to maintain order in the remote fort. There is no evidence as to whether this spirit is actually that of David Abernethy or why he would choose to stay there and the use of the name seems to be solely to connect the ghost to the prison area he is witnessed in. A ghostly soldier has also been witnessed in the guardroom, however as the guardroom is beside the jail, it is entirely possible this is the same spirit.

The fort is also reported to be haunted by a piper who walks along the walls at night. It does however appear that a large number of buildings in Scotland lay claim to having a phantom piper.

Fort George is a fascinating place to visit, and when witnessing the scale of the building and its defences it is entirely possible that the sight of the fort being constructed was enough to have prevented any further Jacobite uprisings. And while the spirits of the fort have remained elusive whenever I have visited, the dolphins in the Moray Firth have always made a welcome appearance.

 

Written by Greg Stewart. More stories of haunted locations in Scotland are available in the e-book Scotland’s Hidden Hauntings and the paperback Scotland’s Haunted Places, both available on Amazon. Visit Greg’s Author page for more details: http://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Stewart/e/B00924LCYI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1