Kellie Castle, Fife

Kellie Castle, near Pittenweem, Fife, dates from the 14^th Century, although it is possible an earlier building stood on the site. The Oliphant family took over the site in 1360, and it is not clear whether the original tower house was standing at that time or whether the Oliphants built it. During the following centuries, the castle was extended and modified to the T-shaped structure it is today, probably formed by connecting two existing detached towers in the original defensive wall to the main castle structure.



The castle was sold to Sir Thomas Erskine in 1613 and was made the 1^st Earl of Kellie. His descendants lived there until 1797 when the 7^th Earl died with no direct descendants. The castle passed into the ownership of distant relatives, none of whom actually lived there, until 1829 when the contents of the castle were sold and the building was abandoned. John Erskine, the 9th Earl of Mar, eventually claimed the estate, but the castle was allowed to continue to deteriorate.

In 1878, James Lorimer, who was the Professor of Law at Edinburgh University, took occupation of the castle, which by then was effectively a ruin, after agreeing to a lease with the Earl of Mar; a joint restoration then commenced to bring the castle back to its former glory. Other than a short period between 1936 and 1937, the Lorimer family continued to lease the property until 1957 when they purchased it from the widow of the Earl of Mar. It remained in the ownership of the Lorimer family until 1970 when it was purchase by the National Trust for Scotland and opened as a visitor centre.

The castle is reported to be haunted by two spirits. James Lorimer is said to haunt one of the castle corridors where he is seen in a seated position. Anne Erskine, who it is said fell to her death from one of the castle windows, is claimed to haunt one of the spiral staircases. Her spirit is rarely seen, but footsteps are heard on the staircase, while reports of a pair of red shoes being seen running up the stairs have been made.

 

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