Glamis Castle, with its centuries-old secrets and chilling legends, continues to captivate those drawn to its mysterious past and the eerie tale of its hidden heir, the Monster of Glamis
There are places in the Spooky Isles that whisper of secrets so dark, so shrouded in mystery, that even time cannot dispel the gloom.
For me, Glamis Castle has always been one of those places.
As a child, poring over books of ghost stories and legends, I found myself captivated by the eerie tales of Glamis in Scotland, particularly the legend of its most infamous and possibly tragic resident, the Monster of Glamis.
Years later, I wandered the grounds of this ancient Scottish fortress, trying to count the windows to uncover the supposed hidden chamber. I peppered the tour guide with questions about the castle’s ghosts, but my inquiries were met with polite indifference.
The guides preferred to discuss the castle’s ties to the Queen Mother, who grew up in the castle, rather than delve into the darker aspects of Glamis’ history.
But the mystery lingered, unspoken and unresolved, a mystery that, even today, continues to fascinate and chill those who hear it.
A Dark Family Secret
Glamis Castle, lies in the Angus countryside and has long been the ancestral seat of the Earls of Strathmore.
Its roots stretch back to at least the 11th century, and its associations with murder and intrigue are well-documented.
King Malcolm II of Scotland was said to have been murdered here in 1034. The castle’s name even appears in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, where the ill-fated protagonist is made Thane of Glamis.
Beyond the bloodstained history and royal connections lies a tale so strange that it seems almost impossible to believe. It is a tale that has intrigued and horrified in equal measure: the story of the Monster of Glamis.
The secret of Glamis Castle – a concealed room, a hidden heir – was one of the great talking points of the 19th century.
“If you could even guess the nature of this castle’s secret,” reportedly said Claude Bowes-Lyon, the 13th Earl of Strathmore, “you would get down on your knees and thank God it was not yours.”
That awful secret was once the talk of Europe, sparking heated debates and endless speculation among the aristocracy.
Between the 1840s and early 1900s, rumours swirled about a secret chamber in Glamis. It was said to hold a monstrous secret – the heir to the Earldom, born deformed and hidden from the world.
According to whispers, this hidden heir was the firstborn son of Thomas, Lord Glamis, and Charlotte Lyon-Bowes, born on 21 October 1821.
The official records claim the baby died the same day, but suspicions quickly grew.
Villagers and servants noticed that no gravestone was erected for the infant.
Soon, tales began to circulate of a creature glimpsed in the castle’s darkened passages – a creature so hideous that it could not be allowed to be seen by the public.
The Monster of Glamis Behind Closed Doors
So who, or what, was this “Monster of Glamis”? Some accounts describe a creature so grotesquely deformed that he was referred to as “a human toad” or an “enormous flabby egg”.
In 1865, a tale emerged of a workman who stumbled upon a hidden passage in the castle and caught a glimpse of “something” at the far end of a dark corridor.
The workman was swiftly paid to emigrate to Australia, his silence bought by a desperate family.
But it wasn’t just locals and servants who whispered of the secret. Victorian guests and even members of the Bowes-Lyon family spoke of a child born with a deformity so severe that he could never be allowed to inherit the title.
James Wentworth-Day, a writer who wrote many books on hauntings, spent time at Glamis in the 1960s. He recorded a detailed description of the Monster of Glamis: “He was the heir – a creature fearful to behold. His chest was an enormous barrel, hairy as a doormat, his head ran straight into his shoulders, and his arms and legs were toylike.”
The Earl, his wife, and the estate manager were the only ones entrusted with the secret of his existence. They ensured that the deformed child was hidden away from prying eyes, confined to a secret chamber within the castle walls.
Various accounts suggest different locations for this hidden room. Some say it is near the chapel, concealed behind thick stone walls. Others speak of a trapdoor beneath the floor of the Blue Room’s dressing room.
An 18th-century aristocrat, Lord Ernest Hamilton, claimed to have discovered a secret passage beneath a trapdoor. Upon reaching the end of the passage, he found a wall freshly cemented, as though sealing off some dreadful secret.
The mystery deepened further when a doctor staying at the castle noticed that his room’s carpet had been taken up and relaid while he was out. On lifting the carpet, he discovered another trapdoor, leading to a bricked-up passage.
The very next morning, the doctor was promptly paid and sent away. What did he see, or almost see, that required such urgent removal?
A Curse That Haunts Through the Ages
The 12th Earl’s wife, eager to uncover the truth, once orchestrated a search of the castle while her husband was away. She and her guests hung towels from every window in a bid to locate the secret chamber.
But when they looked from outside, one window remained bare. When the Earl returned unexpectedly, he was furious. Their marriage soon ended in divorce – a drastic and sudden turn of events that some attributed to her breach of the family code of silence.
But the curse of Glamis seemed to extend far beyond any hidden chamber or secret heir.
In the 19th century, Sir Walter Scott wrote of the oppressive atmosphere he felt during his stay at Glamis Castle, noting that he felt “too far from the living and somewhat too near to the dead.”
By the time the 13th Earl inherited the title, the secret was said to have such a dire effect on the family that one heir reportedly refused to learn of it.
As Claude Bowes-Lyon confessed: “If you could even guess the nature of this castle’s secret, you would get down on your knees and thank God it was not yours.”
Was it the existence of a deformed heir that drove the family to such lengths? Or was it something even more sinister?
Another theory suggests that the hidden chamber may have contained the remains of members of the Ogilvy clan, who sought refuge in Glamis Castle only to be trapped and left to starve by their enemies.
Their skeletons, still scattered on the chamber floor, could have been the dark secret the Lyons family sought to hide for so many years.
Ghostly Echoes in the Castle Halls
Over the centuries, the ghostly legends of Glamis Castle have only grown.
Visitors have reported feeling an eerie presence in certain rooms, particularly those thought to be near the hidden chamber.
There are accounts of a shadowy figure seen on the battlements – a forlorn soul wandering through the night, perhaps the spirit of the Monster of Glamis, condemned to an eternity in his gloomy prison.
The Mad Earl’s Walk is another site within the castle grounds said to be haunted by the restless spirit of the hidden heir.
The chilling cries of a child are occasionally heard echoing through the empty halls.
Some swear they have felt a sudden drop in temperature, or seen a flicker of movement in the corner of their eye.
Glamis Castle, they say, is a place where the past is never far away, where the very walls seem to breathe with secrets untold.
Despite the family’s reticence, the mystery of Glamis has continued to draw attention from those fascinated by its sinister lore.
As recently as the 20th century, attempts were made to pierce the veil of secrecy.
In the 1960s, Rose, Lady Granville, aunt to Queen Elizabeth II, confessed that she and her siblings had been strictly forbidden to discuss the mystery.
“We were never allowed to talk about it when we were children,” she recalled. “Our parents forbade us ever to discuss the matter or ask any questions about it. My father and grandfather refused absolutely to discuss it.”
The Glamis Castle Ghost Hunt: Fact or Fiction?
I was told once – and I can’t remember who or even verify it – that they were given permission for a paranormal investigation within Glamis Castle.
If true, it must have been amazing.
Imagine the thrill of roaming its darkened halls, sensing the cold touch of a spectral hand on your shoulder, hearing the faint cries of a hidden child in the dead of night.
What might they have discovered? Did they find a presence lurking behind those thick stone walls, or perhaps, some evidence of the secret chamber itself?
This is the stuff of classic supernatural haunting—a story that captures the imagination and fills the heart with dread.
As Halloween approaches, it is fitting to reflect on the stories that linger in the shadows of our oldest castles.
To wonder what ghosts still roam their corridors, and what secrets remain locked behind their doors.
Was the Monster of Glamis ever more than a figment of fevered Victorian imaginations? We may never know for certain.
What we do know is that Glamis Castle, with its long history and hidden horrors, is the perfect place for a chilling ghost story. A story that, like the castle itself, endures through time, forever cloaked in mystery and darkness.
Have you experienced any supernatural encounters at Glamis? What do you think of the Monster of Glamis legend? Tell us about it in the comments section!
