GHOSTS WITCHES AND WORTHIES OF THEROYAL MILE - Preface - stories and guide to the Royal Mile

Oct 13, 2026

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The preface introduces the Royal Mile in Scotland as a densely historic area and frames the book as a guided collection of unusual accounts shaped by people, places, and events. It highlights ghost and witch-related tales, including Mary King’s Close and its plague-linked apparitions, the sealed-off epidemic aftermath, and further supernatural legends such as the “Death Coach,” haunted underground pipe music, and ghostly castle troop stories. The guide also promises places of interest and illustrated pictures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages44

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Welcome to the Royal Mile

The Ghosts

Mary King’s Close and the Plague

The “Death Coach” and haunted music

Ghost troops at the Castle

# GHOSTS WITCHESAND WORTHIESOF THEROYAL MILE https://archive.org/details/ghostswitcheswor0000unse d # DISCOVERA ROYALMILE OFSECRETS Produced by KEN LAIRD,Newtongrange,Midlothian # PREFACE Welcome to the Royal Mile!There is probably no other place in Scotland with somuch history crammed into such a compact area.People have lived here since the early 80Osand,with the passing of the centuries,afascinating story has unfolded. In "GHOSTS,WITCHES AND WORTHIES OF THEROYAL MILE"you can find out about the people,places and events which have helped shape thecharacter of this unique thorouahfare. Many of the stories are unusual and include:the riddle of the fishhawker who came back tolife after being hanged;the mass murdererswho sold their victims'bodies to doctors formedical research;the ghost troops of thecastle; General Joe,a Robin hood-style hunchback who once ruled Canongate; the witchwho sank ships; the churchman who confessedto 'black magic'killings; the close hauntedby headless ghosts; and many more. In addition there is a comprehensive guideto places of interest and a selection of finepictures. The cover shows what life used tobe like in the Royal Mile several centuriesago. This,and the two other historic illus-trations,are reproduced by kind permission ofEdinburgh Public Libraries. I would also liketo thank staff at the Edinburgh Room for theirassistance with research. THE GHOSTS The Royal Mile probably has more ghost stories linked with it than any other thorough-fare in Britain. It's been continuouslyinhabited for something like 2000 years anddown through the centuries has seen thousandsof violent deaths through murder,disease andsuicide. 正was disease that created the ghosts ofMary King's Close.Today the close remains 60feet below the City Chambers in a remarkablestate of preservation -228 years after theGreat Plague wiped out most of its inhabitants. More people died there per square yard duringthe epidemic of 1645 than anywhere else inEdinburgh. As the death toll began to mount,city magi-strates stepped in and ordered the Close to besealed off so that the disease "would be pre-vented from spreading." For many years thehouses stood empty.But as time passed demandfor accommodation in the overcrowded capitalgrew. And one day a few homeless families,ignoring local superstitions,decided to moveinto a crumbling tenement in the Close. But they weren't there for long. Ghosts ofpeople and animals who had died of the plagueappeared and frightened them out of their wits. A Mr.and Mrs.Thomas Coltheart were firstto see the spirits. A few days earlier theyhad laughingly dismissed a warning from an oldfortune teller who said: "You will have companyother than yourself." While sitting reading the Bible on their firstSunday afternoon in the house the candlelightsuddenly turned a blue colour. Then a head appeared ....suspended in mid-air.A few min-utes later a naked arm turned up holding a lamp,followed by ghostly dancing feet! The strangegathering was completed with the arrival of aheadless cat and dog. It was the same story inother homes. Needless to say the frightened familiesimmediately packed their belonginqs and fled.Once again the close fell into decay -thistime for good.Because in 1750 a fire reducedmany of the weed covered tenements to ruin andthree years later the remainder was incorporatedin the west side of the Royal Exchange. Thisfine building was originaliy a centre where themerchants of Edinburgh could conduct their busi-ness in comfort away from the overcrowded,foul-smelling High Street. The Close can still be seen today from Cock-burn Street.A barred gate marks the entrance.Despite a modern network of wires,pipes andtubes,a recognisable close can be seen risingto the High Street.Massive vaulted chamberslead off it. The ancient wooden doorways arestill there and hooks can be seen embedded inthe ceiling of what was probably a butcher'sshop. Nobody knows who Mary K

FAQs

What is the purpose of the preface in this book?

It welcomes readers to the Royal Mile and explains that the book collects stories about the people, places, and events that shaped the area’s character. It also previews the mix of unusual tales, place guidance, and illustrations.

Why do the ghosts appear in Mary King’s Close according to the text?

The text links the close’s haunting to the Great Plague disease of Mary King’s Close. It describes the close being sealed to prevent the disease from spreading, followed later by families moving in and encountering plague-linked spirits.

What is the “Death Coach” and when is it said to appear?

The text says sightings of the ghostly wagon are recorded in old documents. It is supposed to appear before a disaster and travel from Holyrood to the castle with headless horses emitting “flashes of fire.”

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Jiven