Visiting Dracula at Slains Castle on Halloween

One of the things you can notice if you read ‘Dracula’ and which I didn’t know until I read ‘When Brave Men Shudder‘ by Mike Shepherd, a local to the area, is that you can see that Bram Stoker took the inspiration for the octagonal room from the architecture of Slains Castle, as he was once a guest there.

The gothic nature of Bram Stoker novels comes from his long-time yearly visits to Cruden Bay, feeling and bonding, simply becoming acquainted with the area and all that surrounds it. No wonder Slains Castle and the rugged coastline became the muse for his gothic stories, where he could simply detach from the rest of the world and become part of the land. Standing on the cliffs next to the ruined castle, you get the feeling you are at the edge of the world or, at the beginning of a world that would defy all that is within reason… and the crows that constantly wander the area definitely add to the feeling of darkness and mystery of the place.

Stories and myths become more tangible when the ruin is incomplete (Andrew McBride). However, at the time the author wandered this area, Slains Castle was still standing in its full glory, which Bram Stoker so many times contemplated sitting from a table at The Kilmarnock Arms Hotel, where he stayed year after year.

So what is the story behind this Castle?

Slains Castle was once upon a time the home of the Earls of Erroll. However, it has always been seen as the New Castle of Slains built in the 16th century by Francis Hay, 11th Earl of Erroll.

Maybe you didn’t know, but there is another Castle of Slains...

Let’s start the story from the beginning…

The original castle, known as the Old Castle of Slains, is located just over 4 miles down the coast, between Whinnyfold and Collieston, also built on a rocky promontory.

In 14th century, the lands of Slains and the office of Lord High Constable of Scotland, were given to Sir Gilbert Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll, to reward for his services to the King. Gilbert had carried the mace at King Robert de Bruce’s coronation and had saved the king’s life in battle. The King made him so powerful at the time, that it was Gilbert Hay that was sent to England as Scottish Ambassador to arrange with Edward II the terms of Peace. He made the Old Castle of Slains his stronghold.

According to historical records, for almost three centuries, the old castle was 'scene of thrilling pageantry in peace and war'. During peaceful times, tournaments took place on the tilting grounds above the castle, and during the long winter nights, the Lords of Slains beguiled the times with their harpers and pipers. Imagine it a scene of the “Outlander” series at Castle Leoch.

 

 

 

And now… how the New Castle came to existence…

Francis Hay returned from exile pardoned by the king and, in 1597, built the New Castle of Slains where it is now at the top of Cruden Bay. This new castle, was home to the Earls of Erroll for over three centuries. It was rebuilt 3 times:

 

• The New Slains Castle was constructed in a contemporary style, with a tower and wings partially enclosing a courtyard, which sets it aside from other similar castles, such as Dunottar and Pistligo, where older towers had wings added to form a courtyard.

 

• Further additions took place in 1707, when a new entrance and frontage were added, along with the large bow window, which command a striking view of the North Sea.

 

• The last renovation was in 1830, with an entire revamping in a Tudor style and the 2 towers at the front added to it by the 18th Earl of Erroll.

 

However, not many books refer to the existence of a secret passage under the castle. Legend has it that Francis Hay dug his secret passage from beneath the castle to Fontainebleau farm in the vicinity, where a slab of stone is still shown as its traditional exit. The passage is also said to connect a smuggler’s cave in the sea cleft below Slains Castle.

 

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Slains Castle around 1900. Source CANMORE.

 

There’s lots of incidents connecting the Hay’s and Slains Castle to the Jacobite cause, and a few deaths involved. Have a look at the Clan Hay official website for more information on this or read ‘Slains and the Errolls’ by The Buchan Observer (1973) that can be found at the local library, and which I used as an historical source for most of this blog page.

 

 

The walls of one of the towers seem only the continuation of a perpendicular rock, the foot of which is beaten by the waves… I would not(…) wish for a storm, but (…) I would willingly look out upon them from Slains Castle.

Dr Samuel Johnson

 

Distinguished guests of Slains Castle were Samuel Johnson and James Boswell in 1773 on their ‘Tour of the Highlands and Islands’. If you’d like to read further, you can click on their names to see what they wrote. Another remarkable figure was Winston Churchill in 1908, that almost lost his future wife over a visit to his former love interest, with the latter attempting suicide on the cliffs.

 

Many people think this castle became a ruin in the same way as Dunnotar Castle just south of Stonehaven. However, this is not so. William Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll, was the founder of Port Erroll and a very generous man, which took care of his people, and built them a school and a reading room, amongst others. Due to his patriarchal administration, he saved no income to meet the heavy political taxation which increased yearly.

 

The Castle passed out of the Hay family in 1916, when the cost of death duties led Charles Hay, 20th Earl of Erroll, to sell the castle to Sir John Ellerman, a Glasgow shipowner. In 1925, the roof was removed to exempt the property from tax, the contents of the castle were sold off. It was basically ‘dismembered’ stone after stone and windows, and all for its lead and quality stone; so much history and memories sold for money. It was the end of an auld sang… as said by The Buchan Observer.

   

 

 

 

The interior of Slains Castle at present.

 

 

For many years since 2004, there was an accepted planing proposal to convert Slains Castle into luxury apartments. The work was ready to start and the area was even fenced off. A very interesting dissertation was written by Andrew McBride on its architecture and the dilemma ‘Conservation vs. Restoration’… but after public demand, Slains Castle was finally designated ‘Category B Listed Status‘ in 2018.

A recent book by Mike Shepherd was published over the last few weeks 'Slains Castle’s Secret History' and unfortunately only now I read a sample of it. It’s an extremely interesting book and it would have saved me many mornings going to the local library. Nevertheless, I did love researching and was worth it, as I learnt a lot of the local history, much more than I could fit in this post. Maybe another time, who knows… But I’ll definitely be getting a copy of Mike’s new book.

 

Local Folklore and Superstition

 

'I want you to believe…to believe in things that you cannot'

From Dracula by Bram Stoker

 

Legend of the name Hay and Coat of Arms 

The Danes landed in Perthshire and defeated the Scotts, which had to make way through a narrow pass. An old man and his two sons who were ploughing a field nearby, saw this and came to the rescue. The old man, arming himself with the same yoke he worked his ox with, he stationed himself and his sons in the narrow pass, slaughtering the Danes and saving Scotland.To cut the story short, the legend says the grateful King offered the old man as much lands as a falcon covers in its flight. It was only at the time of the 2nd Earl of Erroll that the falcon crest got adopted in memory of the old legend. It is also said the three red escutcheons on the silver shield of Erroll, represented the old man and his two sons, who shielded Scotland against the Danes.The lands given were in Perthshire, by the Tay. Many of the ancient boundary stones still exist in the area and are called Falcon stones. When Slains was built, one of these stones was brought up and kept as a wishing stone. Because every time a tale is told it changes, other variations also state this stone is the same as the one the old man was resting when the King addressed him after the battle. When the King asked his name, the old man so tired could only muster “Hooch hey“, this giving the rise to the surname Hay. The motto given was ‘Serva Jugum‘ which means ‘Preserve the Yoke‘. There are other variations and if you’re interested you can read more in ‘Slains and the Errolls’ by The Buchan Observer (1973), which narrates in detail the history of the Clan Hay.

 

Hay’s Badge

There’s many other associations between the plants adopted on the badge, and part are associated with the old pagan religion, Druids and animal sacrifice. All this you can find in many books that describe the Hay family, and you can also find it on the book above. There you can also find the connection of this character, known at the time as Thomas de Rhymer, which prophesied the fall of the Hay clan.

Supernatural

As darkness starts to draw in, with the days getting shorter and the nights taking over the safety of the light, the trees starting to change their colours and eventually lose their leaves marking the death of what once was… and then Halloween, when pagan beliefs that date back thousands of years say the veil between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest, allowing the dead to walk among us… So, for mysterious happenings and supernatural encounters, Slains Castle has been reported as one of the Scottish haunted places, and with such magnificent building and area, it is no wonder previous occupiers don’t want to leave.

 

Legend has it…

• Ghosts of the shipwrecked sailors emerge from their watery graves once a year and wander the grounds of the castle.

• The ghost of Victor Hay, 21st Earl of Erroll haunts the castle.

• Boswell could not fall asleep at Slains dreading that Lord Kilmarnock’s ghost, father of James Hay (15th Earl of Erroll), would make an appearance in his bedroom (Margaret Aitken, 1978 ‘Six Buchan Villages’) . This Lord Kilmarnock, whose coat of arms can still be found displayed outside Kilmarnock Arms Hotel, despite an ill premonition of a housemaid went out in the ’45 Jacobite rising, was captured at Culloden and beheaded. At the execution, it is said he was wearing on his bonnet this famous jewel of a cluster of small precious stones surrounding a large diamond; as his head fell beneath the headman’s axe, the diamond became a blood-red ruby, as it is still as today.

• WWII soldiers have been seen marching past.

• Sightings of a ‘Lady in White‘ have also been reported here in the past, which some have associated with the accused witches who were once locked up in the tower jail. It’s said they’re looking for some type of closure to the gruesome treatment of the past.

• There is this apparition, who walks the ruins shaking his keys – possibly a jailer who locked up the accused witches.

• There’s also a horse that pulls up a carriage, passing in front of the once grand entrance on the drive.

All these have been collected from several sources, all referred in this post.

 

The Area and Walk

 

And at the end of the path you arrive at Slains Castle, the imposing and magnificent architectural structure that is still at present. And once you dare to go in, well… if you’re a grown up kid like me, this is simply your dreams of mystery, mazes and hidden passages coming true at once… better than describing, just have a look at the video.

The castle is in a dangerous location near cliffs, and great care should be taken, particularly with children. In addition, remember this building is a ruin and, as such, there’s the risk that part of it may fall on you. So, if you do visit, take great care. Even today, Slains Castle still keeps claiming lives, with a 15-year old boy dying at the cliffs in 2013, and the last one in 2017 when a lady fell off the steps in one of the towers.To go back to the village, you can either go around the farming fields, giving you a change of scenery, or simply revert back the same way you came in as it’s still an amazing view.At the end of your adventure, why not visit the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel and find out what it feels to simply relax in the same place that Bram Stoker once sat down writing his Dracula…