- Guide, tour, history, and robin of death story.

Three miles from Inverurie lies Pitcaple Castle. James II granted the land by Charter to David Leslie in 1457. There was already a towered building there, called Thane's Tower. It was around this that David Leslie, First Baron of Pitcaple, built the Z plan Castle to provide a safe place to store the Laird's Charter Chest.

Through the Centuries Pitcaple Castle played host to many members of the Royal family such as James IV, Mary Queen of Scots, Charles II, Queen Mary.

The room where King James IV stayed is still called the King's Room.

During the reign of Charles II Lady Leslie had some unwelcome guests whilst her husband was away. They were a party of horsemen with a bound prisoner who they said was a traitor to his country and whom they called James Graham. They demanded to stay at the Castle. Whilst making them comfortable Lady Leslie was horrified to discover that the prisoner was her cousin the Marquis of Montrose. Under the pretence of wanting to tend to his wounds, she took him to King's room. Here she revealed to him a hidie-hole from which he could escape. Her cousin knew that if he escaped it would bring punishment to Lady Leslie, so he told her he would take his chances at Edinburgh where he was to be tried. The Marquis was executed on the 21st May 1650. The room in which he was held prisoner in was thereafter called the Montrose Room.

The Robin Of Death

Lady Leslie's husband died whilst at Worcester and the Lady knew this before she was informed of his death because she had been told by an old woman of Montrose who had second sight that if a robin appears in her home it would mean then death of a loved one whilst on a journey. A robin had been found flying round the Castle just before the Marquis of Montrose was executed and another Robin was seen flying inside the Castle in 1651 when her husband died. Through the years whenever a robin has been seen in the castle a family member has soon after died.

More Scottish Castles.

More ghost stories from Aberdeenshire.

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