Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Country and County: Dumfriesshire

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Folklore

O, That I Were Where Helen Lies

O, that I were where Helen lies!
Night and day on me she cries;
O, that I were where Helen lies!
In fair Kirkconnel lee.

O Helen fair! beyond compare,
A ringlet of thy flowing hair,
I’ll wear it still for evermair
Until the day I die.

Curs’d be the hand that shot the shot,
And curs’d the gun that gave the crack,

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Articles / Folklore / January / Scottish Folktales

Robert Burns and Folklore

Robert Burns was born on the 25th January 1759 during the ‘Age of Enlightenment’ but also in a time when the country superstitions and supernatural beings were an integral part of folk belief. The landscape of Burns’ was one where the natural rhythms of nature were much more intertwined in the day to day of working life.

Ancient Sites / King Arthur / Legends / Standing Stones

Lochmaben Stane (Stone)

The Lochmaben Stane (or Lochmabenstane, Lochmabenstone, Clochmabenstane, Old Graitney Stone, Lowmabanstane, Loughmabanestane) stands in a farmers field near where the Kirtle Water enters the Solway Firth. Made if granite, it measures 7-8 feet in height and has a girth between 18 and 21 feet (depending upon your source).

Featured Sites

Gretna

The name Gretna derives origins from ‘Gretenhow’, an Angle term meaning gravel hill. Of course the Angles were not the first settlers in Gretna, they had been preceded by both the Romans and Norsemen.  The area surrounding Gretna has seen many battles between the English and Scots as they invaded each other. In 1376 Gretna was completely destroyed during one such battle.

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Articles / Legends

The Legend of Sawney Bean

The story of Sawney Bean is one of the most gruesome Scottish legends, the plot of which would not look out of place in any modern horror/slasher movie. Evidence suggests the tale dates to the early 18th century.

Hauntings

The County Hotel

The hotel is said to have been haunted by the ghost of Bonnie Prince Charlie, who stayed here in 1745. Charlie is said to haunt many places in Scotland.

Hauntings

Site of The King’s Arms Hotel

The King’s Arms Hotel, which was demolished in 1973, was reputed to be haunted by a woman in her early twenties. Traditionally she was the widow of Captain Robert Stewart, who died during the French revolution. She pined away after his death and died of heartbreak at the age of 24.

Apparitions / Hauntings / Road Ghosts

A75, Kinmount Straight

Hauntings on the A75 Kinmount Straight in South West Scotland have led to it being called ‘the Ghost Road.’ Here is a brief list of some of the more famous sightings along this route.

1957
A lorry driver ran into a couple crossing the road arm-in-arm in front of his lorry, but when he stopped the accident victims had vanished: sometime in 1957.

Apparitions / Hauntings

Drumlanrig Castle

Only the cellars remain of the original 14th century castle in which Mary Queen of Scots stayed in 1563. The mansion, which now stands on the site, was built in the 1700s for William Douglas, the first Duke of Queensberry. Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed at the castle in 1745, after his unsuccessful invasion of England.