The Haunting Of Baldoon Castle And The Ghost Of Janet Dalrymple
The tragic story being the haunting of Baldoon Castle that has resulted in the reported sightings of the ghost of Janet Dalrymple and her bloodstained nightgown for years.
This is the case of one family who once lived in the now infamous Baldoon Castle, and it is living proof that not every home that is intended for royalty has a fairy tale ending, this is the story of how Baldoon Castle became one of Scotland's most haunted places.
Those that have visited the castle during the night time hours have often reported seeing a woman wearing what appears to be a white nightgown that is covered in blood as she wanders, looking lost throughout the grounds.
It is believed that the restless spirit is reminiscing over the loss of her life aspirations and is that of a woman who is trapped between realms, unable to come to rest following the horrifying way in which she met her fate. Baldoon Castle is now little more than ruins, that a flock of tourists come to all year round, all drawn to the place to fulfil their morbid curiosity of death.
The only sign of life that now dwells at Baldoon castle is that of the ivy that crawls up the stony remains and the ghost of Janet Dalrymple, the woman who is said to still be heard, shrieking and screaming in the night, these same claims have been reported ever since her tragic death in 1669.
The story began when Janet Dalrymple fell in love with a pauper, however, at the time she was betrothed to another man through a soon to be arranged marriage, which was quite common practice in Scotland in those days. Janet had always voiced the fact that she was unhappy that she was being forced into a marriage with a man she had no love for, her complaints would all fall on deaf ears.
Before long, Janet Dalrymple was standing at the altar in Carsecleugh Castle, which was owned by her parents. Jane wanted to follow her heart and believed marriage should be a symbol of love and not a decision by her family to give them a status increase.
It was reported by those in attendance that Janet stared in deep thought at David Dunbar, her soon to be husband, during the ceremony before uttering them words "I do," and sealing her fate.
Shortly after, during the night in their honeymoon period, a noisy argument instilled within the bridal chamber followed by a terrifying scream. The parents of Janet Dalrymple broke down the door to find David Dunbar holding his throat whilst writhing on the floor with blood pouring from a visible stab wound on the side of his body.
Janet was seen cowering in the corner of the room looking utterly distraught. No one actually knows exactly what happened that night or in fact who stabbed David Dunbar. Frequently in them days infections would occur following stab wounds which would often result in death, however, Dunbar somehow managed to survive.
Janet Dalrymple was found dead several days later whilst Dunbar was still recovering, however the information of exactly what happened to her or how she met her end were never released.
The local townspeople got wind of the story and what had been going on at Baldoon Castle but they never knew for certain what the truth was, the general opinion around town was that David Dunbar had found out about her affair with the pauper and murdered her, however that is simply speculation and Dunbar was never tried for her murder.
They say she was driven to madness by the injustice of her circumstance. Still, others say she was oppressed by otherworldly forces that drove her to insanity. But while we do not know just how she died or why, tragically she was never reunited with her beloved Archibald and maybe that is why her spirit cannot rest.
Ever since the mysterious death of Janet people have reported seeing her apparition within the grounds of the castle throughout the night. The legend of this ghostly figure being spotted has been prominent for almost 200 years now, with the most recent sighting being reported in 2019 by a man and wife who visited the castle ruins one evening. They both claimed that had heard a blood curdling scream coming from the ruins before seeing the ghostly spectre of a woman meandering between the broken walls of the castle ruins, they reported that it was clear to see that the white dress she was wearing was heavily blood stained. They both reported the incident to the local tourist information centre but refused to speak to any members of the local press after their apparent encounter with Janet Dalrymple.
If you have ever been to Baldoon Castle in Scotland we would love to hear from you, also let us know your opinions on the ghost of Janet Dalrymple in the comments section below. Now you have read about the haunting at Baldoon Castle, make sure you check out the true story of Meg Shelton, the witch of Woodplumpton.