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Braemar Castle is located near the village of Braemar in Aberdeenshire and is the ancestral home of Clan Farquharson.
Braemar Castle
From the Late Middle Ages the castle was a stronghold of the Earls of Mar. The first tower of Braemar Castle was constructed in 1628 by John Erskine, 18th Earl of Mar as a hunting lodge and to counter the rising power of the Farquharsons, replacing the older Kindrochit Castle, which was sited nearby as early as the 11th century AD.
An important garrison after 1745 Jacobite uprising, Braemar Castle had been attacked and burned by John Farquharson, the Black Colonel of Inverey in 1689. In 1715 the castle was forfeited to the Crown following the Earl of Mar's leadership of the rebellion. The castle and lands were purchased by John Farquharson, 9th Laird of Invercauld but the building was left in ruins until 1748 when it was leased to the government at a fee of £14 per year.
Unwilling to give up his estate, the Black Colonel still haunts the castle – but apparently is now more interested in watching television than attempts at arson.
Ghost of the Black Colonel
Another ghostly presence regularly seen is a beautiful young girl who committed suicide after she was abandoned by her husband soon after they married.
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