The Ghost of Sir William of Crichton

Crichton Castle is a ruined castle situated at the head of the River Tyne, near the village of Crichton, Midlothian, Scotland. The castle lies two miles south of the village of Pathhead, and the same distance east of Gorebridge, at a mile to the south-west is Borthwick Castle.

In the late 14th century John de Crichton (d.1406) built a tower house here as his family residence. John's son, William (d. c. 1453), served as Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and was made Lord Crichton in c. 1443. In 1440 he had been partly responsible for organising the "Black Dinner", where the young Earl of Douglas was murdered. As a result, he obtained the Douglas property of Bothwell Castle in Lanarkshire for himself. This seemed to cause an endless cycle of retaliation over the next few centuries resulting in the ruination of both the family and the castle.

I have taken a picture of the famous ghost horse and rider at Crichton castle.

The ghost can usually be seen cantering through the broken gates of Crichton castle – perhaps some long forgotten bearer of bad news. I have photographed it approaching Crichton castle from the base of the hill.

http://www.cafepress.com/ghosthorse    image on T Shirts, posters, prints, mugs etc

The ghost of a horseman has been regularly reported riding up to the castle and through the original entrance, which has long since been blocked with stone. Some claim the phantom horseman is none other than the fallen Sir William Crichton.