Leith Hall
Located one mile north of Kennethmont, which is in Aberdeenshire, Scotland; Leith Hall dates back to 1650, and use of the land dates back even further. Built on the site of an old tower, or castle, Leith Hall stayed in the same family from the land's purchase until the end of World War Two. The building underwent significant additions, improvements, and redevelopment during this time; especially when considering it was originally built as a tower house. A number of the past residents are said to haunt the property, including one who is said to have a blood soaked bandage wrapped around his head. Other hauntings include the sounds of children, bagpipes, and heavy footsteps.
History
The history of Leith Hall dates back to John Leith of Barnes as he is the man who bought the land for his family. This purchase occured a few years before 1650; the date the first iteration of the hall was built. When the lands were purchased by John, they were referred to as the 'lands and mill of Syid, with the Peill'. It's thought that the 'Peill' is a reference to the 'Peel Tower of Syid' which is believed to have stood on the land until at least 1605 as it appears as 'ye Peill' on Gordon's map of Strathbogie which dates to between 1636 and 1652. I've found that a 'Peil Castle' apparently stood on this site, so I assume 'Peil Castle', the 'Peel Tower of Syid', and 'the Peill' are all the same location which stood prior to Leith Hall. I've also found that 'Syid' has also been spelled as 'Syde' amongst some sources.
Interestingly enough, Leith Hall started as a tower house when it was built back in 1650 by John's son, James Leith of New Leslie. It has been speculated that the previous structure, whether it be a castle or tower, may have been incorporated into the original Leith Hall structure in a similar way as to how the original version of Leith Hall still somewhat exists within the current structure today; especially as the 'Peel of Syid' was possibly still standing when the lands were purchased. The site being used for a castle or a tower makes a good bit of sense as it was naturally well defended by being surrounded by boggy land.
The original tower house forms part of today's North Wing, and back when it was originally built the hall would have looked quite different. The original tower house was a rectangular block, had three storeys, plus an attic level. It also had a vaulted basement which contained the original kitchen. The builder, James Leith, was born during 1610 and died somewhere between 1694 and 1701. He was the first Laird of Leith Hall, and married Margaret Strachen of Glenkindle. James also had a brother who was known as Alexander 'Hard Head' Leith.
James was succeeded in ownership of the hall by three John's, and almost a fourth. It was between these three John's that a courtyarded design was implemented which evolved into a larger building. The first of these John Leiths, who was the second Laird of Leith Hall, married Janet Ogilvie during 1694. Janet was the daughter of George, the 2nd Lord Banff. The second John Leith, and third Laird of Leith Hall, was born during 1698 and died during 1736. He became the first husband of Mary Hay, the daughter of Charles Hay of Rannes, during 1730. The third John Leith was born during 1731, married Harriet Steuart during 1756, and then died during 1763 while he was expecting his fourth son. More specifically, he died on the 21st of December 1763 when shot and killed as a result of a duel with John Abernethy of Mayen. This incident occured within Archie Campbell's Tavern within the Castlegate in Aberdeen. Some say after the shooting he was taken back to Leith Hall, where he then died, but others say he died in a house closer to where the shooting occured. There is conflicting information around the date of this John's death as some sources have said he died on the 21st of December, but others have said he died a few days later on Christmas day. This could be a case of some sources citing the shooting date and mistaking it for the death date; or perhaps some sources have said he died on Christmas day as that sounds more dramatic.
It was the third John Leith, the fourth Laird, that began to add more extensions to Leith Hall. I've found some were added during 1738, although there is no description as to what, and the East Wing was built up by John during 1756; growing from two floors to three. He also inserted some kitchens on the South side and added little pavilions at each corner. The fourth John, who never became a Laird of Leith Hall, was the third John's eldest son; but he died at the age of twenty-one before the title could be passed to him as he suffered from consumption.
As the title couldn't be passed to the fourth John, it was instead passed to the fourth John's younger brother; Sandie. Sandie was also known as Alexander Leith, and he was the fifth Laird of Leith Hall. I have seen some sources cite him as being the sixth Laird, but it seems this is incorrect. He was the final Laird with the last name of 'Leith' as it would later become 'Leith-Hay'. I feel this name change is the potential cause of confusion around which Laird he is as people may have classed him as being two seperate people given the change in last name. The reason for the name change ties in with the financial troubles the Leith family were experiencing during this time. The second John's marriage to Mary Hay meant that the Leith family was quote well acquainted with the Hay family. One particular member of the Hay family was the famous Jacobite Laird Andrew Hay. He was one of Bonnie Prince Charlie's most famous soldiers, plus he fought at the Battle of Prestonpans, the Battle of Falkirk, and the Battle of Culloden. Andrew Hay was also the first man to march into Manchester.
Following the Battle of Culloden, which had occured on the 16th of April 1746, Andrew had to go into hiding and Leith Hall was one of his hiding places. While he was in hiding, Andrew's own house at Rannes was destroyed and so he sold his estate during 1781 to the Earl of Seafield for over £22,000. As Andrew had no heirs to claim this wealth, he provided a substantial amount of money to Alexander in order for him to secure the Leith Hall Estate. Some have said this was under the condition Alexander take the name 'Leith-Hay', but others have said the name was taken as a way of honouring the helping hand. Regardless, Alexander Leith became known as General Alexander Leith-Hay, the fifth Laird of Leith Hall.
Alexander Leith-Hay married Mary Forbes, the daughter of Charles Forbes of Ballogie, and added the South Wing during 1797. When enlarging the house, he designed the South Wing to match the north wing so that it had corbell turrets like the original tower house. Alexander also had a younger brother, Lt General Sir James Leith, who was born during 1763 and died during 1816. James married Lady Augusta Forbes; the daughter of George, the 5th Earl of Granard. Alexander also had five children; Harriet Christian, Mary, Elizabeth, Lt Colonel Sir Andrew Leith-Hay, and Rr Admiral John Leith. Alexander's youngest child was Rr Admiral John Leith, and he married Margaret Forbes. Alaxander's eldest child, and the sixth Laird of Leith Hall, was Lt Colonel Sir Andrew Leith-Hay of Rannes and Leith Hall. Sir Andrew was born during 1785, married Mary Margaret Clark, and died during 1862. Apparently more extentions, although not detailed, were added during 1810.
The seventh Laird of Leith Hall was Sir Andrew's eldest son; Colonel Alexander Sebastian Leith-Hay, although some sources have cited him as being the eighth Laird which I believe is incorrect. He was born during 1818 and died during 1900. Leith Hall contains a number of items which were siezed by Colonal Alexander following the Siege of Lucknow during 1857. This is one of the links that Leith Hall has to the British Raj, and before this time the location was linked to the West Indies as several generations of the family had served in government posts that upheld the British rule of law. While researching the family, I found many details regarding their involvement in overseas military matters, however I won't include those details in this article as I feel it strays too far from Leith Hall. However, these details can still be found in the sources cited at the end of the article.
The drum towers were added during 1868 while Colonel Alexander was the Laird of Leith Hall, although they were added by Alexander's Australian nephew. His nephew also added the oak panelled entrance, which is visible upon east entry to the right. Plus, he turned the billiard room, which Colonel Alexander had added on top of the entrance along with battlements during 1886, into a music room. When Colonal Alexander died, he did not have any heirs for the property and title, so it was all passed to the son of Sir Andrew's third son. Sir Andrew's third son was called James and he lived between 1820 and 1887. James' son, the eighth Laird of Leith Hall, was called Charles Edward Norman Leith-Hay. He was born during 1858 and died during 1939. He was James' eldest son and married Henrietta Leith-Hay. More seemingly unknown extentions apparently occured during 1904, although this could be a mixing up of dates for the work that alledgedly occured during 1906 when the six acres of largely walled gardens were redeveloped.
During World War One, Leith Hall became a temporary Red Cross hospital. It was called the Leith Hall Auxiliary Hospital and was used to treat the men from Scottish regiments who returned wounded from the front lines. I've found that the hospital treated over 500 patients. The next passing of the Laird title came during the May of 1939 when Charles Edward Norman Leith-Hay died. The title passed to Charles' son, Charles Arthur O'Neill Leith-Hay. This second Charles was the ninth and final Laird of Leith Hall, and he didn't have the title for long as he died a few months after his dad during the September of 1939. Charles was on his way to join an army regiment at Otterburn in Northumberland when he was killed in a road accident.
Henrietta Leith-Hay was the only family member left, having lost both her husband and son, to own the house. During World War Two, the eastern part of the garden was turned into a market garden which provided food for the war effort. During 1945, Henrietta chose to donate the hall to the National Trust For Scotland under the country house scheme. All of the hall's art and furnishings were also donated, which makes Leith Hall one of the most complete collections in the trusts care as Leith Hall is still managed by the National Trust For Scotland today. Henrietta lived in the hall until her death during 1963, and the family still retain use of parts of the hall.
Leith Hall did close to the public during 2008 as it underwent a £500,000 refurbishment. It reopened during the July of 2013 and the oval room reopened during 2024 following a redecoration. The oval room features watercolours by Henrietta Leith-Hay. Leith Hall also boasts the National Trust For Scotland's highest altitude garden, being at 186m above sea level. Little remains from the original 1700s garden today, but the current walled garden covers six acres of land and has the only catmint border in Scotland. It also contains a moongate, which is a circular entrance made from stone. In total, the Leith Hall site consists of 286 acres of land, and part of that land contains an old sycamore tree which is thought to have once been used as gallows to hang convicts from. This tree is known as the Dule, or Doole, tree; with the name being a gaelic word for grief. Apparently rope marks can still be seen on some of the branches.
Hauntings
It is important, before getting into the bulk of the hauntings, that I've traced tales of hauntings to two sources. Firstly, even though I haven't found any particular hauntings associated with the Dule tree, it has been said that the Most Haunted team's 'medium', Derek Acorah, is the one who 'found' this tree. I am extremely skeptical of Derek due to it being pretty much proven that he made false claims of mediumship and researched locations prior to an investigation. It is possible that, despite me not finding any hauntings connected to the tree, there may be information out there relating to the tree being haunted. The second source is the novelist Elizabeth Byrd. Elizabeth stayed in the East Wing of Leith Hall on the 16th of July 1968, claimed to have experienced many paranormal events, and then wrote a book about her experiences. The book was called 'A Strange and Seeing Time'.
I suspect a great deal of the phenomena I detail can be traced back to Elizabeth's book as, when writing my notes, I first wrote about phenomena detailed in one source which gave no mention to Elizabeth, but then a following source listed the same phenomena and did tie this phenomena to Elizabeth's book. A couple of instances in particular include Elizabeth seeing an apparition of a figure with a bandaged head. This figure wore dark green trousers, and a white shirt, plus had a beard, carried a dagger or blade longer than a knife, and appeared to be solid. This figure has said to disappear if someone speaks to it, plus it moans, and has been seen on the main staircase.
It's speculated that this bandaged figure is the third John Leith, and that the bandage around his head, which some say is covered in blood and others say covers at least on eye, is a result of him being shot in the duel. I have seen seemingly incorrect information saying the bandaged spirit is that of the second John Leith, but the details around the shooting only apply to the third John. I assume whoever thought it was the second John mixed up the death dates when doing research as the second John died during 1736 and the third John died during 1763. However, even though it seems likely that the bandaged figure is John Leith III, there has also been speculation that they could be the spirit of Colonel Alexander Leith as he died during 1900 and had a military history having fought during the Battle of Balaclava.
Another bit of activity which Elizabeth Byrd witnessed surrounds the 'Flight Into Egypt' painting which has been located in the drawing room . When looking at the painting, Byrd claimed to see a black bearded man. When pointing out this detail to other people, they couldn't see it and it became clear that only Elizabeth could see the man. Also during 1968, so most likely experienced by Elizabeth and her husband, guests reported seeing an apparition in their bedroom. They woke to see the apparition of John standing at the end of the bed in highland dress, and he was covered in bloody bandages. Overnight ģuests have also reported nightmares about a face bending over them, along with feeling hands on their throat, or feeling like they're being smothered with a pillow. The bedroom of the third John Leith is said to be particularly haunted. It has also been reported, although unknown if by Byrd, that there have been the sounds of people laughing and partying while no one was there.
A woman from the victorian era is also said to haunt the location, plus a governess, although it is possible that these are the same spirit. A young uniformed soldier from Word War One, who is thought to be the spirit of Charles Arthur O'Neill Leith-Hay, also alledgedly haunts the hall. A giggling child has been heard on the second floor, and this could be the little girl that has been reported. Plus, the spirits of children are said to play in the bedrooms. Another spirit who alledgedly haunts the hall is that of the third John's widow Harriet. She is said to wander the halls while wringing her hands. An extremely similar haunting to this is that of Henrietta Leith-Hay. She is also said to haunt the hall; wandering the corridors, and wringing her hands. As a result, I suspect this will not be two seperate spirits, but instead will be the same spirit who has been misidentified.
A grey mist has been seen on the spiral stairs that lead to the third floor, and witnesses have described a feeling of malevolence, along with feeling sick, and as though they could not pass the mist. Leith Hall also has claims that it is haunted by the Leith family dog. Footsteps have been heard from the third floor which sound like a child or puppy shuffling. The hall has also seen it's fair share of poltergeist activity as doors have banged shut, pots and lamps have moved and been thrown to the floor, plus a sherry bottle has flown from a hall table and been smashed. Other activity includes heavy footsteps, temperature changes, the unexplained smell of camphor in the bedrooms, the sound of a woman laughing, the sound of drums in the garden area, and the sound of bagpipes are heard outside during the night. It is also said that the master bedroom on the second floor also gives an intrusive feeling to those who enter. Finally, people have claimed to get a creepy feeling of being touched or watched when no one is near.
Summary Of Hauntings
1. Bandaged head spirit, likely John Leith III, maybe Colonel Alexander Leith: dark green trousers, white shirt, beard, carries dagger, possible highland dress, appears solid, disappears if spoken to - master bedroom, East Wing, main staircase
2. Harriet Leith/Henrietta Leith-Hay (?): wringing hands - wanders corridors
3. WWI soldier, possibly Charles Arthur O'Neill Leith-Hay: young, uniformed
4. Little girl, possible multiple children
5. Family dog
6. A governess/victorian era lady, may be serperate, may be same
7. Flight To Egypt Painting: black bearded man sighted
8. Grey mist: provides feelings of malevolence, feeling sick, feeling unable to pass - spiral staircase leading to third floor
9. Sounds of people laughing/partying
10. Orbs
11. Smell of camphor - bedrooms
12. Heavy footsteps
13. Sounds of woman laughing
14. Children playing - bedrooms
15. Temperature changes
16. Creepy feeling of being touched
17. Creepy feeling of being watched
18. Nightmares: face bending over them, feeling hands at throat, feeling smothered with pillow
19. Doors bang shut
20. Pots and lamps thrown to floor
21. Sound of bagpipes - outside at night
22. Sound of drums - garden
23. Footsteps, like child or puppy shuffling - third floor
24. Sherry bottle flew from hall table and smashed on floor
25. Intrusive feeling - master bedroom on second floor
26. Giggling child - second floor
My Thoughts
I want to start off the 'my thoughts' section by saying that I have tried to be as accurate possible, as I always do, with the information provided in this article. However, due to the lack of dates and detail on certain bit of information it is possible that certain things to do with the history or hauntings have been condensed or mis-assigned to certain eras when they are seperate events. For example, it was unclear if the East Wing was built during 1756, or if it was only built up during this year. As the source said 'built up', then I deemed it likely that this is the period where it was built up from two floors to three, however this may not be the case. I just wanted to make those potential inaccuracies, although small, clear before continuing. I have linked all sources used at the end, so please don't hesitate to read over them if you would like to try and find clarification on anything.
That being said, I believe this is one of the few locations I've documented so far where the hauntings can be traced to a guest who stayed during the 1900s. Given this guest wrote a book on their experiences, I have to be wary when discussing the alledged hauntings here. I always try to warn of the tourism and profit angle a location can lean into when it comes to having alledged hauntings, and I honestly feel that is the angle which has inspired many of these hauntings. When Elizabeth stayed, she may have experienced some events; but what she seems to have written about seems too extreme in nature, and so it comes across as exaggerated details to help sell a book. It's potentially the equivalent to when a film or tv programme claims to be 'based on a true story'. Details are often exaggerated to make the viewing, or in this case reading, experience more entertaining.
A good example which backs up my suspicions is Elizabeth's claims around the 'Flight To Egypt' painting. It was only her, the novelist, who could see the black bearded man in the painting. She could have made it up in the moment, and asked others if they could see the man so that these people could later say the event where she saw the man did happen. However, what they could not say was if Elizabeth actually did see the man. They can only say she claimed to have done; and so this seems like something potentially staged to make for a more interesting book.
Regarding the hauntings, I do think the Leith and Leith-Hay families will likely haunt the property. However, I don't know how long the male family members would have been in the hall for. The reason I say this is they were heavily involved in military matters, and it did seem in my research that they spent a good deal of time overseas. If this was the case, then it makes little sense for these military men to haunt Leith Hall. Perhaps this is why, aside two spirits, the rest of the hauntings are children, women, and the family dog. I find this is an interesting detail that does seem to line up quite nicely with the family history.
As for the poltergeist activity, I feel this is where details have been exaggerated along with how frequent it sounds like the bandaged man has been seen. Things may be nudged here or there, but I don't think it will be as frequent or violent as sources seem to describe. Unexplained smells could be down to the age of the property, and laughing could possibly be attributed to the wildlife outside. From pictures, it seems there's a good bit of empty field and trees around Leith Hall, and so odd wildlife sounds will likely be common in the area. These sounds may also lend an explanation for the drums and bagpipes, as these do occur outside.
As usual, I do think the location could be haunted; however I wouldn't expect it to be particularly active. Maybe the boggy land could play a part in boosting otherwise unnoticeable paranormal activity as it is suspected the presence of water can provide energy to a haunting; but I think it will be quite inactive. I have found no certain claims of anyone dying within the hall, and it's had very little happen in it's history aside being built up over time. There could be members of the Leith and Leith-Hay family here, and you may have spirits possibly attached to items, but I don't think much activity will come from it. I hope I'm wrong though.
Thank You!
Thank you for reading this article! As implied at the start of the 'my thoughts' section, it was an awkward one to write due to not only multiple family members having the same name, but also due to various details not having a year given to them. It was also awkward regarding the hauntings as a number of those could be the same spirit being misidentified. I hope you've found the article interesting regardless, and please do let me know if any details are incorrect as I will amend those once informed. My next article will, hopefully, be a big one which discusses an extremely important live stream that occured recently. If all goes to plan, it will be a detailed and thought provoking article which reflects the paranormal and certain investigators involved in it. So, make sure you keep an eye out because I'm sure you'll find it interesting.
A special thank you goes to Damain, Nicolette, Kerry, GD, Chris Willcx, Nicola Jada, Nita Raveling-Hamilton, David Lee Jones, theinoculator, 1141520851813892291920, Angeles Wernicke Zapiola, Ke v, Crispinfandom, Thiago Lima, Edgar Darnell, Jacks-and-graves, The Cornish Ghost Whisperers, Beardo Gets Scared, Starlight Phoenix Paranormal, Paranormal Penny Pinchers, the Australian Paranormal Society, Codegas Codex of Curiousity, Phantom Detectives LLC, Shadow Walkers Paranormal Investigators, South Of Spooky, Don't Scare Claire, blogparanormalexpresso2stuff, Paranormal Connections, Phantom Seekers Paranormal, chatibelieveinghosts, Purbeck Paranormal Investigators, and Ghost Investigations for your continued support of The True Paranormal. If you want to be thanked in an article, or in the monthly appreciation post I make across social media, then please share my articles and tag 'The True Paranormal'. If I see that you've shared, then I will publicly thank you!
If you want to follow The True Paranormal you can do so on Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly known as Twitter), Tumblr, and Pinterest. You can also subscribe to The True Paranormal on YouTube, or directly to this website through the bar on the left which will give you email notifications. That bar also lists all of the links which will take you to The True Paranormal's various social media platforms. If you want to contact me about your own experiences, or about anything at all paranormal, you can email thetrueparanormal1@gmail.com
A donation Message
If you've enjoyed this article, it would be massively appreciated if you could donate anything you can towards The True Paranormal. With your donations, I can continue to build up the database and document haunted locations, paranormal experiences, the individuals who are involved in the paranormal, plus more. If you are interested in donating, then you can do so through PayPal. My username is Daniel Carr and my paypal email is danielcarr130913@gmail.com. If you donate, I will be sure to thank you across social media and in my articles. Anything donated is much appreciated.
Sources I Have Used
22. Wikishire
23. About Aberdeen
25. Daily Record
28. Spirit Shack
30. Haunted Hovel
34. The Herald
Comments
Post a Comment