Folklore of Angus (or Forfarshire) in Scotland
Folkore, legends, history from one corner of Scotland. See http://angusfolklore.blogspot.co.uk/.
- 2023 reads
Melgund Castle
Melgund Castle Melgund Castle, near Aberlemno, was for a long time a roofless ruin, but was happily restored in the latter part of the 20th century...
- Read more about Melgund Castle
- 3 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 1248 reads
Phantom Drummer of the Ogilvys
One of the most famous hauntings recorded in Angus also involved one of the most ancient families of the area, the Ogilvys who inhabited the castles...
- Read more about Phantom Drummer of the Ogilvys
- 1 comment
- Log in to post comments
- 957 reads
The Battle of Nechtansmere, 685 A.D.
One of the most famous battles in Angus was not recognised as taking place in Angus until George Chalmers published his book Caledonia in the early...
- Read more about The Battle of Nechtansmere, 685 A.D.
- 4 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 2363 reads
The Forfar Witches
The most famous Angus trials were those women put to trial in Forfar in the early 1660s. The trials may have been prompted by an argument between a...
- Read more about The Forfar Witches
- 3 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 2538 reads
Witches of Brechin
While the records of 17th century witchcraft in Forfar have become the most famous records of a dark period in local history (and have been...
- Read more about Witches of Brechin
- 1 comment
- Log in to post comments
- 1028 reads
Captain Kidd, Accidental Pirate? Dundonian?
It was the fate of Captain William Kidd (1645-1701) to be mis-remembered after his dishonourable death and slandered in the centuries since as a...
- Read more about Captain Kidd, Accidental Pirate? Dundonian?
- 5 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 2058 reads
The Slippery World of Superstition
Superstitions are distorting, fluid things, whose meaning cannot often be grasped in the decades after they may have been recorded. Unlike the folk...
- Read more about The Slippery World of Superstition
- 2 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 840 reads
The Man With The White Sandshoes
This character is a kind of urban legend, whose supposed activity stretched over many decades in the mid to late 20th century. In summary, he was a...
- Read more about The Man With The White Sandshoes
- 3 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 2271 reads
Do Shining Streams Dream of Radiant Ladies?
The Paphrie Burn in the north of Angus is no-one's idea of a roaring river or an awesome body of water, but someone once thought it was amazing,...
- Read more about Do Shining Streams Dream of Radiant Ladies?
- 2 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 824 reads
Tales of the Whales (Part One)
One of the most extraordinary recent news items featured the finding of a Dundee whaling vessel near Disko Island in Greenland . The story in the...
- Read more about Tales of the Whales (Part One)
- 2 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 898 reads
The Battle of Dún Nechtain, A Rearguard Action in Defence of Dunnichen
The battle somewhere in Pictland, during which the Picts supposedly threw off the yoke of the over-reaching of the Northumbrians, is a puzzle on...
- Read more about The Battle of Dún Nechtain, A Rearguard Action in Defence of Dunnichen
- Log in to post comments
- 1187 reads
The Battle of Stracathro and A Chilling Extinction
Stracathro is a quiet place which does not deserve notoriety. Its claim to fame, historically, is the humiliating resignation of King John Balliol...
- Read more about The Battle of Stracathro and A Chilling Extinction
- Log in to post comments
- 515 reads
King Arthur of Angus (and Gowrie)? Constantine, King and Saint
Firstly, I must make it clear that I don't think that King Arthur (whoever he was) personally ruled Angus, or whatever the area was called before it...
- Read more about King Arthur of Angus (and Gowrie)? Constantine, King and Saint
- Log in to post comments
- 692 reads
Pitalpin - An Actual Battle or A Dundee Myth?
This article details a battle which, very likely, is a fiction. The place-name Pitalpin is now subsumed within the western part of Lochee, itself now...
- Read more about Pitalpin - An Actual Battle or A Dundee Myth?
- Log in to post comments
- 573 reads
The Earliest Legends of Glamis and Glamis Castle
Mention the name Glamis to followers of Scottish ghost stories or folklore and they will probably conjure up memories of the 'Monster of Glamis', the...
- Read more about The Earliest Legends of Glamis and Glamis Castle
- 3 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 1222 reads
St Drostan the Wanderer
Saints should possibly still be honoured, even in an irreligious age; kept in mind in a different way. There is no patron saint of Angus,but if we...
- Read more about St Drostan the Wanderer
- 1 comment
- Log in to post comments
- 883 reads
The King's Cadger Road - A Fishy Tale
Forfar as a set of the peripatetic Scottish court in the Middle Ages has definitely been under investigated. Malcolm Canmore and Queen Margaret have...
- Read more about The King's Cadger Road - A Fishy Tale
- 2 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 888 reads
Plague and Pestilence Down the Centuries
Early Records One of the most iconic moments in the folk memory of Dundee is the image of the Protestant preacher George Wishart preaching in 1544...
- Read more about Plague and Pestilence Down the Centuries
- 3 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 898 reads
Peter Goldman - Poet, Doctor, Plague Survivor
Peter Goldman, a 17th century citizen of Dundee, is l;ittle known today, though he should be for two reasons: the prominence of his own life and...
- Read more about Peter Goldman - Poet, Doctor, Plague Survivor
- 1 comment
- Log in to post comments
- 675 reads
A Mystery for Sherlock? Conan Doyle's Father and 'Sunnyside'
For those who do not know, Sunnyside is a name which perhaps conjures up a happy, warm place, basking in a content and peaceful location. In fact,...
- Read more about A Mystery for Sherlock? Conan Doyle's Father and 'Sunnyside'
- 2 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 1026 reads
Sir John Kirk and the End of Slavery in Zanzibar
There were few places as strange to the intrepid foreigner in the mid 19th century as Zanzibar , even in an age when the whole continent of Africa...
- Read more about Sir John Kirk and the End of Slavery in Zanzibar
- 4 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 2580 reads
Up, up and Away! The First British Balloonist
For a pioneer in both flying and literature, James Tytler is sadly neglected figure, but one whose life was sadly inconsistent for all his...
- Read more about Up, up and Away! The First British Balloonist
- 2 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 693 reads
General Monck's Massacre
Conventional folk memory (if there is such a thing) in Dundee recalls the sack and occupation of the town by General Monck in the middle of the 17th...
- Read more about General Monck's Massacre
- 2 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 7710 reads
The Dwindling and Extinction of Gaelic in Angus
The date at which Gaelic ceased to be a living, spoken language in Angus possibly presents more of an enigma than when it started to be spoken in the...
- Read more about The Dwindling and Extinction of Gaelic in Angus
- 5 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 1616 reads
The Murder of Lord Strathmore
The Strathmore family’s affiliation with the deposed House of Stuart brought them great sorrow in the 18 th century and though they avoided the...
- Read more about The Murder of Lord Strathmore
- 3 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 1298 reads
The Dargie Kirk - First Christian Site North of the Tay?
The history of St Peter's Church - the Dargie Kirk - is intimately associated with the subject of a future post, the Goors (or Gows or Ewes ) of...
- Read more about The Dargie Kirk - First Christian Site North of the Tay?
- 2 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 1197 reads
Did Defeat in 1922 in Scotland Turn Churchill Tory Again?
It may seem unfair to start an article with a question that the author has no intention of answering, but that's exactly what I'm going to do. The...
- Read more about Did Defeat in 1922 in Scotland Turn Churchill Tory Again?
- 3 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 867 reads
The Laird of Balmachie's Wife - A Fairy Story and Other Fairy Traditions
Fairy tales set in Angus are unfortunately quite rare, but I came across the following one recently. This was printed in Folk-Lore and Legends,...
- Read more about The Laird of Balmachie's Wife - A Fairy Story and Other Fairy Traditions
- 2 comments
- Log in to post comments
- 765 reads
Inchbraoch, Holy Island of Montrose
Among the demonstrable early Christian sites in Angus there are some which are more prominent than others, which is not to say that this was always...
- Read more about Inchbraoch, Holy Island of Montrose
- Log in to post comments
- 447 reads
The Amazing Dr Kinloch: Saved by A Black Cat!
One of the most fascinating characters of the reign of James VI in Angus was Dr David Kinloch, a native of Dundee. Despite his prominence he receives...
- Read more about The Amazing Dr Kinloch: Saved by A Black Cat!
- Log in to post comments
- 607 reads
The Goors o' Gowrie - Devil's Work or Ancient Tribal Meeting Place?
At Invergowrie, west of Dundee, there were two stones sitting in the shallows of Invergowrie Bay known as the Goors or Gows of Invergowrie. Some say...
- Read more about The Goors o' Gowrie - Devil's Work or Ancient Tribal Meeting Place?
- Log in to post comments
- 444 reads
Earl Beardie at Glamis (A Legend)
He sits in a narrow chamber forever, throwing dice with the Devil, wearily feigning outrage at Auld Hornie's underhand tactics. The dice rattle like...
- Read more about Earl Beardie at Glamis (A Legend)
- 1 comment
- Log in to post comments
- 41 reads