Leith Hall is a country house in Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was built in 1650, on the site of the medieval Peill Castle, and was the home of the Leith-Hay family for nearly three centuries. Since 1945 it has been run by the National Trust of Scotland (NTS). Leith Hall is set in a 286-acre (1.16 km2) estate with scenic gardens. [1] [2]
The north wing of the house was constructed in 1650, on the site of the earlier Peill Castle, by James Leith of New Leslie (see Castle Croft). The east wing was added in 1756, and the south wing was built in 1797 by General Alexander Leith Hay. The west wing, containing the entrance front, was added in 1868 to complete the courtyard. [3]
In 1745, Andrew Hay of Rannes hid at Leith Hall after the Battle of Culloden where he fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie, later escaping to France.
During the First World War it became a temporary Red Cross hospital and housed over 500 patients. In 1945 the house and grounds were presented to the NTS.
The writer Elizabeth Byrd rented 14 rooms with her second husband, Barrie Gaunt in the 1960s. In The Ghosts in My Life and A Strange and Seeing Time, Byrd describes the paranormal occurrences she and her husband experienced while living here. [4] [5]
The gardens and grounds are open to the public all year round. After several years' closure the Hall was re-opened by the NTS in 2013.
Leith Hall was featured on the paranormal investigation show "Most Haunted" during their third series. The episode aired on Tuesday 28 October 2003 on Living TV. [6]
The house contains fine china, family portraits and tapestries and some interesting clocks. The hall is noted for its gardens, set in stages with each sheltered by a wall or hedge and each with its own special character. [7] The gardens contain flowering trees and shrubs, roses, fruit, vegetables and ornamental grasses. [8] A little stream winds its way through the gravel paths and stone crevices and at the top of the garden, near the 18th century curved stables, is the circular "Moon Gate" leading to the old turnpike road, once the main thoroughfare to Aberdeen. [7] There are also two nature trails, each about one and a half to two miles (3 km) long. [7] The gardens also contain two ponds and a birdwatching site. [9]
In the context of ghostlore, one notable ghost associated with this castle is believed to be that of Laird John Leith III. He was shot in the head after reacting angrily to a fellow diner who accused him of adulterating the grain sold from this hall. [10] [11]
The ghost of John is said to appear in great pain, with a dirty white bandage over his head and covering his eyes. He is often described as wearing dark green trousers and a shirt. In 1968, Novelist Elizabeth Byrd reported waking during the night to see John in highland dress, his head covered in bloody bandages, standing at the foot of the bed. [12] [11] Other apparitional figures have also been sighted at this location. [12] [11] [10] [13]
Neidpath Castle is an L-plan rubble-built tower house, overlooking the River Tweed about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Peebles in the Borders of Scotland. The castle is both a wedding venue and filming location and can be viewed by appointment.
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The 109th (Aberdeenshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1794 to 1795. Raised by Alexander Leith Hay for service in the French Revolutionary Wars the regiment was briefly deployed in Jersey before it was disbanded in England and its men sent to reinforce the 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot. The disbandment was controversial as Leith-Hay believed it contravened an assurance given to him in his original letter of service to raise the regiment.
Lieutenant-General Sir James Leith was a Scottish soldier who served in the British Army, commanding the 5th Division in the Duke of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese Army at several critical battles during the Peninsular War between 1810 and 1813.
Gunby Hall is a country house in Gunby, near Spilsby, in Lincolnshire, England, reached by a half mile long private drive. The Estate comprises the 42-room Gunby Hall, listed Grade I, a clocktower, listed Grade II* and a carriage house and stable block which are listed Grade II. In 1944 the trustees of the Gunby Hall Estate, Lady Montgomery-Massingberd, Major Norman Leith-Hay-Clarke and Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd, gave the house to the National Trust together with its contents and some 1,500 acres of land.
There are a number of reportedly haunted locations in Scotland.
Kennethmont is a village in the Marr area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately 8 miles (13 km) south of Huntly.
Lickleyhead Castle is a well-restored L-plan castle, dating from around 1600, a little south of Auchleven, by the banks of the Gadie Burn, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Elizabeth Byrd was an American author. Her main body of work is historical fiction, and her most successful novel is Immortal Queen, a historical romance about Mary, Queen of Scots. Nine of her thirteen novels were published while she was living in Scotland.
Walter Schomberg Hepburn Scott (1910–1998) was a Scottish architect specialising in building restoration. From 1950 until 1975, he did multiple projects for the National Trust of Scotland.
Woodhill House is a large office development on Westburn Road in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was built as the headquarters of Grampian Regional Council in 1977 and then became the offices and meeting place of Aberdeenshire Council in 1996.
Media related to Leith Hall at Wikimedia CommonsCoordinates: 57°21′22.52″N2°45′53.11″W / 57.3562556°N 2.7647528°W