Hailes Castle
Monday, 30th october, 2006
Location
Hailes Castle is one of the oldest stone castles still standing in Scotland and is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in East Lothian. The original castle was built in the late 1200s by Hugo de Gourlay. The de Gourlays suported the English during the Wars of Independence and lost their lands after the Battle of Bannockburn whereupon Robert the Bruce granted the castle and lordship of Hailes to Adam de Hepburn. The castle was attacked in 1400 by the Earl of March, Hotspur Percy, and again in 1443 by pro-English Archibald Dunbar who captured the castle and killed all the men within. In 1547, Patrick Hepburn, third earl of Bothwell, opposed the regent acting for the young Mary Queen of Scots, and had to forfeit the castle. The next year the castle was captured by the English but was soon recaptured by the Scots, who removed the gates to prevent further use by the English. The last Hepburn of Hailes Castle was James Hepburn, fourth Earl of Bothwell and third husband of Mary Queen of Scots, who was also forced to surrender all of his lands, including Hailes Castle, in 1567. The castle then went into a period of decline and in 1650 it was partially dismantled by Cromwell's forces. Its last use was as a granary in 1835.
Hailes Castle is now an extensive ruin and much of the castle's buildings still survive. The original tower is in the centre of the north range and, together with the rooms to its east, formed the fortified mansion of the de Gourlays. The tower was later converted into a dovecote and at its base there is a pit prison which is at present inaccesible due to an iron grid. The Hepburns made significant alterations to the castle during the 1300s and 1400s. Sir Patrick Hepburn added the courtyard in 1388. The existing tower was connected by the north range to a low tower at the east end (of which only a finger of stone remains) and at the other end the Hepburns built the huge four-storey west tower where another pit prison is located within the width of the lower wall. The range consists of a roofless chapel on the upper floor and vaulted kitchens underneath. The castle was completed by a curtain wall around its landward south side, beyond which was a moat.
There are stories of a 'white lady' spectre which haunts the grounds especially near the main gate to the castle.
Hailes Castle - West Tower to left and Chapel to right
Main gateway to castle
The Investigation
Investigators in attendance
Katrina
Natalie
Eric
Martin
Outside conditions
Moon: half
Weather: overcast, mild south-westerly wind
Temperature: 16.5C - variable due to wind.
Equipment Used
Camcorder: nightvision Sony HI-8 analogue
Digital Cameras: Sony cybershot 3.2mp & Lumicron LDC4013 4.1mp
Digital voice recorder: Olympus VN96OPC set at high quality recording
In/out thermometer: Thermomark
EMF meter: Electrosensor with detection range of 50-60Hz & dispaly range of 1.334-30 milliGauss
Investigation report
16.15 Arrive at venue. Team walk round location.
16.40 Katrina and Natalie in chapel. Temperature 16.5C. No EMF detected. Katrina experiences frontal headache/stabbing pain.
16.50 Move on to kitchen. EMF reading of 1.5 detected near entrance on inside right hand wall (south side). Temperature 13.6C.
17.05 Bread oven temperature 11.6C.
17.22 Microphone lowered into Mid tower prison pit and voice recorder started.
17.25 Team sits in kitchen at back wall near to bread oven.
17.36 EVP recorded in prison pit.
17.40 Katrina hears shuffling noise near entrance to kitchen. Nothing seen by team that could cause noise.
17.50 Leave kitchen. Team has teabreak.
18.15 Return to chapel.
18.20 Katrina and Natalie walking outside on path beside south wall of kitchen, Eric and Murray stay in chapel. Thump heard by Katrina and Natalie coming from vicinity of chapel above. Noise not heard by Eric or Murray.
18.22 Stop voice recorder.
18.25 Temperature of Mid tower prison pit is 10.3C
18.35 Return to kitchen. Katrina has pounding headache. Team (except Martin, who has gone outside castle through north wall) again sits quietly at back wall of kitchen.
18.45 All of team hear 'gravel' sound, possibly like sound of foot shifting position, on floor a few feet in front of where they are sitting. Eric hears sound of footstep on wooden stairway leading to chapel above.
19.00 Leave kitchen.
19.20 Return to Mid tower prison pit. Temperature in pit is 8.2C and fairly constant. Voice recorder started, again with microphone in pit plus probe from thermometer as an experiment. We wanted to see if there were any temperature variations when questions directed at any spirits present or if any variations in temperaure occured at same time as any possible EVPs caught. Team remains in Mid tower during recording. Twice we asked if there were any spirits present and if so to do or say something if they wanted to communicate with us.
19.28 Noise heard outside entrance to Mid tower. Natalie and Murray think it sounds like an animal, Katrina and Martin hear it as a thud.
19.30 Sound like moving stone/pebble heard outside entrance.
19.35 Stop voice recorder.
19.45 Voice recorder started in chapel. Team go to kitchen.
19.50 Katrina has pressure in head again at kitchen entrance. Team move into kitchen.
19.55 Martin and Murray hear possible sound of stones moving or falling on steps outside kitchen entrance.
20.12 Martin and Murray see white golf ball-sized light passing across stairway facing kitchen (at bottom of West tower). No torches on at time.
20.30 Kitchen temperature 11.2C. Heavy rain and strong wind starts.
20.45 Katrina, Natalie and Martin walking up path towards towards south wall. Eric and Murray, looking out from kitchen entrance, see another flash of light approximately half way up inside wall of West tower. No cars nearby or torches on.
20.50 Voice recorder stopped.
21.00 Investigation stopped due to weather conditions.
Review of findings
First Recording Session
Entrance to the Mid Tower where pit prison used for our first recording is situated. The opening to the left is an alcove and does not open into the room. The area was later used as a dovecote as can be seen by the square boxes on the walls. There is a light anomaly to the right of the picture which we think is an insect in mid-flight which was illuminated by the flash.
First recording session
EVPs were obtained from the pit prison in the Mid tower. The best one seems to have captured a whining noise followed by a faint human voice, which sounds like a woman or child. Everyone has their own thoughts on what is being said. It is faint so turn up the volume when listening to it. The 2 syllables occur halfway through the clip. Please feel free to add your interpretation to the forum.
The microphone was dangled down into the pit through the grille shown above. The grille was padlocked shut and after the recording was started all team members vacated the immediate area. Several bangs and knocks were also recorded but we cannot ascertain if there were any animals present in the dungeon which could have caused these noises. There did not appear to be any windows to the pit but we did not have access to check. Given that it was used as a dungeon we think this unlikely. Several strange clicking noises were also recorded and sounded as if the source was very close to the microphone indeed (the sound resembles someone clicking their fingers several times in succession). Some sources mention these type of strange clicks and bangs as being characteristic of EVPs and often preceed the actual recording of a 'voice'. The temperature was measured inside again by dangling the probe through the grille. The temperature was fairly constant implying that there was no draught inside.
Second Recording Session
At 19.20 team gathered in the Mid Tower for an experiment. The microphone and thermometer probe were both dangled into the pit to see if any temperature variations coincided with any sounds heard or any possible EVPs captured. There were no significant changes in temperature noted and no unexplained noises on the recording.
Third Recording Session
The digital recorder was set up in the chapel area at 19.45 while the team sat downstairs in the kitchen once more. However, shortly after the weather became worse with heavy rain and strong winds. The recording was useless as a result.
Light Anomalies
Twice strange lights were seen from the same area. Firstly, a golf ball sized light was seen by 2 team members who were sitting in kitchen facing West Tower. The light appeared fleetingly and moved from left to right across the stairway in front of the West Tower.
Another flashing light was seen just as we were preparing to leave the castle. 2 members saw this flash which appeared up the wall of the West Tower. See picture below. Unfortunately none of these lights were captured on video or camera.
False positive picture - orbs galore but the picture shows raindrops illuminated by the flash. This is the area where the golf ball sized light was seen and the sound of a stone falling was heard. Katrina also got a pressure pain in head when standing in this spot on more than one occasion. Below - the flash of light was seen to the right of the window/fireplace on the last storey of the tower.
