Greyfriars Kirkyard

Reported / claimed activity

• ◆ THE MACKENZIE POLTERGEIST — A violent and apparently malevolent presence associated with Sir George Mackenzie's mausoleum. ◆ SCRATCHES — Visitors have reported unexplained scratches appearing after entering the area. ◆ BRUISES — Some accounts describe unexplained bruising following encounters around the mausoleum. ◆ THE INVISIBLE TOUCH — People have reported feeling themselves grabbed, pushed or touched by something they could not see. ◆ SUDDEN PAIN — Accounts include unexplained sensations of pain or pressure. ◆ NOSEBLEEDS — Stories associated with the haunting include sudden nosebleeds occurring around the mausoleum. ◆ SHADOWY PRESENCES — Dark or indistinct figures have been reported around the Covenanters' Prison. ◆ FEELINGS OF DREAD — Visitors have described an overwhelming sense that something is watching or approaching them. ◆ COLD SPOTS — Sudden changes in temperature have been reported within the area. ◆ THE MAUSOLEUM — The Black Mausoleum remains the heart of the haunting.

• THE STORY OF BLOODY MACKENZIE Sir George Mackenzie was one of the most powerful lawyers in Scotland during the reign of Charles II. He became responsible for prosecuting the Covenanters — Scottish Presbyterians who refused to accept the authority of the established church. Hundreds were imprisoned in the area now known as the Covenanters' Prison at Greyfriars. The conditions were brutal. Mackenzie gained a reputation so dark that he became known as "Bluidy Mackenzie." When Mackenzie died in 1691, he was buried only a short distance from the very prisoners whose persecution had made him infamous. His elaborate mausoleum still stands inside Greyfriars Kirkyard. Historic Environment Scotland's listing identifies it as the Mausoleum of George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh, dating from 1691. According to the haunting's modern legend, Mackenzie's spirit did not rest peacefully. The story became dramatically darker in 1999, when a homeless man reportedly sought shelter inside the mausoleum and fell through the floor. Then, in 2003, two teenagers reportedly broke into the tomb and stole Mackenzie's head. These incidents are said to have awakened or disturbed the spirit of Bloody Mackenzie. Afterwards, stories of increasingly violent paranormal encounters around the mausoleum became associated with the site.

• THE COVENANTERS PRISON One of the creepiest parts of this location is that the haunting isn't simply attached to a grave. It is connected to the Covenanters' Prison itself. This enclosed section of Greyfriars became the place where prisoners were held during the persecution of the Covenanters. Today, visitors entering the area are stepping into a very real piece of Edinburgh's darkest history. And just a short distance away stands the tomb of the man who ordered much of that persecution. That connection gives Greyfriars an especially powerful atmosphere — the persecutor and his victims remain together in the same ancient burial ground.

Background and folklore, separate from member eyewitness experiences.