Dunphail Castle’s Headless Ghosts

Now a rarely visited and overgrown ruin, Dunphail Castle was once a home for the influential Comyn family who held lands right across Scotland. After coming into direct conflict with Robert the Bruce, the Comyns found themselves on the wrong side of history and quickly went from powerful nobles to a family on the run.

By 1330, Dunphail Castle was one of their last remaining strongholds, now under attack from Thomas Randolph, the Earl of Moray. Secure on its ridge, the walls were in no danger of being breached, but the Comyns hadn’t prepared for a siege and food was starting to run low.

Surrendering wasn’t an option and nobody wanted to starve, so a plan was concocted to keep the defenders going for a little longer. Five brave men, including their leader Alexander Comyn, slipped down from the walls under the cover of darkness and managed to steal some bags of grain, right out of their enemy’s stores.

Just as they were throwing the loot to their starving companions inside Dunphail, Randolph’s men captured them. Furious at being robbed, the Earl’s men chopped off the prisoners’ heads and launched them over the ramparts after the grain. As the horrified Comyns saw the bloody projectiles roll to a stop, they heard Randolph cry, “Here’s some beef for your bannocks!”

Without their leader, there was little hope for the rest of the defenders and the siege was soon lost. Over the centuries that followed, Dunphail Castle slowly crumbled, but it’s not entirely empty. The ghosts of those headless Comyns still wander the area, stumbling into the few visitors who are brave enough to explore off the beaten track.