Ghostly Drummer of Cortachy Castle

This isn’t the first time that the ghostly drummer of Cortachy Castle has been heard and his presence spells disaster for the Earls of Airlie. Many of Scotland’s great houses are followed by a grisly portent of death, a dreaded sign that somebody’s time is up. These ghostly heralds are often tied to the family through tragedy and Cortachy’s is no exception. 

Dating to the 15th century, the picturesque Angus home of the Ogilvy Earls of Airlie saw sieges, violence and destruction during the mid-1600s. At some point during this dramatic chapter, a young drummer met his death here. Nobody knows exactly how it happened, just that the poor musician seems to have never left.

The simplest version of the story claims that the Earl’s personal drummer had been romantically involved with his employer’s wife. Another says that the man was delivering an unwelcome message from one of Ogilvy’s enemies. In both cases, he was stuffed into his drum and thrown from the highest tower as punishment. 

A third story tells us that the young drummer had been left behind at the castle as a lookout while the Earl was away from home. At the first sign of danger, he was to loudly beat his drum, warning the Countess that trouble was near. Falling asleep at his post, he awoke to find Cortachy already under attack, too late to save his mistress.

Before he died in the fight, the drummer swore that he would never make the same mistake again. From that day on, his spirit would always return to warn the Ogilvy family of impending doom. 

The legend remained in the family, whispered from generation to generation, until the middle of the 19th century. During a visit to Cortachy Castle, Margaret Dalrymple, an Ogilvy family friend, asked her hosts about the odd drumming she had heard while preparing for dinner. The Earl immediately went pale and the Countess became agitated and distressed.

Margaret was told that the drummer only ever beat his tune before a member of the Ogilvy family died. The last time he had been heard was shortly before the previous Countess passed away. It was, understandably, a touchy subject for the Earl and his wife. 

The next morning, Margaret’s maid was waiting in her room when she heard the tramping footsteps of marching soldiers below the window. Suddenly, the loud beating of a drum sounded repeatedly, not outside but all around her. The two ladies left Cortachy Castle in a hurry and would later discover that the Countess of Airlie sadly died shortly after their visit. 

The origins of the ghostly drummer of Cortachy Castle continue to be a mystery to this day; however, one thing is for certain. The faint beating of that drum is never a welcome sign.