| The ghost of the Mad
Monk is said to haunt the ruins and the surrounding streets. The Mad
Monk, Brother Joseph Macgregor, served in nearby Culross
Abbey from the years 1745 till 1789, when he retired.
On his retirement, he took to helping with services in the Chapel. He
became more and more eccentric as the years progressed, and began to show
signs of madness, but the church refused to stop him from helping at
services.
In 1799, on the night of 31st December with the dawning of the new
century and Brother Joseph's 80th birthday, Joseph claimed to have had a
vision of the Chapel's demise. Over the next few months, strange events
were reported in the Chapel, such as candles lighting themselves, and pews
upturning during sermons.
Numbers attending the Chapel fell rapidly, as rumours spread that it
was haunted and that the devil himself was involved. In 1800, on the night
of the summer solstice, the Chapel roof fell in, whilst Brother Joseph was
alone inside. |
Chapel Altar
|
| A local
woman claimed: 'I saw the cloven feet of the devile and his disciples on
the Chapel roofe. They danced and fornicated on the timberes and laughed
as the roofe fell inwards. I heard the good Brothere wail during the storm
as he denounced the devil's work.'
His mourning continues to this day, and visitors to the area talk of
seeing figures in and around the area. He is described as having long
hair, a rotund figure, and always wearing the traditional monk robes. On
windy nights, the Monk wails and curses the devil still. |
