Lilias Drummond - The Green Lady

The Legend

On certain nights at Fyvie Castle, the air fills with the unmistakable fragrance of roses. There is no garden in bloom, no flowers in vases, nothing to explain the sudden sweetness that pervades the ancient stone corridors. Those who know the castle’s history understand immediately: Lilias Drummond walks again.

The History

Lilias Drummond became the first wife of Alexander Seton, Lord Fyvie, in the late 16th century. The marriage produced five daughters but no male heir, a failure that weighed heavily in an era that demanded sons. Alexander Seton began construction of the magnificent Seton Tower after 1596, transforming Fyvie into a palatial statement of his wealth and ambition. Lilias, by contrast, faded from prominence.

The circumstances of her death in 1601 remain disputed. Some accounts state she was imprisoned in a room within the castle and starved to death while her husband courted his second wife, Grizel Leslie. Other versions describe a broken heart, a woman who wasted away as her husband’s affections turned elsewhere. Whatever the truth, Lilias died on 8 May 1601, and Alexander married Grizel within months.

The newlyweds slept in the bridal chamber, the finest room in the newly completed tower. On their wedding night, something disturbed their rest. The next morning, workmen were summoned to examine the stone windowsill. Carved deeply into the rock, in letters visible to this day, were the words: DAME LILIAS DRUMMOND. The windowsill faced outward, accessible only from a sheer drop of hundreds of feet. No human hand could have reached it from outside.

The Hauntings

The Green Lady of Fyvie manifests in several distinct ways. The most common experience is the sudden appearance of rose scent, flooding a room or corridor without warning before dissipating just as quickly. Visitors and staff encounter this phenomenon throughout the castle, but the Charter Room and its adjacent chambers report the highest frequency.

Visual sightings describe a woman in a shimmering green satin gown. The figure appears semi-transparent and moves with deliberate purpose through doorways and along passages. She has been observed near the great wheel staircase, in the principal apartments, and walking by the loch and boat house on the castle grounds. Her expression carries profound sadness, and those who see her report an immediate sense of melancholy.

Temperature drops accompany many encounters. Rooms grow suddenly cold despite heating, and the chill settles in specific spots rather than spreading evenly. Investigators have recorded drops of ten degrees or more in locations associated with Lilias.

The scratching sounds are particularly unnerving. Staff working late in the Charter Room have heard what sounds like fingernails dragging across stone, a slow, deliberate scraping that stops when investigated. The carved windowsill shows Lilias’s name as clearly now as it did four centuries ago.

Witness Accounts

A castle guide reported working alone in the Charter Room when the temperature plummeted and the overpowering scent of roses filled the space. She felt a presence behind her and turned to see a green shimmer near the infamous windowsill. The figure vanished within seconds, but the rose scent lingered for nearly an hour.

Visitors staying in the Preston Tower apartment, now holiday accommodation within the castle, have described waking to find their room freezing cold and filled with floral fragrance. One guest photographed what appeared to be a green mist near the window, though she saw nothing unusual with her eyes at the time.

National Trust for Scotland staff have documented multiple incidents of unexplained rose scent over the decades since the Trust acquired the property in 1984.

Investigation and Evidence

The physical evidence of the carved name remains the most compelling proof of Lilias’s presence. The inscription sits on an exterior-facing windowsill that could not be reached without scaffolding or climbing equipment. No record exists of anyone carving it, and the depth and precision of the letters suggest considerable time and effort.

Paranormal investigation teams have recorded electromagnetic anomalies near the Charter Room and sealed chamber beneath it. Temperature monitoring has confirmed sudden, localized drops that cannot be explained by drafts or heating system failures. Audio recordings have captured faint scratching sounds that do not correspond to any known source.

The sealed dungeon beneath the Charter Room adds another dimension to the haunting. Local tradition holds that Thomas the Rhymer placed a curse on Fyvie connected to three stones and this hidden chamber. Attempts to open or disturb the sealed space have reportedly triggered intensified paranormal activity throughout the castle.

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This ghost story is part of the haunted history of Fyvie Castle. Book a stay to experience the paranormal atmosphere for yourself.