Unexplained dead bodies, missing persons, mysterious dungeons and the supernatural - you name it Scotland has it when it comes to fascinating, yet frightful, unsolved mysteries.
The haunted capital city itself, Edinburgh, is famously built upon hundreds of thousands of dead bodies of which the bones can still be found today among other dark discoveries.
Yet this grim reminder of our history extends to the entire country, and if you look past the mist-covered glens that would bring any tourist holding a camera tremendous glee, you can uncover stories of our past that will send chills down your spine.
Let’s take a look at 13 unexplained Scottish mysteries that remain unsolved to this day.
9. Shipwreck of the Maille Brézé, 1940
On April 30, 1940, a French warship known as the Maille Brézé was anchored at Greenock. It is said that a torpedo tube on the ship “malfunctioned” and launched itself through the ship’s deck which set the boat’s fuel tanks ablaze. While some crew members were fortunate enough to abandon ship many others were trapped in the mess hall and it was reported that 28 men lost their lives as the ship sank. A doctor present on the scene made the heartbreaking decision to administer morphine to the trapped sailors through the ship’s portholes in order to soften an imminent and painful death. It is unknown why the torpedo tube malfunctioned on that horrific day. Photo: Submitted
10. Missing keepers of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse, 1900
When the lighthouse tender, Hesperus, sailed past Flannan Island located 20 miles west of Lewis, it was noted that there was no light flashing from the island’s lighthouse. Curious, they embarked on a quest of investigation to check on the lighthouse’s inhabitants yet upon arrival no one was to be seen yet untouched, freshly prepared meals to be eaten were on the table. Some suspected that the three men were washed off of the island by a massive wave but this has been called inconsistent by others and no conclusion was ever drawn as to the fate of three missing lighthouse keepers. Photo: studiesinbirdmig02clar via Wikimedia Commons
11. The Mount Stewart Murder, 1866
Considered the UK’s oldest unsolved murder mystery, the Mount Stewart murder case begins with the gruesome fate that befell Janet Rogers. She was a domestic servant who, at her brother’s Perthshire farmhouse, was found dead in a pool of blood after being bludgeoned to death with an axe by an unknown murderer. When William Henderson (her brother) returned to the Mount Stewart farmhouse only to find her lifeless body, accusations to suspects quickly followed, one was towards a ploughman who was accused of committing the crime after a botched robbery but the jury cleared his name within 12 minutes as there was no proof. To this day her murder remains an unsolved mystery. Photo: sanjeri via Canva Pro
12. The Appin Murder: Who killed Red Fox?
This murder is considered one of Scotland’s most notorious injustices and it even inspired a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. In 1752, Colin Campbell of Glenure or “Red Fox” was shot in the woods near Ballachulish in Argyll. James Stewart of Appin was accused of committing the crime and wrongly hung for the murder, his hanging body was left for 18 months on display in a sinister fashion as a warning to other would-be criminals - an event later called the Appin Murder. When his corpse began to decompose the bones were pinned down in place such that his example could remain. While multiple suspects have been forwarded for the crime in this day and age it would be a ‘miracle’ to prove who actually did it, although a descendant of the Stewart lairds claimed in 2001 that the murder was planned by them. Photo: William Hole via Wikimedia Commons