Traquair House: Scotland’s Oldest Inhabited House

Traquair House claims the distinction of being Scotland’s oldest continuously inhabited house, with over 900 years of unbroken occupation. This remarkable antiquity has populated the house with spirits across centuries, most notably the White Lady of the main staircase and the Green Lady of the tower, along with the melancholic story of the Bear Gates that shall not open again.

The Ancient House

The origins of Traquair date to 1107, though parts of the structure may be even older. Originally a hunting lodge for Scottish kings, it evolved through centuries into the mansion that stands today.

The house witnessed crucial moments in Scottish history. Twenty-seven Scottish and English monarchs visited, including Mary Queen of Scots in 1566. The Maxwell Stuart family has owned Traquair since 1491, maintaining it through centuries of political and religious turmoil.

The White Lady

The most frequently reported ghost is the White Lady who haunts the main staircase:

Appearance: A woman in white or pale clothing, her dress suggesting 18th or 19th century fashion. She appears as a solid figure, detailed enough that witnesses can describe her features and clothing.

The Staircase: She manifests primarily on and around the main staircase:

• Descending the stairs as if going about normal business
• Standing on landings
• Passing through corridors connected to the staircase
• Sometimes appearing aware of witnesses, turning to look at them

Identity: Her identity remains uncertain, though theories include:

• A Maxwell Stuart family member who died in tragic circumstances
• A woman connected to the Jacobite risings
• Someone who died on or near the staircase
• A bride or young woman who met an untimely end

Characteristics: Unlike many apparitions, the White Lady seems peaceful rather than disturbed. Witnesses describe her presence as melancholic but not frightening. She appears to be going about her business, perhaps unaware she is deceased.

The Green Lady

A second female ghost haunts the tower section:

Appearance: A woman in green clothing, her style suggesting medieval or Renaissance period dress.

The Tower: She appears primarily in and around the tower rooms:

• In bedchambers within the tower
• On the tower staircase
• At tower windows
• In corridors leading to tower areas

Behavior: The Green Lady seems more troubled than the White Lady:

• Appears distressed or agitated
• Sometimes associated with cold spots and oppressive atmosphere
• Witnesses report feelings of sadness or anxiety in her presence
• She may be searching for something or someone

Theory: Some researchers connect her to the house’s medieval period, possibly a woman connected to the building’s early history or to one of the royal visits.

Mary Queen of Scots Connection

Mary Queen of Scots visited Traquair in 1566, staying in rooms that now bear her name:

Historical Visit: Mary stayed here while on a progress through the Borders with her husband Lord Darnley and their infant son, the future James VI.

The Haunting: Some witnesses report a regal female presence in the Mary Queen of Scots Room:

• A sense of being watched
• Visions of a woman in elaborate 16th-century dress
• The scent of period perfumes
• An atmosphere of sorrow and reflection

Whether this represents Mary’s spirit or simply the power of historical association remains debatable.

The Bear Gates

Traquair’s most famous legend involves the Bear Gates at the end of the avenue:

The Tradition: The gates were closed in 1745 after Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) left Traquair during the Jacobite Rising. The 5th Earl of Traquair vowed they would not reopen until a Stuart was restored to the throne.

The Gates Today: The gates remain closed, their promise unfulfilled. They have stood shut for nearly 280 years.

The Haunting: The area around the Bear Gates has its own phenomena:

• Figures in 18th-century clothing seen near the gates
• The sound of horses and carriages
• Voices speaking in old Scots
• An atmosphere of waiting or expectation
• Some witnesses report seeing a ghostly gathering, as if people wait for the gates to open

The Symbolism: The closed gates represent Scottish Jacobite hopes and the house’s Catholic recusant history. Their supernatural associations may stem from the emotional weight of this unfulfilled promise.

The Chapel and Priest’s Room

As a Catholic house during times of persecution, Traquair contains hidden chambers and a secret chapel:

The Hidden Chapel: Concealed for over a century during Catholic persecution, the chapel has its own atmosphere:

• Strong spiritual presence reported by visitors
• The sense of many prayers offered in secret
• Some witnesses report seeing a priest in vestments
• The smell of incense when none is being used

The Priest’s Room: A hiding place above the chapel:

• Overwhelming claustrophobia reported by visitors
• Sense of fear and desperation
• Some refuse to enter due to oppressive atmosphere
• May contain residual energy from priests hiding during persecution

Additional Spirits

Beyond the major ghosts, other phenomena occur:

The Child: A young voice heard laughing or crying, primarily in upper chambers and the nursery areas. The identity of this child spirit remains unknown.

The Cavalier: A man in 17th-century clothing, possibly connected to the Civil War period or Jacobite risings.

The Servant Spirits: Figures in working clothes seen in service areas, continuing duties they performed in life.

Phantom Sounds:

• Footsteps throughout the house
• Doors opening and closing
• Conversations in empty rooms
• Music from period instruments

The Library

The extensive library has its own paranormal reputation:

The Scholar: A figure seen reading or writing, dressed in 18th or 19th-century clothing.

Books Moving: Volumes found moved or reshelved overnight, despite the library being secured.

The Presence: Many visitors report feeling watched while in the library, particularly when alone.

The Brewery

Traquair operates one of Britain’s oldest working breweries (dating to 1566):

The Brewer: An old man in working clothes, seen in the brewery area, possibly a former brewer still attending to his craft.

Activity: Objects moved, sounds of brewing work when the brewery is not in operation.

Modern Experiences

The Maxwell Stuart family continues to live at Traquair, which is also open to the public:

Family Experiences: Current residents acknowledge the hauntings matter-of-factly, living with spirits as part of the house’s character.

Visitor Reports: Guests regularly report:

• Seeing the White Lady and other apparitions
• Unexplained sounds throughout the house
• Photographic anomalies
• Electronic equipment malfunctions
• Strong emotional impressions in certain rooms

Staff Accounts: Those who work at Traquair have countless personal experiences:

• Encountering the White Lady on the staircase
• Hearing footsteps in empty areas
• Feeling presences in specific rooms
• Objects moved or rearranged
• Doors operating on their own

Investigative Evidence

Paranormal researchers have studied Traquair:

Consistent Findings:

• EMF anomalies on the main staircase and in tower areas
• Temperature fluctuations
• Audio recordings of footsteps and voices
• Photographic evidence of figures and light effects
• Multiple independent witnesses reporting identical experiences

The Main Staircase: Shows the most consistent measurable activity, corresponding with White Lady sightings.

The Tower: Displays different types of phenomena than the main house, suggesting different spiritual presences.

The Weight of Centuries

Traquair’s claim to continuous habitation for over 900 years is more than architectural – it represents an unbroken thread of human life, love, birth, death, joy, and suffering within the same walls.

Each generation has added to the house’s spiritual landscape: medieval lords, Renaissance courtiers, Jacobite sympathizers, Catholic recusants, Victorian families, and modern residents. The White Lady, Green Lady, and other spirits may represent the accumulated presence of all these lives.

Living History

Unlike museums, Traquair remains a family home. This continuous occupation may explain the persistence of its hauntings. The Maxwell Stuarts live with their ghosts, neither ignoring nor sensationalizing them, treating them as part of the family heritage.

The Unopened Gates

The Bear Gates stand as a perfect metaphor for Traquair’s hauntings – a promise unfulfilled, a wait that has lasted centuries, a connection to the past that refuses to end. Like the gates that will not open, the spirits of Traquair seem unable or unwilling to depart.

Whether one believes in ghosts or not, Traquair House carries a palpable sense of the past. Sometimes that past walks the staircase in white, appears in the tower in green, or waits by gates that have not opened in nearly three centuries, still hoping for a restoration that will never come.