4. Greyfriars Kirkyard - Edinburgh
Greyfriars Kirkyards story begins in earnest in the 1560s. Mary Queen of Scots donated the land (that was formerly a monastery garden) so that it could be used as an overflow cemetery. The Kirk was eventually completed in 1620. In 1679, immediately after the battle of Bothwell Brig, 1,200 Scottish prisoners were held captive in the Kirkyard. For four months, with no shelter, they endured the elements, living on a daily food allowance of just 4oz of bread. The Kirkyard was, in some respects, the worlds first concentration camp. Hundreds of people died of starvation, disease and exposure, whilst still more were executed following the eventual trial. Presiding over this agonizing maltreatment was Sir George Mackenzie, who was employed by King Charles II specifically to persecute the Scottish Covenanters. Earning the nickname Bluidy Mackenzie (for fairly obvious reasons), Sir George was eventually laid to rest at Greyfriars in 1691, very near to the bodies of all those he had killed. However, despite being given a proper burial, his malevolent old soul doesnt appear to be at rest... Since 1999, a series of bizarre, violent hauntings have taken place. Visitors have described disembodied voices, odd, putrid smells and freezing cold spots...As well as feelings of extreme unease and emotional turmoil. But those are the lucky ones... Other visitors to Greyfriars have been beaten, scratched, burned and even suffered broken bones at the unseen hands of an evil force known locally as The Mackenzie Poltergeist. It got so bad, that the worst affected areas were eventually closed off to the public and can now be accessed only via specific ghost tours (for a price, of course). Why is George Mackenzie credited as the identity of this wantonly savage spirit, you might ask? Well, in 1999, just before the hauntings began, a homeless man disturbed (and subsequently desecrated) the tomb of the mad old butcher. Apparently, hes still a little bit annoyed about it...