Comlongon Castle

Comlongon Castle is a 16th century stronghold in the Dumfries area, near the border with England. It was built by Cuthbert of Cockpool as a defence against English raiders from the south and the original tower house building is intact today.

Once England and Scotland reached an uneasy peace and the castle was no longer needed as a defensive position it was neglected and fell into disrepair until the 19th century. At that time a new mansion House was built adjacent to the original Keep, much of the old castle being tidied up at the same time. Unfortunately the Mansion house itself burnt down, however it was rebuilt in 1901 and the new building remains today.

Weddings

Comlongon Castle today is a hotel. It specialises in weddings and has the advantage of being the nearest Castle Wedding Venue to Gretna Green. The castle caters for events of all sizes, from small private affairs to lavish functions using the Great Hall. The venue offers religious, civic, celtic and humanist ceremonies on all days of the week. For a truly modern wedding experience Comlongon also provides (for a price) a "WedCam" feature that will allow your wedding to be viewed over the internet by those who can't attend in person.

The Ghost of the Green Lady

Comlongon is said to be haunted by the spirit of Marion Carruthers, a tragic 16th century ghost known as the Green Lady.

Poor Marion was a victim of an early forced arranged marriage. Her father agreed - against her wishes - that she should marry a local baron, Sir James Douglas, he then obtaining her inheritance. However a second local baron objected to this and attempted to grab the land. The case went to court and it was decided that Marion should be held in Borthwick Castle until her arranged marriage could be completed.

Marion managed to escape from Borthwick and fled to Comlogon Castle to seek refuge with her uncle, Sir William Murray. In order to dissuade Douglas from pursuing her she gave half her dowry to William. Unfortunately Douglas would not relent and took the case to court, claiming legal right to boh Marion and her inheritance. The courts agreed and Marion was ordered to proceed with marriage to Douglas. Comlogon Castle ceased to be her refuge and became her second prison.

This was too much for Marion and in September 1570 she jumped to her death from the castle lookout tower.

As a suicide she was denied the normal religious burial and since that time there have been sightings of the ghost of a young woman walking around the castle and weeping.

Mummified Cats

One strange piece of Comlongon history was discovered in the 20th century during an excavation of the site. Within the walls were the bodies of three mummified cats! These are now on display in the castle basement.

Why cats in the walls? The generally accepted theory is that they were placed there by the castle builders as some form of "good luck" charm. Personally I find this explanation unsatisfying. One day I hope to discover more about this mystery.