Welcome to A Scottish Ghost Story A Day, Series 1: Castle Ghosts, brought to you by bagtownclans.com, the podcast that delves into Scotland’s most captivating and chilling tales. This is your host, Derek McDonald, and today, we venture to one of Scotland’s most sinister fortresses: Hermitage Castle in the Scottish Borders.
Known as the "guardhouse of the bloodiest valley in Britain," Hermitage has borne witness to centuries of strife, betrayal, and terror. But few legends that linger within its towering stone walls are as fearsome—or as twisted—as the tale of Lord William de Soulis and his malevolent advisor, Robin Redcap.
Prepare yourselves as we delve into the eerie world of this bloodthirsty faery creature and his cruel master.
Hermitage Castle, a brooding fortress of ancient stone, stands sentinel over Liddesdale, its massive walls darkened by the passage of centuries. Built in the 13th century, this castle has long been associated with bloodshed and sorcery. It was here that William de Soulis—a man remembered for his cruelty and dark deeds—made his home. He was no ordinary lord, for Soulis was said to be a practitioner of the Black Arts, versed in the darkest of magic.
But Soulis did not act alone. His closest advisor, and some say his true master, was none other than Robin Redcap, a fearsome goblin of the Unseelie Court, who relished death and violence. Redcaps, also called powries, are malevolent creatures that haunt ruins, especially those with a bloody past. These goblins are notorious for their insatiable thirst for blood, and they dye their hats in the blood of their victims. Should their hats ever dry out, legend says, the Redcap will perish.
This particular Redcap, known as Redcap Sly, appeared to Lord Soulis in the dead of night, offering him protection in exchange for free rein over the castle and its lands. The price was steep: Soulis had to continue his reign of terror, feeding Redcap’s need for blood and violence. In return, Robin Redcap promised that no weapon of steel could harm his lord, and no rope could bind him, unless made from sand.
With this sinister alliance in place, Soulis grew more and more ruthless. Tales tell of children abducted from nearby farms, of rituals carried out in the castle’s shadowy halls, all to serve the twisted pact between lord and faery. The villagers lived in terror of both the man and the goblin who haunted Hermitage, knowing that no ordinary means could bring an end to their suffering.
But their fear was matched only by their desperation. The tormented people of Liddesdale finally reached out to the legendary figure of Thomas the Rhymer, a man believed to possess otherworldly knowledge himself, having once traveled to the realm of the Faery Queen. According to the legend, Thomas devised a cunning plan to exploit the loophole in Redcap's protection: a three-stranded rope made of sand.
The villagers followed his advice, and with a lead belt secretly filled with sand, they stormed Hermitage Castle. With Redcap nowhere to be seen, the villagers managed to capture Soulis, binding him with the enchanted belt. The tyrant was finally at their mercy, his protective magic useless.
And so, in a brutal act of revenge for years of suffering, Soulis was boiled alive at Nine-stane Rig, a nearby megalithic stone circle, as per the local king's cryptic words: "Boil him if you please." Some say the cauldron used to execute Soulis remained at Skelf-hill for centuries.
But what of Robin Redcap? Though Soulis was defeated, the Redcap did not perish with his master. After Soulis’s grisly death, Redcap disappeared into the shadows of the castle. Yet, over the centuries, visitors to Hermitage Castle have reported seeing a fiery-eyed figure, short and stout, watching from the crumbling battlements or lurking in the dark corners of the ruin. They believe Robin Redcap still haunts the castle, guarding the treasure he and Soulis hoarded through their reign of terror.
The Redcap is a creature unlike any other in Scottish folklore—fiendish and vengeful, with an appetite for blood. Described as a short, twisted figure with iron boots, long talon-like fingers, and sharp teeth, he’s not easily mistaken for anything else. His blood-soaked cap is his life force, and many fear that if he isn’t kept fed with fresh blood, he will return from wherever he lurks, seeking new victims.
To this day, Hermitage Castle stands in eerie silence, its walls marked by centuries of cruelty and despair. If you visit, tread lightly. They say the scraping of iron boots or a flash of red near the tower are signs that Robin Redcap is watching, still hungry for blood.
Thank you for joining me today on A Scottish Ghost Story A Day. Hermitage Castle remains a monument to Scotland’s dark and violent past, haunted by both history and myth. Keep your wits about you should you ever visit, for you never know what might be waiting in the shadows.
Until next time, I’m Derek McDonald. Stay curious, and stay safe.
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