Tower of Terror Part II
When the opportunity arose to attend a lecture on the history and hauntings of Pittenweem Clock Tower, we didn’t have to think twice! On March 2nd 2010, Leonard Low was scheduled as a speaker for the Edinburgh Society for Psychical Research - this gave us a chance to hear first-hand some of the terrifying encounters witnessed by visitors to the Tower as well as meeting the owner in person and mooting the idea of a paranormal investigation. Kathleen had already made contact with Leonard and was overwhelmed by the amount of ghostly reports, often disturbing in their nature. Given the bleak history associated with the Tower, this may come as no surprise…
The hellish end met by some of Pittenweem’s past inhabitants began with Beatrix Laing, a rather well-to-do lady, being accused of witchcraft by 16 year old blacksmith Patrick Morton. So what was the catalyst for this? Hard as it may be to believe, it started with nothing more sinister than an argument over nails. Beatrix, perhaps a lady used to getting her own way, had been very insistent that Patrick supply her with the nails she required and perhaps a bit rankled by her attitude, he refused. Beatrix, angered by this, allegedly set about bewitching Patrick, causing a bout of ill health in the process. In a community beset by harsh economic times, it is likely folk harboured jealousy towards Beatrix and her comfortable financial status. Add to that suspicion over the incident with Patrick Morton and you have a very potent mix.
Leonard believed Patrick had been influenced by stories of Christian Shaw and the infamous Bargarran Witchcraft Case (once again, April 13th crops up - the Bargarran witch trials started on this date in 1697) along with the intense fire and brimstone sermons of Patrick Couper, Pittenweem’s maniacal minister. Pittenweem Church, which adjoins the Clock Tower, was once the scene of these hate-filled sessions when the minister would fervently whip up the local inhabitants, instilling fear, paranoia and vengeance. Poor Betty Laing would soon face protracted pain at the hands of the pricker and a lengthy period of solitary confinement in the darkness of St. Fillans Cave before ending her days destitute, all traces of her former feisty temperament brutally stamped out.
There is so much more to say on the history on the ‘witches’ of Pittenweem, but we must move on. From what I have shared thus far, I think you can appreciate the Tower would be one of our most challenging locations to investigate, particularly from a psychological perspective. The knowledge of what happened in those walls, the screams and suffering endured by it’s detainees, the confessions written awaiting a signature, the dehumanisation – I cannot stress enough that this played on all our minds and we felt deeply for the souls involved.
Leading up to the investigation, Kathleen liaised regularly with Leonard, we all read The Weem Witch, repeatedly referring to it and had lengthy discussions over its contents which formed the basis for our investigation plan. Unlike some investigations, we had many names to ‘ask out’ from the annals of history, not only from the 1704/05 witch trials, but earlier outbreaks including 1643/44. In addition to the accused men and women, we were in possession of the names of significant others e.g. councillors.
Our investigation was organised for May Bank Holiday Weekend 2010 and we left for Fife on the Friday afternoon. We spent an enjoyable evening at the Upper Largo Hotel then joined Leonard at his home, discussing the Tower and listening to some interesting EVP footage. At this point, we were in good spirits; relaxed and equally fired up for the weekend investigation. We stopped off for a drink on the way back to our B&B - St Abbs House. We had planned to have a quick look inside the Tower before turning in for the night; the dread of going inside had been intense and this was almost like a test. As we chatted, John and former team member, Derek, became very apprehensive, and voiced serious doubts about visiting the Tower that night. Their discomfort was clear to see and although Kathleen and Mary felt okay, the men seemed to be going through the same intense gut feelings. John later stated that he thought ‘something bad’ would happen to us if we went along.
However, our visit went ahead and once inside, John and Derek’s fears settled as they became more focused on exploring the Tower. We had a quick look round then entered the ground floor jail which is accessed separately from the main building. The original studded wooden door still stands. Once inside, we asked out a couple of times and Derek reported hearing male voices upstairs, engaged in a heated debate, with everyone talking at once. One voice appeared dominant, perhaps in charge of the meeting. He then described a noise like a chair being scraped across a floor as if someone was getting up. At this stage, we didn’t have any real knowledge of the Tower’s natural sounds to compare this with, however we know the Council of the time met there. Intrigued by this development and keen for the next morning to come, we locked the door, our minds deep in thought…
Look out for the next Tower of Terror installment in January 2013 where you will discover more about our investigation and the background to this harrowing story of witch persecution in the East Neuk of Fife.
Have you had a paranormal experience at Pittenweem Tower? Would you like to share your story on this or any other haunted locations in Fife, Dumfries & Galloway or Scotland as a whole? We are keen to receive your stories, questions and paranormal investigation requests. Please contact the team via our website or by phoning 07791 047835 or 07912 145865. You can also follow us on Twitter.
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