The Culloden anniversary ghosts

The Battle of Culloden was fought on 16 April 1746 on Culloden Moor, and press accounts say reenacting ghosts gather there each anniversary. Reports also describe a Highlander who whispers "defeated".

The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746 on Culloden Moor. Many men were killed there, and the Scotsman describes the battle's history as bloody. A visitor centre now explains what happened that day and how it changed Highland life.

The Scotsman of 2014 lists ghost stories told about the field. It says birds are said to stay silent where the fallen lie buried, and that ghosts of the anniversary variety are said to turn up on 16 April and reenact the clashes. It adds that broadswords clashing can apparently be heard. It also mentions a spectral black bird called the Great Scree of Culloden, which a Jacobite commander is said to have sighted on the eve of battle, and which the paper calls a bad omen.

Countryfile Magazine, in 2024, writes that phantoms are seen most often around the anniversary, though activity has been reported through the year. It describes the apparition of a slain Highlander, tall with drawn features, said to roam the moor, whispering "defeated" at anyone he meets.