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The Greyfriars Kirkyard Poltergeist 1999–Present, Edinburgh, Scotland
Aug 21, 2025
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0:00
Welcome to Wild But True with Malcolm
0:02
Walker. This time we moving into
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something spooky. And one of the top
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requested topics was modern ghosts.
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That's right, ghosts that are haunting
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us even today. And since I do love a
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good ghost story, this is a historic
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burial ground that dates back to 1820,
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but it was NT always known as Gray
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Fryers. Was originally called the
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Westkerk, then later the new Calaine
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Cemetery. It wasn't until 1999 that it
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got its current name Gray Fryers.
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Kirkyard or churchyard. That's also when
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things started getting weird. In 1999,
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visitors to the cemetery reported being
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scratched up, bruised, and even knocked
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unconscious by an invisible force. Some
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claimed they had been hit by objects
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thrown by unseen hands. Others said
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they'd felt a ghostly touch, like
0:49
someone had reached out and squeezed
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their shoulder. But when they turned
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around, there was no one there. It got
0:54
so bad that Edinburgh city council had
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to put up warning signs telling people
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not to go into the cemetery at night.
1:00
Because you see, it all started after a
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local historian named Shawn Baxter
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uncovered the remains of an old wall
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within the graveyard and used a metal
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detector to identify where people had
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been buried,
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including those who died from chalera
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and tuberculosis epidemics in the 19th
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century. They were disinterred and
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reeried in mass graves. It's believed
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that this disturbed the spirit of one
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man in particular, a man known as Bluey
1:26
George McKenzie, who had been buried
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there in 1731.
1:30
Now, McKenzie was a very real person
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who'd served as an officer in the
1:34
British army, but he got his nickname
1:36
because of what happened after he died.
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See, when he was initially buried, the
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grave was marked with a stone slab, but
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it was stolen sometime in the following
1:44
centuries, possibly to make a paper
1:46
weighter doors stop. And so, over time,
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his remains were lost. Then in 1983, his
1:52
descendants paid to have a new headstone
1:54
erected over his grave, only for it to
1:56
be defaced with obscene graffiti. His
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bones were disturbed once again when the
2:01
site was redeveloped in 1999. And ever
2:04
since then, visitors have reported
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hearing chains dragging metal moans, and
2:09
the sound of people screaming and being
2:11
tortured. Some even say they can hear
2:13
music in the wind and smell the scent of
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burning oil. Is this really the work of
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a ghost? Well, there are certainly
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plenty of stories to choose from. For
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instance, there is the tale of the woman
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who came to visit the grave of her
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deceased husband and was scratched so
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badly by an invisible force that she
2:31
needed hospital treatment or the story
2:35
of the young couple who stood by the
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McKenzie monument and heard disembodied
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whispers directly in their ears. Then
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there asked the account of the girl who
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took her dog for a walk through the
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cemetery and felt something grab hold of
2:46
her ankle, causing her to fall to the
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ground face first. When she turned
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around, she saw her dog growling at
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nothing. And then just like that, the
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growling ceased and her dog became
2:58
still. When she finally looked up, she
3:01
saw the gravestone looming over her with
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the inscription, "Beware of the dog."
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There are so many reports of strange
3:07
occurrences at this cemetery that some
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paranormal investigators believe it may
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be the site of a portal or some kind of
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interdimensional rift. Honestly, if I
3:17
were you, I wouldn't want to test that
3:19
theory by going to Edinburgh anytime
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soon. Not until May, at least. That way,
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you can avoid Robbie Burns night, which
3:26
is celebrated every January. You know,
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just in case you're planning on spending
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the holiday in Edinburgh. Thanks for
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watching, everyone. If you enjoyed this
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video, be sure to let me know by giving
3:36
it a like and subscribing for more
3:37
historical hauntings.