There are many tales about Huntingtower - from visits by Mary Queen of Scots to the story of Dorothea and her leap of faith. There are also lots of ghost stories including tales that say Dorothea herself, also known as Lady Greensleeves, still haunts the towers. Pupils from Perth High School have written their own poems in Scots that are inspired by the stories of Huntingtower Castle.
Poem by Isla Ruddock, Megan Lees, and Arabella Brown
A lassie moved tae Perth fae Leeds,
And decided tae git sunfloor seeds,
So tae Dobbies she gaes, but taks a wrang turn
Intae Huntingtour castle insteid.
Whilst wanderin aboot, she met a lass in green
They yattered askin “ fir’s yer floor seed?”
Sae sleekit Lady Greensleaves led her tae the roof an
CRASH
Doon the lassie went. An as her spirit floated oot
She remarked
“I dinna think yon wis Dobbies”
Poem by Winston Flynn, David Steward, and Leo McGillivray
Huntingtower is an auld castle
Built by the ruthless Ruthvens.
It’s a castle fu o history
Fae a quine who jamp a gap
Tae Mary Queen o Scots steying the nicht.
But wan story that stauns oot fae a the rest
Is aboot a quine cried Dorothea.
She wis a lassie fa winted tae get mairret
Tae a loony cad, John.
Baith wid hide fae her mither and faither
One nicht she ran awa
A leap o faith
Bit they lived happily ever efter.
Poem by Flora Wylie
Sum hink Dorothea is the only ghaist
At Huntingtour castle,
But yer wrang.
There are far too mony tae coont.
In canon holes, the cludgie, unner tables
Bed, fire places fir the lowe is het;
Even oan rooftaps.
But yer nae alood
intae yon gap atween
Dorothea’s bourie
She cannae move
She cannae leave
A ither ghaists hink her frichtsome
She skirls a day n a nicht
Naebody tae hear.
Sassenachs come, but niver leave
Her ghaistly wally coupon the last
They’ll keek.
Poem by Miriam Flutur and Nicoleta Scutareanu
Yince upon a time
There wis a lassie cad Dorothea.
She bide at Huntingtower castle,
dreamin o a laddie named John.
Her folks didna agree.
Tae mak her happy they let her meet him.
John slept in the West tower
Dorothea in the East.
Yin evenin Dorothea winted tae veesit John.
She wisna alood. She couldna let her mither hear.
She panicked kenning she wis in trouble.
The only option wis tae pit hersel in danger.
Reaching the tap o the castle, tae the battlements she crept.
Standing at the tallest pairt.
She foond herself wi naywhere to ging.
Scared
Gaitherin a her claes: skirts wrapped aroon tight.
Takin a muckle breath
Jamp
The pair ran awa and lived
Happily ever efter.