Larkhall - Black Lady

Black Lady

The black lady of Larkhall was the wife of Captain McNeil, then owner of Broomhill House. She was brought to Larkhall by Captain McNeil after one of his many seafaring voyages. She was happy with her new life but her ignorance of Scottish customs made her a social outcast. The Captain forbade her to leave Broomhill House during the day.

Soon she was not seen at night either and the Captain claimed she had disappeared, but locals were suspicious. She soon returned, as her ghostly form appeared in the windows of Broomhill House and then later in Morgan Glen. It is not known if she ever got her revenge on the Captain but he did die prematurely.

When Broomhill House fell into disrepair the five hundredweight door lintel was moved to The Applebank Public House by five men. The next day it was found lying across the road from the public house.

In the 1960s a team from the Tonight programme visited Larkhall as they tried to perform the first televised exorcism. The cameras were frozen over in fine weather and after filming finished the director was killed in a road crash on his way to another location. He was found with a fence post impaled in his heart.

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