Scotland’s Edinburgh Vaults

Author: MaKayla Sims

Caption: Picture of Edinburgh Vaults Constuction 

The Edinburgh Vaults are a series of underground chambers located in the South Bridge in Edinburgh, Scotland. The vaults were constructed in 1788. A mysterious rumor lies that paranormal activity takes place beneath the streets of Edinburgh known as the underground city. It is said to be curse because the judge’s wife during this time was supposed to be the first to cross the bridge when it was first constructed because she was the oldest citizen, however, the woman died the day before its opening and the first person to cross the bridge was in a casket!  “The majority of the townsfolk refused point blank to cross the bridge for many years, preferring instead the awkward and impractical route through the deep valley of the Cowgate” (Palmer). After this happen, suspicion began to come about leaving fear in the minds of the residents of Edinburgh

Hidden Tour by Isabelle Vlogs 

Today, many people take tours through the underground vaults of Edinburgh. It is said that you can hear the voices of the dead in the rooms of the vaults. Tour guides often tell stories about the history of Edinburgh and the paranormal activity that is said to take place in these vaults. Many people that were in poverty or homeless found the underground city of Edinburgh to become their homes. However, due to the conditions of these homes, many died. There is a well-known story about a little 10-year-old girl named Annie that was killed in the underground city. It is said that she roams around looking for her lost doll as she wears a ‘dirty white dress and boots (Hotson). In Hotson’s article, she explains how a Japanese psychic, Aiko, encountered a moment with the spirit Annie in which she expressed being upset about her lost doll, so Aiko went and bought her another one.

Photo of William Burke and William Hare , Houlton Archive, Getty Images

In the early 1800’s, Edinburgh was the home of the infamous serial killers known as Burke and Hare. William Burke and William Hare found each other when they realized that they had interest in the medical field. However, their thoughts were extremely twisted. The two had the idea that if they could dissect the bodies of humans, they would get ahead of the medical team in Edinburgh. They began to grave-rob, which means that they dug up graves and took the bodies from caskets. When found that it was difficult to get great research from these decaying bodies, the two relied on “fresh bodies.” The two went on a killing spree, first targeting a young couple walking down the darkness beneath these streets. The two continued to “gain research” by going on a killing spree and killed 17 people in order to dissect their bodies (Top 10 Crime Duos). However, William Hare was never found guilty because there was no evidence pointing him to these vicious crimes, and he had to testify against his dear friend William Burke. Burke was found guilty and hanged in from of the town of Edinburgh. Here’s how the irony applies; Burke was publicly dissected in front of the Edinburgh Medical Center where his skeleton remains on display (Top 10 Crime Duos). 

References: 

Hotson, Elizabeth. “Exploring the Lure of Edinburgh’s Dark Tourism.” BBC News, 31 Oct. 2014. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-29832743.

Palmer, Claire. “Edinburgh Vaults.” HistoricUK, Accessed on March 23 2019. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Edinburgh-Vaults/

StrangeRemains. “The Skeleton of William Burke, Body on Display.” Strange Remains, 4 Sept. 2013. https://strangeremains.com/2013/09/04/body-snatcher-on-display-william-burke/

“Top 10 Crime Duos.” Time, Accessed on March 27 2019. http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1900368_1900369_1900364,00.html

The Curse of King Tutankhamen

Aaron Gooley


Egypt was a land ruled by kings and pharaohs. These men were treated like gods, they had power over all lf there land, and everyone worshipped them. When a king would die it was a ritual to have massive burial tombs with grand celebrations. The tombs were filled with many riches including, gold, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. Some kings would die before the tombs were even finished. After time passed grave robbers would break into the tombs and steal the jewels inside.
There was one particular king named Tutankhamen. King Tut was also referred to as the Boy-King only because of the age he came to the throne. King Tut was fourteen when he was crowned king and died at the age of nineteen. He is one of the most well-known Egyptian kings because of his mysterious past. King Tut was the only known king whose tomb had not been discovered. It was said that the king who replaced him had Tut’s name erased from all records (Radford).
   
A man named Howard Carter set off on an excavation mission to find the tomb of King Tut. His expedition was funded by a wealthy Englishman who they called Lord Carnovarn. Howard was a very motivated man and stopped at nothing until his job was complete. He searched a famous strip of land called the VALLEY OF KINGS where may kings were buried. He still came up short after searching for many years, until one day when a man on his excavation team found a step that lead nowhere. Eventually the team dug down and found more steps until they reached a door with a sign that read “TUTANKHAMEN” (Smithsonian Journeys). The tomb had been buried under another king’s tomb completely sealing it off. When Howard and Lord Carnovarn entered the tomb it was untouched.  After discovering the tomb, the media took over, from interviews to viewings of the tomb.

The tomb was filled with Gold, and many other jewels, but what laid in the middle of the room was King Tut’s casket where his mummy was held. The casket was made mainly of gold
           
After a few weeks had passed Lord Carnovarn was bitten on the cheek by a mosquito causing him to become ill. One-night Lord Carnovarn was speaking to his daughter about his illness and suddenly passed away (Rompalski). This event was what sparked the curse. Many rumors started following this event including that Howard Carter found a tablet that read “Those who disturb the king at rest will suffer (Radford).” Carter claimed these acquisitions were false, but they continued to arise. After Carnovarns death many different tragic events followed like more suspicious deaths.
Researchers have been studying this case for many decades and still cannot figure out if the curse was real. There really is no way to scientifically tell if the occurrences were related to the tomb. However, some scientists have created a theory that the cause of the deaths may be related to mold spores that have grown overtime inside the tomb. The one thing that keeps the speculations down is that Howard Carter, the man who opened and discovered the tomb, was around Tut the most and was in the tomb more than anyone. Carter lived to be 68 (Smithsonian Journeys), which was an average age back then.

In my opinion the curse is not real and was an act from the media. They most likely were trying to get citizens scared and worried. The media were the ones who started the rumor about Carter finding a tablet warning anyone who entered would be cursed. The curse has bought a lot of attention to itself, and many years of research. To this day there is no reasonable explanation behind the events that happened over the course of those years, but after researching it appears that there have been no recent happenings.
           
The curse will most likely pass down to younger generations, but in the end I feel it will eventually fade away.
 

Works Cited:

“King Tutankhamen’s Tomb.” Photograph. Crystalinks.  Crystalinks. Web. 20 Oct. 2015

Dunn, Jimmy. “King Tut’s Coffins.” Photograph. Toureygypt. Toureygypt. Web. 20 Oct. 2015

Radford, Benjamin. “The Curse of King Tut: Facts & Fable.” Did the financer pay with his life? 2014. Web. 21 March 2014.

Rompalske, Dorothy. "King Tut's Tomb, Buried Treasure, And The Curse." Biography 4.9 (2000): 80. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.