Dalry House

Edinburgh's Dalry House is located in Orwell Place near Haymarket and dates back to 1661. For several hundred years it has been said to have been haunted by of one of Edinburgh's ghosts: the spirit of a one armed man, known unimaginatively as Johnny One Arm.

Johnny One Arm

Johnny One Arm is believed to have been one John Chiesly. Chiesly lived in Edinburgh during the seventeenth century. In 1688 divorced his wife, as a result of which local magistrate Sir George Lockhart decreed that Chiesley should pay a substantial annual settlement to his ex-wife.

The thought of paying a large annual alimony upset Chiesley. He grew so annoyed that after church one Sunday he shot and killed Sir George. Chiesley was captured and found guilty of Sir Lockhart's murder. He was tortured, his right arm (which had held the gun) cut off painfully and he was hanged. His body was left hanging from the gallows as an example to others, however one night it disappeared. It was assumed that the body was secretly taken down by one Chiesly's friends for burial.

Since then there have been reports of a one armed spectre being seen in the area. The ghost appeared to be in pain and if approached would scream and curse.

Just a scary story to tell around the fireplace? Perhaps, but in 1965 a skeleton was found beneath a Dalry cottage - a 300 year old skeleton with only one arm.