A North-east museum welcomed a ghostly presence this weekend as part of its latest residency.

Gary Brindley, a member of the Ury Players, played the part of former jailer Adam Hood to help entertain the facility’s visitors with tales of former prisoners – some of whom met their fate at the hands of the hangman.

A spokesman for the museum said: “Adam was born in 1700 within the Tolbooth where his father was the Jailer. Adam’s Grandfather had also been the Jailer before that. Adam lived with his parents and Grandfather in a small set of rooms at the back and adjoining the Tolbooth.

“At 14, immediately after his Grandfather’s death Adam became apprentice to his father and when his father died in 1725 he took over as the Tolbooth Jailer. He was sufficient in writing and reading to ensure that all the paperwork regarding prisoners individual sentences and terms of incarcerations were adhered to etc.

“His mother came from more gentile stock and some say she was the result of a union by the master of Dunnottar, the mighty 5th Earl Marschal of Scotland andher mother who was a serving wench within the Castle.

“Adam himself died in 1750 in unexplained circumstances having failed to return to the Tolbooth after leaving the Ship Inn late one night.

"Adam may have fallen into the sea but as his body was never found it is hard to say. His spirit, however, still roams the Tolbooth.”

The Tolbooth – which was opened as a museum by the Queen Mother in 1963 - was closed by Aberdeenshire Council officials in March and all the artefacts were removed as the authority battles to cut £58million from its budget over the next two years.

A group of volunteers from Stonehaven Town Partnership, Stonehaven and District Community Council and the local heritage society revived the facility however and it reopened earlier this year.

The museum – which is open Tuesday-Sunday between 1.30pm-4.30pm now has more than 40 volunteers and is averaging more then 100 visitors a day.