Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

, Scotland. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles dating from the 13th century to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar. It is owned today by

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) () is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the merger of government agency Historic Sc ...

and is open to the public as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

with gardens that are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

History

The castle was probably built in the mid-13th century under

Gilbert de Moravia Gilbert de Moravia (died 1245), later known as Saint Gilbert of Dornoch, or Gilbert of Caithness, was the most famous Bishop of Caithness and founder of Dornoch Cathedral. His name may suggest that he came from the semi-Gaelicized family of ...

. It has been posited that siting of Kildrummy Castle was influenced by the location of the

Grampian Grampian () was one of nine local government regions of Scotland. It was created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and took its name from the Grampian Mountains. The regional council was based in Aberdeen. The region was abol ...

Mounth The Mounth ( ) is the broad upland in northeast Scotland between the Highland Boundary and the River Dee, at the eastern end of the Grampians. Name and etymology The name ''Mounth'' is ultimately of Pictish origin. The name is derived from ...

trackway Historic roads (or historic trails in the US and Canada) are paths or routes that have historical importance due to their use over a period of time. Examples exist from prehistoric times until the early 20th century. They include ancient track ...

crossings, particularly the

Elsick Mounth The Elsick Mounth is an ancient trackway crossing the Grampian Mountains in the vicinity of Netherley, Scotland. This trackway was one of the few means of traversing the Grampian Mounth area in prehistoric and medieval times. The highest pass o ...

and Cryne Corse Mounth. Kildrummy Castle underwent

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

numerous times in its history, first in defence of the family of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...

in August–September 1306 (leading to the executions of

Nigel Bruce William Nigel Ernle Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953) was an English character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of films and in the radio series '' The New Adventures of Sherlo ...

and many other Scots), and again in 1335 by David of Strathbogie. On this occasion

Christina Bruce Christian or Christina Bruce (c. 1278 – 1356/1357), also known as Christian or Christina de Brus, was a daughter of Marjorie, Countess of Carrick, and her husband, Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale, Robert de Brus, ''jure uxoris'' Earl of ...

held off the attackers until her husband Sir Andrew Murray came to her rescue. In the reign of David II, Walter Maule of Panmure was warden of Kildrummy Castle. In 1403-4 Alexander Stewart, murdered Sir Malcolm Drummond and then took his widow,

Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar ( 13601408) was Countess of Mar. Life Isabel was the sister of the famous James 2nd Earl of Douglas and Earl of Mar, who died leading the Scots to victory at the Battle of Otterburn, and daughter of William Do ...

, by force and laid claim to Kildrummy and the title of "

Earl of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. Th ...

". In 1435 it was taken over by

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

and became a royal castle. In 1468

Henry Kinghorn Henry Kinghorn or de Kingorne was a Scottish clergyman, courtier, and steward or seneschal to Mary of Guelders, the wife of James II of Scotland. He also held the financial office of Chamberlain in Garioch and Brechin. Most of what is known of his ...

was keeper of Kildrummy Castle for James III and spent £100 Scots on building works and repairs.

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...

granted the keeping of Kildrummy and its lands to

Alexander Elphinstone, 1st Lord Elphinstone Alexander Elphinstone, 1st Lord Elphinstone (died 9 September 1513) was a Scottish Peerage, peer. He was the son of Sir John Elphinstone of that ilk and of Pittendreich. Courtier and administrator He was first known as "Alexander Elphinstone of ...

and his wife Elizabeth Barlow in 1507. The castle passed from the

Clan Elphinstone Clan Elphinstone is a Lowland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pa ...

to the

Clan Erskine Clan Erskine is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Publish ...

before being abandoned in 1716 following the failure of the

Jacobite Rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Francis Edward Stuart, James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland ...

. In 1538 the castle was raided by John Strachan, the young laird of Lenturk, who took furnishings and fixtures. Strachan brought a blacksmith to remove the ironwork from the windows and doors. Some of the metal was turned into horseshoes and used to mend ploughs at the Kirktoun of Glenbuchat. In May 1585 Margaret Haldane, the wife of David Erskine, Commendator of Dryburgh, was held at Kildrummy in the custody of the Master of Elphinstone. In 1645 Robert Farquharson of Invercauld was the keeper of Kildrummy Castle for the

and his son Lord Erskine. The laird of Glenkindie also helped to keep the castle, fearing the depredations that a garrison of outsider or "stranger" soldiers would make on his lands.

Architecture

Kildrummy Castle is "shield-shaped" in plan with a number of independent

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

s. The flat side of the castle overlooks a steep

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. Ravines may also be called a cleuch, dell, ...

; moreover, on the opposite side of the castle the walls come to a point, which was once defended by a massive twin-towered gatehouse. The castle also had a keep, called the ''Snow Tower'', taller than the other towers, built in the French style, as at

Bothwell Castle Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle, sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located between Bothwell and Uddingston, about south-east of Glasgow. Construction of the castle wa ...

. Extensive earthworks protected the castle, including a dry

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

and the ravine. Most of the castle foundations are now visible, along with most of its lower-storey walls.

Archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

excavations in 1925 uncovered decorative stone flooring and evidence of battles.

Today

The castle was given into the care of the Ministry of Works in 1951, and is now owned by its successor organisation,

. The castle and its gardens, in the quarry used to excavate stone for the castle, are both open to the public. A hotel (the ''Kildrummy Castle Hotel'') has been built on the old estate, overlooking the ruins. Kildrummy Castle was the venue for the Scottish Sculpture Open, sometimes known as the Kildrummy Open, organised by the Scottish Sculpture Workshop from 1981 to 1997.

References

External links

*Historic Environment Scotland
Visitor guideTake a winter Virtual Tour around the Castle Ruins
{{Marr, Aberdeenshire places, state = collapsed Wars of Scottish Independence Ruined castles in Aberdeenshire 13th-century fortifications Historic Environment Scotland properties in Aberdeenshire Scheduled monuments in Aberdeenshire Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Gardens in Aberdeenshire