Aboyne Castle is a 13th-century

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

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 north of the town of

Aboyne Aboyne (, ) is a village on the edge of the Scottish Highlands, Highlands in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, Aberdeenshire, River Dee, approximately west of Aberdeen. It has a swimming pool at Aboyne Academy, all-weather tennis cou ...

(Grid Reference NO5299). The location of Aboyne Castle was selected for its strategic position near the River Dee and controlling the northern end of one of the

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 ...

crossings.Simpson, W. Douglas. ''The Early Castles of Mar'', Proceedings of the Society: 102, 10 December 1928 Aboyne Castle was formerly

derelict Derelict may refer to: Law * Derelict, property that has been abandoned or deserted ** Derelict (maritime), property which has been abandoned and deserted at sea without any hope of recovery Arts, entertainment, and media Music * "Dead Man's Ch ...

, but was restored by the present

Marquess of Huntly Marquess of Huntly is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing marquessate in Scotland, and the second-oldest in the British Isles; only the English ma ...

in 1979.

Architecture

The castle was constructed by the Bysets, lords of Strathdee and Aboyne, before 1233, as a

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

sent instructions for its fortification in 1307. It was later turned into a stone

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

. In 1671,

Charles Gordon, 1st Earl of Aboyne Charles Gordon, 1st Earl of Aboyne (c1638 – March 1681). The fourth son of George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly and Lady Anne Campbell, he was created 1st Earl of Aboyne and 1st Lord Gordon of Strathaven and Glenlivet by Letters Patent on 10 S ...

rebuilt the west wing as a

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...

, parts of which are still visible. His son, the 2nd Earl, added a mansion house in 1701:

George Gordon, 9th Marquess of Huntly George Gordon, 9th Marquess of Huntly, (28 June 1761 – 17 June 1853), styled Lord Strathavon until 1795 and Earl of Aboyne from 1795 to 1836, was a Scotland, Scottish peer and soldier. Early life George was the son of Charles Gordon, 4th Ear ...

added an east wing in 1801. In 1869, kitchen improvements were made using granite and

stepped gable A stepped gable, crow-stepped gable, or corbie step is a stairstep type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in ...

s. The Mansion House was updated in the 1880s by Sir Cunliffe Brooks by adding baronial-style ornamentation. George Truefitt did some restoration work in the later part of the 19th century. The castle was remodelled in 1986 by

Ian Begg Ian Forbes Begg (12 February 1911 – 18 March 1989) was an Anglican prelate who served in the Scottish Episcopal Church as the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney from 1973 to 1976. Biography He was born on 12 February 1911, the son of the Revere ...

The structure is three storeys with a basement and attic. The east elevation is symmetrical, while the north (entrance), south, and west are asymmetrical. A heraldic panel is located between the second and third windows of the north elevation, as is a decorative ironwork

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

and a weathercock finial. There is a baronial tower house, an angled tower to the north-west, a four-storey basement, and an attic tower to the north. The oldest section of the castle is the north-west which incorporates a balustrade atop a five-storey circular tower that is

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

led to square. This tower was replicated later at the north-east. The castle is harled and lime washed. Eaves are courses, there are several

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...

s, a possible secret passageway, and a monk's room. There are a number of small-pane windows, as well as a grey slate roof with tiled ridge. A doorway to the principal floor is reached by stone steps, and a small-pane glazed timber door is located to the right of the basement. Immediately to the north of the castle, there is a harled wall with an enclosed courtyard.

Ownership

In 1242, after the expulsion from Scotland of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and Walter Byset of

Clan Bissett Clan Bissett (''Bisey, Byset, Bisset or Bissert'') is a Scottish clan. The clan is recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms but does not have a clan chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, therefore the clan has no standing under Scots L ...

, who had been accused of the murder of

Patrick Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

Earl of Atholl The Mormaer or Earl of Atholl was the title of the holder of a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl (''Ath Fodhla''), now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is repor ...

, at

Haddington, East Lothian The Royal Burgh of Haddington (, ) is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the six ...

, Aboyne Castle passed to the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

in that year. It passed next to the Frasers of

Cowie Cowie may refer to: People *Cowie (surname) Places *Cowie, Aberdeenshire, an historic fishing village located at the north side of Stonehaven, Scotland **Cowie Castle, a ruined castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland **Chapel of St. Mary and St. Nathal ...

, before passing yet again, this time by marriage, to Sir William de Keith, Great Marischal of Scotland, around 1355. In 1449, Keith's great-granddaughter, Joan, brought the castle by marriage to

Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Huntly (died 15 July 1470), who adopted the family name of Gordon from about 1457, was a powerful 15th-century Scottish magnate. He was knighted in 1439/1440 and was Lord of Badenoch, Gordon, Strathbogie and Cluny. ...

(1449). Its present owner is the

, whose family has owned it since the early 15th century.

Grounds

There is a large extent of planted policies on both sides of the River Dee, including ornamental plantations and the

Loch of Aboyne Loch of Aboyne is a shallow, artificial formed, freshwater loch in Grampian, Scotland. It lies northeast of Aboyne and west-southwest of Aberdeen. An earthen dam was constructed around 1834 to retain the loch. It also served as a reservoir for a ...

. On the Upper Dee, Aboyne Castle grounds are used as a

fly-fishing Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is ins ...

fish beat. It is fished in agreement with Glen Tanar Estate (Craigendinnie Beat). Within the Aboyne Castle Policies, there is included an artificial, islet-studded Loch of Aboyne measuring 3 × 2 fur. The burn of Aboyne has kept its ancient name, Allach, only near the castle where the Allach Bridge was built over the burn.

Relic

The Formaston Stone, a relic of historical importance, is preserved. Dating from between 800 and 1000, it has a mirror symbol, a decorated

Celtic cross upright 0.75 , A Celtic cross symbol The Celtic cross is a form of ringed cross, a Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring, that emerged in the British Isles and Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages. It became widespread through its u ...

, and an

Ogham inscription Roughly 400 inscriptions in the ogham alphabet are known from stone monuments scattered around the Irish Sea, the bulk of them dating to the fifth and sixth centuries. The language of these inscriptions is predominantly Primitive Irish, but a ...

Preservation

Aboyne Castle, including its gateway, courtyard, and northern boundary walls became a category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

on 24 November 1972. Several other structures became listed building such as the early 19th century walled garden, garden house and the Wee House, listed at category C(s) on 30 March 2000; and the triple span, segmental-arched Allach Bridge, constructed in 1787 of coursed grey granite, category B on 30 March 2000.

References

{{Coord, 57.0846, -2.7833, type:landmark_region:GB-ABD, display=title Castles in Aberdeenshire Category B listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Listed castles in Scotland Clan Bissett Lowland castles House of Gordon