Balvenie Castle is a ruined
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 ...
1 km north of
Dufftown
Dufftown ( ) is a burgh in Moray, Scotland. While the town is part of the historic Mortlach parish, the town was established and laid out in the early 19th century as part of a planned new town settlement. The town has several listed 19th centur ...
in the
Moray
Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...
region of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
History
Originally known as ''Mortlach'', it was built in the 12th century by a branch of the powerful
Comyn family (the ''Black Comyns'') and was extended and altered in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The castle fell out of use following an attack by
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 1308, which left the property uninhabitable. At some point in the 14th century, the castle and estates of Balvenie passed to the Earl of Douglas. Nothing is documented as to how the
Black Douglases first acquired the castle but the most likely account is that it came with the marriage of the heiress Joanna Murray to
Archibald '' 'the Grim' '', 3rd Earl of Douglas in 1362. His son and successor
Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas granted his younger brother
James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas, latterly known as
James '' 'the Gross' '', the lordship of Balvenie in 1408. James's main residence was at
Abercorn Castle, a coastal fortress to the west of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
and Balvenie Castle's use was as temporary accommodation when the need arose.
In 1440,
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas, was killed by James the Gross, probably in a conspiracy with William Crichton and Alexander Livingston of Callendar, the guardians of the then child-king James II. James 'the Gross then became the 7th earl. James immediately provided the lordship of Balvenie with its castle to his youngest son,
John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie. Earl James's death in 1443 signalled a resumption of the hostility between the royal Stewarts and the Black Douglases. The
Battle of Arkinholm in May 1455 saw the defeat of this, the main Douglas line by an army loyal to James II. All of their lands and titles were forfeited to the Crown, including Balvenie Castle. King James divided up the estates among his supporters, which included the Douglas Earl of Angus and provided Balvenie Castle to Sir
John Stewart, who later became the first
Earl of Atholl.
William Duff committed suicide in the castle in 1718 and it was effectively abandoned at that point. It was used by Hanoverian forces as an encampment in 1746 during the second Jacobite rebellion.
Today, the remains of the castle are managed 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 ...
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 ...
.
However, ownership continues in private hands; the current owner is Jeremy Duncan Nicholson, Baron of Balvenie, who resides in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. The castle is open to the public from the beginning of April to the end of September.
Balvenie whisky is produced by
William Grant & Sons at the Balvenie distillery down the hill from the castle.
References
External links
*Historic Environment Scotland
Visitor guide Take a Virtual Tour Around Balvenie Castle
{{Authority control
Castles in Moray
Clan Murray
Ruined castles in Scotland
Scheduled monuments in Moray
Historic Environment Scotland properties in Moray
Glen Fiddich