Esslemont Castle is a ruined tower house in
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area incl ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
. It is located on the A920 west of
Ellon Ellon may refer to:
*Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Ellon ( gd, Eilean) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan, which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the eastern coast of Scotla ...
and is designated a
scheduled ancient 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 and d ...
.
Etymology
The name ''Esslemont'' may be of
Brittonic origin and originate with the term corresponding to
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
''iselfynydd'', meaning "low hill".
History
The first mention of Esslemont is as the 'manor of Eislemont' in the 14th century.
The lands of Esslemont were passed by marriage from the family of Mareschal by marriage of the heiress Janet to
Francis le Chen of Straloch in the 14th century. The castle was burnt in 1493. John Cheyne obtained a licence to rebuild from
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 ...
in July 1500. He was permitted to build a tower as high as he liked, with iron
yett
A yett (from the Old English and Scots language word for "gate") is a gate or grille of latticed wrought iron bars used for defensive purposes in castles and tower houses. Unlike a portcullis, which is raised and lowered vertically using mech ...
s,
machicolation
A machicolation (french: mâchicoulis) is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water, hot sand, quicklime or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at ...
s, portcullis, drawbridges, and other "strengths". John Cheyne and his kin fought with Duncan Forbes in Aberdeen's Gallowgate in 1503.
In 1564 Patrick Cheyne was created baron of Esslemont by Queen Mary, who stayed here during her campaign against the
Earl of Huntly
Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') 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 existi ...
, and a fortalice and tower were recorded in 1575–6.
The castle was then destroyed as the result of a feud between the Cheynes and the Hays. The name of the lands, now as "Essilmounthe", appears in Scottish records in 1609.
The castle ceased to be regularly occupied in 1625, when the estate passed to the Errol family. In 1728 it became the property of Robert Gordon and may have been partially occupied till 1769, when the existing mansion,
Esslemont House Esslemont may refer to:
*Esslemont (surname)
*Esslemont railway station, railway station in Esslemont, Aberdeenshire
*Esslemont Castle
Esslemont Castle is a ruined tower house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located on the A920 west of Ellon ...
, was erected in its vicinity.
Excavations
In 1938 excavations within the enclosure revealed the lower courses of the earlier castle, a massive, L-shaped tower house with walls thick and maximum height. There had been a curtain wall thick. The surrounding ditch may date from the 14th century. Finds from the excavation included 14/15th century potsherds, a medallion, and a worn shilling of William III.
The castle today
The castle is roofless and missing large sections of wall which were reused in building sites nearby. Especially noticeable are the missing dressed stones of the windows. The structure is a L Plan castle with a staircase turret and a round tower at the south-east angle. The main building seems on the ground floor to have contained the kitchen, with a wide fireplace in the north gable; the rugged edges of the ruined sides of the flue being visible high up in the gable.
[David MacGibbon and Thomas Ross. ''Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland From the Twelfth to the Eighteenth Century.'' George Waterston & Sons: Edinburgh, 1889. Page 604.] Though ruined, the remains are clearly on three stories.
The Gordon Arms are visible on the exterior of the castle.
See also
*
Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the most powerful Scottish clans. The Gordon lands once spanned a large territory across the Highlands. Presently, Gordon is seated at Aboyne Castle, Aberdeenshire. The Chief of the c ...
*
Earl of Erroll
Earl of Erroll () is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1453 for Sir William Hay. The subsidiary titles held by the Earl of Erroll are ''Lord Hay'' (created 1449) and ''Lord Slains'' (1452), both in the Peerage of Scotland. ...
References
{{Formartine, Aberdeenshire places, state=uncollapsed
Castles in Aberdeenshire
Ruins in Aberdeenshire
Clan Cheyne
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Aberdeenshire