Knockhall Castle is a historic

Scottish castle Castles are buildings that combine fortifications and residence, and many were built within the borders of modern Scotland. They arrived in Scotland with the introduction of feudalism in the twelfth century. Initially these were wooden motte-an ...

near to Newburgh,

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 ...

History

The castle was built by William Sinclair, 5th Lord Sinclair of Newburgh and completed sometime in 1565.

James VI James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

stayed on 9 July 1589. There is a stone door lintel carved with the date '1589’ in commemoration of the royal visit. John Sinclair, 10th Lord Sinclair sold the castle to Clan Udny in 1634. The building was damaged in 1639 when taken by the

Earl Marischal The title of Earl Marischal was created in the Peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland. History The office of Marischal of Scotland (or ''Marascallus Scotie'' or ''Marscallus Scotiae'') had been hereditary, held ...

for the

Covenanter Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son C ...

s, but was later returned to Udny hands. The Clan occupied the castle until 1734, when an accidental fire caused extensive damage to the building. The Clan then moved back into their other property, Udny Castle.

Jamie Fleeman Jamie Fleeman or Fleeming (1713–1778) was better known as "the Laird of Udny's Fool" or "the Laird of Udny's Fule" in the Scots language. Although described as a fool, he had a reputation for his clever, witty repartee and many anecdotal tales ...

, the Laird of Udny's fool, is credited with saving the life of the family in the fire. The castle remains a ruin to this day and is designated 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 ...

. Reports in late 2019 indicated that the castle was for sale but redevelopment would require planning permission.

References

External links

Houses completed in 1565 Ruined castles in Aberdeenshire 1565 establishments in Scotland Scheduled monuments in Aberdeenshire {{Scotland-castle-stub