Corgarff Castle
| Corgarff Castle | ||
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 Corgarff Castle |
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| Creation time : | around 1550 | |
| Castle type : | Residential tower with bastion | |
| Conservation status: | preserved / restored | |
| Standing position : | Gentry | |
| Geographical location | 57 ° 9 '46.1 " N , 3 ° 14' 3.1" W | |
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Corgarff Castle is in the area of the small parish of Corgarff in Aberdeenshire , Scotland , about twelve kilometers southeast of Tomintoul . Its strategic position on the shortest connection between Greater Edinburgh and the Speyside , later on the militarily important road between Blairgowrie and Fort George , today's A939 , gave the castle an eventful history.
history
Early history
The builder of Corgarff Castle cannot be clearly identified. In 1507 the "Forest of Corgarff" lands were handed over by Jacob IV to Alexander Elphinstone (later 1st Lord Elphinstone ); his grandson received this area as a wedding present in 1546. Around 1550 the site went to John Forbes of Towie; Both he and Elphinstone's grandson may have built the original castle as a tower house with a castle wall. The former residential tower was similar in size and dimensions to today's building, but the curtain wall was much simpler and probably rectangular.
After Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned , the Forbes family supported Jacob VI's claims . The neighboring clan Gordon of Auchindoun at Dufftown , however, stood true to the claims of Maria Stuart. This created considerable tension and a feud between the Forbes and Gordon clans.
In November 1571, Adam Gordon of Auchindoun tried to take Corgarff Castle. The male defense attorneys were absent, but Margaret, John Forbes' pregnant wife, refused to surrender the castle. She even shot a member of Clan Gordon in the knee. The angry Adam Gordon then had the castle set on fire and all occupants killed. Margaret Forbes alone was able to save herself and fled to Ireland, where she later gave birth to John Forbes' son Alexander.
17th century and Jacobite revolts
From 1607 the castle served as a hideout for a band of local bandits who robbed and plundered the area. Around 1626, John Erskine, 18th Earl of Mar drove out the bandits and took over Corgarff Castle.
In 1645 the castle played an important role in the English Civil War . James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose and Commander of the Royal Forces in Scotland, used Corgarff Castle as a drafting ground for his soldiers.
During the Scottish Jacobite Rising of 1689 , Corgarff Castle was burned down again. The Jacobites wanted to prevent the castle from being used by supporters of William of Orange .
In 1715, John Erskine, 23rd Earl of Mar led the First Jacobite Rising . From Kildrummy Castle he came to Corgarff Castle, where he gathered and armed his troops for the further campaign. After the lost uprising, the castle was burned down again; the Earl of Mar's estates were confiscated.
After that, the government returned the castle to the Forbes family. But already 30 years later, during the Second Jacobite Uprising , the castle was used again by the Jacobites, this time as an arsenal. However , a 400-strong royal troop rushing through the snow in the forced march from Aberdeen was able to take the castle by surprise in 1746.
From 1748 Corgarff Castle was used as accommodation for government troops, who had to monitor the Highland Clearances from here and prevent the trade in prohibited materials. A small garrison was stationed in the castle, which consisted of an officer and 50 non-commissioned officers and soldiers. Half of the troops were on active duty, while the others were billeted in the area. Initially despised as an occupier, this rejection did not last long, as evidenced by births at Corgarff Castle. The current state of the castle dates from this time, apart from a few minor modifications. The defensive measures built, especially the bastion , were never needed again.
Victorian period until today
Troops remained stationed in the castle for the next 50 years, even if their importance declined and towards the end only a few invalids were on duty. In 1802 Corgarff Castle was given to private owners and used as a farm. In 1827 it was bought again by the government and used as a barracks to fight illegal whiskey distilleries and smugglers from here. This use lasted until 1831, after which the castle stood empty and began to deteriorate.
Later, the castle was built by the Ross sisters, called Castle Ladies inhabited the Corgarff Castle in the First World War left.
In 1947 the Stockdale family bought the surrounding land. They began to restore the castle, which had meanwhile fallen into ruin. In 1961 the castle was placed under the supervision of the state; Historic Scotland took over management and upgraded the facility to the state of around 1748.
In 1979 the Stockdale family transferred the entire property including the castle to the Lonach Highland Friendly Society .
description
Even if not much of the original substance of the castle is visible after the renovation work of the 18th century, the military documents of the Board of Ordnance give a good description of the original appearance:
A rectangular tower house, measuring about 12 mx 8 m at the base and about 15 meters high with four floors. On the first floor there are two stone vaulted cellars as storage rooms, only illuminated by loopholes. On the first floor there is access to the castle and two unequally large rooms: the hall with small windows, a large fireplace and a lavatory and a small kitchen. The second floor was divided into two and the third floor into three rooms of roughly the same size, which served the lords of the castle as private chambers. All floors were connected by a spiral staircase, and a machicolation above the entrance served as the last defense . The whole complex was surrounded by a curtain wall with small huts inside.
The conversion measures are also documented:
The hall on the first floor was used as the living room and bedroom of the commanding officer, as well as his office and office. The floors above were converted into soldiers' quarters. NCOs were given their own bed, the crews had to share a bed for two. Two single-story, flat buildings called pavilions were added to the tower . The western building contained the bakery and brewery, while the eastern building housed the guardroom and prison. The existing circular wall was torn down and replaced by a star-shaped, bastion-like wall with loopholes.
literature
- Martin Coventry: The Castles of Scotland . Goblinshead, Edinburgh 2006.
- Iain MacIvor, Chris Tabraham: Corgarff Castle . Buccleuch, Hawick 1993.
- Damien Noonan: Castles & Ancient Monuments of Scotland . Daily Telegraph, London 2000.
Web links
- Corgarff Castle. Historic Scotland , accessed September 20, 2014 .
- Corgarff Castle. Castles and city walls in Europe , accessed September 20, 2014 .
- Corgarff Castle. Scotland.com , accessed September 20, 2014 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c MacIver / Tabraham, 1993 ; P. 4
- ↑ a b c d e MacIver / Tabraham, 1993 ; P. 6
- ↑ MacIver / Tabraham, 1993 ; P. 8
- ↑ MacIver / Tabraham, 1993 ; P. 9
- ↑ MacIver / Tabraham, 1993 ; P. 10
- ↑ MacIver / Tabraham, 1993 ; P. 11
- ↑ MacIver / Tabraham, 1993 ; P. 14
- ↑ MacIver / Tabraham, 1993 ; P. 16
- ↑ MacIver / Tabraham, 1993 ; P. 17
- ↑ MacIver / Tabraham, 1993 ; P. 18f.