Dudhope Castle

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Dudhope Castle from the east
Dudhope Castle: Ideal restoration
Impression by an artist of Dudhope Castle in the early 19th century.

Dudhope Castle is a late medieval tower block on the south side of Dundee Law in the Scottish city ​​of Dundee .

history

The castle was originally built by the Scrymgeour clan as a small residential tower at the end of the 13th century. This was replaced around 1460 and then expanded in 1580 to its current L-shaped floor plan with additional "angle" towers, although the latter were demolished again in the 18th century.

After the death of John Scrimgeour , 13th or 14th constable and 1st Earl of Dundee , King Charles II of England ignored the existence of a rightful heir, John Scrimgeour of Kirkton , and gave Dudhope Castle and the office of constable to Charles Maitland , the younger brother of the Earl of Lauderdale .

In 1684 Maitland sold Dudhope Castle after getting into financial difficulties to John Graham of Claverhouse , better known as Bonnie Dundee . Bonnie Dundee left his castle in 1689 for the Battle of Killiecrankie ; the victory there was paid for with his wounding and ultimately his death. Therefore, the king lent Dudhope Castle to Archibald Douglas in 1694 . The Douglas family was the last family to live at Dudhope Castle until around 1790. The history of Dudhope Castle and its constables is thus inextricably linked to the history of Dundee. The office of constable and the keeping of Dudhope Castle were carried out by four different families, as shown above. The Scrymgeours held the posts for about 370 years.

The Douglas family held Dudhope Castle from 1694 to about 1790. In 1792 the castle was rented out for use as a wool mill, but that plan was never implemented. In 1795 the park and estate were leased to the Board of Ordnance , who used Dudhope Castle as barracks for 83 years, from 1796 to 1879. Additional buildings were constructed, e.g. B. a hospital, officers' quarters, stables and guard rooms. The castle itself served as quarters for 400 soldiers. The Board of Ordnance finally abandoned the castle in 1881.

In 1854, Dundee City Council leased part of the property for recreational use. The lease ran for 35½ years with an annual lease of £ 25 until November 1st, 1890. At that time, the Earl of Home had planned the conversion of the property into a townhouse .

Instead, the city council bought the property for £ 31,700, raising £ 20,000 themselves and the Lord Provost Mathewson receiving the rest from generous citizens. Sir James Law opened the property as a public park on September 28, 1895.

The building was later confirmed by the Ministry of Works occupied and served in both the first and in the Second World War as a military barracks. Then it fell to the Dundee Corporation , who wanted to demolish the castle in 1958.

today

In the years 1985 to 1988 it was renovated and it is now used as an office and conference center and also houses the Dundee Business School of the University of Abertay Dundee . During the restoration, one room was made into a scrimgeour room . It is furnished with wall hangings associated with the Scrimgeour and the curtains on the windows are made of scrimgeour tartan fabric, as arranged by the Scrimgeour Clan Association , which was officially organized on June 5, 1971. A dinner was hosted in March 1998 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Srimgeours Charter to which William Wallace had signed on March 29, 1298. Robert the Bruce had confirmed the charter on December 5, 1298 with another charter.

Historic Scotland has listed Dudhope Castle as a Category A Historic Building. A fountain near the castle is considered a category B historic building.

Individual evidence

  1. a b CITY of DUNDEE, SCOTLAND, A Chronicle of The City's Office Bearers, Chambers, Regalia, Castles & Twin Cities (PDF) Dundee City Council. 2004. Archived from the original on July 23, 2006. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 22, 2017. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dundeecity.gov.uk
  2. ^ A b c Dudhope Castle Fund Committee: The Story of Dudhope Castle . 1959.
  3. ^ A b Colin Gibson: Historic Dundee . Dudhope Castle Restoration Fund, ca.1959.
  4. ^ Dudhope Castle . In: Gordon's Scottish Castles Resource Page . Archived from the original on February 5, 2006. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  5. ^ RW Munro, Jean Munro: The Scrimgeours and their Chiefs, Scotland's Royal Banner Bearers . The Scrimgeour Clan Association, 1980. ISBN 0-9507135-0-3 .
  6. ^ Dudhope Castle in The Douglas Archives . Douglas History. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  7. a b Kerrin Evans: Dudhope Castle . In: Photopolis . Dundee City Council. 1999. Archived from the original on August 15, 2005. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  8. Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  9. Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .

Web links

Commons : Dudhope Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 56 ° 27 ′ 52 "  N , 2 ° 59 ′ 2"  W.