Dundarg Castle

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The remains of Dundarg Castle and the modern house on the property above Aberdour Bay

Dundarg Castle is a ruined castle about 2 km north-northeast of the village of New Aberdour in the Scottish county of Aberdeenshire . The castle was built within the curtain wall of an Iron Age Promontory Fort . W. Douglas Simpson described it as one of the "nine Castles of the Knuckle," referring to the rocky headland of northwest Aberdeenshire.

The property consists of a triangle of gently sloping land, which is bordered on all sides by steep slopes and is connected to an elongated headland that is flat above and extends to the northeast and is surrounded by 20 meter high sandstone cliffs . The name of the castle comes from the Scottish Gaelic Dun Dearg (English: red fortress or castle), which refers to the color of the sandstone.

The 6th century Book of Deer noted the existence of a Cathair or fortified place in Aberdour.

The current castle was built in the 13th century by order of Clan Cumming and demolished in 1308, probably at the behest of King Robert the Bruce . Henry de Beaumont, 1st Baron Beaumont , had it rebuilt in 1334 , but it was destroyed almost immediately after the well-known siege by Andrew Murray . Evidence of the double destruction was found in excavations in 1911–1912 and 1950–1951 (under the leadership of W. Douglas Simpson ), with many medieval objects being found.

The only significant part of the castle that has survived is the inner gatehouse , which is still around 5.5 meters high today. The upper part was rebuilt in the mid-16th century, probably after a transfer of Coastal Defense Commission of 1550, and there is some evidence that he at that time with loopholes was equipped. The facility was finally abandoned in the middle of the 17th century. In 1938 a house was built on the property, allegedly by Wing Commander David Vaughan Carnegie, for his own use, using building blocks from the former Aberdoun Free Church .

Castle ruins and Promontory Fort are Scheduled Monuments , while Historic Scotland's house is listed as a Category B Historic Building.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry on Dundarg Castle  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
  2. ↑ WD Simpson: Cairnbulg Castle, Aberdeenshire . Pp. 32-44. 1949. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ a b c N. Fojut, P. Love: The defenses of Dundarg Castle, Aberdeenshire . In: Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . P. 449. 1983. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ David Vaughan Carnegie . In: Dictionary of Scottish Architects . Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  5. ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  6. ↑ Scheduled Monument - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .

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Web links

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

Coordinates: 57 ° 40 ′ 26.6 "  N , 2 ° 10 ′ 39"  W.