Huntly Castle
| Huntly Castle | ||
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 Huntly Castle |
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| Alternative name (s): | Strathbogie | |
| Creation time : | 12th Century | |
| Castle type : | River castle, formerly Motte | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Construction: | stone | |
| Geographical location | 57 ° 27 '17.6 " N , 2 ° 46' 52.2" W | |
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Huntly Castle (also Strathbogie ) is a ruined castle near Huntly in Aberdeenshire , Scotland . It has always been the family seat of Clan Gordon .
history
middle Ages
In the 12th century, a simple moth stood on the site of today's Huntly Castle , which has been expanded over the years. Originally known as Strathbogie , it came into the possession of Sir Adam Gordon of Huntly in the 14th century. King Robert I of Scotland made a guest appearance here in 1307 during the Scottish Wars of Independence .
When the king was at war with the powerful Earl of Douglas in 1449 , he was supported by the Gordons, among others. The Earl of Moray , brother of the Earl of Douglas, stood with his troops in the south of the country and took advantage of the Gordon family's absence to pillage their lands and burn the castle down. These came back quickly and smashed the enemy units, but could no longer save Huntly Castle.
Although the castle was burned to the ground, an even larger castle complex was built in its place. In 1496 the English heir to the throne Perkin Warbeck married Lady Catherine Gordon, daughter of George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly; Best man was King James IV of Scotland. He came to Huntly in October 1501 and paid bonuses to the stonecutters who worked on the castle. Two years later, the king visited Huntly Castle again and took part in the shooting competition, as he did the following year. These visits were part of his annual pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Duthac in Tain .
16th and 17th centuries
New wings were added to the castle during the 16th and 17th centuries. An eyewitness account by Richard Bannatyne of the death of 5th Earl of Huntly George Gordon in 1576 shows details of its use at that time. The earl suffered a stroke or collapse from poisoned food while playing football outside. He was in his bedroom apartments in the round tower of the palace brought, which was then called "New Warke of Strathbogie." After the Earl died, his body was displayed in the "Chamber of Dais" and his valuables were safely stored in his bedroom. After the earl's steward left the castle, several supposedly supernatural events occurred, beginning with the sudden collapse of a servant in the "Laich Chalmer". The following day a servant went to the gallery of the "New Warke", where valuable spices were stored. This servant and two companions also collapsed, and when they came to they spoke of having cold complaints. After the earl had been embalmed and buried in the chapel, his brother, sitting on a bench in the great hall, heard inexplicable noises from the "Chamber of Dais". It has been said that "no living being larger than a mouse could enter this room through the locked door." ( It was said that "there is not a live thing bigger than a mouse may enter in that chamber with the door locked." )
During the early days of the English Civil War , the castle was captured by the Scottish Covenanter Army under General Robert Monro. In 1644 James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose , captured Huntly Castle, but could only hold the castle briefly against Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll . In 1647 it was valiantly defended by Lord Charles Gordon against General David Leslie, but his 'Irish' garrison was starved and had to surrender, the soldiers were hanged, their officers beheaded. In December of that year, the Earl of Huntly was captured, but not executed in Edinburgh, but held in his own estate. While the earl had to live with the humiliation of not being the master of their own country, his entourage was shot at the castle walls. In 1650 King Charles II of England was defeated and forced into exile. The Civil War brought an end to the Gordons' long reign over Huntly Castle.
18th century until today
In the early 18th century the castle was already falling into disrepair, and the people in the village used its materials to build their houses. During the Second Jacobite Rising in 1746, it was occupied by British government troops. Used as a quarry, Huntly Castle was not saved until a nostalgia movement in the 19th century.
Huntly Castle has belonged again to Clan Gordon since 1923, although it is now maintained and administered by Historic Scotland .
In 1987 an international strongman tournament was held on the grounds of Huntly Castle, the winner was Jón Páll Sigmarsson from Iceland .
Structure and structure
The typical L-shaped castle consists of a well-preserved five-story tower with an adjoining "Great Hall" and other buildings. Parts of the ornate facade and the inner masonry have also been preserved. Only a mound of earth gives an idea today that there was a moth at the site of Huntly Castles in the 12th century.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.schottland-wegweiser.de/schottland_burgen_huntlycastle.html
- ↑ Accounts Lord High Treasurer of Scotland , vol. 2 (1900), p.xlix-l, 124, 401, 464: for "prop" see Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue
- ↑ Pitcairn, Robert ed., Bannatyne's Memorials of the Transactions in Scotland , (1834), 334-5: McKean, Charles, The Scottish Chateau , Sutton (2001), 109