Spynie Palace
| Spynie Palace | ||
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 David's Tower with parts of the ruin |
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| Creation time : | 1150/1250 | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Place: | north of Elgin | |
| Geographical location | 57 ° 40 ′ 34 " N , 3 ° 17 ′ 29" W | |
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Spynie Palace is a ruined castle about 3 km north of Elgin in Scotland , on the south bank of Spynie Loch .
The A941 runs north from Elgin towards Lossiemouth . Halfway there is a Historic Scotland sign indicating the turnoff.
history
Until 1686 the castle was one of several country estates owned by the bishops of Moray . The location - right on the arm of the sea - offered anchorages for fishing boats and merchant ships. Since the bishops did not have a permanent seat, they stayed either on their properties in Kinneddar, Birnie or Spynie. Along with St Andrews Castle , Spynie Palace is the largest of the remaining medieval bishoprics in Scotland.
The bishops used Spynie Palace as a country residence for five centuries. At the end of the 15th century, it was considered one of the most magnificent buildings in Scotland. David's Tower has largely been preserved to this day.
middle Ages
The diocese of Moray was founded at the beginning of the 12th century. Decades later, towards the end of the century, the Church of the Holy Trinity in Spynie was chosen as the cathedral. Even at this point in time, the building was probably used as the seat of the incumbent bishop, which is not clearly documented. Excavations between 1986 and 1994 showed, however, that a wooden castle was built on the same site before the ruins, which are still preserved today, were built.
In 1207/1208, Spynie Palace was appointed the seat of the diocese under Bishop Bricius de Douglas. As a result, its importance as a residence increased. In contrast to the 12th century, brick buildings already existed in the inner courtyard at that time. Although Bishop Andreas de Moravia moved the cathedral to Elgin in 1224, the palace was still used as a country residence.
Alexander Stuart, 1st Earl of Buchan , the notorious "Wolf of Badenoch", burned down the city of Elgin including the cathedral in 1390 in revenge for his excommunication ordered by Bishop Alexander Bur (1363-1397) . After Bur's death in 1397, the excommunication was lifted and Stuart was appointed principal of the palace by his brother, King Robert II . A year later he had to cede it to the new Bishop William de Spynie.
The original wooden buildings were replaced by stone buildings, and the first stone castle at Spynie was built with a rectangular area of 49 × 44 meters. The castle was surrounded by a seven-meter-high wall with the main gate on the south side.
15th century
The first appointment of a palace constable in 1470 highlighted the important role the palace played within both ecclesiastical and secular affairs.
The size of the palace that can be visited today was achieved through larger extensions that lasted until the early 16th century. As part of these renovations, the main gate was moved from the south side to the east side; a new building in the northern part of the castle now housed the great hall.
The biggest visible change was the imposing David's Tower , begun in the years after 1470 by Bishop David Stewart. The tower should serve as protection against attacks by Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly († 1470). Gordon was excommunicated by the bishop for tax debts. Bishop Stewart died before completion, which was completed under Bishop William de Tulloch.
In its original form, the tower had six floors and an attic. In the basement there was a circular dungeon with a diameter of about five meters, into which light and air could only penetrate through a narrow gap.
David's Tower is kept very simple, it has no noteworthy architectural features. The tower, however, dominates the ruin on the southwest corner. It rises 22 meters and offers a beautiful view of the surrounding area and Spynie Loch; With its dimensions of 19 by 13.5 meters, it is one of the tallest residential towers built in Scotland.
A similar structure in Scotland was the great tower of Glasgow Castle, which was built between 1426 and 1446. In 1789, however, this facility was completely demolished to make way for a hospital.
16th and 17th centuries
The last Roman Catholic Bishop Patrick Hepburn was to reinforce the defense of the water gate in the north of the palace walls and narrow in David's Tower loopholes to insert. The coat of arms of Bishops Patrick Hepburn and David Stewart and the coat of arms of Scotland can be seen on the southern front of the tower.
After his parents divorced, James Hepburn , later 4th Earl of Bothwell and Lord High Admiral of Scotland, was raised and trained as a child at Spynie Palace by his great-uncle Bishop Patrick Hepburn from around 1540 . Mary Stuart stayed at the castle as a guest of the bishop in 1562 during her journey through the north of Scotland. Five years later she married - not without controversy among the population - her third marriage to James Hepburn.
In 1573, George Douglas was named the first Protestant Bishop of Moray by the Church of Scotland .
1690 was under Queen Maria II. (England) and her husband, King Wilhelm III. (Orange) , the episcopal constitution replaced by the Presbyterian constitution. The last Protestant bishop, William Hay, refused the oath of allegiance. As a result, he was removed from office and had to leave Spynie.
The former bishop's residence was plundered step by step in later years and numerous ironwork, wooden doors and floors were stolen.
In 1973 the ruin became state property; Spynie Palace was first visited by the public in 1994. Historic Scotland is now responsible for its maintenance and administration. The ruin is open to visitors all year round. It is not possible to take part in a guided tour, but the parts that have been preserved are adequately signposted and described in detail.
literature
- Frank Roy Fraprie: The castles and keeps of Scotland . Page Co., Boston, 1907, (Also reprinted: Kessinger Publishing , Whitefish MT 2009, ISBN 978-0-548-80516-9 , ( Kessinger Publishing's rare reprints )).
- Gordon W. Mason: Castles of Glasgow and the Clyde . Goblinshead, Musselburgh 2000, ISBN 1-899874-18-6 .
- Richenda Miers, James Alexander: Scotland . 7th edition. Cadogan Guides, London 2006, ISBN 1-86011-339-7 .
- John Lewis, Denys Pringle: Spynie Palace and the bishops of Moray. History, architecture and archeology . Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Edinburgh 2002, ISBN 0-903903-21-0 , ( Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph series 21).
- Denys Pringle: Spynie Palace . Historic Scotland, Edinburgh 1996, ISBN 1-900168-13-8 .
- Madeleine Reincke: Scotland . 8th edition. Baedeker, Ostfildern 2008, ISBN 978-3-8297-1068-8 , ( Baedeker Allianz travel guide ).
- Lachlan Shaw: The History of the Province of Moray, etc . New edition. Brought down to the year 1826. J. Grant, Elgin 1827.
Web links
- About Spynie Palace , Historic Scotland (English)
- About Spynie Palace , Undiscovered Scotland: The Ultimate Online Guide
Individual evidence
- ↑ John H. Lewis, Denys Pringle: Spynie Palace and the bishops of Moray. History, architecture and archeology . 2002, p. 23.
- ↑ Frank R. Fraprie: The Castles and Keeps of Scotland , 2009 S. 102nd
- ↑ Shaw, Lachlan: The history of the province of Moray , 1827, pp. 314-315.
- ^ Gordon W. Mason: The Castles of Glasgow and the Clyde , 2000, p. 140.
- ↑ Richenda Miers: Cadogan Guide Scotland , 2006, p. 389.
- ^ John H. Lewis, Denys Pringle: Spynie Palace and the bishops of Moray: history, architecture and archeology , 2002, p. 6.