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Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar
Castle is a ruined medieval fortress
located upon a precipitous rocky
headland on the north-east coast of
Scotland, about two miles (3 km) south
of Stonehaven. Its surviving buildings
are largely of the 15th-16th centuries,
but an important fortress certainly
existed on this site from Dark Age
times. Dunnottar played an important
role in the history of Scotland from the
Middle Ages through to the
Enlightenment, due to its strategic
location overlooking the shipping lanes
to northern Scotland and also being
situated on a fairly narrow coastal
terrace that controlled land movements,
particularly the land access to the
ancient Causey Mounth, the only medieval
route from the coastal south via
Portlethen Moss to Aberdeen.The site,
now owned by private interests but open
to the public, is visited by hundreds of
thousands of tourists annually.
The ruins of
the castle are spread over a 3-acre
(12,000 m2) area virtually
surrounded by sheer cliffs which drop to
the North Sea 50 metres below. This L
plan castle is accessed via a narrow
strip of land joining the mainland and a
steep path leading up to the massive
gatehouse. The cliffs and headland
formations which extend miles to the
north and south are home to tens of
thousands of pelagic birds, making this
stretch of Scottish coast a notable bird
sanctuary of northern Europe from the
standpoint of total bird populations and
diversity of species. Portions of the
1990 film Hamlet starring Mel
Gibson and Glenn Close were shot there.
An episode of The US Television show The
Amazing Race featured Dunnottar Castle.
Early in the 16th
century the Scots added
a new block to the east
of the keep. Mary Queen
of Scots visited
Dunnottar in the years
1562 and 1564. In 1575 a
substantial stone
gatehouse was
constructed, which
serves as the imposing
present day visitor's
entrance. James VI
stayed during part of
the year 1580. From 1580
to 1650 the Earl
Marischals converted a
medieval style fortress
into an opulent castle,
constructing ranges of
edifices around a
quadrangle on the
northeast. These
resulted in arguably the
most luxurious living
quarters in Scotland in
that era. Between 1582
and 1584 a west wing to
the fortress was
erected. Also, during
the 16th century, a new
chapel was introduced.
Then, early in the 17th
century two other wings
to the chapel were
added.
In 1639 the owner of
Dunnottar was the
Seventh Earl Marischal,
who that year joined the
Covenanters, a movement
opposing the established
Episcopal Church and
hence Charles I himself.
James Graham, 1st
Marquess of Montrose,
earlier an ally of
Marischal, tried to
convert Marischal back
to the Royalist cause;
being unsuccessful in
that exercise, Montrose
turned on his former
friend and attacked the
fortress, laying waste
by fire to expansive
grain fields all about.
Nonetheless, Marischal
held the fortress, in
spite of considerable
structural devastation.
At about this
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same time in history Covenanters,
who had been opposing the Bishops of Aberdeen, held a conference
in nearby Muchalls Castle. Events at Dunnotar and Muchalls
Castles were to prove a pivotal turning point in the English
Civil War, and to promote willingness of the monarchy to come to
terms with the ideals of the Covenanters.
King Charles II was received warmly in a visit to Earl Marischal
in 1650; however as the pendulum swung again, in 1651 the
English General Overton began a siege of Dunnottar seeking the
prize of Scotland's Regalia, the royal crown, sword and sceptre
used in the coronation of Charles II at Scone Palace. The
Dunnottar fortress was defended bravely by a small garrison of
approximately 70 men. Ultimately the then governor Sir George
Ogilvy of Barras surrendered to Overton's predecessor, General
Morgan; however, the English were denied the Regalia, which was
smuggled out during the siege. The successful smuggler has been
identified as four different persons including Anne Lindsay, a
relative of Ogilvy's wife.
In 1685, during the rebellion of
Argyll and Monmouth, 125 men and 42 women were herded into the
dungeon known as the "Whigs Vault" within the Dunnotar fortress.
Many of them perished in this dank, crowded and squalid setting.
The remainder were deported to the West Indies.
Both the Jacobites
and Hanoverians used the Dunnottar Fortress as
the pendulum of battle success swung. In 1689
during Viscount Dundee's campaign, fourteen
suspected Jacobites from Aberdeen were held in
the fortress for about a year, among whom was
George Liddel, professor of mathematics. In 1715
the Dunnotar cannons were utilized by the
Jacobites; following this uprising all the
possessions of the Earl Mariscal were forfeit,
and finally the fortress was dismantled three
years later.
There are two access trails to
Dunnottar. The first is an 800 metre
partially steep footpath with
several modern staircases
connecting the castle to a car
park along the coastal road
(that connects to the A92). The
other is a three kilometre hike
which begins from a street
behind Stonehaven Harbour and
heads south along the cliff top
to the castle. This path is
mostly narrow and is sometimes
steeply inclined, but offers
expansive marine views.
The castle is open to the public
on the following days (there is
an admission charge):-
-
April (Easter weekend) to
October: Monday to Saturday
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.,
Sunday 2:00 p.m. to 5:00
p.m.
-
June (3rd Sunday) to
September (3rd Sunday):
Monday to Sunday 9:00 a.m.
to 6:00 p.m.
-
November to April (Easter
weekend): closed most of the
time.
Photos and text
courtesy of Wikipedia
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