Aboyne Castle (historical name: castrum de Obeyn; alternate names: Castle Of Aboyne or Aboyne Castle Policies; also Bonty Castle or Bunty Castle) is a 13th-century

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

north of the town of

Aboyne Aboyne ( sco, Abyne, gd, Abèidh) is a village on the edge of the Highlands in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, approximately west of Aberdeen. It has a swimming pool at Aboyne Academy, all-weather tennis courts, a bowling green and ...

(Grid Reference NO5299). The location of Aboyne Castle was selected for its strategic position near the River Dee and controlling the northern end of one of the

Mounth The Mounth ( ) is the broad upland in northeast Scotland between the Highland Boundary and the River Dee, at the eastern end of the Grampians. Name and etymology The name ''Mounth'' is ultimately of Pictish origin. The name is derived from ' ...

crossings.Simpson, W. Douglas. ''The Early Castles of Mar'', Proceedings of the Society: 102, 10 December 1928 Aboyne Castle was formerly derelict, but was restored by the present

Marquess of Huntly Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing ...

in 1979.

Architecture

The castle was constructed by Bysets, Lords of Strathdee and Aboyne before 1233 as a

motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

sent instructions for its fortification in 1307. It was later turned into a stone

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

. in 1671, the west wing was rebuilt as a

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

by Charles, first Earl of Aboyne, parts of which are still visible. A mansion house was added in 1701. An east wing was added in 1801. In 1869, kitchen improvements were made using granite and

stepped gable A stepped gable, crow-stepped gable, or corbie step is a stairstep type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in a ...

s. The Mansion House was updated in the 1880s by Sir Cunliffe Brooks by adding baronial-style ornamentation.

George Truefitt George Truefitt (1824–1902) was born in 1824 at St George's Hanover Square, London. He practiced architecture from age 15 (1839), when he began working with the British architect Lewis Cottingham, until his retirement in 1899. Career Truefitt ...

did some restoration work in the later part of the 19th century. It was remodelled in 1986 by Ian Begg. Aboyne Castle old

The structure is three storeys with a basement and attic. The east elevation is symmetrical, while the north (entrance), south, and west are asymmetrical. A heraldic panel is located between the second and third windows of the north elevation, as is a decorative ironwork

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...

and a weathercock finial. There is a baronial tower house, an angled tower to the north-west, a four-storey basement, and an attic tower to the north. The oldest section of the castle is the north-west which incorporates a balustrade atop a five-storey circular tower that is

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...

led to square. This tower was replicated later at the north-east. The castle is harled and lime washed. Eaves are courses, there are several

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

s, a possible secret passageway, and a monk's room. There are a number of small-pane windows, as well as a grey slate roof with tiled ridge. A doorway to the principal floor is reached by stone steps, and a small-pane glazed timber door is located to the right of the basement. Immediately to the north of the castle, there is a harled wall with an enclosed courtyard.

Ownership

In 1242, after the expulsion from Scotland of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

and Walter Byset of

Clan Bissett Clan Bissett (''Bisey, Byset, Bisset or Bissert'') is a Scottish clan. The clan is recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms but does not have a clan chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, therefore the clan has no standing under Scots L ...

, who had been accused of the murder of

Patrick Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

Earl of Atholl The Mormaer or Earl of Atholl was the title of the holder of a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl (''Ath Fodhla''), now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is repor ...

, at

Haddington, East Lothian The Royal Burgh of Haddington ( sco, Haidintoun, gd, Baile Adainn) is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is ...

, Aboyne Castle passed to the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

in that year. It passed next to the Frasers of

Cowie Cowie may refer to: People *Cowie (surname) Places *Cowie, Aberdeenshire, an historic fishing village located at the north side of Stonehaven, Scotland **Cowie Castle, a ruined castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland ** Chapel of St. Mary and St. Natha ...

, before passing yet again, this time by marriage, to Sir William de Keith, Great Marischal of Scotland around 1355. In 1449, De Keith's great-granddaughter, Joan, brought the castle by marriage to

Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Huntly (died 15 July 1470), who adopted the family name of Gordon from about 1457, was a powerful 15th-century Scottish magnate. He was knighted in 1439/1440 and was Lord of Badenoch, Gordon, Strathbogie and Cluny. ...

(1449). Its present owner is the Marquis of Huntly whose family has owned it since the early 15th century.

Grounds

There is a large extent of planted policies on both sides of the River Dee, including ornamental plantations and the

Loch of Aboyne Loch of Aboyne is a shallow, artificial formed, freshwater loch in Grampian, Scotland. It lies northeast of Aboyne and west-southwest of Aberdeen. An earthen dam was constructed around 1834 to retain the loch. It also served as a reservoir for ...

. On the Upper Dee, Aboyne Castle grounds are used as a

fly-fishing Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly differ ...

fish beat. It is fished in agreement with Glen Tanar Estate (Craigendinnie Beat). Within the Aboyne Castle Policies, there is included an artificial, islet-studded Loch of Aboyne measuring 3 × 2 fur. The burn of Aboyne has kept its ancient name, Allach, only near the castle where the Allach Bridge was built over the burn.

Relic

The Formaston Stone, a relic of historical importance, is preserved. Dating from between 800 and 1000, it has a mirror symbol, a decorated

Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...

, and an

Ogham inscription Roughly 400 known ogham inscriptions are on stone monuments scattered around the Irish Sea, the bulk of them dating to the fifth and sixth centuries. Their language is predominantly Primitive Irish, but a few examples record fragments of the ...

Preservation

Aboyne Castle, including its gateway, courtyard, and northern boundary walls became a category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

on 24 November 1972. Several other structures became listed building such as the early 19th century walled garden, garden house and the Wee House, listed at category C(s) on 30 March 2000; and the triple span, segmental-arched Allach Bridge, constructed in 1787 of coursed grey granite, category B on 30 March 2000.

References

{{Coord, 57.0846, -2.7833, type:landmark_region:GB-ABD, display=title Castles in Aberdeenshire Category B listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Listed castles in Scotland Clan Bissett Lowland castles House of Gordon