Druminnor Castle is an

L-plan castle An L-plan castle is a castle or tower house in the shape of an L, typically built from the 13th to the 17th century. This design is found quite frequently in Scotland, but is also seen in England, Ireland, Romania, Sardinia, and other location ...

, dating from the early 15th century, about two miles east of Rhynnie, in a steep valley by the Keron burn, in

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 ...

.Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p198

History

In about 1271

Alexander III of Scotland Alexander III (Medieval ; Modern Gaelic: ; 4 September 1241 – 19 March 1286) was King of Scots from 1249 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of Perth, by which Scotland acquired sovereignty over the Western Isles and the Isle of Man. His ...

granted land to Duncan

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

in this area and there may have been a castle up the river from the present site. A second Druminnor Castle is thought to have been the original

Castle Forbes Castle Forbes is a 19th-century country house in the Scottish baronial architecture style near Alford in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Vale of Alford estate has been home to the Forbes for over 600 years. The original house was named Putachie ...

. The original

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 ...

, dated from 1456, was demolished in the early 19th century. It was described as "a square tower united to a half-square and which contains the staircase". The third castle, originally attached to the second tower, was built in 1440-70. The

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

and Forbes families had a protracted feud, in the course of which twenty of the Gordons were murdered in the castle’s Great Hall in 1571. Later that year a party from Clan Forbes was defeated by a party of Gordons at the

battle of Tillieangus The Battle of Tillieangus was fought on 10 October 1571 between the Clan Gordon and the Clan Forbes near White Hill of Tillyangus, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was part of the Marian civil war in which the Gordons supported Mary, Queen of Scots ...

, Black Arthur Forbes, their commander, being killed by William Gordon of Terpersie, and the survivors being pursued to the gates of Druminnor Castle. This dispute arose after the Master of Forbes repudiated his wife, the daughter of the

Earl 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 1590 John, Master of Forbes was accused of imprisoning his father, William, Lord Forbes, in a chamber at Druminnor and hitting him on the head with the pommel of his sword. Two younger sons, Robert Forbes Commendator of

Monymusk Monymusk ( gd, Monadh Musga) is a planned village in the Marr area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History Malcolm Canmore first established Celtic foundation on the site in 1078 The Culdees of Munimusc are recorded as inhabiting the site in 1170 ...

and James Forbes of Fechell brought their father's complaint to the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

, but John Forbes denied it. The Council declared that Drumminor should be kept by William Forbes of Tolquhoun and others till Lord Forbes came to Edinburgh or sent further testimony. In May 1591 John Master of Forbes claimed that his brothers had turned his father against him, and while Lord Forbes was lying sick at Dundee they had entered and robbed the House of Druminnor. The younger Forbes brothers obtained royal letters against the Master of Forbes to support their occupation of Druminnor.''Register of the Privy Council'', vol. 4 (Edinburgh, 1881), p. 497, 617-8. Additions were made to the castle in 1841-43, under the plans of

Archibald Simpson Archibald Simpson (4 May 1790 – 23 March 1847) was a Scottish architect, who along with his rival John Smith, is regarded as having fashioned the character of Aberdeen as "The Granite City".Simpson, William Douglas, (1947) ''The Archibald S ...

, but these were removed in a further restoration by Margaret Sempill-Forbes in the 20th century, initially with the guidance of

Ian Gordon Lindsay Ian Gordon Lindsay (29 July 1906 – 28 August 1966) was a Scottish architect. He was most noted for his numerous restoration projects, sometimes of whole villages but curiously was also involved in the design of several hydro-electric power sta ...

Structure

The L-plan castle has a modern door central in the north front. The basements are all vaulted. The Great Hall is on the first floor. The doorway arch, comprising five straight sections, is thought to be unique in Scotland. There is heavy corbelling carrying the circular stair tower, to the North-East, squared out to create the watch room, on the first floor. There are gun loops which are wide-flanking. There are three armorial panels over the door. The south front is four storeys high because of the slope of the ground. The 1815 wing which has now been demolished had pointed gables and three good dormer heads. It is a category A listed building.

References

External links

* {{coord , 57.3256, N, 2.8101, W, display=title Castles in Aberdeenshire Category A listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Listed castles in Scotland