Findlater Castle is the old seat of the

Earls of Findlater Earl of Seafield is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1701 for James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater, James Ogilvy, who in 1711 succeeded his father as 4th Earl of Findlater. The earldoms of Findlater and Seafield continued to b ...

and Seafield, sitting on a -high cliff overlooking the

Moray Firth The Moray Firth (; Scottish Gaelic: ''An Cuan Moireach'', ''Linne Mhoireibh'' or ''Caolas Mhoireibh'') is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotl ...

on the coast of

Banff and Buchan Banff and Buchan is a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. It has a population of 35,742 (2001 Census). Fishing and agriculture are important industries, together with associated processing and service activity. Banff and Buchan ...

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 ...

Location and etymology

It lies about west of Banff, near the village of

Sandend Sandend ( sco, Sanine) is a small fishing village near Banff and Portsoy, Scotland, typical of the area. It was "a considerable seatown as early as 1624". In the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was an active village. There were two fish-h ...

, between Cullen and

Portsoy Portsoy ( gd, Port Saoidh) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Historically, Portsoy was in Banffshire. The original name may come from ''Port Saoithe'', meaning "saithe harbour". Portsoy is located on the Moray Firth coast of northeast Scotlan ...

. The cliffs here contain

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

; the name "Findlater" is derived from the

Scots Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

words ''fionn'' ("white") and ''leitir'' ("cliff or steep slope").

History

The first historical reference to the castle is from 1246. King Alexander III of Scotland repaired this castle in the 1260s in preparation for an invasion by King Haakon IV of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The Norwegians took and held the castle for some time. The castle remains that are still there are from the 14th-century rebuilding, when the castle was redesigned based on the Roslyn Castle model.

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of James IV of Sco ...

visited Findlater in November 1535 after a pilgrimage to Tain. The Laird of Findlater, an Ogilvy, was Master of Household to

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...

. He lost his inheritance following sexual misconduct with his mother-in-law and making a plan to imprison his father in a cellar to deprive him of sleep and drive him insane to obtain his lands. After his father's death his mother married John Gordon, a son 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 ...

, who then took possession of the castle and lands, and promptly imprisoned her. John Gordon, now of Findlater, fought with Lord Ogilvy in July 1562 and injured his arm. Gordon was imprisoned in Edinburgh until his victim healed, according to custom. In September 1562

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

sent an army equipped with artillery from

Dunbar Castle Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near the English-Scott ...

to besiege Findlater, and eject John Gordon of Findlater. When Mary was nearby on 20 September, she had sent her trumpeter messenger to deliver the castle to the captain of her guard, but he was refused. In October 1562 the Earl of Huntly sent Mary the keys of Findlater and

Auchindoun Auchindoun Castle is a 15th-century L-Plan tower castle located in Auchindoun near Dufftown in Banffshire, Scotland. History While there is evidence of prehistoric or Pictish earthworks in the grounds of the castle, the remains most visible tod ...

, but she was suspicious of the low status of the messenger.

James Ogilvy, 1st Earl of Findlater James Ogilvy, 1st Earl of Findlater (1592–1652), known as Lord Ogilvy of Deskford until 1638, was a Scottish nobleman and Royalist supporter. G.E. Cokayne; et al: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United ...

, was given the earldom in 1638. He built the nearby

Cullen House Cullen House is a large house, about south-west of the coastal town of Cullen in Moray, Scotland. It was the seat of the Ogilvies of Findlater, who went on to become the Earls of Findlater and Seafield, and it remained in their family unt ...

to take the place of the castle as the family seat and by the time he died in 1653 it was little used and in decline.

Conservation

The castle is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

References

External links

Findlater family siteTake a 360 Virtual Tour of Findlater Castle
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