Celebrating St. Andrew's Day - From the River Dee to Glen Coe

The celebration continues for St. Andrew's Day with more castles!   Above is the River Dee, lending its name to Royal Deeside along the Castle Trail in Aberdeenshire.

From Wikipedia,  

Drum Castle is a castle near Drumoak in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. For centuries it was the seat of the chief of Clan Irvine.   The place-name Drum is derived from Gaelic druim, 'ridge'.   The castle and its grounds were granted to William de Irwyn in 1325 by Robert the Bruce, and remained in the possession of Clan Irvine until 1975. William de Irwyn (of the Irvings of Bonshaw clan) was armour bearer/secretary (and neighbor) to King Robert the Bruce. Drum played a role in the Covenanting Rebellion (as did nearby Muchalls Castle) leading to its being attacked and sacked three times.

From Wikipedia,

Castle Fraser is the most elaborate Z-plan castle in Scotland and one of the grandest 'Castles of Mar'. It is located near Kemnay in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland. The castle stands in over 300 acres (1.2 km2) of landscaped grounds, woodland and farmland which includes a walled kitchen garden of the 19th century. There is archaeological evidence of an older square tower dating from around 1400 or 1500 within the current construction.

Elsewhere in the Highlands, history defines the crumbling castles.   From Wikipedia,

Dunnottar Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope" is a ruined medieval fortress .... Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings ... Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century. The property of the Keiths from the 14th century, and the seat of the Earl Marischal, Dunnottar declined after the last Earl forfeited his titles by taking part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.

From Historic Scotland at this link,

Edzell was home to the Lindsays. When they acquired the estate in 1358, the lordly seat was a timber residence beside the ancient church. During the 16th century, they built a brand-new castle a short distance away – the one we admire today. The ‘icing on the cake’ of their new residence was the wonderful ‘great garden’, added in 1604.

However, the garden’s most arresting and original features are its four enclosing walls, which display a series of unique carved panels. These portray the Seven Cardinal Virtues, the Seven Liberal Arts and the Seven Planetary Deities. Sir David’s intention was clearly to provide a stimulus both for the mind and the senses. His garden is unique in Europe and gives the castle a distinctive place in the art history of the European Renaissance.

From Historic Scotland,

Elgin Cathedral is affectionately known as the ‘Lantern of the North’. From the time of its construction in the first half of the 13th century, through to the time of its demise at the Reformation in 1560, this monumentally impressive building dominated the flat and fertile Laich of Moray. The proud boast by one of its former bishops, Alexander Bur (1362–97), that his cathedral was ‘the ornament of the realm, the glory of the kingdom’ is certainly borne out by a visit to this beautiful site.

Do you have a favorite place from today's posts?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's posts wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers. Comments are open through Saturday, December 8, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 9.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Above is the Glen Coe.  From Wikipedia, 

Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse, a massacre took place in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. This incident is referred to as the Massacre of Glencoe, or in Scottish Gaelic Mort Ghlinne Comhann (murder of Glen Coe).  Thirty-eight MacDonalds from the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by the guests who had accepted their hospitality, on the grounds that the MacDonalds had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, William and Mary. Another forty women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned.

St. Andrew's Day - Historic Castles from Balvenie to Craigievar

David and Andrew at St. Andrew's Old Course

November 30 is St. Andrew's Day - the feast day of the beloved apostle who serves as Scotland's Patron Saint.  To celebrate St. Andrew's Day, I offer you pictures from our 2007 tour of Scotland where we specifically hunted for crumbling castles.  The crumblier, the better.   The castles below are cared by Historic Scotland at this link:

For over 500 years, Balvenie Castle served as the formidable stronghold of the great lords who ruled over this part of north-east Scotland. The immensely powerful ‘Black’ Comyn earls of Buchan built it in the 13th century. When they were forfeited in the early 14th century, because of their alliance with the ill-fated John Balliol, the stronghold passed to the mighty ‘Black’ Douglases. And when the Douglases too were wiped out around 1455 by James II, the victorious Stewart king entrusted it to a kinsman, John Stewart, Earl of Atholl. It remained with his descendants for the next 250 years. 

In 1490, the 2nd Lord Gray received a charter from James IV to erect Broughty Castle. This was prompted by increased English naval activity. Five English ships had been captured nearby in 1489.

At the Battle of Pinkie, in September 1547, the Scots were heavily defeated. But Lord Gray supported the English cause: he wanted Mary Queen of Scots to marry a Protestant Englishman, not a Catholic Frenchman.

Within a fortnight, the castle was in English hands. The English garrison stayed for two years, occupying Dundee, threatening Perth and St Andrews, and pillaging Angus and Fife.

Blackness Castle is often referred to as ‘the ship that never sailed’. This is because of its appearance, for from the seaward side it looks just like a great stone ship that has run aground. The pointed stem projects into the water, while the square stern stands beached on dry land. The castle’s three towers add to the effect – the small ‘stem’ tower at the prow, the tall ‘main mast’ tower at the centre, and the solid ‘stern’ tower at the rear.

Brechin Cathedral is home to ... one of the two remaining round towers of the Irish type in Scotland, built in the late 11th century with a remarkable carved doorway.

The oldest part of Castle Campbell was built in the early 15th century. At that time it was called ‘Castle Glume’. Around 1465 it passed through marriage to Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll. This powerful Highland chief needed a secure but impressive Lowland seat at the heart of the realm, within easy reach of the main centres of the royal court. Castle Glume fitted the bill perfectly. In 1489, the earl changed the name to Castle Campbell. And there the Campbells stayed for the next 200 years, until they tired of all those steps and relocated to Argyll’s Lodging, a fine townhouse beside Stirling Castle.

Claypotts Castle owes its striking appearance to asymmetrical square garrett chambers corbelled out over two circular towers at diagonally opposite corners.

Built by John Strachan between 1569 and 1588, and later owned by ‘Bonnie Dundee’, John Graham of Claverhouse, it was inhabited into the 19th century.

Corgarff Castle was originally built as the fortified home of the notable local Forbes family in the mid-16th century.  

Corgarff's perimeter wall forms a star.   Prince Charlie's Jacobite troops stored weapons at Corgarff until the English raided it.   The English also used Corgarff Castle as a barracks following the Jacobites' defeat.  Corgarff is fairly close to Balmoral Castle - summer home of Queen Elizabeth II.

Craigievar Castle is cared by the National Trust for Scotland (at this link):

This fairytale castle, a fine example of Scottish Baronial architecture, seems to have grown naturally out of the rolling hills. The great tower stands just as it did when completed in 1626.

The castle is home to a fine collection of family portraits and original plaster ceilings. There is also much original Jacobean woodwork and some beautiful furniture, including the 'Craigievar table'.

Do you have a favorite from today's castles?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.   This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 1, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 2.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

The River Clyde

Countdown to St. Andrew's Day - Scotland's Icons

Above is Glamis Castle, the ancestral home of the Earls of Strathmore. It is also the setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Scone Palace is home of the Earls of Mansfield.   Scone was the gathering place for the Picts.   Alexander I founded Scone Abbey where Scotland's kings were crowned, sitting atop the Stone of Destiny.  The abbey was destroyed by reformists in 1559.   The current palace is a classic of Georgian Gothic.

Above is a replica of the Stone of Scone.   In 1296, Edward I claimed the stone and placed it in Westminster Abbey where future English kings were crowned (a symbolic measure that the Scots would always be ruled by the English).   In 1950, Scottish students returned to Stone of Destiny to Arbroath Abbey where Robert the Bruce signed the Declaration of Scottish Independence.   The weathered stone is now on display in Edinburgh Castle.  It will return, temporarily, to Westminster Abbey for future coronations.

  

The memorial cairn was erected in 1881 to remember the slain clans at Culloden - the last stand of Bonnie Prince Charlie during the Jacobite Rebellion.   As the winds blew over the moor, I could hear the wails of sorry for Scotland's loss.

The Jacobite Railway is a fun diversion for kids from Fort William to Mallaig.   It follows the same tracks as the Hogwarts Express across the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Harry Potter movies.

Built for the new millennium, the Falkirk Wheel is a boat lift with gondolas.   It connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, 35 meters above it.  The boat lift replaces the 11 "step" locks that were dismantled in 1933.  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 1, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 2.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Highland dancers in Pitlochry

Countdown to St. Andrew's Day - Edinburgh Castle

Image by Kim Traynor
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Follow the cobbled road up the Royal Mile to Scotland's majestic Edinburgh Castle.   

David poses in front of his tower built in 1361.

Andrew, David, and Mons Meg.  From the Edinburgh Castle website (at this link),

Mons Meg is one of two giant siege guns given to James II of Scotland in 1457. Built at Mons, Belgium, she represented the cutting edge of military technology. She weighs over 6,000kg, and fired 150kg stone cannonballs.

We walked down the Royal Mile to St. Giles' Cathedral.  From its website (at this link), 

St Giles' Cathedral is the historic City Church of Edinburgh. With its famed crown spire it stands on the Royal Mile between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, it is the Mother Church of Presbyterianism and contains the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle (Scotland's chivalric company of knights headed by the Queen).

Along the park at the bottom of the volcanic rock is the Sir Walter Scott Memorial.   One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 1, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 2.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

 The Nelson Tower rises on a neighboring hill,
commemorating the Battle of Trafalgar

Countdown to St. Andrew's Day - Culzean Castle

We drove south of Ayr to explore Culzean Castle.   From the National Trust for Scotland (at this link):

Culzean Castle originally belonged to the Kennedys, an ancient Scottish family descended from Robert the Bruce. There was a stone tower house here in the 16th century, and various Kennedys over the centuries made their mark on the castle with improvements and alterations. But it wasn’t until the 1770s that it started to become the grand country seat it is today.

In 1945, when the castle was passed to the National Trust for Scotland, the top floor was converted into a flat for use by General Eisenhower, as a gesture for America’s support during the Second World War. General Eisenhower visited on four occasions including while president of the United States of America. 

A closer view of the Lion guarding the gates!  If you had gates to your house, what "animal" would guard it?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 1, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 2.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

My lads in front of the old gate!

Countdown to St. Andrew's Day - Stirling Castle

Image by Finlay McWalter
GNU Free Documentation License

Stirling Castle is breathtaking.  From Historic Scotland (at this link),

It towers over some of the most important battlefields of Scotland’s past including Stirling Bridge, the site of William Wallace’s victory over the English in 1297, and Bannockburn where Robert the Bruce defeated the same foe in the summer of 1314.

 Robert the Bruce guards the castle.

 Andrew meets a knight!

 Andrew and David in the Banquet Hall

On the other side of the Stirling Bridge is the William Wallace Memorial.  It is a quiet area to reflect upon Scotland's heroes.

Today comments are open forum.   One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 1, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 2.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Stirling Castle overlooks Bannackburn, where 

Robert the Bruce defeated the English army on

June 24, 1314 - a significant battle for independence.

Above is a marker for where the English were buried.

Countdown to St. Andrew's Day - Dundonald Castle, Doune Castle, Newark Castle, Huntingtower Castle, and Caerlaverock Castle

We traveled to Scotland without a plan - I assumed we would just bump into castles.   We bumped into Dundonald Castle, (above) which is maintained by Historic Scotland (at this link):

Imposing Dundonald Castle was built by Robert II in the 1370s to mark his succession to the throne of Scotland.

Historic Scotland offered a "passport" to visit all its properties, including Doune Castle (above):

A castle for ‘Scotland’s crowned king’Doune Castle was built around 1400 by Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, Earl of Menteith and Fife. Younger brother of the weak and feeble Robert III, he was the effective ruler of the kingdom from 1388 until his death in 1420. He is known to history as ‘Scotland’s uncrowned king’, and his seat at Doune was virtually a royal castle.

Doune Castle is also a film star - do you know which movie?   Think a comedy with coconuts ....

Newark Castle (above) is a hidden jewel among the Clyde's shipyards:

Newark is a Maxwell house. A junior branch of this powerful southern Scottish family acquired the lands through marriage in 1402. They remained lords until 1694.  The name ‘new wark’ (meaning new building work) came into use in the later 15th century, when the oldest part of the present complex was built.

Huntingtower Castle (above) is home to a Medieval painted ceiling that was admired by many:

Huntingtower has hosted some famous visitors, and been associated with some dramatic events. Mary Queen of Scots stayed here in 1565, during her honeymoon with Lord Darnley. In 1582, Mary’s son, James VI, was held here against his will by the 1st Earl of Gowrie, in a famous episode known as the ‘Ruthven Raid’. 

David and Andrew dressed up for the piper at Huntingtower!

Our pictures may be blurred (as our camera broke) but my memory is clear of Caerlaverock Castle (above).  It is a three sided fortress near the English border:

With its moat, twin towered gatehouse and imposing battlements, Caerlaverock Castle is the epitome of the medieval stronghold.   The castle’s turbulent history owes much to its proximity to England which brought it into border conflicts.

One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 1, 10  pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 2.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Andrew and David play checkers at Caerlaverock.

Countdown to St. Andrew's Day - Gretna Green and Ayrshire

Friday, November 30 is St. Andrew's Day.   

Sigh.  

Scotland.

This coming week, we'll countdown to St. Andrew's Day with pictures from my family's visits in 2005.   We drove from the Netherlands, through the Chunnel, and onto Scotland.  

Scottish law allowed for "irregular marriages" if the couple declare themselves in front of two witnesses.   The Old Blacksmith's Shop, built in 1710, was the first building across the border.   The blacksmith often performed "anvil" weddings!

The Marriage Room is the first house in Scotland ... and last house in Scotland ... depending upon which way we were driving!

My children pose with an eternal piper!   

Above is the Low Green in Ayr, the common land remaining form a 14th century Royal Charter.   Great place to fly kites!

Ayr is also home of St. John's Tower - the last remaining building of the church where the Scottish Parliament met on April 26, 1315, one year after the Battle of Bannockburn.   

Above is Greenan Castle.  From the Maybole home page (at this link),

Dramatically perched on a sheer coastal cliff south west of Ayr is the lonely ruins of Greenan Tower. Built in 1603 by John Kennedy of Baltersan on the site of an earlier castle raised by the Davidson family, though nothing remains of this castle.

One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 1, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 2.


Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Wide Open Spaces .....