Dunnottar Castle: Once you see, you will never forget!
Dunnottar Castle on the rock. Photo by G. Pisinger
“You have turned the city into a pile of stones, a solid fortress into ruins; the palaces of foreigners were no longer in the city; it will never be restored."
Exodus 25: 2
Exodus 25: 2
Castles and story. We have not turned to the history of castles for a long time, although VO readers remind the author of this constantly. People “want castles”, and that’s probably because this concept itself is associated in our minds with something especially reliable and durable, even if today these same castles lie in ruins. That's all in the same Scotland there are several such completely impregnable castles lying in different secluded places. Let's think of the same Stirling Castle or Edinburgh Castle, which are built on the tops of cliffs, which allows them to dominate the landscape for miles around. But if we had to choose only one place to which we can entrust our lives in a time of great danger one hundred percent, then it would, without a doubt, be Dunnottar Castle. No other Scottish castle can be compared with its feeling of absolute impregnability.
View of Dunnottar Castle 1890-1900 Photo courtesy of the US Library of Congress
This castle relentlessly tells anyone that looks in his direction: "Do not mess with me." And it's really better not to mess with him. And all because the rocky foundation on which Dunnottar Castle stands, as if specially designed by nature so that the most impregnable fortress in Scotland was built on it. Sheer cliffs, 160 feet high, almost completely surround a flat hill of more than three acres. Once upon a time, the rock was connected by a narrow isthmus to the mainland, but even it was removed to approach it there would be no possibility.
Plan of Dunnottar Castle: A - Benholm's Gatehouse and Residence • B - Tunnels • C - Tower House • D - Smithy • E - Waterton's Residence • F - Stables • G - Palace • H - Chapel • I - Back Gate • J - Vault Whigs • K - Bowling Green • L - Guardhouse • M - Rocks • N - North Sea. Author: Jonathan Oldenbook
The castle had only two entrances or exits, and that was it. Moreover, the first one went through the simply incredibly well-defended main gate, located in a rock crevice, where unwanted visitors were vulnerable to attack from literally all sides. The second passed through a stream leading to a cave on the north side of the cliff. From here, a steep path led up the cliff to an equally well-defended rear gate. Given Dunnottar's apparent defensive qualities, it's not surprising that it has been "home" for most of the last two thousand years, and possibly much longer.
Pictish stone with carved patterns. Photo from Dunnottar Castle website
The very name "dun" in the Pictish language means a fort, and it is believed that Saint Ninian came to Dunnottar in the late 400s, converting the Picts to Christianity and founding a chapel here. The Annals of Ulster describe the siege of Duin Feuther in 681, and most likely it was Dunnottar. Dunnottar is also the site of a battle between King Donald II the Mad and the Vikings in 900. Donald II was killed during the battle, after which the Vikings destroyed the castle.
Donjon. Photograph by Holder W. Schmitt
Beginning in 1100, references to Dunnottar became more and more frequent, as the local administrative center now began to be located here. In 1276, here on the site of the original chapel of St. Ninian was founded parish church. Edward I of England took Dunnottar in 1296, but a year later, William Wallace recaptured it from the British, and burned the church itself along with all the English garrison who had taken refuge in it. In 1336, the English again took Dunnottar, who was visited by Edward III and ... left on time, because in the same year he was again recaptured by the Scots, led by Sir Andrew Murray. From the late 1300s all of the castle's earlier fortifications, probably mostly wood, were demolished and replaced by stone ones by Sir William Keith. Moreover, the remains of the donjon are still visible today, as well as the remains of stone walls.
Road to the castle. Photograph by Holder W. Schmitt
In 1531 Dunnottar, declared "one of the main fortresses of our kingdom» by King James V, was transferred to the ownership of the Counts Marischals. Mary, Queen of Scots visited the castle in 1562 and 1564, and James VI stayed there in 1580. Between 1580 and 1650, the Counts of Marichal transformed the originally gloomy and impregnable castle into a luxurious mansion by building rows of buildings on the northeast side of the plateau. The rooms were luxuriously furnished, but at the same time they were reliably protected by formidable rocks and stone walls.
Wild place, to be sure, but very beautiful! Photograph by Holder W. Schmitt
By May 1652, Dunnottar Castle was the only place in Scotland where King Charles II could face Cromwell's forces under General George Monck. Parliamentary troops sought to capture the castle also because it kept the royal regalia of Scotland, the crown jewels and the personal archive of Charles II. But when on May 26, after an eight-month siege, the castle nevertheless surrendered, Cromwell's people did not find anything of value in it.
Remains of walls. Photo by Mariusz Matuszewski
Later it turned out that the king's papers were hidden in the clothes of one of the women. And the royal regalia were lowered off a cliff on a rope to another local woman who pretended to collect seaweed, but in fact carried them away under her hem. Well, then these treasures were hidden under the floor of the nearby old Kinneff Church, where they were until the restoration of the monarchy.
Crown Treasures of Scotland. Photo from Dunnottar Castle website
The darkest event in Dunnottar's history took place in May 1685, when 167 Covenanters, supporters of the 1638 National Covenant, the manifesto of the Scottish national movement in defense of the Presbyterian Church, 122 men and 45 women, were locked up in a Whig Retreat under one of the buildings in castle cellars. Some died of starvation and disease, others were killed while trying to escape. Well, all the survivors (like Captain Blood from the Sabatini novel) were sent to the colonies as slaves (where most of them died of a fever) after two months in the castle. In 1715, the tenth Earl Marischal supported the losing side during the Jacobite rising and was convicted of treason. His estates were confiscated, and the castle was sold to the York Construction Company, which took everything of value out of it: wood paneling of walls and ceilings, carved stone and, of course, tapestries and furniture, leaving only bare walls.
Today, many buildings of the castle have been restored. Photograph by Herbert Frank
The fact that it was very difficult to get to the castle probably saved it from complete destruction. So he stood until the twentieth century, when in 1919 he was not bought by the Cowdray family. The first Viscountess Cowdray immediately set about rebuilding the castle. Since then, this castle has remained in the property of this family and has been open to visitors.
Dunnottar Castle itself is off the secondary road but off the main A92 about a mile south of Stonehaven. The car park, which has been greatly expanded in recent years, gives access to a path that descends the cliffs facing the shore before climbing up to the castle itself. To get to the castle, you need to go down and then up more than 200 steps, so access for people with disabilities is problematic here. But such a walk gives a good opportunity to appreciate the unusual geology of the rocks of Dunnottar Castle, which are formed by large pebbles that form an extremely durable conglomerate. That's just the purpose of the passage, which someone once cut through the base of the rock, remains unclear.
Castle harbor. Photo by Karen Vernon
Entering the castle through the main gate, you can see opposite a number of cannon embrasures, most likely built somewhere around 1500. That is, those who broke into the castle would have been met simply by a shower of deadly fire. Well, for a modern visitor, Dunnottar Castle is a very interesting place. Plus it's very big. As a matter of fact, Dunnottar has not one castle, but three completely different groups of buildings and ancillary buildings scattered over a wide area. The fortress, built in the late 1300s and rising above the tip of the plateau, faces the land. Included with it are a warehouse, forges and a stable built in the 1500s.
Closer to the center of the plateau is Waterton House, actually a separate residence also built in the late 1500s for Thomas Forbes, Lord Waterton. The third distinct phase in the development of Dunnottar is the Quadrangle, built between 1580 and 1650, and which can be considered a palace in its own right. The "quadrangle" consists of three rows of living quarters around a grassy plaza containing a large circular pool, which is the castle's main source of water. The fourth side of the Quadrangle is formed by a chapel. It is the oldest surviving building on the rock, dating at least in part to 1276. Add to this a number of other buildings, most notably the magnificently restored living room in the northern part of the Quadrangle and the many cellars below it, where the Covenanters were kept.
Stonehaven War Memorial
Lord and Lady Cowdray, having bought the castle, immediately began work on the conservation and restoration of the castle and protected it from further destruction. In addition, Black Hill was donated by Lord and Lady Cowdray to the local community for the construction of the Stonehaven War Memorial. It was designed by architect John Ellis, and local residents organized fundraising for the construction of the monument. The construction is an unfinished round temple and was deliberately designed exactly as a reminder of the death and incompleteness of the full life of those who died during the war. The inscription carved there on the stone reads:
"One by one, death challenged them, but they smiled at her grim face and were not embarrassed."
Well, today the castle is one of the most popular and impressive tourist attractions in Scotland, which was visited by more than 2019 people in 135 alone.
Frame from the movie "Hamlet" (1990). Mel Gibson as Hamlet with Dunnottar Castle in the background
This castle was also honored by filmmakers. So, in 1990, the movie "Hamlet" with Mel Gibson in the title role was filmed here. Moreover, its creators saved a lot on decorations! And, of course, tourists are also attracted to the castle by the ghosts living in it. But what about without ghosts in an English, or rather, Scottish castle? Here and in Dunnottar they are quite enough. Firstly, this is a young soldier guarding the secret entrance to the castle. Then an ancient Viking, who appears at the foot of the castle and seems to be examining it for destruction. Interestingly, a dog is often seen next to this Viking. And she's a ghost too! And there is also a certain lady in a green dress, about whom for some reason no one knows anything. What she is looking for among the ruins is also unknown to anyone, but after a walk she usually hides in a room that is not at all as old as everyone else, namely in the building of a brewery, very popular among locals, which is located near the castle!
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