HUNTLY CASTLE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE. Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC247

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1 Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC247 Designations: Scheduled Monument (SM90165) Taken into State care: 1925 (Guardianship) Last reviewed: 2004 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE HUNTLY CASTLE We continually revise our Statements of Significance, so they may vary in length, format and level of detail. While every effort is made to keep them up to date, they should not be considered a definitive or final assessment of our properties. Historic Environment Scotland Scottish Charity No. SC Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH

2 HUNTLY CASTLE BRIEF DESCRIPTION Huntly Castle is a highly complex, multi-period castle. It stands on a rise of ground, much altered to form the castle, protected to the W by the rocky gorge of the river Deveron. It is approached along a splendid double avenue of plane trees. The castle was located near an important route from the S into Moray, which in the 12 th century still posed a challenge to the Canmore dynasty. The Peel of Strathbogie, as Huntly was originally known, was first constructed by Duncan, Earl of Fife. The castle was granted by Robert I to Sir Adam Gordon, of Huntly in Berwickshire, and as the Gordons rose to preeminence in the north, Huntly Castle became their chief residence. First built in the 12 th century as a motte and bailey, a type of timber castle, it underwent several transformations. Today, the site is dominated by the palace with its magnificent S façade capped by a red sandstone superstructure of 2-storey oriel windows, carved with an inscription. To the N of the palace, within what would have been the bailey of the original timber castle, there are foundations of an earlier L-plan towerhouse, along with numerous other footings for several phases of courtyard buildings. To the W, the original motte still stands, and to the E is the early 17 th century entrance. CHARACTER OF THE MONUMENT Historical Overview William the Lion ( ) settled Duncan, Earl of Fife, at Strathbogie, the crossing point where the Rivers Deveron and Bogie meet. It is likely that Duncan was responsible for constructing the original castle at this strongpoint. Duncan appears to have chosen a low mound near the Deveron, which was landscaped to create the earthwork foundations of his castle. The castle took the form of a motte and bailey, with a sizable upcast mound to the W of the site and a large bailey stretching eastward. The castle is first documented in 1224, when an apostolic letter of Pope Honorius III describes David of Strathbogie as having planted himself in the Peel of Stathbogie. Perhaps surprisingly, the castle was only a minor player during the Wars of independence. In 1307, during his campaign against the Comyns, Robert Bruce was taken ill at Inverurie and brought to Stathbogie. Despite accommodating Bruce, David of Stathbogie adhered to Edward II, perhaps because of his Comyn connections (he was married to the daughter of the Red Comyn, killed by Bruce in 1306). As a consequence, David lost his lands, which included the earldom of Athol and the lordship of Strathbogie. The lordship of Stathbogie was then granted to Sir Adam Gordon of Huntly in Berwickshire, the beginning of the meteoric rise of the Gordon family. Due to certain claims to the lands of Strathbogie by the Earls of Atholl, the Gordons do not appear to have entered their northern lands until 1376, when the Atholl line died out. It was probably around this time, when the Gordons felt assured of their new lands, that they constructed the large L-plan 1/6

3 towerhouse in the bailey of the old earthwork castle, replacing the obsolete existing accommodation. In 1408, Sir Alexander Seton, husband of Elizabeth Gordon, was created Lord Gordon. C.1445 his son, also Alexander, was made first Earl of Huntly, and soon received the extensive lordship of Badenoch. Alexander was a keen supporter of James II against the Douglases, and was made lieutenantgeneral of the kingdom, with full powers N of the Mounth. During this conflict (1452) Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, attacked the lands of Strathbogie and burnt the castle, although Huntly soon after crushed the power of the Douglases in the N. From 1455, Alexander repaired and reconstructed his castle, adding the huge hall and chamber block which was built over the S edge of the bailey, destroying the old earthwork defences but creating what must have been, even at this stage, an impressive façade looking out from the castle. He died at Strathbogie in 1470 and was buried in Elgin Cathedral (his monument still survives), leaving his son George to complete the works. James IV was a frequent visitor to Strathbogie, celebrating the marriage of Catherine Gordon and Perkin Warbek, the spurious claimant to the English throne, there in The Lord High Treasurer s accounts record two separate occasions when drink silver was paid to the masons, confirming that work was still underway in In 1506 the name of the castle changed from Strathbogie to Huntly by royal charter. The change of name attempted to make family and place synonymous, although it appears to have been initially unsuccessful, as in 1544 George, the 4 th Earl sought an act of Parliament to change the name to Huntly, and the castle and town continued to be known by both names in the 17 th century. George, 4th Earl, became Chancellor in 1547 and travelled to France in 1550 with Mary of Guise. Upon his return he used his great wealth to remodel Huntly, almost entirely rebuilding the place block from the first floor up, perhaps also adding the great round tower to the palace. The power of the Gordons in the N was such, that it was eventually seen as a threat to the authority of the Crown, despite their previous loyalty. A spectacular reception for Mary of Guise in 1556 at Huntly elicited the advice from the French ambassador that Mary should clip his wings. In 1562, the 4 th Earl s overwhelming power, and his adherence to the Roman faith led Mary to campaign against "the Pope of the North". By doing so she showed the Protestant lords that she was neither prepared to put up with rivals to the Crown's authority nor to favour Catholics. George died, probably of a heart attack on the battlefield of Corrachie Hill. The castle was ransacked with some of its remarkable furnishings making their way to Darnley's house at Kirk o'field, Edinburgh. An inventory taken at the time included the vestments and treasures of Aberdeen Cathedral including the tent in which Edward II had slept the night before Bannockburn. Huntly probably held these as he was the protector of the cathedral. In 1569 the castle was restored to George 5th earl. In 1576 he died playing football. The account of his death provides with some information about the internal arrangements of the palace before the destruction of The palace is called the New Werk. The earl collapsed and was carried into the castle ; they buire him in to his own chalmer, and laid him in his bed: quhilk 2/6

4 chalmer was ane round within the grit chalmer of the New warke of Strathbogie a chamber in the great round tower which lay beyond the great chamber. The great chamber is also referred to as the chalmer of daice, and had two doors, the chalmer durre leading into Lord Huntly s bedroom and the vtter chalmer durre entering the great chamber from the hall. Thus, the division of hall, outer chamber and inner chamber was in place in In 1594, George, 6 th Earl of Huntly joined with the Earl of Errol in an ill-judged revolt against James VI. The castle was slighted by the Crown. The sources state that nothing was left unhocked savinge the greate olde tower which shall be blown up with powder, while the instruction of the Privy Council was to cast down the castle to the ground. However, the palace does appear to have survived largely intact. The L-plan towerhouse, which is now reduced to its foundations, appears to have suffered the most damage. However, 18 th century estate papers suggest that it was not destroyed to the extent we see today as workmen were being paid to demolish the remains in the 1720s. In 1597, George was restored and in 1599 was created 1st Marquis of Huntly. He repaired the palace and added to it on a more elaborate scale. The present form of the palace block with its elaborate oriel windows, the fine inscription along the south front, proclaiming he and his wife s new status as marquis and marchioness, the remarkable fireplaces and the NE stair tower with its elaborate frontispiece declaring the Gordon allegiance to James VI and God, can be attributed to the 1st Marquis. After his death, his son George continued to work on the palace, and a visitor to the castle in 1643 recounted that the 2nd Marquis was personally supervising the works. In 1640 Covenanters defaced the religious carvings including those on the great frontispiece. In 1644 it was occupied by Montrose, who was being pursued by Argyll. After the collapse of Montrose s rising, the castle was held by Lord Charles Gordon until 1647, when the forces of General Leslie starved out the garrison; the defenders were hanged and their officers beheaded. In the same year the 2nd Marquis was held in his own palace on his way to execution in Edinburgh, and it was at Huntly that his escort was shot. The wars of the 1640s marked the end of the castle s occupation by the Gordon family, although there are accounts in estate papers of glazing repairs to the castle in the early 18 th century, and references to the demolition of the old tower. The palace was occupied by Government troops in In 1752, the widow of the 3rd duke of Gordon built the nearby Huntly Lodge out of stone from the ruins castle. From this point the castle served as a quarry. In 1799, a sketch by Nattes shows the roof intact. About the same time, the Statistical Account mentions that most of the apartments are still in tolerable preservation; particularly the ceilings, which are ornamented with a great variety of paintings, in small divisions, containing many emblematic figures, with verses, expressive of some moral sentiment, in doggerel rhyme. The author goes on to mention two square towers on the avenue to the castle which defended a gate. These appear to have been demolished when the Gordon Schools were constructed (1839). In 1924, the castle was given into state care, the avenue was added in /6

5 Archaeological Overview In the 1920's the site was subject to a comprehensive clearance excavation for the Ministry of Works (MOW) by Douglas Simpson. As with many MOW clearances, the archaeology of the site must now be seen as compromised. However, the levels revealed by the MOW may seal earlier occupation levels. The monument therefore remains archaeological sensitive since the clearances cannot be taken as either having provided a definitive picture of the archaeology of the site or as having sterilised it. Some areas such as the motte may never have been touched. A watching brief to the N of the shop in 1997 identified several wall lines. The dating of these walls was not clear and while at least one of them appeared to post-date the 16th-century works, an earlier clay-bonded wall could well have belonged to a much earlier phase. Artistic/Architectural Overview The castle is an extremely complex, multi period site. The main elements consists of a motte and bailey which was superseded in the late 14 th /early 15 th century by a massive L-plan tower house, now reduced to its foundations,. In the mid-15 th -century, a lodging range raised up on two levels of cellars was added to it S. This great hall and chamber block, now known as the palace, was rebuilt in the mid-16 th century and the old curtain wall was superseded by a courtyard enclosed by ranges of buildings. The palace was again reconstructed in 1602 and with further works continuing into the 1640s, including a loggia and perhaps a chapel E of the palace. The S façade of the palace of Huntly Castle is one of the finest pieces of late medieval secular architecture in Scotland. The 1550s palace was transformed by the construction of the sumptuous double height oriel windows, flanked by the great round tower and the rectangular turret. Nattes drawings give some sense of the magnificent character of the façade with the stunning emphasis given to the roof line, with the oriels terminating with dormers, the heavy corbelled parapet crowning the great round tower and the inscription proclaiming the Gordon s ownership of the castle. Our understanding of the development history of the palace is imprecise, with some commentators suggesting that the great round tower is an addition dating to the 4 th Earl s reconstruction of the palace in the 1550s. The evidence from the building is ambiguous but the wide mouthed gunports in the round tower (in contrast the inverted key hole type and a single dumbbell gunport found throughout the rest of the palace building) do suggest that it may have been an addition. There was a certain vogue at this time for adding round towers to existing ranges of high status buildings, found notably at Balvenie Castle, Edzell Castle and the Bishop s Palace, Kirkwall. While it is probably inappropriate to ascribe inspiration for these towers to a specific building or collection of buildings, they do appear to reveal some French influence, particularly in the upper works at the Bishop s Palace Kirkwall with its covered walk-way and less certainly, the small oriels at Balvenie. This may reflect the influence of the Queen Mother, Mary of Guise, and certainly 4/6

6 George the 4 th earl travelled in France with Mary in 1550, with many other members of the Scottish court, begging pensions. In France, there was evidently a developing fashion for lodging blocks with attached single round towers, such as Tonquedec, Loches and Suscinio, which begin to appear from the early 15 th century. In Scotland, the much earlier Rait Castle demonstrates that the form of hall and circular chamber block was not an alien concept, and this may have made such a combination of elements more readily acceptable. As remodelled in the early 17 th century, the character of the palace is even more clearly French in character though Scottish influences may also have had a role. The 1st Marquis followed his predecessor, the 4 th earl in journeying to France, when he was exiled after the affair of the Spanish Blanks (his wife had also grown up in France). He must have been greatly influenced by the châteaux he visited and stayed in. Again, it is unlikely that any one châteaux was used as a direct model for Huntly, although Blois is often credited with this role. Examples such as Bonnivet, Apremont and La Rochefoucauld combine a series of spectacular dormers, enriching the skyline of the range, with large round towers attached, although in these instances the tower is balanced to create a symmetrical façade. The massing of Amboise at first seems very similar to Huntly, with its great round tower balanced by a smaller rectangular turret, with a great hall block in between with a series of spectacular dormers, enriching the skyline. However, the similarities are perhaps misleading as the relationships between the component parts are not the same as at Huntly. Amongst many others, Chambord and Josselin, with their splendid double height dormers, also have similarities to the treatment of the skyline at Huntly. However, the Huntly oriels are not in themselves particularly French in character, and may have been inspired by Scottish works such as the oriels built at Edinburgh Castle for James IV to adorn his chambers, or the same monarch s closets at Linlithgow Palace, or the roof-top dormers to the palace range at Dunfermline Palace. The great inscription, carved in relief, across the façade of the castle, bears some similarities with a series of skyline inscriptions found in England from the late 16 th century as at Hardwick Hall and into the early 17 th century at Castle Ashby, where it is rather more developed. In the case of Huntly and the English examples, the inspiration may be Classical inscriptions; Castle Ashby is certainly a self-consciously classical building and the later loggia at Huntly was a Classical feature. Social Overview The castle is still seen as a focal centre of the town of Huntly, with events taking place within its grounds or with the castle as a backdrop. The castle is used for weddings and as a recreational attraction. There are few schools visits. The castle has suffered in the past from persistent if relatively minor vandalism. Spiritual Overview As the seat of the Gordon family, Huntly castle was the centre of Roman Catholicism in the NE after the Reformation. 5/6

7 Aesthetic Overview The castle is situated in beautiful parkland beside the rock gorge of the Deveron, and is approached along a wonderfully atmospheric double avenue of lime trees. The S façade of the castle is a truly impressive piece of late medieval/early Renaissance architecture, which has inspired artists such as Nattes and Billings. The aesthetics of the interior of the hall block have been diminished through the construction of modern gantries to allow access and protective covers over the heraldic fireplaces. What are the major gaps in understanding of the property? The form of the original motte and bailey castle. The extent of the 20 th century clearances are uncertain and therefore the archaeological potential is unclear. The original form and subsequent development of the palace is not well understood. The nature of the late 14 th century tower house is unclear apart from its general plan, as is the exact date of its destruction. ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Key points The castle was the seat of the Gordons, one of the premier noble families, who played a pivotal role in the political and religious developments of late medieval Scotland, and one of the most powerful families north of the Mounth. The complex and long-lived occupation of the site tells us much about the development of lordship and building fashion in medieval/renaissance Scotland. Many of the major trends in castellated architecture are exemplified at Huntly. The place is a truly magnificent ruin, in an impressive setting. Its design, with its clear French influence, demonstrates the manner in which Scottish patrons gained inspiration from the Continent, as well as from existing buildings within Scotland. Associated Properties Auchindoun Castle was briefly held by the Gordons in the Late 16 th Century. Ruthven Barracks in the ownership of the Gordons from 1451, when George, 2nd earl of Huntly was made Lord of Badenoch. Bog of Gight (Gordon Castle) became the Gordons favoured seat from the late 16 th century. Elgin Cathedral burial palace of the Gordons. Keywords Gordons, palace, motte and bailey, tower house, Catholicism, Renaissance. 6/6