This is a vast
and impressive ruin perched on a great rocky headland. A steep path leads down the
cliffside and up to the entrance gate, protected by large gunloops from the guardroom. The
way continues through two tunnels to the grassed courtyard, with bowling green to the
north and kirkyard to the south (with one tiny grave from 1685).
The buildings round the
quadrangle and large well comprise the Silver House (re-roofed in 1927), with seven
chambers below what was the 15th century ballroom. The north and east range
have a series of the Whigs Vault. 122 men and 45 women were imprisoned in the Whigs Vault
in 1685, and some died in making an escape. The remains of the 13th century
chapel are the oldest part of the castle. Over the vaults are the Countess and Marischal
suites, the latter with armorial lintel over the fireplace and old stone clock face. The
restored dining room has a memorial over the fire commemorating the fact that the Honours
of Scotland (Crown Jewels) were kept here from 1651 until 1652. Waterston’s Lodging
dates from 1574; the stables and smithy are south of it. The keep is of the 14th
century, with the lower floor vaulted and the great hall over. Beyond is the Wallace Door
of 1297, a small museum room over Benholms’s Lodging, the Lion’s Den and the
descent to entrance pend.
Dunnottar was the seat of the
Keiths, Earls Marischal, until 1716 when the 10th Earl had his estates
forfeited for his Jacobite adherences. Sold to the York Buildings Company, the castle was
stripped and de-roofed. In 1919 J.W. Guy Innes sold the ruins to Viscountess Cowdray who
undertook partial restoration. They remain the property of her descendants. |
