THE ROYAL CASTLE OF KINDKOCHIT IN MAR. 75
III. E ROYATH L CASTL P KINDROCHIO E MARN I T . BY W. DOUGLAS SIMPSON, M.A., F.S.A.ScOT.
The scanty remains of the great Aberdeenshire Castle of Kindrochit occup ya ver y strong positio e righth n te Clun no ban th f yo k Water, a short distance from its confluence with the Dee, and immediately above the bridge which connects the two portions (Auchendryne and Castleton e villagth f f Braemarwalle o o )e th placo n se emorar n I . e than 10 feet high, and for the greater part they are reduced to mere foundations. These fragments are much overgrown with grass and moss, and the whole sits i obscuree y larcd b d an h rowan trees, scrubby undergrowtd an h luxuriant nettles, amidst whic harde hth , metamorphic bedrock here and there n roundedi crop t ou s , ice-worn bosses. e Aeas th roat n side,o d d variouan ' s erections connected with the adjoining farm, encroach upon the precincts. Also a considerable amount of refuse has been dumped upo sitee nthath o s , t what remains of the castle is now "a desola- tion of rubbish and weeds."1 But by a careful examination of the existing masonry, and of the green mounds with protruding stones which mark buried courses of wall, it is possible to recover KINDROCHIT CASTLE. . GROUND PLAN a fairly accurate ground plan (fig, 1) . althoug a hcompletel y satisfactory sur- vey would entail extensive excavation. Fig . Kindrochi1 . t Castle: Plan. The chief featur thif eo s castle appear havo t s e bee ngreaa t master- tower or keep (fig. 2), measuring 64 feet by 43 feet over the walls, which are 10 feet thick. This keep is set with its main axis north and south. A partitio feen3 t thick divide s basemenit s t into apartments measuring fee3 2 fee 3 ty 3 b respectively tfee d 3 2 fee 7 an t y b t . Probabl e smalyth l northern chambenorte prisone th th s hkeepe n I th wal.wa r f ,o lnea r its west end, a vertical garderobe flue is exposed in the thickness of the
n indignana e 1Se t protese Rev th r Georgy .D b t e Walker, Aberdeen "Thn i , e Clund an y s Sources,"it Aberdeenn i Daily Journal, 19th July 1920.
E ROYATH L CASTL F KINDROCHIO E MARN I T . wall t measureI . fee 4 s1'fooy b fee5 t inches0 s i t1 e t deeth d an o ,p t top of the rubbish by which it is choked. My friend Dr William Kelly, who made an examination of the castle in July 1908, tells me that he explored this flue, and found that it turned westward as if to find an outlet toward e thire Clunyth th sd n I r editioAlexande. M f o n . I r M'Connochie's Guide Book Deeside,o t mentio e discovers madni th f o e y thin i s towe spiraa f o r l stair than O t. occasio stepo ntw s were found, whicf o subsequentl s e hwa on y stolen, while eth othe s stili r l preserve gardee th n di f Rowa no n Cottage e castl, harth y edb (fig . Thi3) . s stes pi in Kildrummy freestone, and measures 3 feet 1 inch in length exclusive of the newel, 5 inches in diameter, which is one quarter engaged with the step. At its narrowest part, at the newel, the step is 5 inches broad; at the opposite end e breadtth e heighe stefoot1 th Th s p hi f . o t inches8 s i . Mark se chise o th fe stil ar l l very distinct traco remain w N e towe.no e th n ri s of this stair, but Miss Clark, Rowan Cottage, exace th e t southe placm pointe th o t t et a - dou eass accordinglha t t anglei d an , y been shown on plan.1 This great keep occupies the south-west corner of a large courtyard, surrounded by strong walls of enceinte, 9 feet thick, and con- nected with a range of apartments along the opposite side fro e keep f thimth O s. enceinte e westh t curtain, parallel -wit e maith h n axis of the keep, springs from a point about the Photo. Clark,M . R July 1908.] s middlnortit f o he face; whil e soutth e h Fig. 3. Kindrochit Castle: Step from newel stair in Keep. curtain continues the corresponding wall of the keep. The latter thus projects only from the west front of the enceinte, encroachesd an upo e courtyarth n d within, which appearo t s have measured abou fee 3 n lengti 10 tt h (nort d feesouth4 3 an h t y b ) in greatest breadth (east and west). In the west curtain, close to and covered by the projecting keep, are the remains of a postern or water- gate steee , leadinth po t slopt gou e Cluny e downorte th o Th t nh. jamb remains, showing that the passage had narrowed outwardly. On this side also a projecting screen wall, with the shoulder of the keep on the other side, canalised the passage into a long, narrow trance. The west curtain beyon e posterne wholth dth d e an ,nort h curtain M'Connockie'e Se s Deeside, edd .3r (1900) . 196-7pp , . 1 78 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1923Y8 . except a small length at its east end, are now reduced to grass-grown^ stony mounds—although the base course of the west wall is exposed at intervals, allowing it to be accurately set out in the plan. The east enclosing wall is .better preserved, and may be traced in masonry from e north-easth t angle southward r som sfo feet0 8 e . Beyond this s ii t represented by a mound engaging with the south curtain, which also is reduce mera o dt e mound prolongin e soutgth he keep Avaith A f .o l
[Photo B. M. Clark, July 1908. Fig. This structure, which may have formed an angle tower of a southern courtyard, is now traceable only by prominent grassy mounds. Stron themselven gi e castlth s ea s buildings have clearly been, they occupy a position of very great natural strength (fig. 5). Westward the ground slopes rapidly from the walls to the deep and picturesque rocky gorge through whic e foaminhth g Cluny hurries impetuouslo yt the Dee. On the east front ,the site of the castle is now bounded by a road leadin farma o gt . Beyon roae dth smald a l stri f rougpo h wooded ground contains a mill-lade, which is taken off the Cluny about 200 yards abov castlee eth joind an ,t agaii s n belo e bridgewth . Opposite the castle the lade is about 30 yards from the nearest part of the ruins. There can be little doubt that this lade is an ancient feature which, in addition to supplying the castle mill, had played its part in the defensive arrangements.1 Abreas e castls partli th f t i eo t y rock-cut a vertica, l stone face, now about 4 feet high, probably scarped, occurring at a dis- tance of about 7 yards from the left bank of the lade. No doubt the castle buildings were carried right to the edge of this scarp, but have been obliterated by the construction of the farm-road. I am assured locally that foundations hav severan eo l occasions been unearthed both beneath the road and in the wood beyond it. Thus the lade would have answered the purpose of a moat, and doubtless the isolation of the castle area was completed by transverse ditches north and south. The northern ditch must have been obliterate e constructioth y db e th f no modern road and bridge over the Cluny; but a stone-built conduit, running northward, exists beneath the floor of Rowan Cottage, and doubtless drained into this ditch. Some traces of the southern ditch e rapi exiso seeth t t dn mi t ye fallingroune th f go d beyon apsidae dth l building south of the keep. At Invercauld House there is preserved a remarkable old map, on a large scald carefullan e y painte y handb d f Auchendryno , d an e Castleton. Through the kind permission of Colonel Alexander H. Farquharso f Invercauldno I hav, e been privilege copo dt portioe yth n which includes Kindrochit (fig. 6). It gives a very interesting repre- sentation of the castle ruins, which are shown as existing to a con- siderable height. The mill-lade is clearly apparent, and also the old bridge across the Cluny, opposite the castle, and so several yards above e presenth t structure.2 Doubtles e postere westh sth e tn o nth sid f o e 1 My attention was first directed to the significance of the lade by Dr Kelly. 2 In 1732 the bridge over the Cluny was of timber—Collections on the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, p. 641. Rev. Charles Cordiner, in his Antiquities and Scenery of the North of Scotland (1780), p. 22, has the following note, which clearly refers to Kindrochit: "A little way above the Castle of Brae-Mar there is a square tower upon the top of a rock;, the rock on three sides is washed by the cascades of a rivulet, which falls into the Dee. The building is E ROYATH L CASTL F KINDROCHIO E MARN TI . 81 castle was for giving convenient access to the bridge. Colonel Far- quharson informs me that the date of this map is about 1775. I do not doubt tha representatioe th t castle th means f ei no givo t t approxin ea - mat appearance th ide f ao e ruin th t thaf a seo t date f onli , y because same givep th ema vera s y nead exacan t t little drawin e morth f ego modern Castl f Braemaro e . Incidentally- in p affordn a ma s u e s th , teresting picture of Castleton in the eighteenth century, with its hand- CASTLETO BRAEMAP NO R FROM A MAP, e>>ea. 1775, *T INVER.CAULD Fig . Castleto6 . Braemarf no , circa 1775. ful of cottar houses and small gardens, and one larger building, probably "e hoodhousth er inn " o r perhapo , "e Courthous,th s " show rouga n no h f 1735o sketc p , preservema h d amon e Invercaulth g d Papers.o Tw 1 waula mills e on ,k mill e indicatear , connection di n wit ladee hth . In the absence of architectural detail, it is not easy to form an greatly demolished sais i havo t dt bu e, bee fortresna hunting-seatd an s t timea , residence th s e of the Kings of Scotland. Over the rivulet there is a good stone bridge of one arch, having a machine placed on the side for breaking the ice in winter, that the people may be the more readily supplied wit he samth water. . e Cf -writer'" s Remarkable Ruins d Romantican Prospects of North Britain (1795), vol. i., article "Braemar Castle," last paragraph. 1 Reproduce Recordsn di of Invercauld, Michie. . RevG ed . J . . 372p , . VOL. LVII. 6 82 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1923Y8 . opinion as to the date of the castle. The uniform thickness and con- struction of the walls suggest strongly that the whole of the remains existinw no g belonperioe straightforwaron d o gdan t d effor buildingf o t . The plan, with its great donjon and barmekin wall, does not indicate a castle belongin e firsth t o gt perio f Scottiso d h military architecture n i ston d lime—than e e thirteenth century r perioo , f courtyaro d d castles with higd thichan k screen wall flankind an s g towersr fa o S . as it is preserved, the plan rather suggests the type 'of castle erected after the War of Independence, when square tower-houses with appended courtyards came into vogue. At the same time, the simplicity of the structure, the great thickness of its walls, and above all the style of . masonry, indicate a date comparatively early within this period. Gener- ally castle th , e recall e greatesth r stronghold fourteente th f o s h century, suc s Threaveha , Dundonald r Torthorwald.o , 1 With suc ha conclusio n the ascertained history of the castle fully agrees. The Castl f Kindrochio e t occupie a dpositio f muco n h strategic importance in the Middle Ages (fig. 7). In those days, one of the great routes acros e Mountth s h ascended Glen Clov d Glee th an an dold an l "ladder" at Jock's Road, and, passing the col at Tolmount, came down Deesidn o Gley eb n Callateease th t d sid f an Glereo n Cluny. Another and also much frequented route ascended the Mounth via the Spital of Glenshe Glenbegd ean , crosse e Cairnwele ridgth th dy b e l Roadd an , vallereachee De ye dowdth wese nth t sid Glef eo n Cluny. t KindrochiA 2 t a bridge over the Cluny connected these two roads ; and the importance e castles namoth it f s a e, (Ceann-Drochaid) attests s strictlwa , y thaf o t a bridge-head (fig. Thes8) . e great routes acros e Mountth s h froe mth south were carried northwards from Kindrochit by " a passage on the river Dee, by boate, at Castelltoune in the Brae of Mar." 3 This ferry is mentioned as far back as 2nd December 1564, in the charter conveying the lands of Braemar and Strathdee to the Earl of Moray— croftam vulgo lie Cowbill cymbaCroft cum cowbill lie Casteltounde assedata trans-pro portatione colonorum patrie extra aquam Dee*de 1 In general dispositions Kindrochit closely resembles Torthorwald. See the plan in Ancient Monuments Commission, Report on Dumfries, p. 201. The present road from the Cairnwell to Braemar keeps to the right bank of the Cluny, joinin2 g the Tolmount Road at the confluence of the Callater; but in ancient times the road seems to have crossed to the left bank of the Cluny, about the spot where Eraser's bridge was erected in 1750 in connection with the military road from Blairgowrie to Fort George. See G. M. Fraser, The Old Deeside Road, p. 90, footnote ; also p. 210. 3 Collections Shirese th n o of Aberdeen. d Banff,77 . an p Antiquities of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, vol. ii. p. 88. In the sketch map of 1735 in the4 Invercauld Papers the ferry, and the "Boatman's hous" on the north bank of the Dee, are shown just, below the mouth of the Cluny, with the comment': '•' Publict Ferry, and non other fitt parish.e placth n ei " E ROYATH L CASTL F KINDROCHIO E MARN I T . 83 The Mounth passes have been in use from time immemorial, and it is therefor t surprisineno g that tradition carrie origie sth Kindrochif no t Castle back to a remote antiquity. Legend indeed asserts that both the e castlth bridg d e an were e erecte y Malcolb d m Canmoree th d an ; traditio s entitleni credenceo dt a pedigre ,s sincha t i e which carries beyonr fa t i d these day f shiftino s g population, tourists' handbooksd an , • 1S\ft / FOR FAR 15 Zi. Fig. 7. Kindrochit Castle : Strategic Map. history made to order. Sir Samuel Forbes of Foveran, in his "Description of Aberdeenshire," written in 1716-17, states that " after Malcum Cann Mor threw a bridge across the Cluny, it was called Ceann-drochit."1 And Alexander Keith, autho Diocesee a Viewth f f o rf o Aberdeen, o n 1732i , speak King' e f "th o s s Castl f Kindrochteo Castletownn ,i ruinousw ,no : said to have been built by King Malcolm III., and to have been inhabited i Braemar, Hone th .y b Stuar t Erskine . Thi4 . p ,s note upon Kindrochit doe t appeasno n i r the "Description" as printed in Collections on the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, ed. J. Kobertson . 31-59pp , . Several MSS knowe ar . havo nt e existed (see Preface x.). p , . E ROYATH L CASTL F KINDROCHIO E 5 8 MARN I T . (as well as Kildrummy) by the Earls of Mar of the Koyal family"—i.e. the Stewart Earls of Mar in the fifteenth century. The same author also enumerates our castle among nine royal strongholds in the diocese, namely t eaca e h on ,roya l burgh (Aberdeen, Kintore, Inverurie, Banff, Cullen) d Kildrummyan , , Dunnideer, Hallforest d Kindrochit.an , A 1 still more interesting notice is by the " Water Poet," John Taylor, who, in the remarkable account which he has given to posterity of his visit e "Breth f Marro ao t e followin th 1618n "i s ha , g notic f Kindrochiteo . " I saw the ruines of an old castle, called the castle of Kindroghit. It was built by King Malcolm Canmore (for a hunting house), who raigned in Scotland when Edwar e Confessordth , Harold Normad an , n William raigne Englandn di I lase :speak , becausth tit s housf w eo wa sa t e i eI in those space partsth f twelvs eo ; wa fo I er days after, beforw sa I e either house, corne-field, or habitation for any creature but deere, wilde horses, wolves d sucan ,h like creatures, which made mee doubt thaI t should never have seen a house e againe. e tremendouTh " s scenerf yo Braemar had indeed made a powerful impression upon this Londoner. t "iI slarga e country, e tell , "al"h us sl compose f suco d h mountaines that Shooter's hill, Gads hill, Highgate hill, Hampsted hill, Birdlip hill, r Malverneo t mole-hillsbu hile ar l comparisonn i s r liko , elivera a r o , gizard under a capons wing, in respect of the altitude of their tops or perpendicularitie of' their bottomes. MounTherw sa I et Benawne"— Ben Avon—" with a furr'd mist upon his snowie head instead of a night cap :musu foyo r t understand thae oldes alivn th t ma t e nevebu w rsa the snow was on the top of divers of those hills, both in summer as winter.n weli s a l 1'2 As the poet tells us that he visited the ruins with "my good Lord of Marr," he must have obtained his information from the Earl himself; thuy sma e infew d r an tha e traditioth t f Canmore'no s connection with Kindrochit was current at the opening of the seventeenth century in the family who owned the castle. In the face of these circumstances it is hardly possible to doubt that Malcolm Canmore did actually erect a bridge and place of strength here; though it is equally certain that no portioe presenth f no t ruins dates bac anythino kt g lik remoto es ea period. King Malcolm was at least twice in the valley of the Dee: in 1057, when he slew Macbeth at Luinphanan, and in 1078, when he again visited the north on the same task of curbing the unruly half-Norse independenc f Moraviao e , o givt whic s e wa hsuc e h th troubl l al o t e Scottish Kings until, early in the thirteenth century, the vigorous measures of Alexander II. brought this remote province conclusively 1 Collections on the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, pp. 643-70. * See P. Hume Brown, Early Travellers in Scotland, pp. 120-3. 86 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 8, 1923. under Anglo-Norman influence s mori t I e . than probable thae th t bridge and castle on the Cluny, like other castles which afterwards sentinelle e passedth s ovee Mounthth r , were erecte Kiny db g Malcolm in connection with his operations against Moravia, and the need for securing communications with the more settled districts to the south. The traditionary account of the origin of Kindrochit Castle is set forth in great fulness by the author of an interesting " Memorial Concernin ga Cros s Road from Inverlochy Ruthvey b , f Badenocho n , and Through Braemar to Aberdeen," written some time between the conclusio f Generao n l Wade's road-making activitiee th n 173i s d 7an outbreak of the " Forty Five."l "Afte totae th r l overthrow and extinctio Pietise th f no h e Nationth d an , repeated expulsio e Danesth f o n, ther s nothinwa e g nex o theit t r almost perpetual Wars with England that gave such disturbance to the Scotch Kings e frequenth s a t Commotions and Insurrection f tho se Turbulent Highlanders and Borderers, to suppress which they were necessitate to make frequent Expeditions in person, which sometimes proved fatal to those Princes, and very often fruitless, after considerable losd chargesan s , whic d alwaydi h s terminate in the Utter devastation of the most of the Neighbouring Countries, tho' possessed by their Majesty's most loyal and peaceable Subjects. '' It was for this reason that Malcolm the 3rd, King of Scots, one of the wisest of .their Princes, did build a Strong Castle in the-Brae of Mar, in the very center of the Grampians, call'd the Castle of Kindrochit, and that out of pretext of a Summer Residence, for his diversion of Deer-hunting, but in effec bridlo t t Stubbore eth n dispositio fierce lawlesd th f ean no s Inhabitants; and more particularly the Stance of the said Fortress was pitched upon as most necessar reasoy e maccessibleiiesyb th f no f thao s t Country an s centricadit l Situation, which mad t i alwaye s remarkabl r bein fo ee Commonplac th g f eo Rendezvou whole th f so e Turbulen disaffected an t d Peopl f thoseo e parts, there being equal expeditious e accessamth somn eo i Dayst w efe s fro severae mth l remotest Corner Highlandse th f so wherd an , e they could rest securely without fear of being attacked even by much superior Numbers, and the Inhabitants themselves by reason of their situation were still amongst the first and last in Arms l Insurrectional n i , smind.f o tim t eou " onls i t yI anothe rremote prooth f o fe origin which mus assignee b t d o thest e ancient routes, thae ecclesiasticath t l histor f Kindrochio y t carrie n epocs a bacu s o t kh greatly anterior eve o that n f Kino t g Malcolm. In the legend of the origin of the Priory of St Andrews it is stated that St Regulus or Rule and his companions, in the eighth century, brough t e AndrerelicS th tf o s w from Constantinoplo t e Kilrymon n Fife i te plac th , e which ever afterwards bor e namth e f eo patroe th n saint whose bone t thesi n received. Proceeding northward wit e relicshth , Regulus ancompanionss dhi , say e legendth s , " crossed the mountains called Moneth, and reached the place then called See Historical Papers Relating to the Jacobite Period, ed..Colonel J. Allardyce, vol. ii. pp. 1600-606. THE ROYAL CASTLE OF KINDROCHIT IN MAR. 87 Doldencha ,know 'buw no t s Chondrochedalvana n " (transierunt montana seu Moneth, veneruntet locumad qui vocabatur Doldencha, nunc autem dictus Chondrochedalvan). Here they met Hungus, King of the Picts, returning fro n expeditioma n agains e Scotth tf Dalriada o se th d an ; king, prostrating himself before the sacred relics, at once made a gift of the place to God and St Andrew. After this he accompanied Regulus and the relics, by Monichi and Forteviot, at each of which place churches were dedicate e saintth o ,t d bac o Kilrymontt k , whics hwa then established as the ecclesiastical capital of the Pictish kingdom. In its present form this legend has doubtless been dressed up in Roma e npurpos th day r f fo sexaltin eo e antiquitgth d prioritan y f yo the metropolitan see of Scotland; and Mr Archibald B. Scott, in his recent work on the Picts, has suggested that the original of the legendary St Regulus was an obscure Celtic saint, Riaghuil, connected with the early ecclesiastical history of St Andrews.1 But however garbled the story may be in its present shape, "it is impossible to doubt," as Mr W. F. Skene says, " that there is an historical basis of some kind." " The circumstantial character of the narrative," he proceeds, "is of a kind not likely to be invented. The place beyond the Moneth or Grampians, called Chondrochedalvan plainls i , churce yth Kindrochif ho Braemarn ti , whic s dedicatehwa t AndrewS o dt . Monik s probablyi i t Monikino e in Forfarshire, as that church was in the diocese of Brechin, but a church called Egli se parisMonichtith f n Moniflethi ho w no ,e th , n whici s hwa diocese of St Andrews; and Forteviot was also in the diocese of St Andrews." r ReeveD s A s2 pointed out, Chondrochedalva s plainlni n ya amalga e namth f meo Kindrochit, "bridge-head," with Alva r Alienno , an ancient name for the Cluny found often in the old charters.3 King Hungu r Unguo s s i clearls e forcefuth y l Pictish monarch, Angus MacFergus, who reigned from 729 or 731 to 761.4 He was a vigorous soldier, " a great military leader and born ruler,"5 who made himself, r e wordHumD th f n o i se Brown, "virtual maste f Dalriado r d an a Strathclyde, as well as king of the Picts. Of no one before him," con- tinue historiane sth , " coulsaie b dt d i tha came h t neao es r being over- lord of North Britain; and had his work been continued by his immediate successors, North Britain might have been consolidated a century before any country of western Europe." 8 Pictishe Th 1 Nation; s Church,Peoples it it d an . 261 p . * "Notice of the Early Ecclesiastical Settlements at St Andrews," Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. iv. pp. 300-21. 3 "O Culdees,e nth " Trains. Royal Irish Academy, vol. xxiv. part iii. (1873) . 258p , , footnote. 4 This is proved by Skene in his paper on St Andrews, noted above (pp. 308-9). Scott5 , Pictish Nation, p. 389. 6 History of Scotland, vol. i. pp. 26-7. 8 8 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1923Y8 . How came this powerful Pictish monarct Kindfochia e b o ht t when the clerical procession met him ? Was there a place of strength here even at this early time, three centuries before King Malcolm ? Of this we know nothing; but the cumulative evidence is irresistible that our castle has a history, as a royal residence, stretching remotely into the Celtie mistth f sco past. Whatever embellishmen havy ma te been added in medieval e legen timet Regulusth S o f t sdo s associatioit , f Kinno - drochit with this great Pictish kina convincin s gi ghige prooth hf o f antiquit importancd yan e localityth f eo . One point more. If we agree with Skene (and of this I think there little b en ca doubt t Andres )topoS it tha e s a -th t w r fa legend o s n i , graphical particulars are. concerned substratua s ,ha mf trutho gleae ,w n e facth e teight th tha n i ht century Kindrochis it s knowy b wa t nno present s Doldencha—whatevenamea t bu , r mean.y thama t 1 Thist i , will at once be noted, is in entire accordance with the statement of Sir Samuel Forbe d otheran s s thae placs calleth t wa e d Kindrochit after Canmore threw a bridge across the Cluiiy. Kindrochit f courseo , withiy ,la e territorienth e ancienth f o s t Celtic MormaBor s Churc it f Mart o AndrewsS d f an h;o r whicfo , h suc ha dis - tinguished pedigree is claimed by the Regulus legend, was gifted by Duncan, Earl of Mar (circa 1211-circa 1244), to the Augustinian Priory of Monymusk. The charter specifies " the Church of St Andrew of Kindrouc , wit . acr1 h. hf lano e n Aucatendregei d e otheth n ro n streae sidth f emo whic s callehi d Alien." Aucatendrege f courso s ni e Auchendryne (i.e. Achadh-an-Droighinn,2 thorny land r 8tha)o , t parf o t Braemar which lies on the west bank of the Cluny (anciently Alvan or Alien)—in contradistinctio e eas th e par t th n banko t o t n , whics hwa originall a yseparat e community, clustering round Kindrochit Castle and hence known as Castleton. The name Auchendryne is now practi- cally obsolete, " Castleton of Braemar" being to-day the full orthodox designation of the whole village. It is said that the church alleged to have been founded by St Regulus was known as the White Church: a regarn I thio dt s word frieny Diac . JTr m , C . dM k write follows a e sm s: " I have t i trie r dfo man1 y a time when among the Gaelic people in Braemar, but the word is evidently obsolete. Such a hideous orthography as Chondroched doesn't say much for the spelling of Doldencha. It •would possiblee b f courseo , suggeso t , t explanations t wit e worbu , hth d obsolete earlo n d y an , Gaelic spelling to be had, they would remain mere guesses. Equally obsolete is the true name of rivere th ; nothin t Uisffgbu Chluanaidh heard.e b o t " 8 "Ecclesiam Sancti Andree de Kindrouch cum ouencionimis et oblacionibus et omnibus aliis justis pertinenciis sui t cuacrsa e mun a terr Aucatendregen ei alterx ne a parte amni vocatui squ r Alien."—Begistrum Prioratus Sancti Andree, ed. Cosmo Innes, pp. 367-8, 372. 3 " The name of the place as spoken in Gaelic to-day is Ach'an droighinn. In this dialect final -adh is dropped. The full spelling is achadh. The meaning is ' thorn-field.' Aucatendregen is a Gaeli t no c spelling r t newisn'i o r off t d fa t ,bu .ol , Achadh Gaelid ol n i c means cultivated groun opposes da untilled."—Mo dt r Diack. F.C . THE ROYAL CASTLE OF KINDROCHIT IN MAR. 89 name (Candida Casa) frequently foun n associatioi d n witd Celtiol h c religious sites examplr ,fo t Ninian'S t ea s settlemen t Whithorna t e Th . origin of the name is explained by Mr Scott as not due to the use of ston buildinn ei earle gth y churche s Beds(a e e casaver th f Whit eo n i s - horn), but to an importation of the name of St Martin's settlement at Tours, upon which many Celtic monasteries in Britain were modelled. The site of the Church of St Andrew at Kindrochit is now occupied by1 the burial vault of the Farquharsons of Iiivercauld in the old parish churchyard. Althoug evidence hth s thuei s clear that Kindrochi a civid s an l ha t ecclesiastical history extending far back into the darkness of Celtic times e approacw , h daylight only wite fourteentth h h centuryn I . the reign of Robert II. (1371-90), Kindrochit springs suddenly into prominence as a royal residence during the hunting season. The Registe e Greath f o tr Seal contain a series f chartero s s grantey b d this king from Kindrochit, and in the Exchequer Rolls are noted the expenses of the court while in residence here. Charters are dated from Kindrochi n 10to t h July 1373, 26th Juld 26tan yh August 1377, 4th July and 20th August 1379, 31st August 1380, and 30th August 1382 (two charters). A charter granted at " Glenschee," 27th June 1376, was doubtless execute e Spitath t a ld there durin e royath g l progreso t s Kindrochit chartee Th . f 26to r h August 137f particulao 7s i r interest, becaus e nameeth f witnesseo s s a glimpsgiv e distinguishes u eth f o e d company assembled e royath n li cour t Kindrochita t a gran s i t I . e landoth ff Esslemono s d Arnagan t n Formartini e r WilliaSi o et m Keith, the Great Marischal, and is witnessed by William, Bishop of St Andrews; John, heir apparent (afterwards Robert III.); Robert, Earl of Fife; William, Earl of Douglas; Master John of Peebles, the King's Chancellor r Alexander JameSi Si d d san an ;Lindsay.e d r e Th 2 well-known charter giftin e landth gf Rubislao s n frewi e burgago t e citizene th f Aberdeeso grantes nwa Kiny db g Robert from " Kyndrocht n Marri n 20to " h August 1379. This charter als s witnessei o a y b d distinguished gathering: William, Bishop of St Andrews, and John, Bishop of Dunkeld, and Lord Chancellor; John, heir apparent, Earl of Carrick, and Seneschal of Scotland; Robert, Earl of Fife and Menteith; William, Ear f Dougla lo r Alexande r JameSi Si Mard d d san san an ; e rd Lindsay.3 In addition to these charters under the" Great Seal, there is also extant 1 Pictish Nation, p. 78; also the ssime writer's St Ninian, Apostle of the Britons and Picts, pp. 42-3. Registrume Se 2 Magni Sigilli, 1306-1424 . 98-9pp , , 131, 143, 148, 164, 165, 171. 3 Charters otherd an Writs relating Burghe th o t of Aberdeen, . AndersonJ ed . P . . 19-21pp , . 90 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1923Y8 . an interesting precept, dated "t Kindrocha Marre,n i t " 29th August 1378, conveyin a gyearl e burghath y f pensio o solidi0 t 2 l f rentou o n f o s Aberdee poee th t o nt Joh n Barbour.1 The Exchequer Boils contain frequent notice f expenseso s incurrey db e kinth g while huntin t Kindrochita g . The e entereyar d undee th r Accounts of the Clerk of Liverance, who controlled the provisions supplie e royath o lt d household. Entrie f suco s h outlay e notear s d unde e yearth r s 1371, 1376, 1379, 1380, 1381, 1382, 1384, d 13881387an ., Usually ther bara s ei e entry without specification 138d 138n 4an i 1t bu , £65, 3s. 8d. and £69, 13s. 4d. are paid to Robert Rolloc, baker, the latter entry being in reference to expenses incurred in Glenconglas2 as well as at Kindrochit. In the former year there is also an entry for 53s. 4d. for the carriage of one jar (dolium) of wine sent to Kindrochit for the King's use.3 Thomas, last Earl of Mar in the old Celtic line, died in 1374. He was succeede. s sistehi y rb d Margaret, marrie o Williamt d , first Earf o l Douglas, who (as we saw) witnessed two royal charters granted at Kindrochit in 1377 and 1379. This earl was a mighty warrior against the " auld enemy" both in his own marchlands and in France, where he suffered hur t Poitiera t s (19th September 1356). Thei Jamesn so r , Earl both of Douglas and of Mar,4 was slain in the moment of triumph at Otterburn (19th Augus wits s mothetwa hhi 1388) e t H Kildrumma r. y Castle on 15th August 1384, when his seal was affixed to a writ by her conferring a grant of land on the Chapel of the Virgin Mary in the Garioch.5 As the Exchequer Rolls show that King Robert was at Kindrochit then, doubtless Douglas was in attendance upon his royal master. This shiftin centre th f politicaf go eo l gravity acros Mounte sth h to Kindrochit is interesting when we reflect that the arrangements for the campaign of Otterburn were matured at a conference of barons, unknown to the King, held in Aberdeen. "The dead Douglas who gained the field" was succeeded by.his sister Isabella, who entered into possession not only of the earldoms of Mar and the Garioch, but also of the vast Douglas estates. Countess Isabella Registrum1 Episcopalus Aberdonensis, ed. Cosmo Innes, vol. i. pp. 129-30. Cf. Exchequer Rolls, vol. iii. (1379-1406) . 25 . p , . 1 The water of Conglass flows north-westward through a narrow glen in Kirkmichael Parish, Banffshire, joinin Avoe gth n below Tomintoul. 3 See Exchequer Rolls, vol. ii. (1359-79), pp. 364, 543; vol. iii. (1379-1406), pp. 25, 45, 51-2, 68-9r 80, 90, 113, 147, 177. 4 An interesting memorial of this connection between the.two'great houses of Douglas and Mar may be seen to-day at Lincluden College, where one of the heraldic shields in which the ruins of this beautiful building abound bears the' Mar arms (a bend between six cross crosslets fitchee) quartered with thos Douglaf eo hearta s( chie a n o ,f three stars). 5 Antiquities Shirese th f o of Aberdeen . Robertson J Banff,d . an ed , vol. iv . 724p . . THE ROYAL CASTLE OF KINDROCHIT IN MAR. 91 married Sir Malcolm Drumniond, brother-in-law of Robert III., and, according to Wyntoun, mau"A f ull knycht, bathe wis war."d ean r On 10th November 1390 King Rober t Methvea t n grante da specia l licence to " our dear brother Malcolm de Drommond, Knight, to build towea fortalicr o rlande th f Kyndrocho sn o e t with their pertinentn si e Earldoth f mMar."o doubo n 2 e Thers subsequenb t n thawa eca t i t t to this licence that the powerful oblong tower was erected; and having regare exacth o tt d similarit masonrn yi d generayan l characteristics structuree oth f stronglm a I , y dispose assig o dexistine t resth e nf th to g ruins to about the same date. Undoubted castles of the fourteenth century are somewhat rare in Scotland, and the known date of this one, despit s destroyeeit d condition, make f speciao t si l valu a standar s ea d for comparative purposes. In this connection one turns instinctively to the monumental volumes of MacGibbon and Ross, which will always remai foundatioe nth f patienno solid tan d work upon whic l studenthal s of Scottish architecture must build. From these volumes I have collated annexee th d tabl rectangula0 6 e (figf o ) .9 r towers (including Kindrochit) assignee fourteentth o t dd fifteent an h h centuries. e detaileTh 3 d figures and the average speak for themselves; and it will be perceived thae toweth t t Kindrochia r e fiftth h s i tlarges r are fo tScotlandn i a . grandese th f o stronges beed s e tan ha non t I t e keepcountryth n si d an , complete th e demolitio f thino s exceptionally powerful structur s verei y greatly to be regretted. In 1402, Avhile engaged upon the construction of his tower at Kin- drochit r MalcolSi , m Drummon s attackewa d a ban y f unknowdb do n ruffiansmishandleo s d an , d that shortl e died.yh This outrags wa e supposed to have been instigate4 d by Alexander Stewart, a natural son of the terrible Wolf of Badenoch. At any rate, in 1404, Stewart with a ban f caterano d s stormed Kildrummy Castle, where Drummond's widow, Isabella, Countes f Maro s s residing,wa , and, o forcint r he g marry him, established himself as Earl of Mar. By this surprising metamorphosis, "from a rude and ferocious freebooter he became one of the ablest captains and most experienced statesmen in the nation."5 Wyntoun'1 s Original Chronicle, . AmoursJ . F . ed ,403. p vol . .vi . 2 "Sciatis quod concessimus dilecto fratri nostro Malcolmo de Drommond militi licenciam nostram speciale ediflcandud ma m turrem siue forsletu terrimn i Kyndroche sd pertinenciim cu t s infra comitatu Marre."—e md Antiquitie sShirese oth f of Aberdeen Banff,d an vol.e iv . 162.p Th . original documen t Drummon a state s ti e b o dt d Castle. " In this list should have been included the famous tower of Cawdor, the licence for which was granted in 1454. It is 45 feet in length by 34 feet in width, and the walls are 11 feet thick. 4 See W. Watt, History of Aberdeen and Banff, p. 79. . LongmuirJ r D 5 , Speyside, 141. p . PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 8, 1923. SCOTTISH RECTANGULAR TOWERS & xv™. CENTURIES COLLATED FR.OIA /IACGIBBON AND RosS THICKNESS Mo NAH r CASTLEo E LEMCTH BREADTH OF WALLS AREA SIZE i DUNDONAUD 81 FT SIN. 40 FT TFT 6 IN, — 9 Fr 3266 S«.FT 9650J. IN . M a 54 FT. 3780 . SQFT r 3 Cf.RR.iCK 6? FT. 37 FT d FT 6 IN 25yd 53. FT .vni ii NEWARK 65 FT 4O FT. 10 FT. 2600 SO FT. VII 5 COEFFlM 65 FT. 35 FT. 8 FT. 2 275 3<5 FT. XII 6 KINDROCHiT 64 FT-. 43 FT 10 FT 2752 SH. FT V 1 ALUOA 6 3 FT. 6 1 N. 42. FT iO FT. 7667 5«. FT VI a DUART 63 FT i6 FT ,0 FT.—. IffFT 2898 5«. FT. in 9 SPYSJIE 62. FT. 5"|N. . UU3INFT . 10 FT. 6 IN. 2761 Sa FT. I353«. IN . IV 10 THREAVE. 6' FT. 39 FT. 4 IN. 8 FT. 2399 30 FT 48 3d IN. XJ II CASSILI3 60 FT 4.0 FT. I2FT-I3FT . 2400 S£ FT X 12. j ELLANDONArH 57 FT 43 FT. 10 FT. 2451 SaT F . IX. O LENNOX 51 FT. 33 FT . 2.ININ 6 , T F 7 I89o sa. Ft 7JM IN. M>.1 14 TORTHORWALD . IN 6 . 56FT . XlN39FT . 9 FT 2,212. ixa. FT I325«. IN. X.III IS DEANE 54 FT. JT FT 9 FT. 1998 5<3 FT: X.IA 16 O RurA l N 53 FT 38 FT. . 1 FT 2014 sT aF X.VII 17 DRUfA 52 FT. 39 FT. UFT. 2.028 £«T F . XVI 19 BALTHAYOCK ii.er 37 FT. NOT 8TATED 1 9 A4 S«. FT. w, i9 COVINCTON S~> FT 40 FT. II FT ,?040 ^tf. FT Kv 20 CATHCART 51 FT. 3O FT. 9 IN. i ~l FT I5"d8 sa. FT 365a. IN. KX.X 2.1• ELPHIN3TONE jo FT. 5 IN . 35" FT. IN6 . FT 8 1764 5«. FT. 84 io. IN. xxn TA EUL.A.NSTALCAIRE fO FT. 40 FT. 9 FT. 3.00 5a0 . FT XVIII 23 Xi LCHU'RN 49 FT. 35 fr 7 FT. n'5~ sa. FT, XXIII 24 COr^LONN QA A8 FT. 10 IN. . 42TINFT . . II FT. 2079 >j. FT. 7o^a. 'N. XIV 2.r MAOIL. 4*8 FT. . 6 IN. 33 FT 9 n: 169 7. ;ij». FT .a IN >0>.iv •u, ACKERGtUU 49 FT, 3k FT. . 10— FT FT 9 (032^a. FT . XXV e,. 27 REOCASTLE, LUNAN BAY US FT. 3i FT. 7 FT. 1632 SO.. FT xxv »j. 28 HALLFOREST 48 FT. 30 FT 7 FT I440i« FT. )00<.V 29 CRICHTON 46 FT. 6IN. ' 35 FT 8lN. 7 FT. 4 IN, IF6r5 T «F 725«l . IN. yi«i 30 GlENGARNOCK. IN . 6 . FT 5 4 IN6 .. FT 5 3 7FT 1 615" M. FT. 3t5«. IW. 1WVIII 31 CL05E8URN . IN 6 . 45FT . IN 6 3r 4F 10 FT. 1569 59T F .10 * . J«IN . XXIX. 33. SWEYN kS FT". 36 FT. 7 FT. !6*0 *«. FT. )0 AVERAGE 47 FT. 3AFT.IOIN. SFT: 1638s. FT * (1) TOWERS ARE ARRANGED DESCENDINN I G ORDE LENGrF O R K , A.ND WHERE. LE.NCTHS ARE EQUAL r . o 3BREACTTH . (2) WHERE THICKNESS VARIES, AN AVERAGE HAS 6EEN TAKEN TO WORK OfT THE GENERAL AVERAGE, (3) FRACTIONS OTWER THAN Y% HAVE BEEN cour^rto AS THE, NEAREST WHOLE. w. J>€c. Fig . Tabl.9 Scottisf eo h Rectangular Towers. THE ROYAL CASTLE OF KINDROCHIT IN MAR. 93 f varieo n d ma interests a s wa e , H which ranged from horse-breeding1 to piracy. In connection with his activities in the latter direction, Dr Th. A. Fischer, in his work on The Scots in Germany,2 has some interest- ing particulars. "n ScotlandI othen i s a ,r countries, writese "h n , "me of the highest rank took part not only in trading beyond the seas, but also in the more fascinating enterprise of procuring booty at sea by force, an enterprise which they considered, as their forefathers did before them legitimata , e fiel f knightlo d y prowes adventured san . Pro- minen beginnine th thin ti n fifteente i s r th respec f Earge o Ma th f hls o ti century. Once he hstd with his companion Davidson3 taken a Prussian Kraier (small ship) on her voyage to Flanders and later on tried to sell goode th t Harfleura s , where, however, thebeed yha n arreste Hany db - seatic merchants. The Parliamen f Pario t s refuse e handinth d g ovef ro these e propegoodth o t s r owner accounn o s f lettero t f safe-conducso t granted to the Scotsman. Moreover the Earl of Mar, Alexander Stewart, excuses himself in a letter written at Aberdeen and addressed to Danzig, sayint Dutcbu e ghh tha fishermet no t committed ha n e deedth d (1410). He even threatened a feud and did not hesitate in the following year to s threathi t spu into execution. Agai e inhabitantth n f Danzigo s r o , Danskis invariabli t i s na y written suffeo t d f theiro ha , moste r On . skippers, named Claus Bellekens abou wa carr o t o t ywh ,loaa f saltdo , flour and beer from Rostock to Scotland, -was attacked by the people of f Juneo e Pirate-Earh th ,6t 1412e th , n neao ] r Cape Lindesnaes. They threatened to throw him overboard, but relented and finally permitted hi escapo mt a boa n i et wit h e cre s menthre th rese hi w f f o Th teo . were taken prisoner d carriedsan Scotland,o t where they were employed in carrying stones for the building of a castle in the interior of the country.4' Two men, Tidemar Oste de d Hannek n an n vo n e Schole, made good their fligh arrived an t d hom f Flanders.o ey safelwa y "yb Wha this r whicswa t e EarcastlMa 141n th hf i s buil o f l eo 2y wa b t forcee th d labou f Clauo r s Belleken's captured crew? Bearin minn gi d tha Malcolr Si t m Drummon engages e erectiodwa th n d i f Kindrochi no t Castle when he was murdered in 1402, I think it is highly probable that Stewart was continuing his victim's work when the capture of the Danzig mariners placed an opportune supply of labour in his hands. If this is so, it is indeed remarkable that the castle in the wilds of It is recorded that he " hrocht out of Ungary in Scotland sindry gret hors and meris, to sprei 1e cuntrdth thaie eb r generatioun e cuntre. th Thu s ,wa s withi yeriw fe ns eftir, flllit ful of gret hors: howbeit, afore his time, was nocht but small naggis in this realme."—J. Bellenden, Croniklis of Scotland, ed. 1821, vol. it. p. 508. . 5-6Pp 2. ' This is Robert Davidson, Provost of Aberdeen, who fell at Harlaw, 24th July 1411. The r wer ProvosintimatEare n Ma eo th f o ld an te terms. 4 The italics are mine.—W. D. S. 94 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , Y19238 . western Aberdeenshire should have bee parn ni t erecte mey db n from e remotth e provinc f Easeo t Prussia. The subsequent history of the castle is involved in the shifting fortunes e earldooth f f Marm o Stewart'n O . s deat 143n hi e earldo5th s mwa annexed to the Grown, in spite of the claims of Sir Robert Erskine, nearese th t hei f Counteso r s Isabella advanco T . e these claim fine sw d Erskine making bargains with certain Aberdeenshire gentry, offering them lands in the earldom if they would assist him to obtain it. Thus, on 26th June 1439, Sir Robert Erskine, styling himself Earl'of :Mar, grants to Sir Alexander Forbes of that ilk half the lordship of Strathdee. The other hald beeha fn similarly grante o Roberdt t Lyl f Duchaeo l ;• and, accordingly, these two grantees entered into an indenture made .at Pert 26tn ho h March 1444 e teno,th r whereof run followss a s s :i "t I accordi e forsaith t a td Rober Lyie s geffy th tsald ha l e an en th gyf o t f forsaide Schir Alexander herettabl hailld landie an s parth e f hi yso tal of Stradee and Kyndrocht with his part of the castale of the samyn lands with all thar pertinence, to be haldyn of the said Robert in blanche ferme; and gyff hyme charter and possession als son as it likes the saide Schir Alexander efter at the saide Robert sal recover pos- session of half e the landis of Mar liande in the schirref dome of Aberden." Of course these contracts were never implemented e Crowth r nfo , con- l handn ow r s tinuethos o sit s it f e o o retait d n i e earldor nth Ma f mo nominees e wardenshiTh . f Kildrummo p d Kindrochian y t Castles, sometimes togethe sometimed an r s apart s bestowewa , a variet n o d y of personages, and between 1451 and 1484 frequent entries connected •with Kindrochit appeaExchequee th n i r r Rolls. They include payments of salary to the warden of the castle—Alexander Stewart of Strathdee, Lord Grlammis, and the Master of Huntly appearing successively in this office; rents. drawn froe demesnmth e lands d occasionallan ; y special items, n 143suca paymeni r thes 0 h8a fo £1 ' pastur f e o King't th f eo s horses, or an unspecified amount paid in 1464 to Master John Lyoune " for expenses incurred huntin t Kindrocga e King'th n so h requese th t yea e Kinth r g died."2 In all these records of the fifteenth century mention is regularly mad f Kindrochieo t e fourteenth-centurCastle.th n I y noticese th n o , other hand, we find no mention of the castle as such, the place-name being noted withou specificationy an t . This circumstance confirme th s 1 Antiquities of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, vol. iv. pp. 190-1, 194, 393. * Exchequer Rolls, vol. v. (1437-54) pp. 57, 460, 464, 517, 525, 600, 656; vol. vi. (1455-60) pp. 70, 269, 361, 436, 515, 529, 650, 663; vol. vii. (1460-9) pp. 86, 87, 277, 353, 412, 462, 559; vol. viii. (1470-9) p. 80; vol. ix. (1480-7) p. 281. From the accounts of 1471 it appears that during his brief tenure of power, Robert, Lord Boyd wrongfulld ha , e Mainth t f Kindrochio sle y Joho t n Malcomesone at half the due rent. E ROYATH L CASTL F KINDROCHIO E 5 MARN 9 I T . view that the stone fortress is all subsequent to Sir Malcolm Drummond's licence of 1390. The earlier building which Robert II. used as a hunting- lodg havy ema e bee nstructura a mor f eo e primitive kind—perhape on s of those " peels" or stockaded enclosures which figure so largely in the Wars of Independence. In the fifteenth century Kindrochit Castle was e chieth f messuag lordshie th f eo f Braemarpo e otheth ; r divisionf o s the Mar earldom, with their messuages, being the lordships of Cromar (Migvie Castle), Strathdee (Aboyne Castle), Midmar (Midmar Castle), and Strathdon (Doune of Invernochty).1 All these castles existed in the thirteenth century. The later history of the castle is obscure, and there appears to be no contemporary recor f whe o dd unde an n r what circumstances wa t i s finally e "Memoriaabandonedth n i t Bu l . Concernin a gCros s Road," already referred to, we are very circumstantially informed that " this Castle and Fortress of King Malcom's was of great use for many Ages, for keeping the peace of that and the Neighbouring Countries, until neglected and let out of repair in the Reign of King James the 5th, an t lasda t fel totao t l Rubbisn li ruid nan h abou e beginninth t e th f go . JameReigK e 6th."f no th s moder It 2 n successor'ma accountee yb d the present Castle of Braemar; but there is an evident hiatus in con- tirmity, for we have seen that Kindrochit Castle -was already in ruins date th f Taylor' eo t a s visi 1618n i t , whil e Castlth e f Braemaeo s wa r t erecteno d unti l leare 1628w ns a , fro e " mMemoriath l Concerninga Cross Road," wherei states i t i n d that "ie yeanth r yea16283 f e o r ,th the reign of King Charles the 1st, John Erskine, Earl of Mar, built a new Strong Castle (with Iron Gates and barr'd Windows) within a furlong of the Ruins of King Malcom's, designed for a hunting seat family."s fohi r Earhouse e th f Mar' Th o lf 3eo t whicsa h Taylbr stayed must have been some building intermediate between the desertion of Kindrochit and the erection of the present Braemar Castle. At Edinburgh, on 22nd March 1634, King Charles I. confirmed a very papey m thi n e ro s 1Se castl Proceedings,n ei vol. liii.34-45. pp . 1 Historical Papers relating Jacobitee th o t Period, vol. 602p . ..ii e otheth 3 Ibid.n r O hand e Revth , . Charles M'Hard e Statisticalth n i y Account, 1795, vol. xiv . 350p . , states tha castlee Erskinee s builth th t y wa b t s after they were reinstaten di r earldoMa e 1565mn th i f Queeo . "Aboud nen Mary'e th t s reign, these lands were excambed wit Eare lande th f hMar th f o Monaltrylr o s fo r d sooan ,n afte s accessio hi re estate th o t n, he built the present house." But in support of the Memorialist we have the "View of the Diocese," 1732 (Collections e Shiresth f n Aberdeeno o d Banff, . 643)an p , which says thae th t castl s buil ey "Johnwa b t , Ear f Maro l , grandfathe e presenth o t r t John,-Duk f Mar"—theo e attainted leadee "Fifteen"th f o r ; als s oTour hi Pennant n Scotland,i n i o wh , 1769 (3rd ed., 1774 . 113)p , , describe e castla squar" th s s a e e tower, built abou a hundret d fiftan dy years ago." If the Erskines, after their accession to the Mar estates in 1565, did build a house of some kind in Braemar, this would have been the place where Taylor stayed in 1618, 10 years before the.present castle was built. 96 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 8,° 1923. interesting charter by John, Earl of Mar, Lord Erskine and Garioch, of certain lands in Glengairn to Sir Alexander Irvine of Drum, dated at Edinburg hd 13tCastlan h h Jule6t y 1633 e reddendoTh . s "payani d yeirlir presenou wo t et a s t duelling hou r calli se e Bra Ma i th tuth f eo castel f Kindrocho l merkis5 2 t doubleind an ; same gth e soum e firseth t yeir of the en trie of ilk heir; and als payand yeirlie at the said castell 6 pultrie foullis d winninan , g and laying in yeirlib 10 loadis of peattie saith d o t castels l befor the feist of Larnbas, and lone an halge f carriadgth o f e of ane horse yeirlie not exceid- ing the distance of thrie scoir niylles e saifrth ad castels a l the samyne sail be requyrit." Irvin alss ei o boun appearo dt , personally or by proxy, "in thrie head courtis at the said castell," and is directed to supply four men. and hounds when required by the Earl for Imnting purposes, and to put up "lunkardis" and make "tin- schellis" for this purpose. In this charter the ancient name Kindrochit Castle, -as the place where feudal services were wont to be rendered, is clearly [Photo Dee.,J. applied to the more modern 1 Fig. 10. Braemar Castle from S. Castle of Braemar. This castle (fig. 10) is a turreted ordinarhouse th n eo y L-plan, wit hstaia r e re-entrantoweth n i r t angle. It was burned by John Farquharson of Inverey—" the Black Colonel"— n 1689i o prevent , t i fallint g inte handoth f Generao s l Mackayd an , remaine drooflesa s ruin until 1748 e Governs ,lease wheth wa y t db ni - ment and turned into a military post for suppressing Jacobitism. At 1 Registrum Mayni Sigilli, 1634-51, No. 99. " Lunkardis " and "tinschellis" are both explained by Taylo liin ri s delightful accoun e greath f to t hunt .whic attendee hh forme1618e n di Th e . ar r " small cottages built on purpose to lodge in ... the kitchen being alwayes on the side of a banke, many kettles and pots boyling, and many spits turning and winding, with great variety of cheere, f whic"o h ther s a-surprisinei g enumeration, culminatin "mosn gi t potent AquaviUe." The " Tinckhell thue "ar s described:. " Fiv r sixeo e ris e hundree do morning e earln th n ydme i , and they doe disperse themselves divers wayes, and seven, eight or tenne miles compasse, they E ROYATH L CASTL F KINDROCHIEO 7 9 MARN TI . that dat e interioeth s mucwa r h altered uppee th , castle r th par f eo t rebuilt with plain large chimneys and ginger-bread battlements, and the whole surrounde e loopholeth y b d d wall, wit a hsalien eacn o t h face, precisely similar to the wall built at the same date round Corgarff Castle in Strathdon. In its present condition the tine Castle of Braemar is a building of remarkable picturesqueness, which attracts widespread interest among the thousands who. annually visit the capital of the Deeside Highlands. On the other hand, little or no attention is paid to the neglected ruins of the far older Castle of Kindrochit, and many visitors come and go without even learning its existence. Yet what I have been able to glean, in regarbuildin e historys th it o d dt gan s sufficieni , provo t t s greaeit t importance, botpowerfua s ha lroya a fortress a l d residencan s e dating from remote antiquity. Scanty thoug t ampli , s remainit hbe y y ma s warrants the claim, put forward on its behalf by a recent writer, to be " the most distinctive historical possession of the whole upper valley e Dee."oth f l In preparing this paper I have enjoyed much assistance, which I gratefully acknowledge, from a number of willing friends. Mr R. D. . Duthi E Duncan. r L Bruce . M J e d r kindlan M , y helped wit difficule hth t task of surveying the chaotic ruins. Colonel A. H. Farquharson of Invercauld; Mr A. Smith, Factor, Invercaiild Estates; Rev. W. Todd U.F. Manse, Braemar d Misan ; s Clark, Rowan Cottage, Castletown, placed their local knowledge freely at my disposal. Dr W. Kelly supplied information and advice upon various points, and Mr F. C. Diack gave me assistanc mattern ei f Gaeliso c topography . SmitE . J h r helpeM . d m preparinn ei table g th f rectangula eo r towers I hav. e als thano ot k my friends, Mr R. M. Clark and Dr W. Brown, for permission to reproduce their beautiful photographs e Aberdeeth d an , n Natural Histord an y Antiquarian Society for the loan of the blocks for figs. 2 and 8. doe bring or chase in the deere in many heards (two, three, or foure hundred in a heard)." C/. Scott, Lady of the Lake, Canto v.i. xvii.: "We'll quel savage lth e mountaineer As their Tinchel cow gamee sth "; and his note thereon : ''A circle of sportsmen, who, by surrounding a great space, and gradually narrowing, brought immense quantitie deef so r together, which usually made desperate efforto t s break throug Tinchel."e hth Eraser, Old Deeside Road, p. 231. 1 VOL. LVI1.