“This Noble Ruin:” Doune Castle’s Relationship to Popular Culture and Heritage

______

A Thesis

Presented to

The Honors Tutorial College

Ohio University

______

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for Graduation from the Honors Tutorial College with a degree of

Bachelor of Arts in History

______by

Kristin O. Osborne

April 2018

Osborne 2

This thesis has been approved by

The Honors Tutorial College and the Department of History

______

Dr. Jaclyn Maxwell Associate Professor, History Thesis Adviser

______

Dr. Miriam Shadis Honors Tutorial College, Director of Studies, History

______

Cary Frith Dean, Honors Tutorial College

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements…………………………………………………...…….…..4

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………….……...5

CHAPTER ONE: The History of Doune Castle and its Preservation………….15

The Dukes of Albany and the Origins of Doune Castle 16

Dower House and Royal Castle 21

Doune Castle During the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 24

Doune Castle Throughout the Nineteenth Century 27

The Twentieth and Twenty-First Century 31

CHAPTER TWO: History for the Masses……………………………………...37

The Literature of Sir Walter Scott’s Doune Castle 38

Victorian Restoration 47

Done at Doune: Film and Television Produced at Doune Castle 50

CHAPTER THREE: The Tourist’s Experience at Doune Castle…………….…60

Film-Induced Tourism 61

Heritage Tourism 68

The Incorporation of Film and Heritage into the Tourists’ Experience 72

CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………82

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………….85

Osborne 4

Acknowledgments

This research project would not have been possible without the immense support of my advisors and mentors. I would first like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Jaclyn

Maxwell for having faith in this project and me. Her incredible support and willingness to help throughout this project enabled it to come to fruition. I would also like to thank my

Director of Studies, Dr. Miriam Shadis for fostering my love of History and pushing me to always produce my best work. She has been a constant source of encouragement throughout my undergraduate experience and I greatly appreciate her efforts. I would also like to thank Dr. Geoffrey Buckley in the Geography Department who introduced me to heritage tourism and historical geography. His mentorship and love of Scotland inspired this project and I appreciate the time he spent broadening my horizons as a historian.

Lastly, this project would never have been possible without the support of Dr. Erin

Osborne-Martin, Senior Commissioning Editor at John Wiley & Sons. Her guidance during my time studying in Edinburgh and editing expertise truly made this project great.

I also owe a great deal of thanks to the grants and departmental funding that enabled me to conduct research in Edinburgh. This project would not have been possible without the Harvey and Boston Research Fellowship awarded by the History Department and the Dean’s Discretionary Fund awarded by the Honors Tutorial College.

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Introduction

On a small hill overlooking the Teith River in Stirlingshire, Scotland sits a fourteenth century castle that has been an integral part of Scottish history. It is just a few miles from the royal palaces of Stirling and Edinburgh Castle. Doune Castle, a ‘noble ruin’ according to Sir Walter Scott, is one of Scotland’s many treasures. It offers visitors a walk though Scotland’s legendary past and a chance to connect with some of the most famous figures in Scottish history. “Scotland’s Uncrowned King” Robert, Duke of

Albany built it between 1380 and 1400 as a testament to his power and as a line of defense between the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland.1 Throughout its long history,

Doune Castle changed hands many times and acted as a residence for several important political figures. It became a royal residence and was significantly updated by James VI, who enjoyed using it as a hunting lodge. It remained a royal residence for some time before becoming part of the earldom of Moray through marriage in the sixteenth century.

Doune eventually fell into disrepair but was given a new life by the 14th Earl of

Moray in 1888 when he decided to restore the castle.2 The work done during this time was hailed as one of the best examples of restoration in the United Kingdom. It came at a time of overzealous restoration and work that was not true to the time period in which it was built. While Doune Castle does have some anachronisms in the restoration, namely the Lord’s Hall, it is largely original and very well preserved. The Victorians had certain ideas of what the past looked like and in their attempts at restoration they often opted for a more romantic view of history. This romantic view comprises of idealized imagery,

1 W. Douglas Simpson, Doune Castle Guidebook (Edinburgh: 1962), 6. 2 Simpson, Doune Castle Guidebook, 12. Osborne 6 love, and glossing over the more gruesome tales in history. Many heritage sites in existence today are a product of Victorian restoration and their problematic views of the past. However, this restoration craze marks a transition in society from using heritage sites as convenient buildings to be used again for different purposes to preserving them as important hallmarks of national heritage. Instead of reusing historic buildings for practical purposes they began to emerge as museums. The Victorians and Edwardians largely invented the notion of British heritage and created entire industries around it. The heritage sector in Scotland accounts for over £2.3 billion in contributions to the Scottish economy and employs over 55,000 full time workers.3

Doune Castle’s involvement with popular media began in 1814 with the publication of Waverley by Sir Walter Scott.4 Doune Castle was heavily featured in this novel and the plot was based off of an escape that actually happened at the castle during the Jacobite Uprising of 1745. The book is considered the first historical novel and launched a new genre of literature and subsequently historical films and television series.

Historical fiction has been a significant part of Doune Castle’s narrative but with the advent of film media it gained a new role. Doune Castle acts as a filming location for several movies and television series, most notably Monty Python and the Holy Grail,

Outlander, and Game of Thrones. This piece of Doune Castle’s narrative has become increasingly lucrative in recent years due to a huge number of fans visiting in search of an almost religious experience associated with their favorite media. This trend was started in

3 Historic Environment Scotland and Built Environment Forum Scotland. Scotland’s Historic Environment Audit 2016- Summary. Edinburgh: Historic Environment Scotland, 2016. 4. 4 Sir Walter Scott, Waverley (Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg, 2016), https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5998/5998-h/5998-h.htm. Osborne 7

1975 when the Monty Python Comedy Group chose to film their cult-classic Monty

Python and the Holy Grail at the then privately-owned castle. From this point on Doune

Castle began a new chapter in its life as a prominent filming location. HBO and STARZ would later catch on to this trend and film episodes of their major hits Game of Thrones and Outlander at the castle.

From this media emerged two narratives of Doune Castle: a historical and a fictional one. Historic Environment Scotland, Doune Castle’s governing body, is still struggling with how to merge and integrate these two narratives into the tourist’s experience at the castle. Film-induced tourism has affected Doune Castle greatly. Fans from all over the world come to Doune Castle in order to pay homage to their favorite movies and series. After Outlander was released in 2014 Doune Castle has seen a significant rise in visitors. Just after the release the castle gained 44% more visitors than it had in 2013. These numbers continue to rise and in 2016 the castle reported 84,972 visitors, a 31% increase from 2015.5 Historic Environment Scotland has dubbed this the

“Outlander Effect”, meaning that popular media can have a huge influence on heritage sites.

This thesis explores the relationship between the historical narrative of Doune

Castle and the popular media that used the castle as a filming location. It is important to understand how history is presented in both physical and visual ways. In today’s culture, historical television series, film, and tourist experiences are how most people access

5 “Historic sites break tourism record with four million visitors,” About Us, Historic Environment Scotland, accessed February 15, 2017, https://www.historicenvironment.scot/about-us/news/historic-sites-break-tourism-record- with-four-million-visitors/. Osborne 8 history and gain an understanding of it. Therefore, the merging of history and media is something that requires historians’ attention. Doune Castle offers an informative case study for how media affects people’s perception of history. By looking at how the two narratives of Doune Castle are integrated into the tourist’s experience at the castle we can begin to understand how heritage sites approach the issue of competing narratives.

Understanding the factors that make Doune Castle one of the most popular heritage sites in Scotland can help to facilitate historical education and help other sites achieve the same success.

Historiography of Doune Castle, Film-Induced Tourism, and Scottish Heritage

There has been a great deal of work published about Doune Castle, film-induced tourism, and Scottish heritage, but combining them into an interdisciplinary analysis is new to this historiography. The scholarly source that is used most often throughout this thesis is William Fraser’s book The Dukes of Albany and Their Castle of Doune. It is the most comprehensive book on Doune Castle’s history and includes several illustrations that will be used in this essay. This book was published in Edinburgh in 1881 and is a shorter version of The Red Book of Menteith by the same author.6 Fraser’s goal with the book is simple: provide a history of the Dukes of Albany and their castle. However, he does often defend Robert, duke of Albany. He is more of the mind that Robert was a brilliant statesman who did what was best for Scotland during a time of great turmoil. He

6 William Fraser, The Dukes of Albany and Their Castle of Doune (Edinburgh: National Library of Scotland, 1881), http://digital.nls.uk/histories-of-scottish- families/archive/95506761. Osborne 9 does mention the many deaths that Robert was supposedly responsible for but never says it was out of line.7 Fraser used letters, notes, and ledgers in order to research this book.

I drew upon John Roberts’ The Jacobite Wars (2011) heavily, as well. This book offers a great overview of the Jacobite uprisings throughout the eighteenth century and helped to place Doune Castle in the context of the 1745 uprising. It also helps to center the Romantic literary movement that arose after the conflicts. It provides details of how the English viewed the Highlanders as backwards people. This is in stark contrast to the magic, legend, and beauty that we now associate with the Highlands. This book is very objective in its analysis of the conflicts.

Additionally, the essays in Historical and Philosophical Issues in the

Conservation of Cultural Heritage (1995) are important to understanding historic preservation and cultural heritage as a whole. In particular, the two essays featured in this work are Paul Phillippot’s 1972 essay “Historic Preservation Philosophy, Criteria, and

Guidelines” and John Ruskin’s 1849 essay, “The Lamp of Memory,” both deal with the renewed interested in historical buildings that came about in the nineteenth century.

Phillippot argues that the Industrial Revolution changed the way humans interact with history since the foundation of society changed. The public needed more tangible and accessible ways to understand history and heritage sites fit the bill perfectly. The

Industrial Revolution also created a middle class that wanted access to the heritage sites historically owned by the nobility.8 During the nineteenth century these sites were

7 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 50. 8 Paul Phillippot, “Historic Preservation Philosophy, Criteria, and Guidelines, “in Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, ed. Nicholas Stanley Price, M. Kirby Talley Jr., and Alessandra Melucco Vaccaro, 268-274. (Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, 1995), 268. Osborne 10 transitioning from noble ownership to being publicly owned. John Ruskin’s essay deals with the ethics of restoration and preservation. He argues that altering a site is disrespectful because humans build with the intent of the structure being there forever.9

These two essays form a basis for the understanding of preservation as a scholarly discipline. Why humans preserve history and what caused them to do it are important questions in the study of heritage sites. The Collective Memory Reader (2011) also offers a great deal of scholarly essays on heritage. Heritage can be seen as a construct of collective memory and in turn it links groups of people to an imagined past. Raphael

Samuel details this imagined past in his excerpt from Theaters of Memory, which illustrates sociological implications of heritage and the rise of heritage tourism.10

This thesis also draws upon scholarly work from the tourism sector in order to supplement the primary research. David Martin-Jones writes about the intersection of heritage and film-induced tourism in his article “Film tourism as heritage tourism:

Scotland diaspora and the Da Vinci Code (2006)”. In this he argues that film induced tourism can be understood “as a facet of heritage tourism”.11 Martin-Jones uses the tourism and presentation of Roslyn Chapel as a case study for his research. Sue Beeton’s book Film-Induced Tourism was very useful throughout this project, as well. This book explains film-induced tourism within the context of heritage sites. She proposes the

9 John Ruskin, “The Lamp of Memory, I,” in Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, ed. Nicholas Stanley Price, M. Kirby Talley Jr., and Alessandra Melucco Vaccaro 42-43, (Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, 1995), 42. 10 Raphael Samuel, “Theaters of Memory,” in The Collective Memory Reader. ed. Jeffery K. Olick, Vered Vinitzky- Seroussi, and Daniel Levy (Oxford: The Oxford University Pres, 2011). 11 David Martin-Jones, “Film tourism as heritage tourism: Scotland, diaspora and The Da Vinci Code (2006),” New Review of Film and Television Studies 12, no. 2 (2014): 156. Osborne 11 notion of film-induced tourism being a pilgrimage and religious-like experience. She argues this point in her chapter that is dedicated to Doune Castle.12 By using Doune

Castle as an example of pilgrimage tourism she places it in the historiography of this phenomenon. Heritage and Tourism in the Global Village (1993) also examines heritage tourism in an increasingly connected world. The authors argue that heritage tourism is the commodification of culture but not necessarily a bad thing. Anthropologically speaking, this selling and “trinketization” of culture has grave implications for many groups. In

Scotland, specifically, tartan has become increasingly “trinketized” and lost its meaning through tourist’s fascination with finding their clans tartan. However, in Scotland and the

United Kingdom as a whole, it can be very profitable and allow thousands of people to experience history in its physical form.13 This book was used to explain the intersection of film-induced tourism and heritage tourism. Lastly, David Bowen and Jackie Clarke’s book Contemporary Tourist Behavior: Yourself and Others as Tourists offers a basic background on tourist behavior and trends. It not only deals with heritage tourism but also addresses film-induced tourism trends, as well.

Two books deal solely with Scottish heritage as a function of tourism. Scotland the Brand: The Making of Scottish Heritage (1995) and Highlands Homecomings:

Genealogy and Heritage Tourism in the Scottish Diaspora (2007) offer a great look into how Scottish Heritage has become one of the largest industries in Scotland. These books both argue that Scottish heritage is a modern concept that has roots in the strong familial

12 Sue Beeton, Film-Induced Tourism 2nd edition (Bristol: Channel View Publications, 2016). 13 Priscilla Boniface and Peter J. Fowler, Heritage and Tourism in ‘the global village’ (London: Routledge, 1993). Osborne 12 culture of the Highlands. Whether visitors are ethnically Scottish or are simply intrigued by the culture it continues to lure millions of visitors each year. The invention of heritage is a phenomenon that these authors are attempting to explain.

Methodology

Along with secondary sources, this project drew heavily from primary sources associated with the castle. The sources used most often throughout the project are guidebooks that were published by Historic Environment Scotland. These books offer a history of the castle and even touch upon issues of restoration, film-induced tourism, and heritage sites. Doune Castle has seen three guidebooks published and each one is different from the last. W. Douglas Simpson wrote the first guidebook in 1962 with funding from the Earl of Moray. Another was published in 1987 when a predecessor to

Historic Environment Scotland acquired Doune Castle. Dr. Nicki Scott wrote the most recent guidebook, and the one you can purchase at the castle today, in 2013. These books offer a great insight to attitudes about preservation, tourism, and Doune Castle’s narrative during their respective eras. By looking at what each book emphasizes about the castle we can begin to see when Doune Castle’s narrative began to change and include media.

There are several reports from Historic Environment Scotland and the Royal

Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland included in this project, as well. They include masonry, accessibility, survey, construction, and archaeology reports. There are also some financial records that were included in the collection. More important materials are the filming reports, memos, and emails that detail how Game of Thrones and Outlander were able to film onsite. These came from Osborne 13

Doune Castle’s records in the National Records of Scotland archive and the National

Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. Historic Environment Scotland also releases a yearly report on their numbers, sites, and profits. This project uses those reports to show the increase and decrease of visitors to Doune Castle over the years and specifically after new media is released. There are also several sources taken directly from Doune Castle.

The audio guide, pamphlets, info-boards, and overall experience of the castle are integrated into the argument. These sources show exactly what the tourist experiences when visiting and are important to understanding how film and heritage intersect at

Doune.

Another way this project aims to address contemporary issues in preservation and tourism is by using news articles, blogs, and reviews. There are several articles from the

BBC, Scotsman, and New York Times included in the research. These articles help to understand the public’s view of heritage sites and how they are presented in the news.

They also offer great statistics and interviews with managers of heritage sites. The blogs and TripAdvisor reviews serve as ways to quantify people’s perceptions of Doune Castle.

In order to analyze the experience of tourists we must know their opinions of the site.

TripAdvisor reviews are a great way to get the overall feel of the opinions of a site.

Lastly, this project relies heavily on the media itself. Analyzing how Doune

Castle is used in Waverley, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Outlander, and Game of

Thrones is central to understanding the narrative that is presented at Doune Castle. The fiction is almost as important as the truth at Doune Castle and in order to understand this one needs to know the fiction. This project will present the two narratives of Doune

Castle and attempt to show how they are used in the everyday running of the castle. Osborne 14

Thesis Overview

This thesis is divided into three chapters that deal with different concepts surrounding heritage, film, and history. Chapter One defines Doune Castle’s historical narrative and gives an overview of the restoration work that shaped the castle. Chapter

Two then places Doune Castle into the context of historical fiction and fully explains the media that used Doune Castle as a filming location. Lastly, chapter three explores the tourist’s experience at the castle and concludes that the historical narrative of Doune

Castle is often eclipsed by the fictional one presented in media. This research indicates that the intersection of heritage, preservation, and film-induced tourism is increasingly becoming a large part of the heritage sector. The two narratives of Doune Castle often compete with one another but ultimately create a castle that is informative, enjoyable, and profitable.

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Chapter One: The History of Doune Castle and its Preservation

Doune Castle sits as a testament to Scotland’s past and is one of the greatest examples of fourteenth century architecture left in Scotland today. The central role that this comparatively small castle plays in Scottish history is quite understated in the visitors’ experience but cannot be dismissed. Doune Castle has a vast history that spans from the first century CE to the present and is characterized by some of the most important figures in Scottish history. Its grandiose presence and centrality to Scottish identity places it in a unique position of influence in the way that tourists experience Scottish history. Most people, before visiting the castle, will recognize it from popular media such as Monty

Python and the Holy Grail, Outlander, and Game of Thrones, but rarely do tourists realize the active role that Doune Castle played in early modern history. In order to understand the tourist’s experience at Doune Castle and the place it has in the preservation of ancient monuments in Scotland, I first need to provide an account of the history of the castle.

The site where Doune Castle now sits has been a place of fortification and strategic importance since at least the first century CE. The Royal Commission on the

Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) discovered the remains of a

Roman fort in 1983 on a hill just north of the present-day castle. The fort dates to the reign of Emperor Vespasian, as evidenced by a coin with his likeness found at the site.14

The Romans recognized the strategic importance of the site and on a more general scale,

14 Oliver JT O’Grady and David Woolliscraft, “Doune Roman Fort, Doune Stirling: Geophysical Survey” (Edinburgh: The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, 2010), 3. Osborne 16 the Valley of Teith. Throughout the ancient period and into the Middle Ages the Valley of Teith was considered the gateway to the Highlands. It was the only passable route from the Lowlands and capital of Edinburgh into the vast wilderness of the Highlands.

During the time of the Romans, the Picts and other barbarous clans would have populated the Highlands.15 The Teith River Valley was hugely important to the Romans’ concerns about security and “castle hill” in Stirlingshire made a perfect place for a fortification.

The Dukes of Albany and the Origins of Doune Castle

Figure 1.1 The seal of Robert, Duke of Albany. (From William Fraser. The Dukes of Albany and Their Castle of Doune, (Edinburgh, 1881), 132.)

After the Roman era the site of Doune Castle stood largely empty until Sir Robert

Stewart built the castle beginning in the 1380s. However, there is archaeological evidence for a previous structure that stood on the site but that has yet to be confirmed by

15 Simpson, Doune Castle Guidebook, 6. Osborne 17

RCAHMS. Doune Castle is largely a product of the fourteenth century, but the site could have played a significant role in the earldom of Menteith before Robert Stewart’s time.

There is speculation that the kitchen tower exists from an earlier castle since it does not fit the shape of Robert Stewart’s courtyard well.16 Further excavations of the site are still under way to prove the existence of a previous building but are difficult to take further due to the protected status of the castle.17

Robert Stewart, born in 1339, was the son of Robert II, King of Scots and

Elizabeth Mure.18 At the time of Robert Stewart’s birth Robert II was the High Steward of Scotland and heir presumptive to David II, which made him one of the most powerful men in Scotland.19 Robert married the Lady Margaret Graham who was, in her own right, the Countess of Menteith. This gave Robert the title of Earl of Menteith and Fife, as well as all the lands that came with it. As a newly styled earl, Robert became one of the most powerful men in Scotland and with his father’s accession to the throne in 1371 he became even more influential.20 Around the time that Robert began building his castle at

Doune he was also made the Lord Chamberlain of Scotland, which effectively put him in control of the kingdom while his father was infirm and sickly.21

Robert built the castle between 1380 and 1400 as a seat of power for the earldom of Menteith and Fife. This castle was meant to showcase his power and demand respect

16 Doune Castle: Monument Condition Survey 2006. Edinburgh: Historic Scotland, 2006. 17 Nicki Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook (Edinburgh: Historic Scotland, 2013), 32. 18 When referring to the builder of the castle Robert, Duke of Albany; I will simply use ‘Robert’ or ‘Robert Stewart’ since he was not created the Duke of Albany until 1398. The sheer number of people named Robert in this narrative make a clarification necessary. 19 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 2-3. 20 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 3-7. 21 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 15. Osborne 18 from other lords in the kingdom. Doune Castle became a political stronghold and increasingly a military stronghold as well since the Highland clans were becoming bolder. Robert was charged by King David to keep the peace in the Highlands, a task that rolled over into Robert II’s reign. 22 This responsibility prompted Robert to choose

“castle hill” in Menteith, directly next to the River Teith, as the place for his castle. The

River Teith provided the natural boundary to the Highlands and where the river met the

Firth of Forth, it was said “the Forth bridles the wild Highlanders.”23 The historic path to the Highlands would be safe from invasion with Robert’s new castle placed there.

Doune’s proximity to Stirling Castle, a mere eight miles away, was also an attractive notion for Robert, who was effectively ruling Scotland at the time of construction. The castle was an imposing structure that had little decoration outside of the color, which was plastered white, and the exquisite stonework. After work was mostly completed on the castle in 1400, Robert made Doune Castle his preferred residence and conducted much of his work from the seat. Most of the charters that survive from Robert were issued from

Doune Castle between the years of 1400 and 1413, which gives evidence for the claim that it was his preferred castle.24

Robert gained even more power after his father’s death in 1390 and his older brother, John Stewart, Earl of Carrick ascended the throne as Robert III. Robert enjoyed significant power throughout his brother’s reign especially after he was created the Duke of Albany in 1398 as a gift from Robert III.25 After the death of his brother in 1406,

22 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 4. 23 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 165. 24 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 166. 25 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 34. Osborne 19

Robert, the Duke of Albany was created regent for his nephew James. James was only fourteen and a prisoner of the English king upon his father’s death. These circumstances led to Robert, the duke of Albany’s largest power grab and ended with him ruling

Scotland in all but name.26 Scottish historians remember Albany with a dark legacy due to his actions during his time as regent. His refusal to rescue the young king from the

English and his dealings with the clergy significantly skewed his legacy.27 Doune Castle effectively became a royal residence during Albany’s regency, which led to significant improvements being made on the castle between 1406 and 1420. Albany added a southern wall to the courtyard and it is speculated that he was planning on building vast apartments off of the wall to make the castle even more impressive.

Figure 1.2 An info-board at Doune Castle, which shows what the castle would have looked like in the Duke of Albany’s time. (Kristin Osborne, Fit for a King, Photograph. August 2017.)

26 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 58. 27 Simpson, Doune Castle Guidebook, 5-6. Osborne 20

After Robert’s death in 1420 his son, Murdoch, succeed to his titles and gained control of Doune Castle. Murdoch was born in 1369 to Robert and his wife Margaret and enjoyed a career in politics for much of his life. He served several terms in parliament and was a respected diplomat for the Scottish crown.28 Since Murdoch was a close family member of the king he had a special place at court and would frequently be called upon to fight the English on behalf of the king. During one of these campaigns in the

Scottish Borders, Murdoch was captured by the English and would proceed to spend twelve years in captivity. He was eventually traded for Henry Percy, Earl of

Northumberland and allowed to return to Scotland.29 In 1420, Robert passed away and

Murdoch inherited his father’s holdings, including the governorship of Scotland. The position of Governor allowed him to act as regent for the imprisoned king who was still being held captive in England. Throughout his governorship he refused to ransom King

James from the English just as his father had done before him. This granted him significant power in Scotland and served to cement his position as his father’s successor.

In 1424, James I was released from captivity in England and returned home to Scotland in order to take power from Murdoch. He relinquished the regency upon James’s return but had to tread carefully with the king due to years of mistrust between them.30

James I took a strong stance against the nobility of Scotland in response to their lack of action in securing his release from the English. James’s older brother David, the

Duke of Rothesay had died a few years previously under the protection of Murdoch’s

28 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 110-111. 29 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 114-127. 30 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 139-141. Osborne 21 father. While Parliament found no foul play in his death, James was still suspicious of the

Duke of Albany’s family. This played into his hatred of the Scottish nobility and caused him to arrest Murdoch and several other nobles in March of 1425. There were no formal charges brought against the imprisoned nobles but James’s hatred of them was enough to seal their fate. Their lack of action in his release from England, the death of David, and their constant power grabs were enough to condemn them. James I not only imprisoned the men but went after the nobles’ families too. Isabella, Duchess of Albany and her other children were captured at Doune Castle.31 The nobles’ trials were held at Stirling Castle in May of the same year. Murdoch, his sons Walter and Alexander, and the Earl of

Lennox were convicted of treason and beheaded on Heading Hill.32

Dower House and Royal Castle

The dukedom of Albany ceased to exist after the unfortunate demise of Murdoch and his sons. The crown absorbed the titles, wealth, and possessions of the dukes, which meant that Doune Castle became a property of the royal family.33 For most of its time as a royal residence it was used as a hunting lodge for the king while he sported in the nearby Glenfinlas forest. While it was a popular residence for the king and functioned as a sporting house it increasingly became a seat of power for the queens of Scotland.34

Doune Castle was part of the dowry for several queens in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The first instance of Doune Castle being included in a dowry was with James

31 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 142. 32 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 142-143. 33 Simpson, Doune Castle Guidebook, 7. 34 R Denys Pringle and David Breeze, Doune Castle Guidebook (Edinburgh: Historic Scotland, 1987), 5. Osborne 22

II’s marriage to Mary of Guelders in 1449. Along with the castle she also received the lordship of Menteith in order to have income as a dowager. Margaret of Denmark was also granted Doune Castle and the lordship of Menteith upon her marriage to James III in

1469. 35

One of the most famous inhabitants of Doune Castle would have been Margaret

Tudor. She was the sister of Henry VIII of England and was sent to Scotland to marry

James IV in order to create a stronger alliance between the two kingdoms. The castle and all money from the estate were officially transferred to her in 1503. Upon her husband’s death in 1513 at the Battle of Flodden she became the dowager queen and moved to

Doune Castle full time. Margaret was able to collect the rents and dues from the property in order to support herself as a dowager. She also relied on the keeper of Doune, Sir

William Edmonstone of Duntreath to manage the castle in her absence. She used it as a base for her power as dowager and for her retinue. Margaret maintained a household in the castle until her third marriage to Lord Methven in 1527.36 The keepers of Doune remained the Edmonstones until Margaret brought proceedings against them for refusing her rents, admittance, and use of the castle for a period during Margaret’s Coup. The

Edmonstones were ousted as keepers of the castle and stewardship over Doune passed to

Sir James Stewart, a younger brother of Lord Methven. James Stewart was a descendant of Murdoch, duke of Albany, which gave him a hereditary right to the castle.37

Another famous queen that resided at Doune Castle was Mary of Guise who was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots. The rooms that sit directly above the kitchen in the

35 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 168. 36 Pringle, Doune Castle Guidebook, 7. 37 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 170. Osborne 23 castle are named the “Queen Mary Rooms,” and were commonly thought to have been used by Mary, Queen of Scots but were, in fact, used by her mother Mary of Guise. Mary received this castle in her dowry just as several queens before her had.38 Between Doune and Stirling Castle Mary of Guise acted as regent for her young daughter, who became queen at the age of nine days old. As a regent and dowager queen, Mary of Guise was one of the most powerful women Scotland has ever hosted. Doune Castle was hers by right of marriage and this shows how important the castle would have been to the political climate of the time.

Doune Castle was not used much throughout the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and there is no evidence to suggest that she ever set up residence in the castle. Her son

James VI, however, used the castle as a royal retreat and hunting lodge. It was under his reign that Doune Castle experienced its first major renovation. He used funds from the royal treasury totalling £320 to restore the castle to its former glory. According to the

1987 guidebook for the castle these renovations included “repairing the tower heads.

Stone slabs for capping the wall-heads [that] were provided by William Gibe of Stirling from the quarries of Craig of Knockhill and Burnebank, timber from the wood of Doune, and slates from the Highlands; the masonry work was done by Michael Ewing and the slating by a man called Makquarren.”39 After these major renovations, James VI granted

Sir James Stewart the title of Lord Doune and gave him stewardship of Menteith in 1581.

James Stewart was an illegitimate son of James V by Lady Margaret Erskine and therefore James VI’s uncle.40

38 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 16-17. 39 Pringle, Doune Castle Guidebook, 8. 40 James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage, (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1904), 23. Osborne 24

James, Lord Doune stayed in possession of Doune Castle until his death in 1590 upon which his son inherited the castle. James Stewart married Lady Elizabeth Stewart, the heiress to the earldom of Moray, and was created Earl of Moray with Lord Doune being used as a lesser title.41 The Earls of Moray owned the castle until 1984 and used it as a hunting lodge and secondary home. However, Doune Castle would briefly become the family’s seat from 1590- 1592 while James Stewart was earl. The family’s seat of power became Darnaway Castle, which was built in 1450, after James Stewart’s death and remains the seat to this day.42 James Stewart would historically become known as

“The Bonny Earl O’Moray,” and a popular ballad entitled “The Bonnie Earl O’Moray” would later be written about his tragic life.43

Doune Castle During the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745

The origins of the Jacobite Rebellions lie in the religious and political upheavals that plagued Great Britain in the seventeenth century. The Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 is the most famous of the uprisings in the Highlands, but it was preceded by three other attempts to place James II’s heirs on the throne.44 The first rising of 1689 sought to re- establish the deposed James II to the throne of England and Scotland. James II’s Catholic roots appealed to the Highlanders, who were historically Catholics. They sought

41 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 175-179 42 David MacGibbon and Thomas Ross, The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland From the Twelfth to the Eighteenth Century. (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1887), 204. 43 Robin Hall and Jimmie Macgregor. Scottish Choice. The Bonnie Earl O’Moray, Decca ACL 1065, 1961. 44 Since this narrative takes place in the context of Scottish history James II will be used to refer to James II&VII of England and Scotland. Osborne 25 representation in in the newly formed Kingdom of England and Scotland and James offered that hope for the Highlanders. The 1689 uprising ended in defeat for the

Highlanders but the new monarchs, William and Mary, offered the clans a pardon for their participation.45 The rising of 1715 came after the Hanoverian George I succeeded the throne in 1714. George I was a Protestant, like the monarchs before him and this greatly threatened the Highland clans who were still struggling to be represented and tolerated as Catholics. The Fifteen sought to place James Stuart, son of James II on the throne.46 James is historically referred to, as “the Old Pretender” since his claim to the throne was legitimate but negated by his father’s deposition in the Glorious Revolution of

1688. This uprising, again, ended in defeat with the Old Pretender escaping to France and leaving the Highland clans to fend for themselves.47 The last attempted uprising from the

Jacobites came in 1745 when Bonnie Prince Charlie, the son of the Old Pretender, invaded Scotland with the support of the Highland Clans.48 Doune Castle played a role in the uprising of 1745 as a prison and strategic stronghold.

During the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 the castle became a place of strategic importance to the rebels. Due to its aforementioned geographical position as the gateway to the Highlands, it was a priority for the Jacobites to control it. In December of 1745

Prince Charles and John, Lord MacLeod were able to take the castle without much of a fight. Prince Charles appointed Mr Macgregor of Glengyle to be Governor of Doune

Castle and was tasked to hold the lands while Prince Charles and the rest of the army

45 John Roberts, The Jacobite Wars. (Edinburgh: Polygon, 2002), 3-13. 46 This uprising is referred to as “the Fifteen” or simply the ’15 because it took place in 1715. 47 Roberts, The Jacobite Wars, 15-30. 48 Roberts, The Jacobite Wars, 71- 79. Osborne 26 marched south into England. Macgregor was given an important task by Prince Charles since the lands he was meant to hold “covered a bridge over a rivulet which secured [the

Jacobites’] communication with the ford of Frews on the river of Forth”.49

The castle also served as a prison for soldiers captured during the Battle of

Falkirk. The most famous prisoner of the castle was John Home, who would later go on to write the widely popular play, Douglas. From John Home’s journals and writings, Sir

Walter Scott made his imprisonment and escape from Doune Castle famous in the novel

Waverley (1814) but romanticized it heavily. John Home was a student at the University of Edinburgh before joining the military during the Forty-Five Rebellion. After he was captured at the Battle of Falkirk he was transported to Doune Castle with several of his fellow soldiers and placed in what are now known as the “Queen Mary Apartments.”50

During this period the castle was in disrepair and ruinous condition, according to Scott.51

In his novel Waverley he describes Doune as “a large and massive castle, [with] half- ruined turrets… It was in form an oblong square, of size sufficient to contain a large court in the center. The towers at each angle of the square rose higher than the walls of the building, and were in their turn surmounted by turrets, differing in height and irregular in shape”.52 Home and his fellow soldiers were apparently miserable in their imprisonment and devised a plan to escape from Doune. They tied together linens from their beds and

49 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 180. 50 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 181. 51 It is important to note that Sir Walter Scott is writing almost seventy years after the events of the Rebellion. His novel is a work of fiction but since it was based off of John Home’s writings about his experiences it can be used as a starting point for understanding the castle’s appearance in this period. Scott is well known for his romanticization of Scottish history and there are records of renovations taking place in 1717, 1718, and 1738. These records, however, do not mean the castle was not ruinous by 1745. 52 Walter Scott, Waverley, Chapter IX. Osborne 27 clothing to create a rope and propel down the side of the castle. Home escaped down the rope and was taken to the village Tullyallan to hire a boat. The boat took Home and his men to the Vulture, which was anchored in the Firth of Forth.53 This escape is heavily romanticized in Scott’s Waverley, but the basic facts of the escape are well documented by John Home in his writings.

Doune Castle throughout the Nineteenth Century

Figure 1.3 Doune Castle as it would have appeared in the early nineteenth century. (Doune Castle in Menteith, From: William Fraser. The Dukes of Albany and Their Castle of Doune, (Edinburgh, 1881), 211.)

While Doune Castle did not play a large part in the uprising of 1745, the escape of

John Home and his fellow soldiers certainly solidified the castle’s role in historic romanticization and popular culture. The Jacobite period is perhaps the most

53 Fraser, The Dukes of Albany, 183-184. Osborne 28 romanticized time in Scottish history and a plethora of popular media has been produced about the uprising. Sir Walter Scott helped this transition from a rebellious uprising to era of national pride. Waverley was the first piece of popular media produced about the castle and it serves to set the tone for future interpretations of the castle. Doune Castle early on was associated with the Jacobites and continues to be used in that context even today.

Waverley was written early in the nineteenth century, which opened up a century of change for Doune Castle.

Figure 1.5 Doune Castle in the late nineteenth century before any restoration work was done. (George Washington Wilson, View from NE. 1880, Photograph. Edinburgh, Scotland. Available from CANMORE: http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1260474.)

George Phillip Stuart, 14th Earl of Moray undertook the restoration of Doune

Castle starting in 1883. He hired the Edinburgh architect, Mr. Andrew Kerr to supervise the restoration. Kerr had extensive experience in historic restoration since he had restored Osborne 29

Edinburgh’s Roslin Chapel in 1878 and the Dysart House in 1880.54 During this extensive renovation to the castle the roofs were added and are as they appear today. In a study of the masonry conducted by Addyman Archaeology and funded by Historic

Scotland it was concluded that the only original parts of the castle are the entrance tower, ground floor, some of the kitchen, and the lower portions of the first floor. Most of the chambers and towers were a result of these 1883 renovations.55 Many aesthetic changes were made to the castle as well. A well was added to the courtyard, new windows were placed in the main tower as well as throughout the chambers, and many floors were replaced with modern tile. The restoration was based on extensive research done by

Andrew Kerr and the 14th earl which produced a good example of Victorian restoration.

Doune Castle did not suffer from ‘overzealous restoration’ as John Ruskin put it. It was done somewhat accurately and, in an attempt, to preserve the nature of the castle.56

However, the castle does exhibit some issues in Kerr’s approach to restoration.

Perhaps the most recognizable and problematic part of the renovations is found in the “Lord’s Hall”, which originally would have been a meeting place for the Duke of

Albany. When a modern-day visitor enters this hall, they are met by intricate woodcarvings, plastered walls, and an imposing twin fireplace at the other end of the hall.

The 14th Earl’s coat of arms can also be seen adorning the wall, which is an effort to connect the earl to the original owner of the castle.57 The room is bright and seems out of place in a fourteenth century castle that is otherwise preserved in a state of arrested

54 Simpson, Doune Castle Guidebook, 12. 55 Addyman Archaeology, An assessment of the evidence for pre-existing structures, Edinburgh: Historic Scotland, 2010. 56 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 23. 57 Pringle, Doune Castle Guidebook, 19. Osborne 30 decay.58 In fact, the décor dates from the 1880s and pales in comparison to what the hall would have looked like in the Duke’s time. Dr. Nicki Scott says that the hall “would have been lavishly decorated, more so than the great hall, and rich hangings would have adorned the wall. The focal point of the room was… a chair of estate, placed near the twin fireplaces and provided rich hangings embellished with the duke’s coat of arms and emphasizing his status”.59 This room is the only one in the castle that was restored to this degree and includes plaster on the walls. The rest of the castle was left with its original stone that had been exposed through years of weathering. Originally, the rooms would have been plastered with white and the evidence of this can be seen in the Duchess’ Hall upstairs. The Lord’s Hall is the most misleading part of the castle because it “restores” the room to an idealized and inaccurate version of the past. The Lord’s Hall is not a likeness of the fourteenth century but rather a Victorian perception of the period.

The problems and theoretical issues of Victorian restoration will be addressed more in depth in later chapters, but it is important to contextualize the restoration. Doune

Castle was restored during the height of the restoration craze in Great Britain and suffers from many of the perceptions that Victorians had of the past. The aforementioned Lord’s

Hall is the best example of this myth being built into an existing structure but there are several other smaller nods to this Victorian medievalism.

58 Arrested decay is a concept in historic preservation that refers to the retention of the existing structure and exterior appearance to make it appear authentic even if some of the structure is sagging, decrepit, and ruinous. The concept can be found highlighted in Dydia DeLyser, “Authenticity on the Ground: Engaging the Past in a California Ghost Town.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 89, no. 4 (1999): 602-632. 59 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 20. Osborne 31

Figure 1.6 The castle in 1929. Note the addition of a roof and other restoration work. (View from NE. 1929. Photograph. Edinburgh, Scotland. Available from CANMORE: http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1309232.)

The Twentieth and Twenty-First Century

Throughout the first part of the twentieth century Doune Castle became a popular tourist destination and pilgrimage site for fans of Sir Walter Scott and the Jacobites. The castle was opened to tourists as a private home and the admission prices were used for the upkeep of the castle. Dr. William Douglas Simpson of Aberdeen University published the first guidebook about Doune Castle in 1962 under the financial patronage of the Earl of

Moray, who owned the castle. Dr. Simpson was the chairman of the Scottish Ancient

Monuments Board and held a great deal of influence in preservation circles.60 His

60 “Doune Castle Guide Published.” The Scotsman, August 2, 1962. Osborne 32 guidebook includes a foreword written by Lord Doune that ensures the “profits from the sale to visitors [of the guidebook] should be devoted to the upkeep of the castle”.61 The guidebook is also highly politicized and refers to the earl’s family in only good terms since the Earl of Moray was paying the author.

Dr. Simpson was eventually influential in getting Doune Castle protected as a

Scheduled Ancient Monument Category A listed building under the 1979 Ancient

Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act. The status of the castle as a listed building dates back to the first Ancient Monuments Protections Act passed in 1882. This was the first attempt to protect monuments from overzealous restoration or total destruction.62

The later 1953 Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings Preservation Act outlined the criteria for a historic building and how private properties were to become public. This act stated all historic properties that were not held privately should be placed into a trust held by the Secretary of State of Scotland. This person would have the power to acquire and sell properties as they saw fit. This act led to the origins of the modern-day Historic

Environment Scotland, which currently oversees the castle. Doune Castle benefitted from the legislation and was formally protected under the aforementioned 1979 Act. However, it was not until 1984 that the 21st Earl of Moray placed Doune into the trust held by the

Secretary of State on a 999-year lease.63 Since 1984 Doune Castle has been owned by

Historic Scotland and has been open to the public for visitation.

A milestone for Doune Castle came in 1975, a few years before it was sold to

Historic Scotland, when the Monty Python comedy group used the castle in their cult

61 Simpson, Doune Castle Guidebook, 1. 62 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 23. 63 Pringle, Doune Castle Guidebook, 3. Osborne 33 classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The castle became instantly recognizable to fans of the film since it was the main filming location used throughout the movie.64 The use of Doune as a filming location set a precedent for the castle as being the go-to quintessential medieval fortress for film. Wildly popular shows such as Game of Thrones and Outlander use the castle to convey an idea of the past that really has nothing to do with the castle’s true history. Doune Castle becomes an actor in these media installments by portraying a castle that fits the mold of the story being told. Doune Castle’s place in popular culture began in the early nineteenth century and continues to be a large part of the Castle’s identity with both tourists and researchers. Chapter Two will take a deeper look into the popular culture and fictional stories surrounding the castle. It will also attempt to show how these influences change the public’s perception of Scottish History and on a more micro level their perception of Doune Castle.

The modern-day castle is owned and operated by Historic Environment Scotland, which deals with the repairs, restoration, and daily tasks that a historical castle presents.

The maintenance work alone on the grounds is very tedious and time consuming. Since this is a historical property any repairs need to be done very carefully, without jeopardizing the original parts of the structure. In 2010 extensive repairs were made to the castle including reseeding the grass in the courtyard, repairing the eastern staircase, adding lighting to the Great Hall, and facilitating an archaeological evaluation.65 These

64 Monty Python and the Holy Grail, directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones (1975; London: EMI Films), Digital Download. 65 “Doune Castle Works and Financial Control,” (National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011), 1. Osborne 34 repairs continue today with the work on the wall walk being start in August 2017. It is a major undertaking, which includes scaffolding the entirety of the west wall.

Figure 1.7 Western wall covered in scaffolding in order to complete conservation work on the wall walk. (Kristin Osborne. Scaffolding. August 2017.)

Figure 1.8 Info-board at the entrance detailing the current masonry work being done on the castle. (Kristin Osborne, Conserving Doune Castle. August 2017.) Osborne 35

Another question that arose in the repairs of Doune Castle during the twenty-first century was the accessibility of the site. The grounds around the castle are quite flat and easily navigated by people with limited mobility but once inside the castle it is almost impossible for guests with a disability to explore. Since the castle is mostly original it contains spiral stairs, narrow corridors, uneven surfaces, and low ceilings. Even a person without disability would even have a difficult time walking in the castle. This was the topic of a 2003 report from Buro Happold Disability Designs Consultancy, which gave suggestions on how to make the castle more accessible to everyone. They suggested that handrails be placed on all staircases, ramps be put in place of certain staircases, and that cobblestone be replaced with concrete.66 The castle did make a few concessions to the accessibility firm by adding ramps, handrails, and sufficient lighting to the castle. This brings up an important question in historic preservation: do we sacrifice the authenticity of a site to make it wholly accessible? Adding a lift to Doune Castle would require extensive destruction and would take away from the castle’s original aesthetic. This is not a question that has an easy answer but one that should be thought about when accessing a historic site with so much history. History can and should be accessible to everyone; but at what cost to historic sites?

The history of Doune Castle and its preservation outlines an important motif in

Scottish History and helps to show the truth behind a wildly fictionalized castle. By contextualizing the castle and allowing one to understand the importance of Doune Castle this essay will be better able to show how history functions in popular culture and

66 David Froggatt, “Accessibility at Doune Castle,” (National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2003), 5-10. Osborne 36 heritage tourism. The next two chapters will explain how Doune Castle’s unique place in

Scottish History allows it to represent a romanticized and idealized version of the past.

The chapters will delve into the specific works filmed at the castle, film induced tourism, and the tourist’s experience at the castle.

Osborne 37

Chapter Two: History for the Masses

As we have seen in the first chapter, Doune Castle was not nearly as important as Stirling or Edinburgh Castle, but it still played a central role in Scottish politics and history. From being the home of the infamous Duke of Albany to acting as a prison during the notorious

Jacobite uprising of 1745, Doune Castle has played host to several important figures in

Scottish memory and folklore. Since 1984 Doune Castle has been owned by Historic

Environment Scotland that is, at its core, a public endeavor to make history accessible to the public. This standard makes Doune Castle part of a larger project to interest the public in history and allows for tourism to flourish in Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland is not only a preservation endeavor but also a tourism council. The intentions of its governing body place Doune Castle in a specific position to influence the public and its history.

This chapter will track Doune Castle’s appearances in fictional literature and film from the nineteenth century to the modern day. Comparing the influence of literature and influence of film on the representation of the castle can foster an important conversation about how different media cultures affect a historic site. The effect of popular culture on

Doune Castle is twofold: it creates a pilgrimage site for tourists who seek to experience their favorite media, but it also creates an incentive for Historic Environment Scotland to capitalize on the media’s popularity and not the castle’s historic significance. The section will also look at how philosophers of the period viewed the restoration of historic sites and how this affected the perception of history on a larger scale.

Doune Castle has emerged from these productions with a second identity that is almost as important as its original. The new identity is that of a fictional medieval castle Osborne 38 that can be molded to fit one’s ideas about the past. The pliable nature of Doune Castle has become a catalyst for this identity crisis and I argue that the dichotomy of Doune

Castle’s image is a product of the film, television, and literature that will be discussed in the chapter.

The Literature of Sir Walter Scott’s Doune Castle

Before the turn of the twentieth century the most influential popular medium was literature. It had the power to persuade, expand, and rally people who read it. Fictional literature was perhaps at the height of its influence during the nineteenth century.

Movements like Romanticism, Naturalism, and Symbolism shaped the novels and minds of the time. In Scotland, Romanticism was at its most popular with Sir Walter Scott as its leader.67 As a literary movement Romanticism is defined as a style that allows the writer and reader to feel emotion. It uses imaginative plots and scenery, history, and philosophy to create complex characters and situations. The movement was a response to the practical Enlightenment and rationalism of the eighteenth century.68 Sir Walter Scott and

Robert Burns were the most famous Romantic authors to emerge from Scotland and became known for spreading an idealized image of Scotland around the world. His novels changed the way we collectively view Scotland and its history through his carefully crafted romantic telling of history. He sought out beautiful places in the Scottish

67 Michael Alexander, Medievalism: The Middle Ages in Modern England (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 50. 68 Gerard Lee McKeever, "'With wealth come wants': Scottish Romanticism as improvement in the Fiction of John Galt." Studies in Romanticism no. 1: 69. Literature Resource Center, EBSCOhost (accessed December 20, 2017). 70-71.

Osborne 39

Highlands to write about and Doune Castle was not immune to this trend.69 Sir Walter

Scott’s anonymously published novel Waverley published in 1814, used Doune Castle as one of its many romanticized locations. Waverley was the first instance of popular culture having an effect on Doune Castle. While tourism to the castle had not yet become a fad, the effects of Sir Walter Scott’s novel are undeniable.

Figure 2.1 An engraving of Sir Walter Scott from 1900. (Engraving of Sir Walter Scott. 1900-1930. Engraving. Edinburgh, Scotland. Available from CANMORE: http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1213908.)

Sir Walter Scott, in recent years, has become recognized as the inventor of the historical novel.70 This new genre changed the way that the masses interacted with history and subsequently changed how history is viewed on a societal level. The

69 “Biography”, The Walter Scott Archives, Edinburgh University Library, accessed February 15, 2018, http://www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk/works/novels/waverley.html. 70 Alexander, Medievalism, 50. Osborne 40 fictionalization of history is massively profitable and often utilized in today’s popular culture. Scott’s novels Waverley and The Lay of the Last Minstrel form the basis of his

“Scottish Novels”, which introduced historical fiction and romantic prose to the literary scene of the early nineteenth century. His Scottish novels follow a distinct pattern that is described by Michael Alexander in his book Medievalism: The Middle Ages in Modern

England as “an armed rivalry, complicated by wider feuds, for the hand of the heroine.

The tale usually ends with a wedding presided over by a gracious Scottish king, and the reconciling of enemies in the interests of civil society”.71 This pattern becomes recognizable throughout Scott’s novels and serves as a framework for his new genre of prose.

Scott is the father of historical fiction, but he was not a historical writer, those had existed since antiquity, he was writing a theory of history and therein lies the difference.72

He championed the idea that history could mean anything to anyone and that our past was open to interpretation. His novels demonstrate that history can be molded and reimagined for a new audience. It was no longer just for the educated elite but for anyone who could read. It can be argued that historical fiction hurts the pursuit of history because it does not have to be accurate and does not undergo the scrutiny that peer reviewed historical research does. I refute this argument because historical fiction was one of the first ways history became accessible to a new less educated class of people and therefore it strengthens the pursuit of history. Sir Walter Scott’s writings are as much a societal movement as they are novels, whether he intended them to be or not. Doune Castle is

71 Ibid. 72 Justin O’Donnell, “Why Historical Fiction Will Never Go Away,” Publisher’s Weekly, September 9, 2016. Osborne 41 affected by Scott’s vision every day because Waverley changed how the castle interacted with the public. Sir Walter Scott’s writings before the release of Waverley were not widely circulated but the publication of Waverley gave him great success despite the anonymity of the authorship. His next works were always publicized with the tag line

“The Author of Waverley”. Scott published Waverley anonymously to protect his reputation as a poet because the literary tradition at the time did not recognize historical romance fiction as a serious endeavor.73

Waverley is set during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. The protagonist of the novel is a young man from England, Edward Waverley who finds himself deployed to

Scotland during the ’45.74 As a result of Edward’s upbringing by his pro-Jacobite uncle he begins to sympathize with the Jacobite cause. This comes to a head when he spends leave at a friend of his uncle’s and witnesses the Highland clans’ way of life. After being captured by the Jacobites and imprisoned in Doune Castle, Edward decides to change allegiances and joins the Jacobite cause. After the cause fails, Edward goes into hiding until he can be granted a royal pardon for his participation in the uprising. 75 After his pardon Edward marries Rose Bradwardine instead of his main love interest throughout the novel, Flora MacIvor. Critics have argued that this marriage symbolizes the “rational, realistic present of post-Union Scotland as opposed to the colorful, passionate past personified by Flora”.76

73 Alexander, Medievalism, 32. 74 The ’45 refers to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. 75 Sir Walter Scott, Waverley. 76 “Waverley” The Walter Scott Archives, Edinburgh University Library, accessed February 15, 2018, http://www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk/works/novels/waverley.html. Osborne 42

Figure 2.2 Engraving of Doune Castle from 1790 that depicts to Jacobite Army in front of the castle. (T. Allom, Engraving. View from NE. 1790. Engraving. Edinburgh, Scotland. Available from CANMORE: http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1309338.)

The reception that Waverley received was unprecedented. One thousand copies were produced for the novel’s first edition and those sold out within two days of the release. Several editions followed the first and each was as successful as the last. This novel shot Sir Walter Scott to the level of an international author with a great reputation.77 The novel was considered to be one of the best examples of romanticism to be produced in the early nineteenth century. According to Francis Jeffrey in the

Edinburgh Review, Waverley stayed true to the “actual existences, rather than from the phantasms of his own imagination”. Jeffrey also praises the way Scott engages the reader

77 “Waverley”, The Walter Scott Archives. Osborne 43 with “scenes and characters that are copied from the existing originals”.78 The praise that

Scott found for his work usually included his attention to detail and his ability to heighten the romantic nature of history while still keeping it factual. This mastery of romantic literature changed the way the masses viewed the Scottish Highlands. Gone was the rhetoric of backwater, rural, and uneducated communities and in its place came rebellion, adventure, and folklore.79 Sir Walter Scott’s prose and poetry almost single handedly changed the perception of the Highlands after the ’45 and subsequently the historic sites embroiled in the rebellion. Scott’s mastery of history and romance forever embedded him and his romanticism in Scottish literary tradition.

Doune Castle is featured throughout Waverley, as mentioned in the first chapter.

This section however will look more in depth at how Sir Walter Scott’s portrayal of

Doune Castle shaped its narrative and perception in the context of a historic site. Doune

Castle makes its first appearance in the novel around Chapter IX ‘A Nocturnal

Adventure’. Edward’s Highland captors are escorting him to Doune Castle and Scott offers the first glimpse of Doune, as it would have appeared in 1745. Scott describes the castle, as Waverley would have experienced it, as a prisoner. According to Scott the castle was:

a large and massive [castle,] [with] half-ruined turrets… It was in form an oblong

square, of size sufficient to contain a large court in the centre. The towers at each

78 Francis Jeffery, “Waverley or ‘Tis Sixty Years Since,” The Edinburgh Review, 1814, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b623336;view=1up;seq=220, 208. 79 For further reading on the stereotypes of the Highlands prior to the nineteenth century see: John Roberts, The Jacobite Wars. (Edinburgh: Polygon, 2002). Osborne 44

angle of the square rose higher than the walls of the building, and were in their

turn surmounted by turrets, differing in height and irregular in shape.80

Sketches that Scott includes in his novel reinforce this image. The romantic account of

Doune Castle being this great ruin certainly lent an aura of mystery and medievalism to the castle’s reputation.

One of the most interesting passages about Doune Castle comes in Chapter IX as well. Scott describes the interior of the castle as having a “huge iron-grated door, which formed the exterior defense of the gateway… and a second, heavily constructed of oak and studded thickly with iron nails, being next opened, admitted them into the interior court-yard”.81 This passage is important because if one visits the castle today they can walk through this same iron-gated and oak door. The entrance into the castle dates from at least the sixteenth century, including the door and iron gate.82 This offers a bridge between the fictionalized experiences of Edward Waverley and the modern tourist that

Scott did not anticipate. This connection to Waverley is important because people often visit sites associated with popular media to feel like a part of the story and subsequently history. The emblematic nature of the iron-gate and oak door that both historical and fictional figures have passed through should not go unnoticed.

80 Walter Scott, Waverley, Chapter IX. 81 Walter Scott, Waverley, Chapter IX. 82 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 8. Osborne 45

Figure 2.3 A drawing of Doune Castle from 1845. The ruinous nature of the castle is prevalent in this depiction and this view probably inspired Sir Walter Scott’s image of the castle. (James Drummond, Drawing of Doune Castle. 1845. Drawing. Edinburgh, Scotland. Available from CANMORE: http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1461161.)

Edward Waverley’s stay at Doune Castle was not long but serves as an important plot point for the novel. He escapes from the castle with the help of his future wife Rose

Bradwardine. Walter Scott does revisit Doune Castle in his “Notes to Volume II” where he recounts Doune Castle’s place in his research and perception of the Highlands. Scott says:

This noble ruin [Doune Castle] is dear to my recollection, from associations,

which have been long and painfully broken. It holds a commanding station on the

banks of the river Teith and has been one of the largest castles in Scotland.

Murdoch, Duke of Albany, the founder of this stately pile, was beheaded on the Osborne 46

Castle-hill of Stirling, from which he might see the towers of Doune, the

monument of his fallen greatness.83

It is interesting that Scott chooses to include the Duke of Albany’s execution in his description of Doune Castle. He romanticizes his death with the imagery of Albany seeing Doune Castle from Castle-hill as he is beheaded. Furthermore, Scott describes

Doune as dear to his heart and his time in the Highlands. He deliberately bases Edward

Waverley’s imprisonment and escape from Doune Castle on John Home’s experiences there. Note 27, in the appendices of Waverley, serves to heavily romanticize Doune

Castle while still noting that it has historical and personal significance for Sir Walter

Scott.

Doune Castle’s presence in Waverley serves as its first introduction to popular media and the “romanticization” that would ensue. Sir Walter Scott’s effect on the site is twofold. Firstly, he introduces the site as a place associated with the Jacobites, which serves to heighten the sense of mystery and romanticism surrounding the castle.

Secondly, he places Doune Castle as a site that still sits on the River Teith to this day and is perfectly accessible to commoners. His own experiences at the castle and his love of the site further push Doune Castle into the consciousness of his readers. This allows

Doune Castle to be sought after as a place of pilgrimage for fans, scholars, and enthusiasts of the Jacobites. The restoration of Doune Castle in 1883 greatly changed the image of Sir Walter Scott’s Doune Castle but ushered in a new era of production and tourism for the site.

83 Walter Scott, Waverley, Note 27. Osborne 47

Victorian Restoration

In order to understand the effects of popular media and film-induced tourism on

Doune Castle, one must first understand how the castle came to have its contemporary appearance. The basics of the restoration undertaken by the 14th Earl of Moray was discussed in the first chapter.84 However, by contextualizing this project in the larger trend of Victorian restoration we can begin to understand why Doune Castle is the ideal location for filming, inspiration, and tourism. The 14th Earl restored the castle to have an authentic medieval feel while still adhering to the Victorian idea of the past. This carefully crafted image of Doune Castle proved to be very popular with production companies in the twentieth and twenty-first century because it conveyed the right idea of the past.

The context of Doune Castle’s restoration is best described as being part of a countrywide craze in Great Britain. The beginning of the nineteenth century saw a wave of interest in historic buildings that had not been seen since the Renaissance. The

Industrial Revolution and development of history as a serious academic pursuit changed the way that humanity maintained the link to their past.85 Physical links became more important to the general public because they made history accessible, tangible, and viewable. The need for philosophy, writings, and ideas from the past became less prevalent for the general public after the Industrial Revolution because the basis of society was changing. The Industrial Revolution created a new middle class, one that was

84 See Chapter One for a detailed account of the restoration in 1886. 85 Phillippot, “Historic Preservation,” 268. Osborne 48 educated and professional. However, this class lacked the access to historic sites because the nobility owned them, and they began to push for a more meaningful way to interact with the past. This need for a different way to bridge the gap between past and present manifested in a romantic nostalgia of history.86 By 1874 the majority of historic sites in

Great Britain had been restored to some level. A small majority of this work was completed based on detailed research but most of the restorations were considered destructive to the historic integrity of the structure.87 The aim of most Victorian restoration was to return castles, churches, and homes to a “fictitious ideal state, [by] obscuring its construction history”.88

John Ruskin, a prominent art critic and philosopher, was one of the first people to express a concern for the way restoration was being executed. His ideas about memory were, in a sense, purist. Ruskin argued that when humans build, they build with the intent of the structure being there forever.89 Therefore, it is disrespectful to the site to alter its construction or image. He was very critical of any form of restoration because he believed it “means the most total destruction which a building can suffer: a destruction out of which no remnants can be gathered”.90 Ruskin worried that the uniqueness of a site, piece of art, or document could not be replicated through modern construction and therefore the claims of authenticity, real or imagined, were false. He argued that any addition or construction to a site should be noted as a modern action and not seek to

86 Phillippot, “Historic Preservation,” 268. 87 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 23. 88 Ibid. 89 Ruskin, “The Lamp,” 42. 90 Phillippot, “Historic Preservation,” 269. Osborne 49 change the core of the site.91 Another vocal critic of “overzealous restoration” was

William Morris who created the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877.

He became increasingly disturbed with the destruction that restoration caused and pushed legislation to protect ancient sites. This led to the first legislation on the status of historic buildings in Britain, The Ancient Monuments Protection Act of 1882.92

The context of Doune Castle’s restoration makes more sense when one understands the complex critiques of historic preservation. Doune Castle’s restoration came directly after the passage of the first Ancient Monuments Protection Act, which greatly influenced its outcome. The restoration work that took place at the site was based on significant research, blueprints, and sketches of the castle, which makes it one of the better examples from the period. However, there are still issues with how the trend of

Victorian restoration influenced the 14th earl and Andrew Kerr, the architect. The integrity and authenticity of Doune Castle was sacrificed for a popular understanding of the past. This is best shown by the ‘Lord’s Hall’ and its idealized imagery of a fourteenth century castle. The ‘Lord’s Hall’ is not historically accurate but it is valuable because it shows what the Victorians imagined fourteenth century interior decorating to be like.

Andrew Kerr and the 14th earl’s attention to detail, respect of the past, and understanding of restoration allowed Doune Castle to thrive as a restored historic site. I argue that the restoration was one of the best decisions for the castle because it allowed a historic conscience to flourish in the site and eventually allowed for film production. It became a perfect example of a romantic nostalgic medieval castle, whether or not it truly reflects

91 Phillippot, “Historic Preservation,” 270. 92 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 23. Osborne 50 the castle’s original design. This status made it very popular for film productions that were trying to convey a certain message about the past or create a believable fantasy world. One should not lament that Doune Castle is not ‘authentic’ but rather appreciate it as art and its role as a vessel for popular culture.

Done at Doune: Film and Television Produced at Doune Castle

To fans of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Outlander, and Games of Thrones

Doune Castle is no longer a fourteenth century castle in the Scottish Highlands. For

Monty Python fans it becomes Camelot, Castle Anthrax, Swamp Castle, and the location of the famous taunting scene. Outlander fans see Castle Leoch, the ancestral seat of the

Mackenzie Clan, when they visit the castle. Lastly, fans of Game of Thrones will see

Winterfell, the fantastic home of the House Stark. Doune Castle serves as a representation of people’s favorite film and television series; it often takes on a life of its own. The popular media produced at the castle become part of its identity and narrative.

Film and television series have a great deal of power in people’s perception of history and often influence the historical narrative of a site. The amount of popular media that were produced at Doune place it in a unique position to reveal how contemporary media can change historical narratives and influence the public’s perceptions of the past.

The cult classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the film that is most closely associated with Doune Castle and serves as the best argument for how popular media changes the narrative of a historic site. Originally released in 1975, this slapstick comedy follows King Arthur and his companions on their mission to find the Holy Grail. Monty

Python and the Holy Grail was the first film produced at Doune Castle. It began filming in the summer of 1974. Doune Castle was the primary filming location for the movie Osborne 51 because it was still privately owned. The Monty Python group originally gained permission from Historic Environment Scotland to film at several locations across

Scotland, but they withdrew their permission just weeks before filming was meant to start. Since Doune Castle was still owned by the Earl of Moray the castle was exempt from this change. It became the primary filming location and serves as all but one castle in the movie.93 Castle Stalker in Loch Laich serves as “Castle Aaaaarrrrrggghhh”.94

Therefore, Doune Castle acts as the Castle of Guy de Lombard, Swamp Castle, Camelot,

Castle Anthrax, and provides a landscape for the outdoor scenes in the movie. The movie had a severely limited budget which meant that Doune Castle was the only place they could film so the crew had to get every last drop of production value out of the castle.95

By using narrow shots, lighting, and careful editing the castle is made to look like several different locations to maintain the illusion of the film.

While this film is meant to be a comedy, and never claimed to be historically accurate, it does portray ideas and pictures of the Middle Ages that become part of Doune

Castle’s identity. The film starts in the year 932 CE and places Doune Castle within the context of this period. Medieval knights, princesses, kings, and squires inhabit the castle and these images make Doune Castle into a stereotypical medieval castle. As Chapter

One established, Doune Castle, in reality, is a product of the High Middle Ages and the

Victorian Era restoration. The castle looks like a product of medieval construction and therefore the Monty Python group chose it as their filming location. However, this medieval image was largely constructed in the Victorian Era, which means Monty Python

93 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 50. 94 Set in Scotland: A Film Fan’s Odyssey. Edinburgh: Visit Scotland, 2015. 9. 95 Set in Scotland: A Film Fan’s Odyssey, 63. Osborne 52 and the Holy Grail’s castle is an important example of medievalism in film. Comedy and popular media is not always meant to be accurate and this essay does not seek to dispute that. It merely states that these media portrayals of Doune Castle and historic sites have consequences. Visitors to the castle will see Swamp Castle and Castle Anthrax before they see Doune Castle and therefore the film alters the castle’s identity.

Figure 2.4 The Monty Python troop approaching Doune Castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). (From Set in Scotland: A Film Fan’s Odyssey. Edinburgh: Visit Scotland, 2015.)

Historic Environment Scotland also capitalizes on the film’s success and its association with Doune Castle. Since 2005, Doune Castle has hosted a Monty Python

Day. The first event attracted over 500 people to the small castle and boasted a gift of Osborne 53 shrubbery to each attendant. The day includes sketches, impersonation competitions, musicals, meet and greets, coconut shells, and the Python Idle contest.96 Each year this event is held to commemorate the anniversary of the film and provide a focus point for tourists who seek a Monty Python experience. Historic Environment Scotland seeks to closely align itself with the movie and sees an opportunity to profit off of the film’s popularity. The presence of coconuts in the castle’s gift shop and the film’s inclusion in the castle guidebook back this claim.

Doune Castle’s second claim to fame came in 2009 when HBO approached HES about filming a pilot episode for Game of Thrones, an adaptation of George R.R.

Martin’s series A Song of Ice and Fire. The ambitious series takes place in Westeros, a fragmented kingdom in Martin’s fantasy world. The world of A Song of Ice and Fire is largely based on medieval imagery, historical events, and the class structure of the

Middle Ages. The kingdom of Westeros is set up in a feudal hierarchy which has great lords who govern their familial lands. The House of Stark serves as the Wardens of the

North and rule from their stronghold of Winterfell.97 HBO chose Doune Castle to act as

Winterfell for their pilot episode in order to create the medieval world of Westeros.

However, fans of Game of Thrones will likely not see Winterfell when they visit Doune

Castle because much of Winterfell was added in postproduction with computer generated images (CGI).

HBO submitted a filming request to HES on September 22, 2009. They requested

170 hours of onsite filming and several changes to the existing appearance of the castle.

96 “Python Fans in Castle Pilgrimage,” BBC News, September 4, 2005. 97 George R.R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire (New York: Bantam Books, 1996). Osborne 54

In their initial request the production crew wanted to “cover the courtyard with dirt, construct set pieces, erect lighting rigs supported on the beams of the Lord’s Hall, erect various scaffolds on the interior and exterior of the castle, use SFX fire and apply powder snow and soot directly to the stonework”.98 There was a significant amount of worry within the management of Doune Castle that irreparable damage would be caused to the historic site as a result of filming. Several safeguards were put in place to protect the integrity of the castle including not allowing anything to be affixed directly on the stonework, the erection of scaffolding for all lighting rigs, and the presence of a conservation specialist onsite. The film crew had to go to extended lengths in order to protect the site and left an appendix of every provision they took.99 The attention to detail needed to successfully protect a historic site from the rigors of film production is vital to ensuring the longevity of a site. There is a great deal of work that goes into protecting a site from the production and Game of Thrones was just one of many examples of this at

Doune Castle.

It is worth noting that Game of Thrones’ presence in Doune Castle’s filmography is unique because it is the only piece of fantasy to have been produced there. All of other media that used Doune as a filming location were historical fiction and rooted in our own world. The addition of fantasy to the castle’s image also changes how tourists view the site. While Monty Python and the Holy Grail was certainly not historically accurate it did serve to give the castle a medieval atmosphere for fans of the movie. Game of Thrones places Doune Castle in a world that is not our own yet serves to heighten the perceived

98 Iona Murray, Doune Castle, SMC for Filming of ‘Games of Thrones’. Edinburgh: Historic Scotland, 2009. 1. 99 Murray, Doune Castle, SMC for Filming of ‘Games of Thrones’. 2. Osborne 55 medieval image of the castle. The inhabitants of Winterfell are grand lords and ladies of

Westeros who adhere to certain medieval customs. As a result, Doune Castle becomes more romanticized and “medievalized.”

The most recent television series to be produced at Doune Castle is probably the most famous and most associated with the castle. The STARZ channel adapted Diana

Gabaldon’s book series Outlander for television in 2014. The series follows Claire

Randall, a World War II combat nurse, as she is mysteriously swept three hundred years in the past. Claire ends up in the Scottish Highlands in 1743 after stumbling upon a stone circle with the power to transport people through time. During her time in the past she marries a Highlander, Jamie Fraser, and attempts to stop the Jacobite Rebellion in order to save the Highlander way of life.100 The novels were written between 1991and 2014 and already boasted a large following before the television series was announced. The mix of science fiction and historical fiction proved to be a popular one as the series has has sold over 20 million copies in the U.S. alone.101 The series signed on Ronald D.

Moore, known for his work on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Battlestar Galatica, to adapt it for television.

100 Diana Gabaldon, Outlander (New York: Delacorte Press, 1991). Kindle Edition. 101 “Big-budget drama Outlander films in Scotland,” BBC News, March 12, 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-26543451. Osborne 56

Figure 2.5 Doune Castle as Castle Leoch in Outlander. (Castle Leoch Still. Season 1 Episode 2. 2014. Screen grab. STARZ, Los Angeles.)

When the television series was in its infancy the question of filming locations was a top priority. Originally, the producers wanted to film in New Zealand, Eastern Europe or Ireland because of government subsidies that enticed film producers to use their landscapes and historic sites. However, producer Ronald D. Moore was able to persuade the network to film solely in Scotland in order to make the series as authentic as possible.

All of the filming was done in Scotland between onsite locations and soundstages that were built outside of Glasgow.102 Creative Scotland, a government agency dedicated to supporting culture and arts in Scotland, contributed £170,000 towards shooting on

102 Sarah Ksiazek, “The Making of Outlander’- On Casting and Locations”, Outlander TV News, October 18, 2016, http://www.outlandertvnews.com/2016/10/the-making-of- outlander-on-casting-and-locations/. Osborne 57 location in Scotland.103 The show was meant to have a large impact on the country and the people of Scotland. They employed over 800 people during filming and “in a relatively small environment like Scotland, the show has an enormous impact”, according to David Brown.104

Figure 2.6 Outlander cast and crew filming at Doune Castle. (From Robyn Ross, “How Outlander Brought the Historic Doune Castle to Life”, TV Guide, May 29, 2015, http://www.tvguide.com/news/outlander-castle-leoch/.)

Doune Castle would become the most important filming location for the series because it acted as the fictional Castle Leoch. Castle Leoch, in the series, was the ancestral home of the Mackenzie Clan and Claire’s home for the majority of the first season.105 The castle was kept relatively the same for filming since it already fit the aesthetic of the time period. The courtyard was covered in dirt, animals were brought in, and huts were constructed to make it look like a working castle in the 1700s. The interior of the castle was used for filming, as well. The kitchens, Lord’s Hall, Great Hall,

103 “Big-budget drama Outlander films in Scotland,” BBC News. 104 Ksiazek, “’The Making of Outlander’- On Casting and Locations”. 105 Ronald D Moore. Outlander. 2014. Englewood, CO: Starz. Amazon Prime. Osborne 58

Duchess’s Hall, and basements were all featured in the show. The interesting part of

Doune’s portrayal in Outlander is that the series features it both in 1945 and 1743. Castle

Leoch is seen as a ruin in 1945 that Claire and her husband, Frank, visit while on their second honeymoon. In post-production Doune Castle was digitally made look like a ruin.

This is juxtaposed with the image of a working and thriving castle that Claire visits while in 1743. These two ideas of what a castle is meant to represent play an important role in

Claire’s journey and subsequently the viewers’ ideas of a castle. The series places Doune

Castle in a believable setting and uses the actual history of the castle to influence its appearance on screen. While Doune Castle was never the seat of a great Highland clan it was vital to the governance of the Highlands and served as a gateway between the

Lowlands and Highlands. The narrative of Castle Leoch is close to that of Doune Castle and often tourists at the castle intertwine the two.

The production spent a total of thirty days filming the first season at Doune Castle and the show proved to be wildly successful. The first season boasted a viewership of five million for each episode, which does not include the number who watched it on a streaming service.106 The popularity of the series produced great outcomes for Historic

Environment Scotland and Doune Castle. The castle benefitted from what the BBC calls the ‘Outlander Effect’. This is characterized as a significant rise in tourist numbers at a site that is associated with Outlander. The tourist numbers for Doune Castle rose 30% to around 50,000 visitors between 2014 and 2015.107 Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop noted,

106 Alexandra Alter, “A Best Seller Again, After a Boost from TV,” New York Times, October 3, 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/04/books/tvs-outlander-puts-diana- gabaldons-novel-on-top-again.html. 107 “Outlander visitors to Doune Castle near Stirling increase,” BBC News, April 6, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-32194927. Osborne 59

“from Dumfries to Inverness, historic visitor attractions are reporting a rise in visitor numbers thanks to the popularity of the TV show and renewed interest in the novels”.108

The chairman of VisitScotland, Mike Cantlay also noticed the increased interest in

Scotland as a tourist destination because of Outlander’s success. Cantlay said:

Scotland is the land that inspired Outlander and our locations map has already

proved a big hit with visitors with many making the journey to stunning locations

within the series such as Doune Castle. Furthermore, we are seeing more and

more tourism businesses, including accommodation providers and visitor

attractions, looking at ways in which they can capitalise on the show.109

Outlander has perhaps had the most profound effect on Doune Castle in recent years. It shows the castle in a historically believable context and further perpetuates the narrative of historic fiction that surrounds Doune Castle. However, Monty Python and the Holy

Grail and Game of Thrones serve to create a pilgrimage site for fans and changes Doune

Castle’s narrative, as a result. Popular culture has a large impact on historic sites that are closely associated with film and productions. This impact can be seen through many facets of the site including the tourists’ experience. The tourists’ experience is largely influenced by the aforementioned media and creates a conflicting image in visitors’ minds.

108 Outlander visitors to Doune Castle near Stirling increase”. 109 “Outlander visitors to Doune Castle near Stirling increase”. The locations map referred to in this quotation can be viewed with the following link: https://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/attractions/tv-film/outlander/ Osborne 60

Chapter Three: The Tourist’s Experience at Doune Castle

The tourist’s experience of the castle is part of what creates and reinforces Doune

Castle’s place in the collective memory of Scottish history. While it is true that the

Scottish government protects sites financially their main goal is to attract tourists and create incentives for visitors.110 Heritage tourism is one of Scotland’s largest economic drivers with Historic Environment Scotland reporting over £2.3 billion of contributions to the Scottish economy in 2016. It also reported that their sites attracted 14.6 billion visitors in 2016.111 Heritage tourism also has a large impact on the job market in Scotland with the heritage sector employing over 55,000 full time workers.112 The impact that heritage tourism has on Scotland is immense and Doune Castle is just a small part of that larger phenomenon. However, analyzing trends in tourism to Doune Castle can show over-arching patterns in Scottish historic tourism.

Tourism continues to protect and restore Doune Castle, so any discussion of it would be incomplete without acknowledging the tourists. A comprehensive study of Doune

Castle’s impact on popular culture and its unique place in heritage should include trends in tourism that affect the castle. There are two main trends in tourism that affect Doune

Castle: film-induced and heritage tourism. Film-induced tourism is simply defined as guests that visit a site due its prominence as a film location. However, this trend can be placed into the larger theme of heritage tourism. Heritage tourism is, according to

Priscilla Boniface and Peter J. Fowler, “the concurrent emergence of mass tourism and of

110 U.K. Parliament, House of Commons, Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953. London: UK, 1953. 111 Scotland’s Historic Environment Audit 2016- Summary. 4. 112 Scotland’s Historic Environment Audit 2016- Summary. 14. Osborne 61 widespread usage of heritage imagery- the commodified cladding of symbols of antiquity but also to the apparent burgeoning of a symbiotic relationship between the two”.113

Heritage tourism is not necessarily people with Scottish ancestry visiting Scotland for the experience, although that is a part of it. I will define it as a trend in tourism of people who seek to visit sites that are important to a nation’s history and cultural identity. The intersection of heritage and film tourism is what makes Doune Castle such an interesting topic of research within historic preservation.

This chapter will explore how the trends of heritage and film tourism affect Doune

Castle and its dynamic historical narrative. It will also explain the experience that tourists have while visiting the castle and how carefully it has been crafted to include popular media. It will explore the various way tourists experience the castle through audio guides, info graphics, and guidebooks. By looking at the way HES presents Doune Castle we can begin to understand how important tourists’ perceptions of a site are to the greater population’s consciousness of heritage sites. The dichotomy of Doune Castle’s image produced by media is an integral part of the tourists’ experience at the castle and often overshadows the actual historical narrative. This chapter will seek to answer whether or not the intersection of film-induced, and heritage tourism has skewed the perception of

Doune Castle and ultimately detracts from its greater status as a Scottish historic site.

Film-Induced Tourism

Film-induced tourism is quickly becoming one of the most profitable forms of tourism and it behooves governments to take an active interest in its continued success.

113 Boniface and Fowler, Heritage Tourism, xi. Osborne 62

According to VisitBritain, 20% of incoming tourists to the UK were inspired to visit by film and television images. The UK boasts some of the most popular filming locations in the world with the huge successes of Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, Doctor Who and other British classics.114 At its basis, film induced tourism refers to the trend of visitation to sites where movies and television programs have been filmed.115 There are several different types of film-induced tourism but this essay will be focusing on the trend known as “on- location tourism”, since Doune Castle falls into this category. However, an explanation of all trends within film-induced tourism will be given so as to frame Doune

Castle’s role in this trend.

The most popular form of film induced tourism is on-location tourism. It is defined as a tourists’ sole reason for visiting a site being to see where beloved movies and television series were filmed. The draw of the movie or television series is strong enough for tourists to travel to see filming locations. There are several motivations within On-

Location tourism that prompt a tourist to visit certain sites. These include film pilgrimages, holiday, or nostalgia for a different time represented in film. Doune Castle is an excellent example of this trend because of the popularity of Monty Python and the

Holy Grail and Outlander. Most people who visit Doune Castle know about its role in these productions due to tour guides, books, or simply being fans of the media. Other examples of this sites that benefit from this trend include the Isle of Mull which is featured in Entrapment and Kidnapped, Lord of the Rings sites in New Zealand, and the

114 David Bowen and Jackie Clarke, Contemporary Tourist Behavior: Yourself and Others and Tourists (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 178. 115 Beeton, Film-Induced Tourism,13. Osborne 63

Glenfinnan Viaduct which was used in scenes from Harry Potter.116 Heritage sites often benefit greatly from this form of film-induced tourism. Alnwick Castle in

Northumberland, England (used in many scenes of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as Hogwarts) reported nearly three times as many visitors in 2006 as in previous years.

Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford also doubled its revenue after the release of the Harry

Potter films.117

The second type of film-induced tourism is commercial on- location tourism. This is characterized by constructed tours that aim to take visitors to film locations.

MovieTours creates guided tours that hit famous filming locations in a city or country.

They are a good way to see several different locations from a plethora of media. Brit

Movie Tours is one of the largest companies in the U.K. engaging in commercial on- location tourism. They offer Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, and Outlander tours that aim to show tourists the main filming locations.118 The sole aim of commercial on-location tourism is to make a profit off of a movie or television series’ success. By capitalizing off of this success companies make money while perpetuating film induced tourism. Some examples of this trend are found in On Location Tours, MovieTours, the

Heartbeat Experience, and Hobbiton in New Zealand.119

Thirdly, off-location tourism is included in the larger umbrella of film-induced tourism. This trend refers almost solely to film studio tours. These tours are attractive to

116 Beeton, Film-Induced Tourism,10. 117 Bowen and Clarke, Contemporary Tourist Behavior, 179. 118 “Homepage,” Brit Movie Tours, accessed December 31, 2017, https://britmovietours.com/. 119 Beeton, Film-Induced Tourism, 10. Osborne 64 people because they are able to see the process of filming in a studio. The film studio is a working and living experience for tourists because they are able to see exactly how their favorite media are produced.120 While the general feeling of being on- location and immersed in a world is omitted during this experience it still attracts people who are curious about studios, filming processes, and set design. The Warner Brothers London studio has a tour that is very well-known because it caters to Harry Potter fans.121

Another well-known tour is the Paramount Studio Tour in Los Angeles. This tour allows visitors to see over one hundred years of film history and experience how many big- budget movies are produced.122

Figure 3.1 Historic Environment Scotland’s Logo. (From https://www.historicenvironment.scot/.)

Having established the main forms of film induced tourism we can now look at the motivations that drive tourists to visit sites associated with film. One prevailing argument within film induced tourism academia is that fans of movies seek pilgrimage-like

120 Beeton, Film-Induced Tourism, 10. 121 “Warner Bros. Studio Tour London,” Warner Bros. Studio Tour, accessed December 31, 2017, https://www.wbstudiotour.com/visiting-london-england. 122 “Homepage,” Paramount Pictures Studio Tour, accessed December 31, 2017, http://www.paramountstudiotour.com/. Osborne 65 experiences from tourism. Dean McCannell in his book The Tourist: A New Theory of the

Leisure Class claims that the modern traveler seeks authenticity in the same way that medieval pilgrims sought reaffirmations of their faith.123 Pilgrimages can be viewed as the first kind of mass tourism since pilgrims’ motivations were not only religious but also social. Around the thirteenth and fourteenth century it was expected that devoted

Christians would make a pilgrimage to a holy site at least once in their life. However, pilgrimages transcended the West’s Christianity and can be found in almost every religion. They travelled in groups for safety, companionship, and to seek adventure away from their homes. There were even packaged tours that departed from Venice and travelled to the Holy Lands that were coupled with guidebooks and tour guides.124

Pilgrimages have “a religious or, at least, mystical significance… which contains both a personal physical as well as often a psycho-logical journey for participants”.125 Film induced tourists follow the same basic journey as medieval pilgrims throughout their travels, which often elevates sites to a sacred level.

According to Sue Beeton, visitors to Doune Castle often times seek a pilgrimage-like experience. Due to the success of Monty Python and the Holy Grail the castle has taken on “mythical [and] spiritual connotations”.126 A movie with such a strong cult following can represent different things for different people but it will reflect a time in the visitor’s life. We tend to make strong connections to movies or television series that we were fans of at important moments in our lives. This nostalgia and desire for validation as fans

123 Beeton, Film-Induced Tourism 45. 124 Ibid. 125 John Lennon and Malcolm Foley, Dark Tourism, (London: Continuum, 2000), 4. 126 Beeton, Film-Induced Tourism, 46. Osborne 66 leads many to seek out film locations as a form of pilgrimage. Fans pay homage to filming locations and in the process are reminded of the importance the film held for them at a certain point in their lives. Sue Beeton explains, “in terms of pilgrimage to a

‘sacred’ site, it is not merely the humor of the movie [Monty Python and the Holy Grail] that attracts, but more importantly the stage in one’s life that it represents- for me it was a coming of age experience”.127

Doune Castle becomes a religious site for many fans that seek to reconnect with their youth and feel some of the same emotions they once felt watching the movie or television series.128 This pilgrimage experience drove most of Doune Castle’s visits during the early twenty-first century. In 2003 Doune Castle saw an estimated 23,000 visitors and a third of them reported being on a Monty Python pilgrimage.129

Another important part of how film induced tourism functions is the sense of belonging and connection that tourists have when visiting a filming site. Even visitors who know nothing of the castle’s history and have only ever seen it featured in Monty

Python or Outlander still feel a sense of “familiarity with something… [and]… a link with something else, something arcane, known to a special few…”130 As fans walk up to

Doune Castle it is hard not to feel emotional at the eerie familiarity of the building. It is almost as if one saw this castle in a dream and is experiencing its physical presence for the first time. The beauty of this seemingly mundane walk up to the castle is that fans

127 Ibid. 128 For myself, Outlander represents a coming-of-age experience just as Monty Python does for Sue Beeton. It was at the height of its popularity while I was living in Scotland around the age of twenty. The television series drew me to the castle and each time I visit it I feel the same sense of nostalgia for my time in Scotland. 129 Beeton, Film-Induced Tourism, 46. 130 Ibid. Osborne 67 know this place, they have never been here, but they know it. The hours of movies and television series that it is featured in gives fans a sense of familiarity. However, the entire castle is not used in any movie or television series, so you identify the places that are familiar and then discover a brand-new castle that was hidden just under the surface. The castle is not large, but you can spend hours looking at each nook and cranny of its imposing structure. The comfort, familiarity, and sense of connectivity with something larger than oneself makes film-induced tourism such a strong field of tourism. Doune

Castle offers an almost religious experience to fans of Monty Python or Outlander. While

Doune Castle never claimed to be a religious site, the same emotions are felt while being in the presence of something bigger and having fellow fans experience the castle with you.

Aside from Doune Castle offering a quasi- religious experience for its visitors, the castle’s popularity also helps HES financially. Doune Castle’s presence in big- budget television series such as Outlander and Game of Thrones draw more tourists to the site than ever before. According to the BBC, after the premiere of Outlander Doune Castle saw a 44% rise in visitor numbers from 2014 year putting the total at 32,540 people.131

Visitor numbers continue to rise, however. In 2017, HES reported 84,972 visitors to the castle during the previous year, which is a 31% increase from 2015.132 This drastic uptick in visitor numbers is thanks to what HES is calling the ‘Outlander effect’. This means that Doune Castle’s rise in visitor numbers can be attributed almost solely to the success of Outlander. This small castle became HES’s fifth most popular attraction in 2017

131 “Outlander effect boosts tourism at Doune Castle”, BBC News, September 23, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-34334841. 132 “Historic sites break tourism record with four million visitors”. Osborne 68 behind Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Urquhart Castle, and Skara Brae.133 Before

Outlander, Doune Castle was just another heritage site that happened to be featured in a cult classic. Outlander brought the site new life and gave it something else to promote in order to bring visitors in. The massive success of Outlander has prompted HES and

VisitScotland to continue providing incentives for film companies to use their sites.

Many times, tax breaks and other financial incentives will be used to entice companies to film at Scotland’s many heritage sites. While revenue from tourism can be economically beneficial for Doune Village there are concerns that the small village’s infrastructure cannot cope with the high demands of tourists. This is a concern for many off-the-beaten- path filming locations that found fame in popular media. Doune Castle does suffer from being “besieged” by fans throughout the filming process. Scotland’s “right to roam” legislation makes it illegal for HES to completely close the site for filming purposes.134

The “right to roam” legislation says that anyone has the right to access any parks, open spaces, landscapes, and publically held spaces whenever they please. The castle is sometimes described as being overrun by fans of Outlander or becoming too fan-serving for people interested in the history of the castle rather than the media. 135

Heritage Tourism

133 Ibid. 134 Brian Ferguson, “Doune Castle film set ‘besieged’ by Outlander fans,” The Scotsman, March 11, 2014, https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/tv-radio/doune-castle-film- set-besieged-by-outlander-fans-1-3336639. 135 For further reading about film sets becoming ‘besieged’ by fans see Kriston Capps, “Games of Thrones Tourists are Besieging Dubrovnik”, CityLab, December 11, 2017. https://www.citylab.com/design/2017/12/game-of-thrones-tourists-are-beseiging- dubrovnik/544967/. Osborne 69

The notion of “heritage” is a modern construction, much like nationalism or gender.

In its most basic sense, heritage is anything that has been passed down through generations, such as possessions, land, or culture. But national heritage, as we know it today, includes symbolic inheritances and focuses on culture more than possessions.136

According to David McCrone, Angela Morris, and Richard Kiely, “we have constructed heritage because we have a cultural need to do so in our modern age”.137 The United

Kingdom became interested in heritage beginning in the late nineteenth century, which prompted the passage of several Ancient Monuments Protection Acts. These acts signaled a shift towards preserving the past and heritage in its original form. The rise of mass tourism in the nineteenth century broke tourism down into several different types.

Historical and Heritage Tourism are two of the most popular types in the twentieth century. While history and heritage are very closely linked and often overlap the heritage tourism sector focuses on preserving a country’s unique culture and traditions instead of just history. Heritage tourism became a huge economic driver for the United Kingdom during the latter half of the twentieth century.138 In Scotland, heritage is one of the most profitable sectors of tourism and continues to draw millions of visitors every year to the small country.

The reasons that people seek to explore Scottish heritage are twofold: either they have

Scottish ancestry and wish discover more about their family’s roots, or they are simply

136 For more on heritage as a social construct and product of modernization see Raphael Samuel, “Theaters of Memory,” in The Collective Memory Reader. ed. Jeffery K. Olick, Vered Vinitzky- Seroussi, and Daniel Levy (Oxford: The Oxford University Pres, 2011). 137 David McCrone, Angela Morris, and Richard Kiely, Scotland- the Brand: The Making of Scottish Heritage. (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1995), 1. 138 McCrone, Morris, and Kiely, Scotland- the Brand, 3. Osborne 70 interested in the history and lore of Scotland. The most popular form of heritage tourism is the Scottish diaspora seeking to discover their roots in the country. However, heritage tourism is not limited to people with Scottish ancestry. According to Paul Basu, in his book Highland Homecomings: Genealogy and Heritage Tourism in the Scottish

Diaspora, “Scotland is at once a notional and a material reality, an imagined place as much as a geographical territory, a symbol, even a sacred one, that may yet be seen, touched, photographed, driven across, walked upon.”139 For so many people Scotland represents a wilderness threaded with folklore, romanticism, history, and magic. This heritage of the Scottish people draws tourists to the country and offers a unique experience for visitors who are searching for a homeland or identity.

The rise of mass tourism led to a more passive form of tourism in that visitors “see the sights” instead of experiencing them. An emerging trend in tourism currently is to actually experience the heritage and culture of a country instead of simply seeing it.140

Heritage tourists are seeking the “Scottish experience” from their travels. Whether or not an authentic “Scottish experience” actually exists is up for debate. However, travelers are often tricked into thinking that an authentic one does exist through the pseudo-authentic presentation of Scottish heritage.141 Scottish tourists sites will often focus on the lore of the clans and tartan to give visitors a sense of belonging in the country if they can find their family name. Many people will walk away with their clan’s tartan in scarf, hat, or bag form, even though it is a well-known fact among historians that tartan lost its original

139 Paul Basu, Highland Homecomings: Genealogy and Heritage Tourism in the Scottish Diaspora. (New York: Routledge, 2007). 1. 140 McCrone, Morris, and Kiely, Scotland- the Brand, 11. 141 McCrone, Morris, and Kiely, Scotland- the Brand, 9. Osborne 71 significance. It came to stand for a “superficial and sentimental attachment by lowland

Scots to an emblem to which historically they have no right”.142

Film helps to solidify the image of Scottish heritage that so many tourists want to see.

Big budget films such as Braveheart have a long-lasting effect on people’s perception of

Scotland’s heritage. They help to paint Scotland as a place of heroes, legends, and lore, which in turn creates a romanticized version of the culture. Many researchers use the terms tartanry and kailyard to refer to the heavily romanticized versions of Scottish life and heritage that were found in late nineteenth century literature.143 Tartanry and kailyard genres of film that appeared in the mid-twentieth century were a response to the turmoil of the post-war world. The simplicity and idealized style of these films helped to create an image of Scottish heritage that is still used today.

Doune Castle stands as a testament to Scotland’s heritage and is used in many forms of media to portray that heritage in a certain light. Outlander presents Scotland’s heritage in a very idealized and yet authentic way. Outlander does not fall into the overly zealous representations of culture used in tartanry and kailyard but it does use many of the same tropes found in these genres. Magic, fairies, pagan rituals, Highlanders, and Jacobites are all presented in this series and still reinforce the Scottish heritage that is so well known.

By using Doune Castle in filming, the producers created an authentic backdrop to a story about Scottish heritage. Doune Castle, as we have learned, was never a stronghold of

Highlanders but existed as a piece of Scottish history during the time of the Jacobites.

142 McCrone, Morris, and Kiely, Scotland- the Brand, 50-51. 143 McCrone, Morris, and Kiely, Scotland- the Brand, 62. Osborne 72

The castle also helps to spread the idea of Scottish heritage through its popularity as a tourist site. The fame that Doune Castle received from its various media allowed Historic

Environment Scotland to further push its version of Scottish heritage at the site. This version of heritage is very closely intertwined with film and draws heavily from the medievalism of Monty Python and Outlander. Heritage is something that can be molded and changed to fit a certain agenda. It is not always historical accurate but reflects a feeling and image of a culture. The presence of Doune Castle as one of Scotland’s premiere heritage sites does raise questions about the authenticity of Scottish heritage.

Figure 3.2 An aerial view of present day Doune Castle. The car park can be seen in the lower right- hand corner. Robert Adam, (Oblique aerial view. 2017. Photograph. Edinburgh, Scotland. Available from CANMORE: http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1576767.)

The Incorporation of Film and Heritage into the Tourists’ Experience

Having looked at the definitions, examples, and effects of film induced tourism and heritage tourism we can now elaborate on how these elements influence the tourists’ Osborne 73 experience at Doune Castle. The tourists’ experience is defined by what visitors see, hear, touch, and associate with while touring the castle and its grounds. This section will look specifically at the audio guide, gift shop, info-graphics and guidebooks that are available to normal visitors. I believe that these elements foster the strongest incorporations of film, literature, and television in the castle. While there are many other smaller nods to media in the castle, these four leave visitors with the strongest impressions and in some cases outlast their visit to the castle. Exploring the origins of tourism to the castle and analyzing a change over time in its approach to visitor experience is an important part of creating the argument that the various media that used Doune as a filming location, greatly skew visitors’ experiences at the castle.

The first enriching detail that visitors are exposed to while at the castle is the audio guide. This narrated tour is handed out directly before entering the castle’s courtyard and is free of cost. The audio guide essentially takes the place of a live tour guide and is able to immerse its listener in the history of the castle through the use of background noise and world building. Terry Jones narrates the entirety of the tour except for a few optional bits, which are done by Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser in

Outlander.144 One of the first bits of audio on the guide asks visitors to imagine medieval knights storming the castle. It directs them to the gatehouse, “the front line of the castle’s medieval defenses”.145 It then immerses the visitor further in order to “get a better idea of what attackers would’ve been up against”.146 After this there are several seconds of

144 “Doune Castle”, Historic Environment Scotland, accessed January 30, 2018, https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/doune-castle/. 145 Terry Jones. Doune Castle Audio Guide. Historic Environment Scotland, Mp3. Audio, 0:05. https://www.historicenvironment.scot/media/3391/doune-intro.mp3. 146 Jones, 0:08. Osborne 74 warlike sounds including a sword being unsheathed, horses galloping on cobblestone, and metal clashing. The audio guide does a fantastic job of immersing the visitor in the fourteenth century context of the castle and makes its history understandable to a wider audience.

There are several reviews on Trip Advisor that praise the castle for the audio guide and how wonderful it made their experience.147 However, a common thread in these reviews is praise for the Monty Python and Outlander portions of the audio guide.

Very rarely is the historical narrative of the audio guide mentioned. This is understandable since the audio guide is narrated by Terry Jones from Monty Python in order to do a bit of fan service. Throughout the castle, visitors are able to press different numbers in order to hear either about the history of the room or how it was used in Monty

Python and the Holy Grail. One clip parallels the aforementioned experience at the gatehouse but instead talks about the Trojan Rabbit from the film. Jones says, “as you walk up the path towards the main entrance of the castle you’re following in the footsteps, as it were, of the mighty Trojan Rabbit”.148 This narration directly parallels the section about the gatehouse and asks listeners to either “follow in the footsteps” or

“imagine themselves” in situations with the castle. Instead of background audio that would be associated with history, the Monty Python audio uses clips from the movie to build the castle’s atmosphere. This parallel is not accidental; it signals to the visitor that

147 “Doune Castle”, TripAdvisor, accessed February 20, 2018, https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1010312-d286657-Reviews- Doune_Castle-Doune_Stirling_Scotland.html. 148 Terry Jones, Doune Castle Audio Guide, Historic Environment Scotland, 0:01-0:15. Osborne 75 while the Monty Python audio is subsidiary, it is just as important as the historical narrative.

Another way that the history of the castle is eclipsed in the audio guide is the presence of Sam Heughan’s narration. His narrations were added much later, as evidenced by simple printouts displaying the numbers to press in the audio guide as opposed to the permanent numbers on the walls. His narrations mostly focus on Doune

Castle as a filming location and he details how the film crews created Castle Leoch in

Doune. He is able to immerse fans of Outlander in the production by directing them to look at the courtyard or front entrance from the castle’s third floor. His heavy Scottish accent is also helpful in ensuring that fans have an authentic experience. There are only three or four audio bits from Sam Heughan, but it is enough for Outlander fans to ignore other parts of the castle.

The gift shop is also geared towards fan service rather than Doune Castle’s history. For the most part the only site-specific historical gift one can buy is the guidebook. While this is a wonderful way to learn more about the castle’s history it is overshadowed by the sheer amount of Outlander and Monty Python paraphernalia. The gift shop was recently updated and moved locations within the castle. The gift shop as it stood in 2016 was directly to the right when one entered the gate. This is where visitors could buy tickets to the castle and purchase gifts on their way out. The full gift shop is now located in a small cellar-like room just off the courtyard, which once held an exhibit about the castle.

The shop has the various licensed Historic Environment Scotland gifts that are found at all of their properties. Doune Castle, however, boasts shelves full of official Osborne 76

Outlander and Monty Python products. There are scarves that were based on Claire’s knitwear, key chains, mugs, t-shirts, tote bags, and leather jackets all inspired by

Outlander.149 The gift shop also sells the entire book series along with DVD versions of

Season One and Two. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is featured just as heavily in the gift shop as Outlander. There are Holy Grail ornaments, Monty Python books, Holy Ale a locally brewed ale “Tempered Over Burning Witches”, and the ever-famous coconuts.150 Another feature of the gift shop is a photo booth where fans can dress up in eighteenth century Highland garb inspired by Outlander and pose in front of Doune

Castle’s picture. It is easy to get lost in the sheer number of gifts provided by the space of the castle’s new gift shop. It is clear that HES has an interest in capitalizing off of

Outlander and Monty Python’s success.

As mentioned before, the guidebook is the only site-specific historical gift that one can buy. However, even the guidebook has begun to include bits about the filming and use of the castle in the twentieth century. Granted, the filming that has taken place at

Doune Castle is certainly a part of its history. The issue, nevertheless, comes when the filming is the only part of the history being put on display. The past and present guidebooks can give us a good understanding of when Doune’s connection to media became an important part of HES’s agenda. Since Doune Castle has had four guidebooks published between the twentieth and twenty-first century they reflect different ways in telling the castle’s history.

149 “The Really Great Abbyshot Blog,” Abby Shot, accessed January 30, 2018, https://www.abbyshot.com/blogs/great-abbyshot-blog/a-closer-look-at-abbyshots- awesome-retail-partners. 150 Jean Paschke, “Scotland’s Best Preserved Medieval Castle: Doune,” British Heritage, January 2009, 36. Osborne 77

Figure 3.3 A Historic Scotland employee showing off the Monty Python and the Holy Grail products in Doune Castle’s Gift Shop. (From Jean Paschke, “Scotland’s Best Preserved Medieval Castle: Doune,” British Heritage, January 2009, 39.)

The first guidebook was published in 1962 with funding from the 20th earl of

Moray. Douglas Simpson authored the book with the patronage of Lord Doune. This book was specifically meant for “visitors… who wish properly to appreciate the splendid building, and to understand the special purposes for which it was devised”. 151 The author is clear that this guidebook is not for casual visitors but seeks to give serious people an accurate account of Doune Castle’s history. It takes an extremely haughty tone when speaking of the castle and often connects it to several important historical events in

Scottish history. It includes long-winded versions of history and distances itself from its status as a guidebook. However, an interesting point in this book is that Douglas Simpson

151 Simpson, Doune Castle Guidebook, 14. Osborne 78 very carefully links the castle to Sir Walter Scott’s writings and is very proud of that connection. While this is not film, Sir Walter Scott’s novels were hugely popular and were often seen as the first historical fiction novels. Simpson, like subsequent authors, links Doune Castle to media that most people were familiar with, in this instance Sir

Walter Scott.

When Doune Castle came under the protection of RCAHMS in 1984, the commission published a new guidebook for the site. This book was published in 1987 and authored by Dr. R. Denys Pringle, a professor of History at Cardiff University, with help from David J. Breeze. This guidebook follows the same general layout as the original; it gives the general history of the castle and then moves into a tour of the grounds. This was the first Doune Castle guidebook published by the RCAHMS so there was a lot riding on how the castle was presented. The guidebook needed to attract tourists but also make history accessible for people with little knowledge of the political intrigues of the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries in Scotland. Therefore, it includes a great deal of pictures compared to the last guidebook and seeks to guide tourists through the castle rather than “tell them around”. For all intents and purposes, it is an unbiased account of Doune Castle’s history and even takes a non-judgemental tone towards the restoration work that was done. However, this book does not mention the filming of

Monty Python and the Holy Grail in its narrative even though it was released in 1975 and had reached cult status by this point.152 Perhaps this was omitted because being a filming location had not become ingrained in Doune Castle’s identity yet like it would in the twenty-first century.

152 Pringles, Doune Castle Guidebook. Osborne 79

Figure 3.4 The current cover of Doune Castle’s guidebook. (Nicki Scott, Doune Castle Guide Book. Edinburgh: Historic Scotland, 2013. Cover.)

When tourists visit the castle today they are able to buy the newest version of

Doune Castle’s guidebook. Dr. Nicki Scott authored this incarnation in 2013 and it was subsequently published by Historic Scotland in Edinburgh. This updated version of the guidebook diverges from its predecessors in order to distinguish it and bring the castle into the twenty-first century. This book begins with a guided tour of the castle, as Osborne 80 opposed to the previous guidebooks that began with the history.153 This structure may have been used in order to emphasize the tourist’s experience at the castle rather than the historical narrative; it displays history as an afterthought to tourism. However, this guidebook does the best job of highlighting the extensive restoration work done throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. One of the first pages ensures that visitors know what era parts of the castle are from so as to orient them in their search for authenticity.154 She also ensures that visitors to the Lord’s Hall- or in this guidebook the

“Duke’s Hall”- realize that the restoration work does not place the room in the fourteenth century but is rather a Victorian idea of the past.155

One section that heavily sets this guidebook apart from the rest is the two pages dedicated to film. This is the first guidebook to mention the use of Doune Castle as a filming location for many well-known movies and television series. Dr. Nikki Scott includes the productions as part of Doune Castle’s narrative. Scott focuses mostly on the filming of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and uses many screen grabs in order to show the visitors the castle in that context. Scott uses this section to show Doune Castle as a pilgrimage site for fans and ends the book with this line: “We can only hope that the castle will continue to provide such entertainment and fascination for the public in years to come”.156

The tourists’ experience at Doune Castle is perhaps one of the most important ways in which the history about the castle is presented. However, the history is not always the

153 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 4. 154 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 7. 155 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 20. 156 Scott, Doune Castle Guidebook, 46. Osborne 81 main focus of the experience as we have seen in this chapter. So often does the media eclipse the historic narrative of the castle. The governing body of Doune Castle has chosen to focus the experience heavily on Monty Python and Outlander, with gifts, audio guides, and even guidebooks. This, while not inherently bad, does pose problems for the representation of Scottish culture, heritage, and history.

Osborne 82

Conclusion

The purpose of this research project was to analyze the relationship between popular media that has used Doune Castle as a filming location and the historical narrative of that site. As we have seen throughout this essay the relationship can be symbiotic at times, but more often than not history will become an afterthought to film-induced tourism. I believe that this research lends itself well to conversations about historic preservation, historical fiction, and the desirability of balancing history with popular culture. This essay also indicates an area that could benefit from a more interdisciplinary approach to history. Bringing together elements of history, preservation, architecture, popular media, and literature can produce arguments about how history should be presented to the public in the form of heritage sites. While this research is limited to a very specific site it is important to note that the findings of this thesis can be applied to other heritage sites in

Scotland and elsewhere. I believe this to be a phenomenon present at many of Scotland’s heritage sites and further research on another site could provide an interesting comparison to Doune Castle.

Doune Castle is not a mere footnote in Scotland’s history, in fact it played host to many legendary figures in Scottish mythos. From being the physical manifestation of the

Duke of Albany’s power to inspiring Sir Walter Scott’s novel Waverley, the narrative of

Doune Castle is threaded into the greater understanding of a Scottish past. The castle also played an important role in the creation of national heritage that led to a commodification of Scottish history and culture. The 14th Earl of Moray further pushed Doune Castle into the national understanding of the past in 1888 when he began renovation work on the Osborne 83 castle. His restoration work was hailed as one of the best examples of restoration in the nineteenth century. However, his problematic decisions for the “Lord’s Hall” and other castle rooms created a romanticized version of Doune’s past. This romanticized version of Doune Castle began to take on a life of its own.

Once well-known media started using Doune Castle to film movies and television series, the castle gained another life. Doune Castle began to exist in the legends crafted by storytellers and this image became as strong as its historical one. The films and television series certainly became part of the castle’s narrative but soon began to eclipse the original one. The influence of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Outlander, and

Game of Thrones turned the castle into a pilgrimage site for fans. Thousands of people flock to this site every year in order to relive their favorite media or feel as though they are part of the story. Doune Castle has become the “Outlander castle” for past visitors on

TripAdvisor and benefits from what Historic Environment Scotland calls the “Outlander effect”. The audio guide for the castle is mostly fan service for Monty Python and

Outlander inspired visitors. Terry Jones takes visitors on a detailed tour of the castle but also narrates parallel scenes that describe the filming of Monty Python and the Holy

Grail. The castle gift shop is overflowing with Outlander and Monty Python memorabilia and even boasts a photo booth where visitors can dress in eighteenth century Outlander garb in order to pretend to be Claire and Jamie. The castle that tourists see on a day-to- day basis is much more oriented towards the media produced at Doune and it only seems to be progressing.

In conclusion, Doune Castle is a testament to Scottish history and legends. It exists in both historical and fictional narratives but overall fits into the notion of a general Osborne 84

Scottish past. The stories that have become legends and myths over the years find themselves at the iron gate of Doune Castle. Scotland’s heritage, real or imagined, is preserved in this castle and this heritage is made accessible to everyone through the continued work of HES. Doune Castle has a long past of making history come alive for everyone. The historical novels of Sir Walter Scott, historical fiction of Outlander and

Monty Python, and HES’s mission to enhance the knowledge and understanding of culture heritage all culminate at Doune Castle.

Osborne 85

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