32 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

II.

FYVIE CASTLE. BY W. DOUGLAS SIMPSON, M.A., D.LiTT., F.S.A.ScoT. I. '' lands ly broa widd dan e theAnd but bonny! yly o " The distric f Fyvieo t , wit s pleasanhit t braes descending southwaro dt the Ythan valley, is one of those localities by nature suited for supporting an early population. Its riverward slopes are not too rapid to prevent good deep earth from accumulating, same whilth t eea time the steee yar p enough to provide natural drainage, both surface and through the gravel subsoil, and thus were admirably fitted for primitive husbandry at a time when the Howe of Fyvie—the fertile haughs by the river-side that now for e besmth t farmin gparish—were lanth n di e water-logge noisomd dan e swamps. On those pleasant sheltered and sun-lit slopes—still known for their early harvests—the ancient inhabitants built their villages and grew their bear and oats. The forests provided them with abundant timber gamed an s welready-to-hana a , s a l d suppl f fuelyo , later supersedey db e peath t mosse whosn i s e thick bed s e coldeoth n r upland e paristh f so h e remain e th primevath f o s l forest e embalmed.ar s e Ythanth n n I i , 1 early day nows sa availabls ,wa ampln ea e stoc salmonf ko , trout eeld an ., Under these circumstances it is hardly to be wondered that traces of pre- historic occupation are frequent in Fyvie. Tools and weapons of the Ston d Bronzan e e Ages have been' picket varioua p u d s e placeth n i s parish d buriaan , l e cairnlatteth f ro s period exis t Cairnhilla t t Caira , n Fenny t Cairnchedlya , t King',a s Seat t Baca , t kPitmancya Hilld an , , while there are remains of stone circles at Burreldales, Rappla Wood, Hallgreens, and Monkshill.2 Where the early population was gathered together, thither the Christian missionary would mak ways ehi . That notablFyvia s ewa e centre th f eo Celtic Churc s provehe i grou th f Pictisy o pdb h sculptured stonew no s built into the east gable of the-parish church.3 The latter was dedicated t PetertI havoS d ean , elsewhere suggeste havy d thaema s t beei it t n ni e churcheth f o origi e s on nfounded t BonifacS s missioy hi b ' n i eo nt Pictland about the year 715.4 1 A hundred years ago "the ordinary description of fuel" used in Fyvie was peat (see The New Statistical Account of , vol. xii . 344).p . Nowaday Fyvie.n i t peao cu sn 's ti Proceedings,e Se 2 vol. xxxvii . 102-6pp . , 108-9. 3 J. Romilly Alien and J. Anderson, The Early Christian Monuments of Scotland, pt. Hi. pp. 164-6, 194-6; Proceedings, vol. xlix . 41-3pp . . Celtice Th y Churchm e Se Scotland,4n i . 111p . 3 3 .

In the days of the Anglo-Norman penetration, during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries Celtie th , c ecclesiastical establishmen t Fyviea t , pro- bably in much the same way as happened at , Deer, and , was reconstituted as a priory of Tironensian monks, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and subordinate to Arbroath Abbey. The site of the priory, -now marke gentla crossa n o y edb s i ,knol l north-eas s ruinf Lewesit o t d s an , were still visibllattee th eighteentn e rei th hal f o f h century.1 Aboue th t same perio localite dth organiseds ywa usuae th n li , way, int omanoa d ran parish, wit hcastla parochiaa d ean l churc e civiecclesiasticad th an ls ha l nuclei respectively churce Th . h sam e stooth en d o positio successors it s na , which dates from 1808; the ancient building measured 90 feet by 22 feet within the walls, and therefore possessed the elongated proportions commonly met with in Scottish mediseval parish churches. In addition to the parochial church, there was the chapel of St Rule at Follarule, founde n 1376,i d s wela 2s severaa l l subordinate chapels. From 1325 onward have sw e numerous reference burge th Fyvis Fyvief o ha t so d ean , was a crown demesne throughout most of the fourteenth century it is likely tha t firsa t royas thia t swa l burgh. Later s oftena , happeneds it ,

early status seem havo t s e bee3 n forgotten d unde an e ,Earl th r f Dunso - fermline it appears as a burgh of barony. In a description of the parish compiled in 1723 it is stated that "about a mile and a half north-east froe churcmth h n olthera d s i evillage , called Woodhea f Fetteo d r Letter, where is a stone tolbooth and a stone cross, and where in old times stood severall yearly mercats." It therefore seems that here—

latterly at all events—was the locus 4 of the now vanished burgh. Thus the parochial topography was a curiously scattered one, and the usual close association of church, castle, and burgh was here conspicuously absent.5 Adjoinin e Par e castlth f Fyviekth s go ewa , calle e King'dth s Parn ki 1395. The Park Burn preserves its name. In 1503 the barony possessed three mills, one at Meikle Gourdas—probably the romantic mill, now dis-

used, celebrate ballae th f "Tifty'n di o s bonnie Annie"—an otherso dtw , 1 "From the appearance of the foundations, which were extant some years ago, it should seem to have been three sides of a court, the middle of which was the church, and the two sides the cells and offices of the monks " (Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. ix. (1793) p. 463).

2 Begistrum Episcopatus Aberdonensis, . 109-11 pp vol . i . . Exchequere Se 3 Rolls, vol. i., Preface . Ixxxviii. 355-6p , pp d . an , 1 Coll. and Banff, p. 495. papea n I 5 r publishe e Banffshirth y db e Field Clu 1899n bi , Rev. Alexander Bremner contended that the stood on the Castle Dales, the terrace immediately south of the castle. But some of his arguments depend on old place-names inaccurately transcribed. The burgh would naturall outside yb royae priore th eth ls ya park landd an f ,Lethent o s y and Ardlogy adjoinee th d park on the east and south-east, we may thus have the reason for the eccentric situation of the burgh, if it really was at Woodhead. But the ancient topography of Fyvie presents some difficult problems, and greatly requires working out. Here I can do no more than tabulate the facts, which would amply repay more thorough investigation. VOL. LXXIII. 3 34 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

idlealsw t Milono a , f Petto l Mild f Saphock.yan o l r picture Ou th f eo

appurtenance e medievath f o s l1 demesn s completei e e Gallowshilth y b d l Gallowslackd an , nort Kirktownf ho . thirteente th n I h century Fyvi ecapitae Castlth s lewa messuage th f eo Thanage of Fermartyn, comprisin centrae gth l district betwee Tthae nth n an Done t thadth A roya.s t timwa l t ei property charted an , r evidence shows that William the Lion was at Fyvie, with the high officers of his court, in.121 r 12141o , while Alexande . granteII r dchartea r from hern eo 22nd February 1222.2 Edwar . visitedI d "Fyuin Chastel Saturdayn o " , 21st Jul e nexyth 1296. t n I centur y Fyvie continuea roya e b l o t d

demesne, and wa3 s leased to various occupants, but by Robert II. it was grante eldess hi o dt son Steware th , Scotlandf do , afterwards Robert III., from "whom it passed to his cousin, Sir James Lindsay, Earl of Crawford and of . His wife was Margaret Keith, daughter of the Great nephewn ow s besiegeMarischalr wa he ,n 139i e Robery b d sh 5 an ; t Keith, in the Castle of Fyvie, but was relieved by her husband, who hurried north across the Cairnamounth Pass and defeated Keith in a smart skirmis e Kir th f Bourtie kt o h a . Accordin Wyntowno gt , building opera- tions were in progres t Fyvisa e Castle when Keith bega blockades nhi :

'' For his 4 masownys fyrst gert he Fra thar work remowide be; And quha that wattir broucht fra the burne gere H t thai t spurne t withmos of s ehi . Thus he demaynit that lady WithCastee th Fiwy.f n ei o l " 5 This seems to be the first mention of stone buildings at the castle. The later history of Fyvie need not be set forth in detail here.6 In the devolution of the demesne five periods are distinguished, during each of "whic t "wai h s a differenhel y b d t family .tabulatee b They r yma dfo referenc e s followsPrestoa th e ) (1 n: period, circa 1390—1433e th ) (2 ; Meldrum period, 1433-1596; (3) the Seton period, 1596-1690; (4) the Gordon period, 1733-1889; and (5) the Leith period, from 1889 to the present day. Eac f thesho e period e fabrie s lefts marth th it ha s f n co ko s architecturacastleit t bu ; l glories belontime th Alexandef eo o gt r Seton, Lord Fyvie, and afterwards first Earl of Dunfermline, President of the Court of Session and Chancellor of Scotland (PL XXIV), who held Fyvie from 1596 to 1622—a man of high culture, and a notable patron of scholar-

e Coll.1Se Shires Aberdeen d Banff, . 504an p . Mil f Tifto l y immediately adjoin e farth sf m o Meikle Gourdas. Registrum de Dunfermelyn, p. 32, No. 53; Registrum vetus de Aberbrothock, p. 93, No. 131.

32 Ragman Rolls, . 179pp , 183.

4 I.e. Sir James Lindsay's. 5 Wyntown, Original Chronicle, bk. ix. chap. xiv.—ed. F. J. Amours, vol. vi. p. 376. 6 See A. M. W. Stirling, Fyvie Castle; also J. B. Pratt, Buchan, 4th ed., pp. 396-411. 5 3 FYVIE CASTLE.

artse th shi. d grean i p an "H s t ewa estee learning,s t Rommat hi r efo " s ofamild writeol e y th schronicler , '' bein ggreaa t humanis prosn i t d ean poecie, Gree Latined kan ; well versemathematickse th n di gread ha td an , skill in architecture and herauldrie." 1 At the end of October 1644 Fyvie Castle was occupied by Montrose; s entrenchehi n i d an d e higcamth h n castle e p o grounth e eas f th o t, o dt wher ditches eit s still remain royalise th , t leade unsuccessfulls rwa y attacked Argylly b , whose bivoua states ci havo dt efiele beeth d n ni stil l knows na Campfold lane th Uppef do n o , r Ardlogie parise , easth f o ht church.o Tw

years later, in 1646, the Castle 2 of Fyvie was fortified in the royalist interes Lory b t d a stronAboyne" t i lef o gn i tgarisone wh , " under Captain John Gordo Captaid nan n Blackater. Durin Cromwelliae gth n occupation

of Scotlan castle dgarrisones th ewa Puritaa y db n detachment3 vividls a , y describe r diar he Mistresy yb n i d s Murray (Lady Halkett) a membe, f o r the household at the time.4

II. castlee Th , magnified t amcentie arxf stands withi ngreaa te bendth f o (see sketch map, fig. 1), which, approaching it from the north-west, flows first west and then south, enclosing the position on the nort wesd han televate n sitfacese a s ei Th . d gravel mound, e whicth n ho north side falls steeply away, directly unde f e wallso th r d ,be inte oth the river. On the east and south-east are more gentle slopes, descend- ing into a wide shallow hollow. Southwards, a spacious level platform, known as Castle Dales, runs out into a broad, hog's-backed ridge. To wese south-westd th an t , again e grounth , d descends littla t a ,e distance froe castlemth , dropping down gently inte Ythaoth n valley. Along south-eastere th southerd nan n margin positione th f so , beyon limite dth s above described, ther broaa s sinuoued i dan s artificial lake, covering some fifteen acres—teeming with trout, and now a sanctuary for all kinds of wildfowl. This lake occupies the place of an earlier marsh or swamp, more extensive and probably once connected with the river.6 On the opposite side of this lake the ground rises abruptly, but at such a distance commano t fro t e castlmno th s . e dayea dit Thu th sn i sbefor e artillery f greao e e positiot th on natura s nwa l strength thren O e. side e castlth s e Alexander, Viscount Kingston, History of the House of Seytoun, p. 63. For the Lord Chan-

cellor'1 s life see Memoirs of Alexander Seton, by George Seton. 2 For the action at Fyvie see G. Wishart, Deeds of Montrose, ed. Murdoch and Simpson, pp. 73—5; Patrick Gordon, Britanes Distemper, . 90-2pp ; J. Spalding, Memorialls Trubles, e oth f . 426volp . .ii .

3 Patrick Gordon . cit., . 176op ,p . 4 Stirling, Fyvie Castle, pp. 221-31. 5 Robert Gordo f Stralochno , Prcefecturarum Aberdonensis Banfiensist e Nova Descriptio, 1651-60, in Collections, ut supra, p. 21. 6 The stagna et aquce de Fyuyn are on record in 1266, in which year Henry de Fy'uin accounts to the Exchequer for eels taken from them (Chamberlain Rolls, vol. i., Alex. Ill, p. 33). 36 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193812 R .

was surrounde onle watery th db y d convenienan , t acces througs swa e hth narrow isthmus, at present no more than 500 feet broad, which intervenes between the south-western point of the marsh and the left bank of the Ythan. An old ford crosses the river about a mile south of the castle, •KING'S SEAT (CAIRN) RODSHILL

BACKHILL. SKEUCH BRIDGE

vFYVIE CASTLE /MONTROSE'S TREMCH • SOUTH BACKHILL

SITE OF TOLBOOTHx ./CALLOWS HILL CREENfAYKE

CALLOWS LACK CA^PFOLD CAIRN FENNY (SITF EO ARGYLL'S PETER-S CAfAP) •UPPER AROLOCIE

W.D s

Fig. 1. FyvieSketcf o p h.Ma and appear havo st e bee e anciennth t mean f approach.so Althouge hth

river is now fordable at any point, its1 haughlands in olden days were largely water-logged, and these must have presented a considerable obstacle to an attacking force. Descending from the north-east, and passing the famous Mil f Tiftyo l e Skeugth , h Burn enter e Ythath s n just above eth 1 This seem lee b Stanyfordo st mentione 132n di 5 (Registrum veins de Aberbrothock,s . 311)p wa t i : therefore stone-bedded, as it still is. The farm at the ford is called Bridgend, which shows that latterly there had been a bridge here, prior to the erection of the present bridge at Lewes, which was in existence in 1723 (Collections, p. 495). This farmsteading has all the marks of great age, and one e outhouseoth f s largeli s y f stonemado p eu s removed fro mmediaevaa l building, includin gheava y double-chamfered door, in red and yellow freestone. The old road, which is metalled, and marked treesh as finy d , b thence ol t ou e makes parise directh r hfo t church. Furthetraceabls i t i e , th ron n ei castle policies to the left of the present east drive. 7 3 FYVIE CASTLE.

castle, and with the marshlands that skirted it would have interposed an additional barrier to any hostile party approaching from the north. No ditch was possible, or necessary, on the north side of the castle, where the Ythan forms a natural moat. If a ditch existed on the other sides, as is probable, it has long since been filled in. In its present condition the castle (see plans, figs. 2 and 3) consists of two great ranges of building—one, 147 feet in length, facing south and formin e frontth g , whil othere th e t righa , t angle, extendit o fee6 t s t13 s to the north, facing west. At either end of the south front (Pis. XXV and XXVI) are two tall square towers, finished off with corbelled angle turrets and high-pitched roofs between crow-stepped gables. In the middle of this front is the original main entrance, which in grandeur and boldness of design, as well as in the scale and vigour of its execution, may rank as e crowninth g triump f Scottisho h baronial architecture t I consist. f o s two stout rectangular towers with rounded fronts, which a heigh t a ,f o t some 38 feet, are corbelled out to the square and then are united by a deep arch of 11 feet span, carrying a huge cap-house, gabled to the front e sides provideth d n an , o d dan frontally with angle turrets. From this magnificent central mass the south front has battlemented wall-heads ex- tended on either flank, until they terminate against the gabled stair-heads of the two corner towers. Dormer windows break the roof of the central cap-hous e corneth d r an e uppetowers th d r e elevationan part, th f o s s generally are profusely decorated with the moulded and heraldic detail and grotesque statuar commonlo ys y e richefounth n i dr castleperiode th f so . In the centre, between the half-round towers, is the arched entrance (PI. XXVII), still retaining its massive wooden door and inner iron "yett," covered an meurtrierea y db deee loftd th pan n y i arch overhead. The gatehous twics ei e dated 1599 beard arme an , monograd sth san m of Lord Dunfermline. It is therefore known as the Seton Tower. The south-easter d south-westernan n tower callee ar se Preston e th d th d an 1 Meldrum Towers; and it is inferred accordingly that their lower portions were erected respectivel thesy yb e proprietors, although their upper parts have been remodelle Lory b d d Dunfermlin n harmoni e y wit s granhi h d symmetrical design. externae Th l elevatio wese th f t no win g (PI. XXVIII) partakee th f o s same general character, but has two large eighteenth-century buttresses with weathered intakes ;battlementso n ther e e high-pitcheear th d an , d roof, loftier than that on the south front, is pierced by four dormer windows. There is a side-entrance, over which is incised the date "1599 zeiris." At the north end this wing is terminated by a fourth tower, similar in general character to the Preston and Meldrum Towers; but this "There is part of the old work there still called The Preston's Tower, because built by them" 1 ("Vie Diocese th f wo Aberdeenf eo " (1732 Collections,n )i . 494)p . 38 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

tower dates only from the eighteenth century, having been erected, about 1777 y Generab , e Honth l . William Gordon s thui t sI knowe . th s na Gordon Tower. Very remarkably, considering the time when it was built,

MEASURE DRAWN-BD DAN Y J RUSSELL MACKENZIE ES(? ARCHITECT ABERDEEN

Pig . Fyvi2 . e Castle: ground-floor plan. architecture th f thieo s towe harmonises wa r d wit he sixteenth thath f o t - centur ye imitatio th work d an , n mus regardee b t highla s da y creditable performance, although there is a patent decline in grace in the moulded profile turretshare e th th df d so ston an , e dressing quoine th void d t sa san s produc unsatisfactorn ea y effect, heightene e absencformee th th n y do b r e of an- entasis. From the Gordon Tower a wing, furnished "with large oriel windows inspire thosy db t Huntlea y Castle,1 run t westwardsou ; s thiswa erected in 1890, and is styled the Leith Tower. Obvious at a, glance, this is proved by a letter from the architect, John Bryce, to Lord Leith of Fyvie1 , date Junh d6t e 1890, preserved amon munimente gth t Fyvisa e Castle. FYVIE CASTLE. 39

The inside or courtyard aspect of the castle has been a good deal altered a one-storeye y b d porc d corridoran h s alon e westh g t wing; while th e

Pig. 3. Pyvie Castle: first-floor plan.

entire inne re sout fronth f ho t win bees ha gn rebuilt shale heree w se ls a ,- after, in order to give the wing greater width, a one-storeyed annexe being same th et a tim ee Presto applie th face f th o e o nd t for o t Tower ms a o s , flusa hground-levele fronth t a t l thesAl e. alterations botn i , h wingse ar , e Generale worth th additios f o ke PrestoHi th . o t n n Tower bears hi s coat of arms and the date 1777.* There are also various additions and

1 Some par f Generao t l Gordon's wor stils progresn i klwa n 1793i s whicn i , h yeae paristh r h minister reports that "whe additioe nth n whic t presena s hi t makin house th finisheds o ei gt t wili , l 40 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

embellishment e Leitth f ho s period, whic e hdescribedb nee t o no d Tw . dormer window inside wese th th f tn eo so rang e bea date th r e 1599. The grey, harled wall-planes of the castle contrast most beautifully with the deep red Cammalown freestone used for the dressed and carved work d wit e bluan ,h th e slatine maie roofth Th nf . go range s contain three full storeytower e garreta th gatehous d d d san an ,an e hav estorea y extra n inexhaustiblA . e wealt f interesho s presentei t e minoth y rb d architectural features and enrichments of the great building, but into these it is not our purpose to enter. Mention may be made, however, of three remarkable plaques, belonging to the Seton period, built into one of e eighteenth-centurth y western buttresses, inte Meldruoth m Towerd an , into the Seton Tower, respectively. The one on the buttress displays the naked figur womaa conventionae f o eth n ni l classical attitud modesty.f eo That on the Meldrum Tower shows a bust of a bearded and turbaned Oriental, with the inscription ARIADENVS BARBARVS. Who this is I have been unable to discover, unless it is meant for Ariabignes, the Persian commande fel o t Salamisa l Prestowh re figur e th Th n eo . n Tower shows a man wearing a Phrygian cap, with a coat of arms beside him, now illegible, and the inscription PETRVS LADVS DVX VENETIE. This is Pietro Lando, Doge from 1539-45. From the courtyard the castle, in the original arrangement, was entered directly by a door ab the north end of the west wing. It opens on to a magnificene base lobbth th f eo t ya t newel stair fee9 , t widXXIX)L (P e , whicglore s th bee f Fyvieyha s o admirablho i ns d an , y describer D y b d Thomas Ross.1 The stair comprises 63 steps, and is enriched with no fewer than 22 coats of arms and heraldic devices. Throughout the ancient parts of the building the basements are vaulted. Inevitably the upper floors have been much altered, but they still retain many original and charming features, notabl e panellinyth e charter-rooth n gi m (PI. XXX) e finth e d plastean d dining-roomol r e e ceilinmorningth th w n i g no , - room (PI. XXXI), -whic s executewa h e fourtn 168i th d r h3fo Earf o l Dunfermlin Edinburge th y b e h plasterer Robert Whyte.2

Ill Accepting the traditional date of the Preston Tower, circa 1400, writers on Fyvie Castle have hitherto regarded this as the nucleus from which the whole wide-flung edific s evolvedeha r exampleFo . r MackaD , y Mackenzie, after quoting Leslie's description of the castle, in 1578, as insigne palatium, o assert goe n o st that "Fyviamplification a s e wa n originaa f o n l rect- largese th d f moso tan e bt eon commodiou s house countye th n si " (Statistical Account, 462). volp . .ix . Probably this additioe porc th wesd s han tn wa corridor, whic clearle har y subsequen e Gordoth o t t n Tower. 1 D. MacGibbon and T. Boss, Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland, vol. ii. pp. 350-3.

contrace th e Se t in Stirling, Fyvie Castle, . 260p . s FYVIE CASTLE. 41

angular tower, which was absorbed as a wing of a long frontage with a corresponding towe r othee winth t gra end palace . th Thi s Leslie'f eo s wa s date e buildinth : additionan a f go centraa f o l sidd l ean entranc e belongs to later times. The rest of the enclosure was plain wall." This description is accompanie bloca y db k plan whicn i , developmene hth buildinge th f o t , accordancn i e "wit r Mackenzie'hD s thesis confidentls i , t forth.yse 1 Unfortunately, a detailed study of the building lends no support to the foregoing theory of its development. e firsth t n placeI , likelihoothero n s ei d thae Prestoth t n Tower ever stoo itselfy ds b dimensions It . squar a ,mor o n f eeo tha fee4 n2 t (exclud- ing the staircase "jam"), are not in the least like those of a free-standing tower-house of a powerful baron of the fourteenth or fifteenth century; 2 nor doel resembls plaal it s t na eearln a tha f yo t tower-housee th n I . original scheme, before General Gordon's alterations e staircasth , e which serves its upper floors was entered directly from the castle courtyard, externally from the tower, an arrangement which clearly shows that the towe neves wa r r designe unia e itselfmassivn e i tb Th o dt . e thicknesf o s s wallsit , upward feet7 f s maintainei o s, d throughou lowee th t r portions e fronoth f te sout th wal f ho l range. Clearl yancienn a thi s i s t curtain wall, to which the gatehouse or Seton Tower has been applied. Positive evidence for this can be seen in the west gatehouse tower, where the inner wall, formin earle frone th gth f y o tcurtain , exhibit steesa p battered base, about 3 feet high, roxxghly built with uncoursed boulders, and defined above, where the wall becomes vertical, by two flat, horizontal, narrow courses. Near the doorway into the tower chamber this base has been cloured away, whe e gatehous th nalloo t e doos s builtwa th o t wa ero s , open. Although thickly masked with harl batteree th , d base reappearn so •wale face th f lth eo besid Meldrue eth m Tower lattee Th .r correspondo s closely, in its general arrangements, with the Preston Tower, as to make it clear that both towers, with the curtain wall between them, belong to one design and building scheme, although the work may have been completed n successivi e stagesnamee th s f differena ,so t ownerso attachetw e th o dt towers would appea d loftindicateo t rol ye barrel-vaulteTh . d trance9 , feet wide, wit s thicit h k side-walls alss i , oe earl th par f yo twork e Th . present inne r courtyaro r de sout fronth f ho t havrangee w es a ,seen s i , General Gordon's, and is in advance of the frontage which the General took down t therbu ; evidencs ei e which suggests that this frontage itsels wa f t originalno d probabl s Setoan , wa nt i y building. Fortunatelye th , breadt primare th f ho y south range appear preservee b vere o t sth yy db thick wall which forms the south side of the first adjoining cellar on the

1 The Mediaeval Castle in Scotland, p. 153. 2 Cf. the dimensions of the Preston Tower at Tolquhon, which originally did stand by itself, and measures 4:0 fee inchefeet6 t9 2 .y sb 42 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 12, 1938.

west range, labelled forminw "Butler no plane furnacee t th gth bu n , "o - vaulroome thiTh f o t .s cella lop-sideds i r , being steepe soute th n hro side, where it springs, very awkwardly, from a lower level. Clearly it has been carried up on an older south wall, which can hardly be anything else than fragmena norte th f h o primarte fronth f o t y south range. Thu arrive n earla w s t yea south range measuring abou fee7 n 2 i tt breadth ovewallse th r , terminated frontall squara y b y e towe t eithea r r end and pierced by a portal and trance. It will be observed that the latter is not set centrally in the front range, the length of this range on the west side, from the original portal to the Meldrum Tower, being 46 feet, while the corresponding measuremen e otheth n ri t sectio s onli n y 43 feett BalveniA . e Castl e porta 1th s similarli le e righth th f o to y t central fronte poin th reasoe n th ,i t n there beinn i hals d gol wa l tha e th t e lef•westerr th o t n portio frontae th f no linfey t rangeFyvia ma r o e S ew . that the hall was to the left or west of the entrance. Allowing for a reasonable thickness of walls at the first-floor level, and assuming that e Meldruth m Towe presen s e originawa th r n i t l scheme—servin s solaga r apartments opening off the dais, and reached by the tower stair—there is room for a hall measuring approximately 35 feet by 15 feet. These are very probable dimensions, and may be compared •with those of the early hall at Balvenie, 40 feet by 15 feet 8 inches. The small groined vestibule between the gatehouse towers is, of course, part of Lord Dunfermline's work, and is slightly out of line with the older tranc eextre behindth t a massivenesBu . s side-wallsit f so , whic ovee har r 5 feet thick, is far greater than is reqxiired by the stress of the vault—all the more so as its thrust would be counter-stressed by the tower vaults. This circumstance raises the suspicion that these side-walls of the vestibule y embodma y older masonry, forming pier eithen o s e ancienr th sid f eo t portal, possibly with a pit between them, like the gatehouse at Dirleton Castle r thao ,t Tantalloa t s primarit n ni y forminspection A .e th f no vaulting in the west tower, which, unlike its twin, is not masked internally with rough-cast, tends to confirm this suspicion. The extremely awkward arrangemen e springin th e easf th o t t n gsido e strongly suggests thae th t lower part of the side-wall here is older. Thu arrive generasa w t ea earle l ideth yf a o ston e castl f Fyvieeo t I . consiste da grea (figf o t) .4 frontal range, provided with square flanking towers and pierced about midway by the entrance passage, to the west- war whichf do t first-flooa , rgreae th level s t hallwa , . Behind this frontal rang e castlth e doubo n e t taile f intdof o "laigh bigging," enclosea y b d curtai nthavera w walls i yt No distinctiv. databld ean e typ f castleeo . I have elsewhere shown 2 that this frontal massin e weighe th th f f go o t

1 Proceedings, vol. . 132-48Ixpp . . See my paper on " Doune Castle " in Proceedings, vol. Ixxii. pp. 73-83. z FYVIE CASTLE. 43

building, and the absorption by it of the gatehouse, are characteristic of large Scottis e fourteenthth castlef o d shen frocenture mth y onwards, an dtypa thas i e t i derivet d from France—whenc t espreadi othee th rn i , direction, as far eastward as the territories of the Teutonic Order beyond Vistulae th , wher e Castlth e f Neidenburo e g (fig , erecte.5) d about 1400, shows a frontal range very similar to what I conceive was the original scheme at Fyvie have W e. seen tha n 139i t r Jame5Si s Lindsad yha masons working at the castle. He was one of the foremost barons of the time, and closely connected with the Crown, being a nephew of Robert II. More than likely it is to him, if not indeed to his predecessor, the King's son, John Ear Carrickf o l e Stewarth , f Scotlanddo , afterwards Robert III.,

10 f o to 10 30 AO fa 60 7o 80 lnHltml _i———i——1_——i———•———i———i———i FEET. KTH-I5TH CENT. 1599. 1777.

FYVIE CASTLE Fig . Pyvi4 . e Castle. Sketch pla shoo nt w probable evolutio frontf no . conceptioe th e e earlth ow tha yf e n o w tston e castle. Therreasoo n s ei n doubo t t tha Prestoe tth Meldrud nan m Tower substantialle sar wore yth k of the proprietors 'whose names they bear, but it is clear that —i n accord- ance with a common medieeval practice —th e whole design of the castle was laid down at the outset. In all probability this was the first stone Fyuie sitecastle Th th n. n eo Chaste l whic greae hth t Plantagenet occupied in 1296 would doubtles lik, majorite be seth f Scottisyo h castle t thaa s t early time, a structure of timbered earthwork. speculato t s reasone idlw i th e t no I n eo s whic Lord hle d Dunfermline reconstruco t fifteenthe th t - century frontal range, reducin s widtgit d han subordinatin s importancgit greae thath o et f t o twester n range whice hh e th builtkno f e castle founI e stat e littlh th o W th w f . s .to f e d a o it e o names appliee terminath o t d l guidey tower an procese e th , sar f buildso - ing it was prolonged and probably spasmodic,1 and the original design

may never have been completed. Also, it is possible that structural 1 On 4th November 1508 George Masone witnesses a charter at Fyvie (Ant. Shires Aberd. and Banff, actualls wa e . 333) h havp y masona vol f . I ii ma e.. e beeh , n engage castlee worn th do t ka . 44 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193812 R .

NEIDENBURG

Pig . Neidenburg5 . : ground-floor pla viewd nan . FYVIE CASTLE. 45

weaknesses may have developed, especially if the early hall was vaulted, case t th Balvenie a es awa s thin I .s connectio t shoulni notee db d that large old fractures exist both in the Preston and the Seton Towers, and that General Gordo e eighteentth f no towardd hen centure th s y fount i d necessary to strengthen the western range with buttresses. We know nothing abou lay-oue earle th t th f yo tearthwor kpossibls i castlet i t ebu , tha filled-is it t n ditche thuy sma have made their presence felt. casey e Seto effece th an th ,f n o I t reorganisatio transfeo t s e nwa th r emphasis of the castle from the front to the western flank, where Lord Dunfermline erected a spacious range, containing full accommodation in accordance wit improvee hth d standard time—ample th f so e cellaragd ean a kitchen belo wa dining-roo withdrawing-rooma d man , both conceived on a noble scale and served by the magnificent staircase, with a side- door leading out to what was then the garden. In thus removing the principal residential apartments fro e entrancmth e front, Lord Dunferm- line was obeying a motive which we can see at work in other cases. Dwelling-houses which were also house f entryo s , although they suited fourteenth-century conceptions, were found in practice to be inconvenient. Hence at Llanstephan Castle in Wales and at Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland n boti , f whico h e gatehousth h s alse lord'th wa oe s residence, the original portal later was built up and a new entrance pro- vided elsewhere in the enceinte. In Scotland the same thing took place at St Andrews Castle. A second instance may be seen afc Linlithgow, where the original entrance pierced the hall wing, but was later abandoned in favour of a new entrance in another part. Ireland supplies a parallel at Roscrea. At Caerlaverock, where also the gatehouse was the lord's resi- dence e reversth , e procedur adopteds ewa e gatehousth : e remainee us n di as such, but new apartments were erected for the lord on the flanks of the courtyard enclosure. Thiprincipln i s si e what happene Fyvien di . Among the muniments at Fyvie Castle are preserved an interesting series of plans (Pis. XXXII and XXXIII) evidently prepared for General Gordon, and showing the castle as it existed before his alterations. They therefore preserve the arrangements of the Seton period. Very cursory inspection will sho e takeb w s strictlo a nt tha t t no ythe e yar accurate in every detail; but they are of great value as helping us to

understand exactly what change1 s the General made, and in what condition he found the building. We thus learn that the early trance had side- benches, as at Balvenie, and that in the Seton arrangements the wing on either side containe e lone maith on dg n n o cellarfloo d ran , three large living-rooms botn O h. floor presene sth t partitions, includin eccentrie gth c

e Theplansth s firsf yo hi , wer te entitle t ideaon eno s a a e ,desigprincipad " th f no l floof o r Fyvi1e House," shows that it was proposed to throw the whole of the first floor of the gatehouse into one large room, absorbing everything except the bows of the towers. 46 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193812 R .

e maith f settinno gatehoust gou e room, upon whic r RoshD s remarked, are thus the work of the General. On the second and third floors, in the Seton building, there were long galleries, 80 feet by 12 feet, extending the whole lengtsoute th f ho rangfashioe th n echaracteristii o ns timee th f c;o they at once suggest a comparison with the gallery which Lord Dun- fermline built at his other seat, Pinkie House in Midlothian. Like the latter the upper gallery probably had a coved and painted ceiling, partly roofe th .n i wese th t n I rang e Generaleth , having provide kitchew s hi ne dn a ni Gordon Tower, drov passaga e e throug t undei e o great hth r t staid an r took n internaofa f l corrido d cellaragerol fro e e e widtmth th Th f . ho main floor he left untouched, but on the second floor he provided an internal corrido d "through-goingrol insteae th f o d " arrangemente Th . upper floo alse h ro reorganised, carryin gcentraa l corridor intthrougd oan h towerw ne s . hi As already stated e ground-flooth , r plan shows that originalle th y Preston Tower basement entered directly from the outside, and not from e adjoininth g stairt i doe s a s, to-day. Careful inspectio e presenth f no t door reveals clear trace s bee thaha n t i tslappe d throug e weshth t wall of the tower. This was evidently one of the Gordon alterations. But the most interesting thing which the old plans disclose is that Lord Dunfermline planned his castle to be a complete "four-quartered" structure, enclosing a central courtyard and having square towers at the two northern corners. It was a grandiose conception. The outlines of the north and east wings and the two towers are shown on the plan, and winge a th slabellee ar s d "ruinous vaults evidens i t "i t thagroune th t d floor at least was completed. Possibly some of this old work is still preserved under the Gordon Tower and its annexes, where there are sundry vaults, but as these are covered with plaster it is not meantime possible -whethey sa o t r the anciene yar r s notsaii o t dt I . tha thin i t s quarter stoo e chapelth d . Trace f Loro s d Dunfermline's abandoned intention remain to-dareture e corbelleth th f n yni o d cornicnorte th hn o esid f eo the Preston Tower, showin set-oue th g continuinr fo t t galoni e innegth r e easth fac tf o ewing t FyvieA . , therefore e greath , t Lord Chancellor might well have put up the same inscription formerly to be read on his other hous f Pinkieeo , recording tha buile h t t "noni t animid a sed fortun- arum et agelli modum." Inevitabl a comparisoy s suggestei n d greao betweetw t e houseth n s with which Lord Dunfermlin s enricheeha architecture dth s country.hi f eo . The inscription above referred to bears the date 1613, and shows that his work at Pinkie was done after he had finished with his northern seat. In both houses he erected two long wings, as part of a complete quadrangular programme never fulfilled n botI olden .h a r edific absorbeds wa e , though

FYVIE CASTLE. 47

these earlier portions have nothin edificeso tw n commog i n e I th . n i n both houses a long gallery was a prominent feature in Lord Dunfermline's design t here resemblanceBu th e. s cease n theiI . r external elevations both mansion e characteristicallar s y Scottish Baronial t Fyvis a ye , s i e thoroughly in the way in which its main masses are resolved on the sky-line as Pinkie is equally typical of the Lothians. In its turrets, corbelling d minoan , r features, Fyvie clearly belonge remarkablth o t s e north-eastern group which includes Castle Fraser, Craigievar, Crathesd an , f thesMidmaro o e mansionsTw . , Midma d Castlan r e Fraser e knowar , n to have been built respectively by George and I. Bell, members of a dis- tinguished famil f locayo l master-masons. George's tombston Midman ei r Kirk is dated 1575; I. Bell's inscription on Castle Fraser bears the date 1617 d Davian ; d s Beldoinwa l g wor t Pitfichia k e Castl n 1607.i e I

suspect that one of the Bells had a han1 d in the Chancellor Seton's work at Fyvie. How far the Chancellor himself may have been responsible for elements in the design we cannot tell; but having regard to his strong personality, his high culture, and his special interest in architecture, his influence on the building is hardly likely to have been negligible.

I hav acknowledgo et courtese e th r la nSi f Forbeyo s Leith, Baronef o t Fyvie allowinn i , examino t e g havm o castl e t eth d e eaccesan munis it o st - r informatiomentsfo d an , varioun o n s points e illuse blockth Th r -. fo s tration f Plateo s s XXIV, XXV, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX d XXXI,an , fros Stirling'mMr s wor n Fyviee publishero k th e len y ar ,b tJohr M , n Murray. Those for Plates XXVI and XXIX are lent by the Council of the Third Spalding Club. The plans at figs. 2 and 3 are reproduced from e surveth ylate mad. th eRusselJ y b e l Mackenzie, architect, Aberdeen, for the sale prospectus of the estate issued in 1886. Since then various alterations have been interioe madth n ei r arrangement buildinge th f so . 1 Reg. Privy Council, vol. viii. p. 635.