The Development of Balvenie Castle. by W. Douglas
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III. E DEVELOPMENTH F BALVENIO T E CASTLE WY B . DOUGLAS SIMPSON, M.A., D.LiTT., F.S.A.ScoT. I HISTORICAL SKETCH. The ruined castle of Balvenie, in Banffshire, occupies a strong position on the left bank of the River Fiddich, a little below the point where that beautiful stream receives the Dullan Water, and about half a mile north of Dufftown (O.S. Map, 6", Banffshire, Sheet xxv). From the knoll on whic e castlth h e stand n extensiva s e view ovee surroundinth r g country is obtained. It commands (see Sketch Map, fig. 1) the approaches bot hp Gle u dow nd Fiddichnan ; block e outleth s t from Glen Rinnes, down whic e Dullahth n Water flows d forbidan ;e th s passage through the narrow " slack" which leads by the modern Drummuir Castle to Glenisla, and is now traversed by the railway. Moreover, it also sentinels the old hill-road leading over by the Cabrach to Donside, which Edward I. used on his return journey from Elgin Juln i , y positio1296.e castle Th considerablf th ' o f thus neo i e son e tactical and strategic importance; and it may be regarded as a link in the great chain of early strongholds guarding the avenues into the unruly Celtic palatinate of Moravia.2 From Huntly or Strathbogie Castle, wher thein o e r timbered motte the.Normanised Celtic Earlf o s Fife were settled under Willia Lione mhigh-roath e th , pasd dle t Balvenie to the de Moravia castle of Boharm, thence to the castle of the de Polices at Rothes, and so through the Glen of Rothes towards the Laigh of Moray and the royal castle at Elgin. thir 1Fo s . TaylorroadJ e se , , Cabrach Feerings, 12-16. pp . papey m Huntln e ro Se * y Castl Proceedings,n i e 150d Castlee an vol; 8 Th als y 14 . oIvi. m pp . of Kildrummy, . 49-51pp . THE DEVELOPMENT OF BALVENIE CASTLE. 133 Balvenie Castle is a ruin of high architectural merit and interest. It shows work belonging apparentl e threth o eyt chief period f seculao s r construction in Scotland—the thirteenth, the fifteenth, and the later sixteenth centuries ; and the special value that attaches to this succession of style tha s si e differen th t t addition resule th her e f repairt o star eno s after partial destruction, but of the orderly development of the castle fabric to suit advancing social conditions. The evidences of repeated violent usage visiblo s , n manei y others amon greater gou r Scottish SKETCH HAP castles, seem in this case to be SHOWING totally absent. Except for the STRATEGIC POSITION great gate, which has clearly been OF refashioned after being roughly BALVENIE CASTLE handled, the present condition of the building seems to be entirely graduae resule th th f o t l adapta- tion of a primitive and purely military castl enceinte,f eo servo t e e lateth r purpos a fortifie f o e d residence. histore castlee Th th f fayo o s , r as german r presentou o t e pur- pose, may be very briefly told. e thirteentth n I h centure th y lordship of Balvenie is said by old writers havo t 1 e belongeo dt e Comynso contemporth n t bu , - ary verification of this statement JI,KMI.JI; seems to be known. Authentic records do not appear until the early fifteenth century, whee nw find Balveni n i possessioe f o n Fig. 1. Balvenie Castle: Strategic Map. James Douglas, surnamed " The Gross," afterwards seventh Earl of Douglas, first Earl of Avondale and Lord Balvenie. As James Douglas of Balvani, he was present at a General Council hel t Inverkeithinda 19tn go h August 1423 appointe,s whewa e nh d commissionea treao t r London i t n concernin e releasgth f Jameeo s I.2 bees ha n t I stated tha obtainee th d Balvenie throug mothers hhi , Joanna Moray, heires f Bothwell.o s , Balveni f so I thi s i s e would previously See " Short Account of th3 e Progress of the Lordship of Balveny," written circa 1771, printed by D1 r W. Cramond in The Castle and the Lords of Halveny, p. 34; of. ibid., p. 10. 2 Rhymer's Fcedera, vol. x. p. 298; Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. i. p. 227. * Sir W. Praser, The Douglas Book, vol. i. p. 431, footnote. 134 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1926Y11 . have belonged to the great northern family of de Moravia, who in the thirteenth century held the neighbouring castle of Boharm. In Mortlach Churc slaa s i bh wit hcrosa f Calvaryo s , inscribe constabulanusa o dt de Balvenie, who died in 1420. This is evidence of the existence of a castle, l eventsal t thaa y b , t date. Wit e downfal hth e Blac th f ko l Douglases under James II., Balveni s involve e generawa eth n i d l forfeiturf o e their estates (1455); and on 25th March 1460 the lordship and castle were bestowed upon John Stewart, first Earl of Atholl, and his wife Margaret, widow of Earl Douglas. The reddendo is " one red e chieth ros t fa e messuag e saith d f o lordshipe e feasth f o t t a , e nativitth t Joh S e Baptist f th nyo namn i , f blenceo h farm f askei , d only."! In the hands of the Stewart Earls of Atholl Balvenie remained until the beginning of the seventeenth century. On 24th September 1562 it was honoured by a visit from Queen Mary, then on her northern campaign against the Gordons.2 Dying in 1595, John, fifth Earl of Atholl, left four daughters 161n i 0o resignewh , d their interes e e landth th o n t si t Crown, by whom the lordship was granted on 6th April of that year, as infeftmentw ne a Jameso t , , Lord Innerneath, second Ear f Atholo l n i l the new creation.3 He had already executed a contract of alienation, disposing it to Lord Abernethy of Saltoun (13th December 1609), who, on 20th April following, received a charter under the Great Seal. From Lord Saltou properte th n y passe r Jame n 161Si di o 2t s Stewart, Lord 4 Ochiltree, who two years later sold it to Robert Innes, fifth baron of Innermarkie ownew ne re obtainin,th gchartea r unde Greae th r t Seal, 26th December 1615. This Robert Innes was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia by Charles I. 6 in 1631. In the Civil War his son and grandson bore themselve s staunca s h Royalistsa resul s a f thei o td ran , loyalty they incurred heavy losses, which brought abou a sal t f theio e r estates r beforo n i e 1658. After various vicissitudes, Balveni s purchasewa e d 168n i Alexandey 7b r Duf f Bracoo f , ancesto e ducath f lro hous f Fifeeo , n whosi e possessio t i stiln l remains e castlTh .ea dis itseld - ha f turbed history during the civil tumults of the seventeenth century,6 s finallwa d y an unroofe n 1724i d housw , ne f wheBalveni o ee th n e s built.wa 7 1 Hist. MSS. Commission, Appendix to Seventh Report (Atholl Papers), p. 708, No. 48 ; see also Registruin Magni Sigilli, 1424-151H . 750. 157p , No ., Later e reddendoth , roseo fixes tw i s t a d (Ibid., 1580-93 . 3-48. ; pp ,No ,1609-20 . 493-4 . 1357)pp , No , . 1 Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. ii. pp. 579, 584, 586. 3 Registrum Magni Sigilli, 1609-20, p. 101, No. 275. • Ibid., p. 103, No. 279. ' Ibid., p. 493, No. 1357. • See Wishart's Deeds of Montrose, ed. A. D. Murdoch and H. F. Morland Simpson, p. 244, note 3, and p. 304, note 47; also Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. ix. pp. 447-8. 7 See Cramond, op. cit., pp. 20, 26. E DEVELOPMENTH BALVENIF TO E CASTLE. 135 II. DESCRIPTION OP THE RUINS. framewore Th e castlth f eo k (see Plan larga ,anciend s i fige) an 2 . t quadrangular wal f enceinte,o l into which have been worked additions Fig . Balveni.2 e Castle: Plans. of various subsequent epochs. This wall measures about 158 feet by 131 feet exteriorly, and is built of massive, well-coursed rubble-work, 7 feet thick, and remains in most places to a height of over 25 feet, and 136 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 11, 1926. e soutonth h fronta heigh o t f full o tfeet 5 3 y . Small scrape th f o s parapet wal 1 placeslo stiltw r l o .remai e indicationo Thern on t e na e ar s of a hoarding or any other mode of oversailing parapet defence.2 The two western angles of the enceinte are unfurnished with any sort of flanking protection, although an evident patch in the wall, and a large relieving arch, suggest that there may at one time have been a tower with westward saliennorth-wese th t a t othee t angleth n r O hand. e th , battere dwale basth lf eo belo w here show sigo sf n disturbance no e Th . south-east angle has been altered in connection with the later buildings t thia s pointremainine Th . g anglenorth-easte th o t , strengthenes i , y db a rectangular buttress, 12 feet 6 inches by 15 feet 6 inches, large enough to contain a vaulted chamber, now ruinous, at the first-floor level.