248 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 11, 1938.

II.

TOLQUHON S BUILDERCASTLIT D EAN . . BDOUGLAYW S SIMPSON, M.A., D.LITT., F.S.A.ScoT.

I. The Castle of Tolquhon, one of the most interesting of the sixteenth century baronial mansion whicn si h Aberdeenshir richo s situates s i e,i d in the parish of Tarves, in the eastern part of the ancient Thanage of Formartine. Of this eastern part it formed the chief messuage, as Fyvie was of the western; and when the Prestons, lords of Formartine, failed in the main line, the Thanage was divided between the husbands o co-heiresses—Tolquhotw e oth f n thus being acquire r JohSi ny b d Forbe brothea ( e firss th tf o Lorr d Forbes)n 142 i d marrieo 0ha wh , d Marjorie, second daughte deceasee th f o rr Henr dSi y Preston.1 Whether "Preston's Tower"—so r baccallefa s 173a ks a d 2 2— which form e oldesth s e tcastle th par f o t, really dates bac beforo kt e Tolquhon becam eseparata e property unde Forbesese th r t wouli , e db hard to say: but there is nothing about its architectural features at all inconsistent with a date about the end of the fourteenth or early in the fifteenth century, and the traditional name of the tower may therefore perhaps be accepted as genuine. At Fyvie there is also a Preston Tower. The "towe fortaliced an r Tolquhof "o mentionee nar chartea n di r dated 2nd Decembe rl event al 1536. t A s 3 this "auld tour," with whatever barmkin wall d "laican s h bigging havy ma "e adjoinedeemes wa , it d sufficien neede s ownerth it r f so fo ts unti n 1584—i l inscribes (a 9 s it n do walls) the castle was greatly enlarged by William Forbes, the seventh laird. Notices extant about this gentleman revea rathea l r remarkable and attractive personality, cultured and enlightened beyond the average Aberdeenshir eperiods lairhi foundee f do H . endowed an d dhospitaa l n connectioi n wit e paristh h h churc f Tarveso h , "for four poon me r who were to eat and lye here and to have each a peck of meal and three shillings, a penny and two-sixths of a penny Scots weekly; also some malt, peats, etc." * An inquest held on 15th February 1717 tells us how this charitable beques manages wa t t thaa d foun s t wa time dt I . 1 Collections on the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, pp. 352-3. 2 View Diocese e oth f of Aberdeen, Collections,n i ut supra, . 330p . 3 Op. cit., p. 333. 4 Collections, ut supra, p. 330. TOLQUHON CASTLE AND ITS BUILDER. 249

that "the Beidmen had pennie0 pece 4 f meaan eko d san le eacth n hi week d hade grean ,an e Martinmasy on gow e a Coad th nd an t an s Breeches the other, and that the tenants of Meikle Ythsey were as much bound to winn and lead peats to them as they were to pay their farmes;"

also that they hade "ane hid Bede r Shoes.th efo en I hous ""s a ewa 1 big chest with four lock lidd r thei fo d fouan s ran r . mea Bed. . l s saie foth dr Beidmen." Beidmee "Th t theina r entry.had eChesta , Bed, Bedcloaths, pot and pan, and cloaths once in two years." Fifteen years laterecordes i t ri d that whil fune eth manages di d "very carefully, mortifier,confore wilth e f th o l m o t house th " "gons ei Ruine.o et n I " the same year (1732) we read that "the meal and money they still have; t theibu r house, whic slateds hi neglectes i , quitd dan en o waste. d An "

25th June 1735 the minister reports a2 melancholy state of affairs. The Beidmen were originally provided wit hhousa e "which kepe useb to dt in good repair, sufficient furniture, and a large kail yard, and punctual payments of their money: but now the house is ruinous, the roof off, the furnitur yare e th goneth d d e knowse misapplieh ar an , s r a no r ; fa o ds payments mad propeo et r objects satisfactio e t leasa ,th o Kirt e th kf no Session." 3 The Bede house r rathero , s moderit , n successor, still e existth o t s south-east of the village, and contains a stone with a much defaced Latin inscriptio reliefn ni , commemoratin s foundatiogit Williay b n m Forbes of Tolquhon.4 In addition to founding this hospital, our laird erected for himself a stately tomb in the south aisle of the parish church of Tarves. This monument (fig. 1) is a remarkable example of the bastard Gothic of the period. Its general design remains thoroughly medieval, but much of the detail is pseudo-classical in character. This is particularly seen arcade onth tomb-cheste fronbalustere n eth i th f o tn i eithen d so an , r side. The grotesque animals on the extrados of the tomb-arch are quite in the whimsical and vigorous style so often found in sculptured work of this period in the north-east of Scotland ; while the "niort's

head" on the tomb-chest represents the incoming5 of a degraded taste that reachefollowino tw s climae dit th g n xi centuries dextee th n rO . spandrel is a shield of florid design, showing the Forbes arms, with an esquire's helmet and the motto SALUS PER CHRISTUM, while on either laird'se shiele th sidth e f dear o initial belod date sth an ewt i 1589n O . 1 I.e. rents. cit.,. . 330p Op 2 . T. Mair, Narratives and Extracts from the Records of the Presbytery of Ellon, pp. 298-300.

r a> Fo partia 3 l deciphermen e inscriptionth f o t. Jervis A e se ,, Epitaphs Inscriptionsd an e th n i

North-East4 of Scotland, . 351volp . .ii . 5 See Proceedings, vol. Ixiv. p. 93; vol. Ixv. pp. 152-3. 250 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , APRI , 193811 L . e sinisteth r spandre similaa l r shield, havin a crest r ga man'fo , t ha s bear s wifee armhi th s f , so Elizabeth Gordo f Lesmoirno , impaled with thos Forbesf eo , together wit superscriptioinitiale r hth he d san n DOCHTER

Pig Tolquhoe . 1Th . n Monumen Tarven i t s Kirkyard. TO LESMOR. Portrait statuette s ladhi e lair yd th suppor df an o s e th t tracery on either side. The total height of the monument, to the top e heavoth f y battlemented cornice fee7 s inchesover-al6 s it ti , d an , l breadt fee8 inches8 s hti . A curious licence, date Februarh d8t y 1582 grantes wa , Williao dt m Forbes by James VI, relieving him from all military duties because he was suffering from "ane dolour and diseaiss in his ene, proceiding be TOLQUHON CASTLE AND ITS BUILDER. 251

ane distillatiou e held, th furthed f o an " t r nou permittin "tt m oei ghi flesche with thri fourr eo ecompanin i wit forbiddem e hhi th n ei n tyme. 'n His fame is commemorated in elegiac strains by the Latin poet, Arthur Johnston f Caskiebeno e , whose language seem o implt s y that King James had visited the castle—a circumstance which might account for the interest he displayed in the laird. The poem was evidently designed inscribee b o t d upo toms nhi Tarves:n bi — 2

"DE GULI ELMO FORBESIO TOLCHONO. Auxisset cum prole domum Tolchonus et arvis Confectus senio sponte reliquit humum. Condidit hunc tumulum condiiurquo ipse, supremum Expectans animo metuentenil diem. Hunc prope pauperibus devotos aspicis agros Tectaque mortali non violanda manu. Nee procul his domini surgunt palatia, regis semelNon hospitio nobilitata sui. terrisHas monimenta dedit Tolchonus, interet operumHas moles crescere vidit opes. Quantulus, exuvias spectassi corporis, alti Si pensas animi munera, quantus homo est." The reference to the Bede House at Tarves—"tectaque mortali non violanda manu"—has now an ironic ring in view of its recorded history have asw e summarise t abovedi . The most interesting monumen laird s lefttol ha d tha e behinth t d him is undoubtedly the very considerable extension which he built to his castle, converting the cramped "auld tour" into a spacious mansion laid out upon a design much more ambitious than was usual among the houses of Aberdeenshire country gentlemen of the period. And a mortification of his property, dated 3rd December 1589 3—six weeks after the work of building was finished—makes it clear that the castle was furnished in keeping with its architectural pretensions; for in the s effect hi includede lisf ar o st y hail"m l: siluer wark, buikis, bedding, tapestrie, neprie, timmer wark, artalyerie, wther furniture insychd an t plenising quhatsumewer." Elsewhere in the same inventory he dwells, with what seems a touch of pardonable pride, upon the ample accom-

modatio mansionnw providene s hi , y enumeratindb g "withi wallie nth s 1 Collections, ut supra, . 353-4pp . 2 Epigrammata Arturi lonstoni, Scoti, Medici Regii, Abredoniae, excudebat Edvardus Rabanus, cum Privilegio, 1632, p. 21. The poem must have been written a considerable while after the laird died in 1596, for at that time Johnstone was only eight years old. The allusions make it clear that

it is to the seventh laird, and not to his sou, who was also called William, that the poet refers. 3 Collections, t supra,u . 354-5pp . 252 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , APRI , 193811 L . y houissom f , tourd plac an f ,Tolquhone, o e y hallis"m " , gallareis, chalmeris, vardrepe, kitchingis, stabillis, sellaris, .lednaris, pantreis, librellis, or wther office houssis quhatsumewer." We lik thino et k tha thulaire o th t sdwh classe "buikiss dhi nexs "a t in value to his plate was a scholar of sorts. His library was long pre- serve t Whitehaughda Howe th Alfordf n i e,o , wher representativee eth s e Tolquhooth f n Forbeses settled after their dispossession from their ancestral home t mosbu : t unfortunatel s dispersewa t i y d piecemeal about the middle of the last century. In Beattie's correspondence, preserved in the Aberdeen University Library, there is a letter from Mr Forbes Leith of Whitehaugh, dated 26th April 1779, in which he states that he had lentDr Beattie certain " Old Musick Books which had belong'd to my predecessors, and were found by me among some small remains of a valuable Library, which my Gt. Gt. Grandfather, Wm. Forbes of Tolquhon, possess'd about 200 years ago—I find many of his books niark' thes 1588n di wa n e ageliveh e , yearsh 8 d3 d tilan , l 1643. Whenever I can recover any bearing his name—or that of Geo. Ogilvie, •with connecteds •whowa e mh I ,thin k the Acquisition.n ma t was"I 1 , however,-no buildes sone e secone castlehi th tth th , t f o rbu d, William, who die 1643n di . Some particulars of the library are preserved in a short notice, over e whic, initialth M. h. J s wil e founb l n Notes i dd Queries an r 10tfo h September 1859. I imagin2' e tha authoe th t thif o r s notic James ewa s Maidment. In it he speaks of William Forbes of Tolquhon as "a great book collector," and as to his library he says that "the very rare and curious volumes which recently came fro northm the wer and , e disposed detachen oi f d portion Nisber M Edinburgn y i tb s t variouha s times, made it a matter of regret that the library was not sold in its entire state with a proper descriptive catalogue." Maidment (if he be the writer dealins )i g particularly wit edition ha Erasmus'f no s Apophthegmata, quarto, 1533, writte flyleae th hanwhice f lettera n o nfo th s f do n i h wa Florentius Volusenus (Florence Wolsone Tran-D e e authoth th , f o r quillitate Animi) presenting the volume to his friend John Ogilvie, parson of Cruden. Ogilvie in return is requested to send a little nag (equuleum) as Wolso countrye nhorsea th proposef o o t required e .o an ,g us o e st sth He reminds Ogilvie of the pleasure he sometimes had derived from Erasmus; and he makes many enquiries about their mutual acquaint- ances, and in particular sends his love to Master Hector Boece. The book had subsequently come into the possession of the laird of Tolquhon,

1 Seattle Correspondence (Aberdee,7 lette32 . rC n University Library). 2 Second series, vol. viii. p. 203. TOLQUHON 3 S BUILDERCASTL25 IT D AN E .

s appearea d fros autograpmhi e title-pageth n o h , thus: "William Forbe Tolquhonf so , 1588." In the Library of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney—now housed, unde n arrangemena r t wit e Synode Universitth hth n i , y Librart a y King's College—is preserved another book that had belonged to the old laird. It is a folio edition, in a modern binding, of the works of Joannes Damascenus, printe t Baseda Henricuy b l s Petrus, Marce h th 1535n O . title-pag r laird'ou s ei s ) (fig.autograph2 bola d culture n i dan , d hand, full of character: " Villeame forbes of tolquhone, 1588." Beside it is the autograph of his descendant, Beattie's correspondent, John Forbes Leit f Whitehaughho e datth ed t 1778whaan , Bu .t makes this book still more interesting is the fact that underneath the device of Henricus Petrus is pasted in the ex libris of Robert Reid, Abbot of Kinloss from 1526 Bishod e Orkneyan , th f po s from 1541 unti deats lhi 1558.n hi * e foremosth f o e t on churchme Reis dwa s dayhi f , no distinguishe d alike as a statesman, a builder, and a patron of learning. He was a great lover of books, and erected a splendid vaulted library at Kinloss. The

association of this book with Kinloss at once arouses our interest2 , when we remember that Florence Wolson, to whom the other book (which came into Tolquhon's possession in the same year) had belonged, was a "Moray Loon",—born e himselh s a , f tell , nea e Riveus s th r r Lossie. After being educated at Aberdeen University, Wolson went to Paris, probably to the Scots College, which was founded in the first place for students from Moray. In Paris he entered the service of Cardinal Wolse nephews tutos ya hi o t r , Thomas Wynter, Dea t Wellsf a no o wh , that time was studying in the French capital. This connection with Wolsey involved Wolson in various diplomatic activities, and he is known to have visited London in 1534. The terms of his letter to John Ogilvie, parso f Crudenno , accompanyin e Erasmus, th e gif f gth o t make t quiti e clear that Wolso norte thes th hn nwa i country t seemi d san ; reasonably certain that he seized the opportunity of his mission to England in 1534- to revisit the scenes of his boyhood. The date of this visit was certainly after 1533, in which year the Erasmus was printed, and before 1536, in which year died Hector Boece, to whom he sends his greetings. Now Ogilvie also had been brought up in Moray, and we know from Wolson's own testimony that they had been youthful

1 The latter part of the book contains a few marginal glosses in Reid's handwriting. 2 "Hoc anno 1538 extruxit amplissimam bibliothecam, testudinibus tamen munitam contra ignem, ubi primum fuerat deambulatorium Thomae Chrystall abbatis—Ferrerius, Life of Abbot Robert Reid,n i Records Monasterye th f o f Kinloss,o : . ibid.,instituit. J51 .Cf ed . p Stuart . 57 praeter. p , satis copiosam in omni disciplinarum genere bibliothecam . . . et ne quid desit iam aggredietur domum elegentissimam quadrato lapide in quo libri asserventur."

TOLQUHON 5 S BUILDERCASTL25 IT D AN E . companion thein i s r walk literard an s y discussions alon e bankgth f o s the Lossie.1 It will be noted that both books, the Erasmus and the Damascenus, came inte handoth f Williao s m Forbee samth en i s year Damascenuse th y 1588Ma . also, therefore, have come fro librare mth y of Joh t havi n y eOgilvie fro beema m Abboe mhi d th ngif a f o an t ,o t t Kinloss? If both Ogilvie and Wolson visited Kinloss between 1533 and 1536, the Damascenus, which was printed in March 1535, must have been newl Reid'yn i sdate hands theith f eo d ran , visi thus i t s practically restricted to the latter year—a circumstance wholly in accordance with knowe th n fact that WolsoLondon i s bac s n wa ki nwa 1534e n ni (H . Pari Septemben si 19te th thaf ho rn o 1535t montd an , startee hh d from Chalmont on the journey to Italy that resulted in his appointment as professor of eloquence at Carpentras.2) And, if all this be true, how did two books that belonge o Ogilvit d e come inte possessiooth e th f o n laird of Tolquhon in the year 1588? Is it a coincidence that our laird's d successosoan n r marrie n Ogilvie—Janeta d , daughte r GeorgSi f o re Ogilvie of Dunlugas, who evidently must be the George Ogilvie, also ownen a f bookso r , with whom, accordin Forbeo gt s s letteLeithi n rhi to Beattie, the laird of Tolquhon was connected? John Ogilvie, the parso f Crudeno n n 155i s create, 5wa Popy b d e a CanoPau V I f l o n Aberdeen,3 and was still alive on 1st November 1570, when he witnessed a feu charter of certain lands in Old Aberdeen.4 Of cours have ew e been wanderin a real n gi f purm o e conjecture, though it is conjecture with more than a dash of probability in it. But it is enough to have placed on record two books that belonged to our scholarl laird ol f yTolquhono d o nott d e an tha, t they associats hi e library with a group of distinguished and highly cultured men—the last and, in some respects, the finest flowering of the medieval church in Scotland. Two other volumes belonging to the old Tolquhon Castle library were in the possession of the late Miss Fyers, Camp Cottage, Kirkton of Maryculter, a descendant of the family. One of these books, which unfortunately lack title-pagee sth interestinn a s i , g foli lettresn oi batardes, printe n Parii d y Maistrb s e Nicola Barrel e d e , 1518e worTh s i k. entitled Croniques t Mirouere Hystorial e France,d a translatio e th f no Latin origina Robery b l t Gaguin folin O o. AAii, recto, with whice hth 1 " Dum ego et Joannes Ogilvius, gui nuna apud Scotos Crodanam regit ecclesiam, vir ut generis claritate ita literis moribuset ornatissimus, una (nam multum esseUna solebamus) ripain Lossaei amnis deambularemus, principium illud sermonem Horatii (nam Horatius prae manibus erat) . . . nobis occasionem dedit," etc. Volusenus De Animi Tranquillitate, ed. 1751, p. 100.

2 Letters and Papers (Foreign and Domestic), Henry VIII, ed. J. Gairdner, vol. ix. p. 181, No. 395. 3 Ant. Aberdeen and Banff, vol. iii. pp. 119-20. Fasti Aberdonenses, pp. 128-9. 1 256 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , APRI , 193811 L .

copy, which is in a late eighteenth-century binding, now begins, is the signature "Williame Forbe f Tolquhonso , 1588, d als"an o tha f Joho t n Forbes Leith of Whitehaugh, 1778. Other owners, who have left their lase nameth t n pageo s , were "Jhone Meldrum, Marchemond Herald," and "Thome Meldrum burgis of Aberdene." The other volum larga s ei e folio blacldetter Bible, printe t Londoda n by Christopher Barke interestf o s 1583i n ri t I ,. becaus e t ebeari th n so title-page the signature of George Ogilvy. On folio 532, verso (being the blank page at the end of the Old Testament), William Forbes, the twelft d lasan ht laird s entereha , e particularth d s marriaghi f o s o t e Anna Leith, daughte f Joho r n Leit f Whitehaughho e birthth d s an o, f his children, three sons and two daughters. Yery curiously, the names and dates have been carefully blacked out. Doubtless other books belonging to the old laird still survive, scattered about the public and private libraries of Great Britain and America: t inquirbu failes themf y ha o trac o dt y .ean In 1550 our laird, who three years previously had succeeded Ms father, falle t Pinkiea n s bounwa , thousando ovetw n i r d poundsr fo , his son and "friends" (i.e. relatives), not to trouble the Provost and Baillie f Aberdeen.o s Whateve e disputth r y havma ee been t i lef, t

no abiding ill-will1 , for on 27th October 1578 he was elected a burgess of witnesa city.e s th A 2writo st nams shi constantlys ei s i , t foundi d an , muca s hcleawa respectee h r whosn dma e assistanc legan ei l matters was constantly sought by his neighbours. He added considerably to s patrimonyhi , purchasin n 158g i e land5th f Woodlando s , Knaperna and half of Tullimad.3 nationan I l affair appearances hi s fewe t uniformlsar bu , y creditable. On 2nd September 1574 he signed at Aberdeen the "Band of the Baronis e North,th n i " professing allegianc e Regencth o et f Morton.o y d An * on 30th January 1580, along with other northern baronsdirectes wa e h ,d Prive byth y Council accordancn i , e with measures then being takeo nt compose the feud between the Gordons and the Forbeses, "to subscrive sic forme f assuiranceo s s salba s e presentit unto thame,e notith y b t clerk of Counsale, to induir unto the first day of August nixt to cum, within XXIIII houris nixt eftir they be chairgit thairto, under the pane of rebellioun. 23rn "O d 6 April followin reportes wa e Counci t th gi o dt l thae requireth t d assuranc d dulha ey bee e quarrelnth t given.Bu s

wer o deep-rooteto e d thus e composedeasilb 10t n o o yt h d Julan , y 6

Reg. Council Aberdeen, vol. i. p. 138. J. Davidson, Genealogy of the House of Tolquhon, p. 14. 2

31 Ibid. * Reg. Privy Council, vol. ii. p. 401. Ibid.,« 5. 279 p Ibid., . vol. iii . 261p . . TOLQUHON 7 S BUILDERCASTL25 IT D AN E .

Tolqulion associated himself with others namhi f renewen ei o s d com- plaints agains e Gordons.th t n 19tO 1h February 158 e send9a h n i s petitio Councile th o nt , statin includege b tha o oughe t h tt d no tamon g those whom Lord Mastee Forbeth d Forbef o rsan chargee sar enteo dt r befor e Kin th d eCounci gan s pledgee gooa l th dr fo sconduc e th f o t Forbeses, seeing that he is not a tenant of Lord Forbes, but is "ane gentil- man holding his landis immediatlie of his Majestie, and the same landis and his dwelling lyand in Buchane, and he, his haill tennentis and servantis, being subjec course th justice.f o t teo t woulI " unreasone db - able urgese h , o "burdyt , e saith nd complenair that duellis laicn i h Buchane with the disobedience of ony brokin men of the surename of Forbe Strathdond s "an residinr e CounciMa Th .n gi l admittee dth force of his contention, and granted the exoneration that he craved.2 Our laird's loyalty and restraining action upon his tenantry amid the inveterat ee tim e feudth agai ar ef o sn appreciatively referren i o t d connection with a complaint by two of his tenants on 24th June 1590.

William Forbes did not live long to enjoy the comforts of his "houis3 s s dea wa toudplace, d e beforan h r r "fo e 22nd March 1596.4 Whas ha t been stated to be his portrait by Jamesone, in the possession of Lord Saltou formerld nan t Philortya h House s reproducei , Musan di Latino, Aberdonensis: but unfortunately it is a portrait not of our laird but of his son, also William, whose daughter married Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth—henc r father'e reasohe th e r fo ns portrait being theren I . 1596, when our William Forbes died, Jamesone was only six or seven years old. Probably the old laird's expenditure had outrun his means; at all events, throughout the next century the family fell more and more into embarrassment tente Th h. laird mad ebola d effor righo t t t himself by participatio Dariee th n ni n Scheme, whose collapse spelte ruith o nt Housh 5t f Tolquhon o en o solde d b n an 171 o I ,t e estat. th 6d eha September 171 e elevent8th d refusehha lairdo o abandot d wh , e nth home of his fathers, was wounded and dislodged by a party of redcoats.5 Tolquhon ultimately passeEarle th Aberdeenf so o dt portioa d an f , no the castle was inhabited as a farmhouse until well into the last century. In 1929 the ruins were handed over by the Earl of Haddo to the custody of the Ancient Monuments Department of His Majesty's Office of Works. Mr J. C. M. Ogilvie Forbes of Boyndlie has in his possession the original manuscript of Matthew Lumsden's Description of the Genealogie Housee th of f Forbes,o s continuea d dow o 166nt Willia7y b m Forbef o s

Reg. Privy Council, vol. iii. p. 401. Ibid., vol. iv. p. 356. Ibid., pp. 493-4; cf. p. 576. 1 2 3

4 Davidson, op. tit., p. 15. The date is given as 17th February 1596 by A. and H. Tayler, The House of Forbes, . 396p . 6 Davidson. . cit.,17 op , . p 258 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , APRIL 11, 1938.

Leslie. That this Boyndlie manuscrip Forbes's ti s original draf clearls i t y shown by the fact that it contains at the end of it a number of memoranda d jottingan s about further matters which Forbes wishe o cleat d p u r wit hviea makinwo t treatise gth e still more completemose th r t Fo . part these memoranda are concerned with minute details of local e heagenealogy e followinth f the o dth t a ms i t bu g; surprising state- ment: "Nota the renowned Navigatour Martine Forbisher is descended of the house of Tolquhone but tyme hath worne out the knowledge of his parents."

The authorities upon Sir Martin Frobisher know nothing about this alleged Scottish descent t I woul. e extremelb d y interesting were confirmatio forthcominge b o t t i f no .

II. To the March 1925 issue of the Aberdeen University Review I contri- bute dfula l descriptive surve thf yo e ruin thein si r then conditions i t I . sufficient, therefore, in the present paper to resume the main features of the castle, and to describe in greater fulness the new details revealed e course operationth th f n i eo e Ancienth s carriey b tt Monumentdou s Department. Wherea se contemporarmosth f o t y mansion Aberdeenshirn i s e were built upon one of the numerous varieties of the tower-house plan, William Forbes chos ereco et s "nehi t w warke desig th rectangulaa f n no o " r block enclosing a court, Preston's Tower being incorporated into the north-eas t e additionsanglth f o e . This courtyard (see plan t enda s , ) e measurecentre nortth 13 th feet 0 figs, f n 5 hI eo 12 fee8 ..y 6 sb t front (figs. 3, 4) is the gatehouse (fig. 5) which, with its arched portal, flanke y sturdb d y drum-towers with heavily grated windowsd an , enriched with moulded stringcourses, grotesque figurines, fanciful gun- loops, and coats-of-arms, has an unusual and somewhat imposing effect. The gatehouse is dated 1586. It is balanced on the east side by Preston's othee th Towern r o rounsid a d y eb an , d towe salien) r10 , (figs6 t , fro3 . m north-wese th t e castleanglth f eo . This round tower corresponda o t s square tower (fig. 7) projected at the south-eastern angle—the whole arrangement thus forming a remarkable and very well thought-out application a courtyar o t , d e so-callecastleth f o , d Z-plan n whici , h angle towers are echeloned at each of two diagonally opposite corners maie oth f n building. Besid gatehouse eth panea s ei l wit followine hth g

260 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 11, 1938.

finelt cu inscription:—Ay L • THIS • WARKE EXCEP-THE-AULD- TOUR -WA SBEGU• WILLIA• E NB • M FORBE• APRILE• 5 1 S • • 1584 • AND • ENDIT • BE • HIM • 20 • OCTOBER • 1589. The principal apartments occupy the south side of the quadrangle and take the form of a long building with a "jam" or staircase wing attached basemente th n I . , whic vaulteds hi kitchee th three d ar n,an e cellars, wit servico htw e maie stairth no st floor above. Midwa thin yi s win a groun d staircase tower ) project(figs8 , 7 . s upo e courtyardnth ,

- *-'

[Photo, D. L. Heiid. Pig. 5. Tolquhon Castle: view of Gatehouse. and contain basemens it n si stona t e shel dishesr fo f , conveniently placed service foth r e windo kitchene th mai e wn i Th n. entranc "jame th n ei " is a fine arched portal, and within a spacious scale-and-platt stair, mounting ove a vaulter d guardroom, gives e accesfirsth t o t sfloor . Her a-handsoms ei well-lid ean t hall, measurin feet9 1 fee 7 ,y g 3 b wit t h a sandstone pavement of hexagonal flags interlocking with smaller squares. Beyond the hall is the solar or private room, off which opens a small oratory. Access to the upper storey is obtained by a wheel stair in the drum tower, which above the eaves level is corbelled out into a picturesque corbie-stepped cap-house. There is a secret chamber, perhaps a "lug," forming an entresol in the end wall of the private room, and reache a hatc y db h fro e floomth r above. Ove e maith r n stair landing in the "jam" are two storeys of living rooms, served by a small wheel stair.

TOLQUHON CASTLE AND ITS BUILDER. 263 This main portion of the castle forms a building by itself, and was constructed as a unit. It is structurally separate from the east wing,

..

f'-,'JK- '.v ' '' •"*•;•'•* ' '-**

[Photo, D. L, Hedd. Pig. 8. Tolquhon Castle: Tower in Courtyard. and the west wing was later built on to the "jam"—as appears from a well-marked joint wese storeyso Th tw t . f wino ,s gi containin e th n gi basement vaulted cellars and a brew house, and on the first floor a spacious gallery, measurin roune th feet4 n d1 I fee7 towe.y g5 b t t a r 264 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F SO , APRI , 1938L11 .

the north-west corner are a vaulted cellar and two bedrooms, the lower one vaulteduppee beinth e d on r gan , reache smala y db l turret stair. The north or gatehouse wing again forms a structural unit, set in between Preston' se wes Toweth s datei td t i wing dan rs midwaA . y in the building period, it was probably erected next after the south or laterao maitw ne l wingth "wing d an ,s completed las allf o t : althougt hi is equally clear that the "whole castle forms one design, and was so con- templated from the outset. The north wing contains in its basement e tranc th d guardhousean e e uppeth l vaultedn al sro flood n a an r, extensio gallerye th f no , with alcove e druth mn si towers. e easTh t wing, whic s greatlhi t beeno nys vaultedruineha d an d , appear o havt s e provided e basemenofficeth n i sd guests an t ' rooms bakehousee th s souts i above it d t hen A ,. witovensquare o th h tw n si e uppeo towertw re th storey, f whico s h were bedrooms, reachea y b d turret stair. Through a hatch in the floor of the lower bedroom a small "pit prisor "o reacheds ni , behin ovense dth . The only other e nortcastlth f Scotlann ho i e dl closel al tha t a ty resembles Tolquhon Castl Boynes ei , near Portsoy. Her symmetricae eth l quadrangular lay-out, not being impeded by an older tower, is carried out with even greater konsequenz than at Tolquhon.1 Somewhat similar accommodation, though on a less symmetrical design, is provided by the

"palace t Dunnottara " : whil e neweth e r buildin f Edzelo g l Castle 3

alss pointoha f resemblancso Tolquhono et 2 . Betwee housd ol f e o nth Schivas e ,paris alsth n f oe Tarvesi southo th d h an win, f Tolquhongo , e resemblancth e details th closeo pla n es i d s ni ,an ornate , sucth s ha e gunloops preciselo s e ar , y similar, s hardlthai t i t y possibl o doubt e t they are both the work of the same master mason.4 An interesting feature about Tolquhon Castle is the large outer court (see plan, fig. 14), wit ha fore-gat e d "laich-bigging,(figan ) .9 " including a dovecot at the north-east corner. On the west side of this there still exists an ample pleasance .(see plan, fig. 14, and illustration, fig. 10) showing a cruciform arrangement of trees in two broad inter- secting avenues of sombre old hollies and yews. If this lay-out is also due to the seventh laird, we are still more impressed by his advanced ideas. Connected with the pleasance are a curious series of twelve small recesses, probably for skeps, in the forecourt wall (fig. 10). Similar precincprovisioe seee th b n ni y tn ma wal t Pluscardea l n Prioryn i d an ,

descriptioy m e 1Se Boynf no e Castl Trans.n ei Banff Field Club, Oct. 1931 . 69-81pp , .

2 See my Dunnottar Castle, 3rd ed., pp. 41-8.

3 See my paper in Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. Ixv. p. 133. Se1 e description of Schivas by Mr J. Fenton Wyness, F.S.A.Scot., in Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. Ixiii. . 384-91pp ; also Country Life, vol. Ixxxiv. 216. No ,5 (Jul , 1938)y16 . 68-9 pp , .

266 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , APRI , 193811 L .

one of the old walls in the policies of Hatton Castle, near Turriff. All round the castle are the survivors of fine old beech and ash trees. The state of these ancient policies, before the castle was taken over by His Majesty's Commissioner e besf Worksb o s ty recallema , a passag n i d e

[Photo, D. L. MeM. Fig. 10. Tolquhon Castle: view in pleasance, looking towards North-West Tower. from the third chapter of Kenilworth, which is so apt in every particular that it might well have been written about Tolquhon:— '' Theavenun a yn i stooew overshadowedno sucy treeb d hol s a s we have described whicd d an bee, hha n bordere time higy on eb t hda hollyd t thesean Bu hedgew . , ye havin f o s g been untrimme r mandfo y years, had run up into great bushes, or rather dwarf trees, and now encroached, with their dar melanchold kan y boughs, upo roae nth d which they once had screened. The avenue itself was grown up with grass, and, in one or two places, interrupted by piles of withered brushwood, whic d beeha hn lopped fro e tree e neighbourint mth dowth cu s n i n g park, and was here stacked for drying. Formal walks and avenues, which t differena , t points, 'crossed this principal approach, were, likn i e manner, choked up and interrupted by piles of brushwood and billets, and in other places by underwood and brambles. Besides the general effec f desolatioo t n whic stronglo s s hi y impressed, wheneve behole w r d the contrivances of man wasted and obliterated by neglect, and witness e marks.oth f social life effaced graduall e influencth y yb vegetationf o e , the size of the trees and the outspreading extent of their boughs, diffused glooa m ovehigheste scenee th th rt mad d a ,s an , eveewa nn whesu e nth proportionata e impressio mine th thosf visitedo o n n o ewh d it." TOLQUHON S BUILDERCASTLIT D AN E . 267

The principal discoveries that have been made, during the conserva- tion proceedings connectionn i e ar , with clearin t Preston'gou s Tower. Above its basement only the two outer walls remain, and these in a greatly ruined stateinterioe Th . r wall falled ha s n inte courd oth an t fille t witdi hmasa ruinf so . Preston's Tower measure fee0 s4 inche6 t s grounat feet29 and ,d by leve feewall7 inchethe 6 lt sare s thickOn . s north-wesit t corner three corbel machicolatea f o s d "round r angl"o e turret still exist, at a height of 45 feet above ground. The masonry of the "Auld Tour" is much more massive than that of the later buildings, being composed of larger boulders with fewer pinnings. A vaulted cellar occupie singla y b basemente t sth loopholli s norte i th d n han ,eo and west faces. The entrance, defended by outer and inner doors, is in the south wall. Although the upper part has now disappeared, voussoirs lying ami ruine dth s show tha t terminateti pointea n di d arch having a hood-mould, bevelled above and hollowed underneath, resting on plain stop carves f whico s wa wese e dhth on witt hrosettea . This detail is quite in keeping with a date about the end of the fourteenth century. Midwa e eas th e entranc t n th yi sid f o e e passag a straighe t mura e firsl e westh staite hal th n floorth to rl n walI o leadt . p l u s ther bees eha nservica e stair, descendin ghale fro th screene lf mo th d sen as a vice and finishing with three straight steps down into the cellar, the lowest being at a height of 9 inches above the floor. This arrangement is very unusual. The hall is now greatly ruined. At its northern or dais end is a large fireplace, 7 feet wide, with jambs showing a filleted and quirked edge roll between hollows. The hall was lit by a large window on either hand, with seat thein si r ingoings wese th : t windo blockes wwa d when the gatehouse wing was built. In the north-east corner is an aumbry. The main stair enters the hall at the south-east corner, and here also is placed the garderobe. In connection with William Porbes's additions a door was slapped through so as to give access to the east wing. clearinn I g awa e falleyth n stones which encumbere e towerdth n a , exceedingly fine heraldic stone was discovered (fig. 11). It displays in bold relief a shield of heater pattern bearing arms, a cross-crosslet fitchee for Leith between three bear's heads muzzle d coupedan r Forbesdfo , surmounted by a tilting helmet, mantled and having a bear's head as a crest. William Porbes, the fifth laird, who succeeded in 1509, married daughtea Leitf o r dextee Barnesf ho th n O r spandre. carves li hign di h relie symboa f l resemblin earln ga y for f arabimo c numeral four. This e firsth tf o piece e ston f medievaon so s ei l heraldic sculpture remaining in the north of Scotland. Close sout Preston'f ho s Towe e castlth r e weldiscovereds wa l s i t I . 268 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 11, 1938.

5 feet in diameter and 19 feet deep, cradled in rubble. The well is inconvenientl e easterdooryo th nea tw n i so n t r wing, than whics i t hi probably older. Remova e fallee ruinsth th f f no o l Preston's Towe s enableha r da complet eease plath t f madene wino b o gt . s middlIt e compartmen e basementh n i t t contains a vat, with a drain to the outside. The gutter which runs roun e neweth d r building t continueno s si d round Preston's Tower e wallth , whicf o s buile har t upona foundatio bouldersf no . northe Botth t ha - west and south-east corners of the tower, tusks of the early barmkin wall still remain, and portions of this wall seem to be embodied e preseninth t oute re eas walth tf o lwing . The courtyard is neatly cobbled (see fig. 8). The work of consolidation disclosed a number of interesting features in the sixteenth-century buildings, notabl ya fin e carved pendan wese th tn i windot e th f wo hall. It retains a slender iron ring which

FigHeraldi1 1 . c Stone found amon gbird a g e f hangin r fo d

ruins of the " Auld Tour. " h J •,.-,-, cage. Amon e miscellaneouth g s carved fragments that have bee pieceo n fountw e s ar showind g that thers eha bee nsecona d roya e gatehouselth coat-of-armsn o e on . e wels th a ,s a l Probably this other one was on Preston's Tower. One of the lamentable results of the dilapidation that overtook Tolquhon Castle durin -lase gth t centur s bee e disappearancyha nth f eo its painted ceilings. People still living remember their last mouldering traces thal knowAl s i t . thef no mthas i joiste th t chiee somn si th f feo rooms were covered with scripture texts.1 No doubt they were similar in characte thoso rt e which still char t Crathea ms u Delgatyd san e Th . total destructio thesf no e painting regrettedmore e b th o s est i , because we may be sure that so cultured and imaginative a bauherr as our old laird would have finishe s ceilinghi d s with decoration f uncommoo s n interest. e coursth f theirn I eo , operation policiesd ol tidyinn e i se th th , p gu Commissioners of Works have formed a lovely lakelet on the south- east side, where formerly was an ugsome swamp, and have planted diver ruinee th s f flower o ds banks t it " n laich-bigging,Ou so . e th n o " 1 Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., . vol343p . ..ii scale In lee t

-"..., j ....?,,. .?. . . ."ft ..,?.,. .¥. . . .I5. . . ff. ,:&.,, ??...... fP. .. ground floor plan

inscription SHE AiElPEENSMI

. PigTolquho12 . n Castle: Pla Basementf no . 270 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , APRI , 193811 L .

eas e forecourtt th sid f o e a charmin, g little keeper's cottag s beeeha n fashioned l thesal r e Fo doingAnciene . th f so t Monuments Department o highto e . b o praisn Thun ca e s carefully tende d shieldean d d from all further dilapidation, the Castle of Tolquhon has become one of the most delightful, as it is certainly one of the most interesting, baronial ruin n Aberdeenshirei s . Onl ya decen t roa f approaco d s necessarhi y s foattractionit r o becomt s e fully know e lovero picturesqunt th f o s e and admirers of our national heritage in architecture. particularlm a I y indebte Davir admirable M . Medth o dL dt r dfo e series of measured drawings and photographs which he has prepared for this paper. .The views of the castle by Giles are reproduced by courtesy Councie o th fThire th f do l Spalding Club.

ADDITIONAL NOTE. Sinc e foregoin th en type i t anothes ye , wa g r volume belongino gt the erudite old laird has turned up in Aberdeen University Library. It is De Scripturae Sanctae Authoritate, Certitudine, Firmitate et Abso- luta Perfectione . Heinrychi . . Bullingeri Libri duo, addresseo t d Henry VIII, quarto, Zurich, 1538. On the title page is the signature Willeame forbes f tolquhone,o d alsan o (twice repeated ) earlien thaa f o t r owner, Alexander Arbuthnot, Principal of King's College, 1569-83. The two volumes belonging to the late Miss Fyers have now been acquired by Aberdeen University Library.' sea f lfee o e l first floor plan CASTLIE A1E1DEENSMIIRE

. PigTolquho13 . u Castle: Pla Maif no n Floor. fields

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TOlLfllUlHION CASTLE ABEIDEENSEttffiE

Pig . Tolquho14 . n Castle: General Plan, showing Lay-ou f Pleasanceto .