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Dunnottar Castle has the most impressive
location of any castle in Scotland. Surrounded on
three sides by sheer cliffs , the castle was
virtually impregnable . The tower house was built
at the end of the 14th century by Sir William Keith
, Great Marischal of Scotland. Other buildings were
added later on by the fifth Earl Marischal,
including a retainers' barracks, a chapel, priest's
house , stables and a graveyard . William Wallace
captured the castle during the Wars of
Independence. English troops occupied a stockade on
the rock in 1297, but it was captured by William
Wallace, who burned the church and the English
garrison inside. Later on , at the start of the
14th century , English soldiers recaptured the rock
which was burned in 1336. David II then gave the
rock to William, Earl of Sutherland, so he could
build a castle.
Dunnottar came into the possession of Sir
William Keith-Marischal at the end of the 14th
century. He soon began construction of a fortalice
, the keep and other early structures that still
exist. William was excommunicated by the Bishop of
St. Andrews for building a castle on "sacred soil",
and later reinstated for a price. Over the years
Dunnottar became a major Scottish stronghold. King
James IV was lavishly entertained there in 1504.
Queen Mary visited after the battle of Corrichie in
1562, and again in 1564. James VI stayed at the
castle on several occasions, and held a Privy
Council there. King Charles II stayed at Dunnottar
several times, during wars with England, and
deposited the regalia of Scotland for safe keeping.
John Keith, youngest son of the Earl, became
responsible for these items as Cromwell's English
neared the rock. They were smuggled out of the
castle hidden in the skirts of a female visitor to
the castrle ans hiden under the bed of a local
minister . In May of 1652, Dunnottar, under siege,
remained the last of Scotland's strongholds still
flying the flag. John Keith was generouslyy
rewarded by King Charles .
Dunnottar was also notorious
from its use as a state prison. In 1685 it housed
167 men and women kept in a dark cellar. located
under the Earl's bedrooms, was later called the
"Whig's Vault". A memorial to the dead (later
erected in the courtyard) is . Other prisoners
included a James Keith who escaped (in 1629).
Accused Jacobites from Aberdeen of the late 1600's,
such as George Liddel, professor of Mathematics
from Marischal College, were brought to Dunnottar's
dungeons. It all ended after the Stewart failure in
1716. The York Buildings Company bought the
castle and stripped it , and sold its roofs, floors
and everything of value inside it . The 9th Earl
Marischal regained possession of the castle , he
never visited it or made any attempt to rebuild it
.In 1766 Alexander Keith bought it but did nothing
with the buildings. In 1925 some restoration was
arranged by Lady Cowdray. The castle is is a ruin ,
albeit a spectacular one .
Eilean Donan means Island on Donan.Eilean
Donan was Clan MacKenzie's most important
stronghold from the 13th Century until it was
destroyed in 1719. Robert the Bruce was given
refuge in Eilean Donan Castle by John MacKenzie,
Second of Kintail when he was being hunted by the
English at the beginning of the fourteenth
century.
Eilean Donan Castle was built in 1220 and
owned by the MacKenzies of Kintail. In 1719 it was
held by Spanish Jacobites supporting Bonnie Prince
Charlie . Three English frigates sailed down the
loch , attacked the castle and left it in ruins. In
1911 John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the castle and
made plans to rebuild it . It took twenty years and
a quarter of a million pounds to complete the task
. Local materials were used when possible including
slate from local quarries . The castle is next to
the village of Dornie and about 8 miles from the
Kyle of Lochalsh and the bridge to the Isle of Skye
. The castle is open most of the year and it is run
by the Conchra Charitable Trust . The castle has
been used in many films including James Bond and
Highlander .
Linlithgow Palace overlooks Linlithgow
Loch . In the summer the loch is busy with boats ,
windsurfers and anglers . It is possible to walk
all the way around the loch . On the south side of
the loch there is a wildlife reserve and a flock of
swans lives on the loch . The Palace was the home
of the Stewart kings of Scotland and Mary Queen of
Scots was born in the Palace .
King David II held court in the Palace in
1343 and in later years. The Royal House of Stewart
started its long association with the palace at the
start of the 15th century.In 1424 fire destroyed
most of Linlithgow and King James I ordered repairs
on the palace. The gateway on the east wall still
exists The King was murdered at Perth in 1437 and
his son became King James II when he was just was
seven years old .He was not very interested in the
Palace and did not stay there very much. However
King James III used the palace a lot more. In 1469
he married Margaret, the daughter of Christian I of
Denmark, and her marriage settlement included
Linlithgow Palace and Doune Castle.
King James IV acceded to the throne in 1488 when
he was 15 and he started work to convert the palace
into a suitable royal residence. The west range was
completed with a suite of royal apartments for the
king and queen. Clearstorey windows were installed
in the great hall along with a new roof.The
kitchens and brewhouse were renovated.In 1503 the
king married Margaret Tudor,daughter of King Henry
VII of England. In 1513 the king fell at Flodden.
King James V was born at Linlithgow Palace in 1512.
By 1528 he had assumed control of his kingdom. In
1532 work started to move the main entrance to the
palace to the south side and outer gateway was
built.James V married Mary of Guise-Lorraine in
1537.She is said to have likened the Palace to the
finest chateaux in France. In 1542 the king's army
was routed at the Battle of Solway Moss and the
king fled to Falkland where he died only six days
after the birth of his daughter , Mary, at the
Palace.
Edinburgh Castle is one of the most
famous castles in the world and one of the UK's
most popular tourist attractions .The castle
dominates the city centre skyline and overlooks
Princes Street. Each day a cannon Mons Meg is fired
at one o'clock. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes
place on the castle Esplanade each year. Here Mary
Queen of Scots gave birth to a son James who became
King James VI of Scotland and James first of
England. On St Andrews Day 1996 the Stone of
Destiny was returned to Scotland and a resting
place in the Crown Room in the Palace at Edinburgh
Castle. For 400 years the Stone was the seat on
which Scottish Kings were crowned until its removal
to Westminster Abbey in 1296 . For nearly 700 years
the kings of England and Great Britain were crowned
on the Stone.
written by David Rankin contact
David
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