Dunnottar Castle in Aberdeenshire was once a thriving fortress and Royal residence, but it fell into ruin after its owner became involved in the Jacobite rebellion
A clifftop castle in Scotland, pivotal to the nation’s extensive history, began its descent into ruin in the 1720s when its owner got entangled in the Jacobite rebellion.
Perched near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire is the cliffside fortress of Dunnotar Castle. Despite being in ruins now, it was once a grand and invincible edifice.
The remnants that are visible and accessible today date back to the 15th and 16th centuries. However, the site was initially fortified much earlier, with a chapel established on the premises in the 5th century, allegedly by St Ninian.
It remains uncertain exactly when this chapel was fortified, but two sieges were documented in the Annals of Ulster, occurring in 681 and 694, respectively.
Under the rule of King William I of Scotland, Dunnotar emerged as the administrative hub for the Mearns region. Around the same time, the castle featured in the Arthurian romance Roman de Fergus, where the protagonist must retrieve a magical shield from Dunnotar.
Dunnotar eventually fell under English control until William Wallace seized it in 1297 during the Scottish War of Independence. It is believed that he held 4,000 prisoners in the castle before burning them alive in the church.
After the war of independence, the castle started to crumble until 1336, when King Edward III of England commanded its restoration and fortification to serve as a supply base for his Northern campaigns backing Edward Balliol’s claim to the Scottish throne.
By around 1359, William Keith had taken possession of the castle following his marriage to Margaret Fraser, Robert the Bruce’s niece. Keith then finished building the tower house at Dunnottar but was excommunicated by the Pope for constructing on sacred ground without church approval.
This excommunication was eventually lifted in 1395, and the Keith family continued to inhabit Dunnottar until the 18th century.
Throughout these years, the castle played host to several Royal guests, including Mary, Queen of Scots, and James VI of Scotland and I of England.
During the English Civil War, the Keiths initially backed the Covenanters, but later turned Royalists and after the execution of King Charles I, they were among the Scots who pledged allegiance to his son Charles II.
Charles II even paid a visit to Dunnottar in July 1650, and his presence in Scotland spurred Oliver Cromwell to initiate an invasion into the country. During this period, the Scottish Crown Jewels, known as the Honours of Scotland, were safeguarded at the Castle.
In 1715, George Keith, the 10th Earl Marischal, was a pivotal figure in the Jacobite rebellion, which sought to dethrone King George I and install James Edward Stuart, historically known as the Old Pretender, on the British throne.
After the Keith family’s involvement in this scheme, they were compelled to surrender their lands and titles, leading to the castle’s gradual decay. Despite numerous conservation efforts, these came just a tad too late to fully rescue Dunnottar.
