Spynie Palace
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Spynie Palace
| Location | Spynie, Nr Elgin, Moray, Scotland 57.68N 3.29W |
|---|---|
| Established | 1st c1150 2nd c |
| Last occupied | 1689 |
| Construction | 1st wood 2nd stone - tower with curtain wall |
| Built by | Bishop of Moray |
| Owner | Historic Scotland |
| Entry Fee | Yes |
Spynie Palace, also known as Spynie Castle was the fortified seat of the Bishops of Moray for about 500 years. The founding of the palace dates back to the late 12th Century.
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[edit] Background
The beginnings of the Bishopric of Moray are unclear. The first mention of a bishop was Gregoir in the 1120’s when his name appeared on several royal charters. The early Bishops of Moray had no fixed abode but moved between houses at Birnie, Kinneddar and Spynie. In 1172, King William I, the Lion, made grants to the church of the Holy Trinity of the bishopric of Moray and to Bishop Simon (of Tosny) however formal permission for the Spynie cathedral was only given by Pope Innocent III in April 1206. Although the seat was transferred to the Church of the Holy trinity in Elgin on 19 July 1224 by Bishop Andrew of Moray, his main residence was to remain at Spynie.
[edit] The fortified residence
[edit] The 12th and 13th century castle
The first castle was a wooden structure built in the late 12th century and was revealed in excavations carried out between 1986 and 1994. The excavated evidence suggest that the buildings were surrounded by a rectangilar ringwork and ditch which seem to have enclosed an area of roughly the same as the 14th century curtain wall,ie, an enclosure of 45 - 65m and is large even by medieval ringworks found elsewhere in Britain. It is likely that the buildings would have consisted of the bishop's house with a hall, a bed chamber and a chapel. It would also have a brewhouse and a bakehouse[1] The stone buildings first appeared in the 13th Century with the establishment of what was thought to have been a chapel which had coloured glass windows.
[edit] The 14th and early 15th centuries
The remaining wooden buildings were gradually replaced with stone and this continued through into the 14th century when the first main castle building was built. This was a near square structure built within a 7 meter high curtain wall. The main entrance in the wall faced to the south and a tower that projected from the South-East corner had narrow openings for archers.
[edit] The later 15th and 16th centuries
Bishop John of Winchester (1435 - 60) was responsible for moving the main gate to the east wall which contained a strong portcullis. The architectural detail of the upper section of the gate remain and show the gatekeeper's room complete with small fireplace. John, as well as being the Bishop of Moray, was also the king's Master of Works and had been responsible for alterations to the castles at Inverness and Urquhart as well as the palace at Linlithgow.
The most significant buildings were established in the later 15th century through into the 16th century when David’s Tower (also known as Davey’s Tower) was built along with other substantial accommodation areas. The tower is the largest by volume of all medieval Scottish towers measuring 19m by 13.5m and 22m in height and was started by Bishop David Stewart (1462 – 76) and completed by Bishop William Tulloch (1477 – 82). It has 5 storeys above ground with a a garret on the top. Below ground is a vaulted basement which is approximately 1.5m below the level of the courtyard. The tower is plain and practically devoid of archetectural detail and the external walls were originally rendered while the internal walls were plastered. At the NE corner was a spiral staircase which led to the upper floors. Each of these floors were similar in design with a single large room and smaller chambers leading off it.
Stewart was also responsible for converting the old hall in the west range to kitchens to service the tower. It was said that the building of the tower was a reaction to intimidation from the Earl of Huntly whom Stewart had excommunicated for failing to pay his taxes [2] Bishop Patrick Hepburn (1538 – 73) altered aspects of the tower. Hepburn, who was the last Roman Catholic bishop at Spynie, installed wide-mouth gun-loops to boost the castle defences and continued to live at Spynie for a period after the Reformation.
On 29 July 1587, King James VI gave the castle and estate to Alexander Lindsay, first Lord Spynie and remained in his hands until he surrendered them back to the Crown in December 1605. During this period in 1595, Spynie was one of the castles that had additional fortification installed as protection against a perceived threat from the Spaniards.
[edit] The 17th century
John Guthrie, who was a well known royalist, ceased to be the bishop in 1638 when he was deposed by the general assembly. He refused to subscribe to the Covenant and prepared the castle for a siege which duly arrived in 1640 in the form of Covenanter Col. Sir Robert Munro and his 800 men from the Clan Munro. Guthrie surrendered on 16 July and the castle was disarmed, however he was allowed, together with his wife and servants, to stay within the castle. Although under house arrest, Guthrie was forced to pay for the upkeep of the garrison. In September of 1640, Gutherie on rather dubious accusations was imprisoned in Aberdeen. The castle was then granted to the Earl of Moray by King Charles I. Elgin and surrouding areas were staunchly anti-Royalist[3] and after his victory against the Covenanters at Auldearn on 9 May 1645, James Graham, Marquis of Montrose turned his attention towards Elgin. The Laird of Innes and Grant of Ballindalloch and some burgesses from Elgin prepared the castle for a siege. Montrose occupied Elgin and burned the homes of leading Covenanter supporters in the town and the farmyard buildings belonging to Spynie but did not attempt to take the castle. Spynie had become the centre for the Covenaters in the area and this fact had not gone un-noticed with the Royalists. The Marquis of Huntly laid siege to the castle in late 1645 leaving Lord Lewis Gordon in charge but the castle's defences held it was relieved by John Middleton, the future Earl of Middleton.
Following the restoration of the Episcopy to the Scottish Church in 1662 ownership of the castle passed back to the church, but it was starting to fall into decay. Parliament granted Bishop Murdo MacKenzie £1000 for repairs and this sustained the building up to 1689 when the last occupant, Bishop William Hay was expelled after refusing to take an oath of allegiance to King William and Queen Mary. The palace passed into the hands of the Crown and the fine iron work and wood carvings removed. Local people plundered the walls for stonework for building works until the early 19th century when the Crown stopped the quarrying and instituted a maintenance policy.
[edit] The Pre-reformation Bishops of Moray
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[edit] The Protestant Bishops of Moray
- George Douglas (1573 - 1589)
- Alexander Douglas (1602 - 1623)
- John Guthrie (1623 - 1638)
- Murdo Mackenzie (1662 - 1677)
- James Aitken (1677 - 1680)
- Colin Falconer (1680 - 1686)
- Alexander Rose (1687 - 1688)
- William Hay (1688 - 1707)
[edit] Royal visitors
- David II on 5 January 1362; 28 November 1362
- Robert II on 7 October 1371
- James I more than once between 1428 and 1429
- James II on 9 February 1456; July 1457
- James IV on 22 November 1493; 12 October 1505
- Mary Queen of Scots on 17 - 19 September 1562
- James VI on 12 – 13 July 1589; 25 July 1589
[edit] References
- ^ Lewis, Pringle: Spynie Palace and the Bishops of Moray, 2002
- ^ Rhind, W: Sketches of the Past and Present State of Moray, 1839
- ^ Simpson, W. Douglas: The Palace of the Bishops of Moray at Spynie, 1927
[edit] External links
- Spynie Palace - site information from Historic Scotland
- Mysterious Britain: Spynie Palace
- Mary, Queen of Scots website
- Undiscovered Scotland Feature Page on Spynie Palace
Images: Bishop's Palace Ruins:[1],[2],[3]
Bishop's Church:[4]
![[1]](http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/elgin/spynie/images/seview.jpg){kind=link}
![[2]](http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/majorsites/images2/spynie1.jpg){kind=link}
![[3]](http://www.phouka.com/travel/castles/spynie/spynie15.jpg){kind=link}
![[4]](http://www.headstones.fsnet.co.uk/spynie1.jpg){kind=link}