Slains Castle

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Slains Castle

Slains Castle is a ruined castle near Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, overlooking the North Sea.

The huge ruin of New Slains Castle stands perched atop tall, sea-facing cliffs. The castle was constructed around an existing tower house in 1597 by the 9th Earl of Erroll. Significant reconstruction of the castle has been carried out a number of times, lastly in 1837. It was altered in 1664 when a corridor was inserted within the courtyard and again in 1836 it was rebuilt and granite faced. At one time it had three extensive gardens.

1 History
2 Architecture
3 External links
4 References

[edit] History

The Earls of Erroll, the Hay family, were a powerful family in the area for generations and prospered after William George Hay, the 18th Earl of Errol, married the daughter of King William IV. The 9th Hay Earl of Erroll built it after James VI had destroyed his castle at Old Slains at Cruden Bay, after the Hays participated in the rebellion of 1594. But over time misfortunes befell the Hays and in 1916 the castle and contents were put up for sale.

Current Slains Pursuivant, Peter Drummond-Murray of Mastrick, derives his title from Slains Castle

The castle was then sold in 1916 and fell into disrepair in the first quarter of the 20th century, after more than 300 years of occupation by the Errolls. The castle was bought by Sir John Ellerman of the shipping line. He in turn gave it up in 1925 and its roof was removed to avoid paying taxes. That led to the inevitable ruin seen today.

The ruin of a second, older 13th century castle of the same name lies about 6 miles to the south. The older castle, also a family seat of the Errolls, was blown up by James VI as a punishment for their part in the 1597 plot by the Earl of Huntly against him.

The castle was once a major stronghold, occupying a large area. It consisted of a massive 15th century keep, a fragment of which survives, and a courtyard defended by ditches. It was originally a property of the Comyns but passed to the Hay Earls of Erroll early in the 14th century.

In the late 19th century, the 19th Earl of Erroll entertained many celebrities at the castle. It is documented to be Bram Stoker's inspiration for the castle of Count Dracula. In 1948, the Earl of Erroll accorded the title Slains Pursuivant to his newly revived private officer of arms and appointed Michael Maclagan to the position. The current holder of the office, Peter Drummond-Murray of Mastrick is a retired banker and an authority on heraldry.

[edit] Architecture

At first inspection the ruin appears to be a blend of several different architectural styles and periods, due to diverse masonry including older mortared granite, mortared medieval red brick, mortared sandstone and newer well faced granite. In fact most of the architecture seems to derive from a rather cohesive interval 1597 to 1664, which construction is the most expansive and includes the mortared rough granite and medieval brick. The 1836 work adds smoother granite facing that contrasts with the older construction style.

The defensive works of the castle include use of the North Sea cliffs, an abyss to the west that functions as a deep impassable moat and a ruined rampart that would have been the main entrance on the south^[1]. The ruins include reasonably well preserved elements of three and four story structural elements and a basement course over some of the range, especially at the eastern side. There are well preserved basement kitchen works with numerous firepits and masonry indented storage spaces.

The internal doorways are primarily of well preserved wooden lintel construction, with numerous examples of mortared sandstone archways and medieval brickwork archways. The interior of the ground level is a maze of passageways and smaller rooms, reflecting a high state of occupancy in 17th century times.