Durris Castle | |
---|---|
Aberdeenshire, Scotland | |
Coordinates | 57°03′43″N2°21′54″W / 57.0619°N 2.36495°W Coordinates: 57°03′43″N2°21′54″W / 57.0619°N 2.36495°W |
Site information | |
Open to the public | Unknown |
Condition | Ruin |
Site history | |
Demolished | 17th century |
Durris Castle or the House of Dores was an early royal residence on the southern bank of the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The castle controlled the northern end of the Crynes Corse Mounth trackway.
Dating from at least the 13th century, the castle, a motte and bailey, was occupied by Alexander III and is mentioned in the Chamberlain Rolls of the time as the subject of repairs. King Edward I of England stayed one night in 1296 at the castle, during his invasion of Scotland. Durris was granted to the Fraser family by King Robert I of Scotland and created into a barony by King David II of Scotland. [1]
It was burned by the Marquis of Montrose in 1645 and not rebuilt.
No remains of the castle exist today, but the 7-metre-high conical knoll on which it stood retains the name Castle Hill. The hill has a flattened summit measuring 41 metres by 30 metres, and its sides may have been artificially steepened. Evidence remains on the western side of the site of a 2.6 metre ditch, possibly a moat.
Clan MacDuff or Clan Duff is a Lowland Scottish clan. The clan does not currently have a chief and is therefore considered an Armigerous clan, which is registered with the Lyon Court. The early chiefs of Clan MacDuff were the original Earls of Fife, although this title went to the Stewarts of Albany in the late fourteenth century. The title returned to the MacDuff chief when William Duff was made Earl Fife in 1759. His descendant Alexander Duff was made Duke of Fife in 1889.
Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald, is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, who is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of coats of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, recognizes under Scottish law the High Chief of Clan Donald. Historically the chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles until 1493 and two of those chiefs also held the title of Earl of Ross until 1476.
Clan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan is the powerful Earl of Huntly, and now also the Marquess of Huntly. During the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 13th century, the Gordons supported William Wallace in the cause of independence. In the 15th century, the chiefship of the clan passed to an heiress, who married into the Seton family and her male descendants assumed the surname Gordon and continued as chiefs of the clan. The Gordons assisted in defeating the rebellion of the Earl of Douglas also in the 15th century. In the 16th century, the Gordons as Catholics feuded with their Protestant neighbors the Clan Forbes and also defeated at the Battle of Glenlivet, the Protestant Earl of Argyll. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of the 17th century, the Gordons supported the Royalist cause. During the Jacobite rising of 1715 the Clan Gordon was Jacobite. During the Jacobite rising of 1745, their chief, then the Duke of Gordon, pledged his support to the British-Hanoverian Government, but his clan remained Jacobite.
Clan Gunn is a Highland Scottish clan associated with lands in northeastern Scotland, including Caithness, Sutherland and, arguably, the Orkney Isles. Clan Gunn is one of the oldest Scottish Clans, being descended from the Norse Jarls of Orkney and the Pictish Mormaers of Caithness.
Clan Fraser is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. It is not to be confused with the Clan Fraser of Lovat who are a separate Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Both clans have their own separate chief, both of whom are officially recognized by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.
Clan Borthwick is a Scottish clan.
Clan Boyd is a Lowland Scottish clan and is recognized as such by the Lord Lyon King of Arms.
Clan Murray is a Highland Scottish clan. The chief of the Clan Murray holds the title of Duke of Atholl. Their ancestors who established the family in Scotland in the 12th century were the Morays of Bothwell. In the 16th century descendants of the Morays of Bothwell, the Murrays of Tullibardine, secured the chiefship of the clan and were created Earls of Tullibardine in 1606. The first Earl of Tullibardine married the heiress to the Stewart earldom of Atholl and Atholl therefore became a Murray earldom in 1626. The Murray Earl of Atholl was created Marquess of Atholl in 1676 and in 1703 it became a dukedom. The marquess of Tullibardine title has continued as a subsidiary title, being bestowed on elder sons of the chief until they succeed him as Duke of Atholl.
Clan Leslie is a Lowland Scottish clan. The progenitor of the Clan, Bartolf, was a nobleman from Hungary, who came to Scotland in 1067. He built a castle at Lesselyn, from which the clan name derives.
Clan Crichton is a Lowland Scottish clan.
Dunscaith Castle also known as Dun Scaich, Dun Sgathaich Castle and Tokavaig, is a ruined castle on the coast of the Isle of Skye, in the north-west of Scotland. It is located in the Parish of Sleat, in the Highland council area, and in the former county of Inverness-shire, at grid reference NG595120. Also called "Fortress of Shadows", it is named after and was the home of the warrior maiden Scáthach. It is protected as a scheduled monument.
Inverlochy Castle is a ruined, 13th-century castle near Inverlochy and Fort William, Highland, Scotland. The site of two battles, the castle remains largely unchanged since its construction. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.
Clan Stewart is a Scottish Highland and Lowland clan. The clan is recognised by Court of the Lord Lyon; however, it does not have a Clan Chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Because the clan has no chief it can be considered an armigerous clan; however, the Earls of Galloway are now considered to be the principal branch of this clan, and the crest and motto of The Earls of Galloway's arms are used in the Clan Stewart crest badge. The Court of the Lord Lyon recognises two other Stewart/Stuart clans, Clan Stuart of Bute and Clan Stewart of Appin. Clan Stuart of Bute is the only one of the three clans at present which has a recognised chief.
The Anglo-Scottish border is a border separating Scotland and England which runs for 96 miles (154 km) between Marshall Meadows Bay on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The surrounding area is sometimes referred to as "the Borderlands".
Alexander Fraser of Touchfraser and Cowie was a member of the Scottish nobility who served as the Lord Chamberlain of Scotland and also as the Sheriff of Stirling and Sheriff of Kincardine. He was a descendant of the Clan Fraser members deriving from Oliver Castle. Alexander died at the Battle of Dupplin Moor.
Clan Forbes is a Highland Scottish clan from Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Kirkton of Durris is a hamlet in the Kincardine and Mearns area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Historic structures in the vicinity include Maryculter House, Durris House and Muchalls Castle.
Fraoch Eilean/Ejlean is a small island situated at the northern end of Loch Awe, a freshwater lake in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is notable for being the site of a medieval royal castle, now ruined, which was given into the keeping of Clan Macnaghten by Alexander III in 1267.
Clan Rutherford or Rutherfurd/Rutherfurd is a Lowland Scottish clan of the Scottish Borders. The clan is officially recognized by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, however as it does not currently have a clan chief that is recognized by the Lord Lyon King of Arms it is therefore considered to be an armigerous clan.
Ardstinchar Castle is a late medieval castle in the west coast of Ayrshire at the mouth of the River Stinchar. It was built by Hugh Kennedy of Ardstinchar in the mid-15th century. In the 1770s, the castle was demolished and the stone was used to build a bridge over the River Stinchar. Only remnants of the castle keep remain to this day. The site is a scheduled monument.