| Inverugie Castle | |
|---|---|
| Inverugie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland | |
 Inverugie Castle | |
  Inverugie Castle | |
| Coordinates | 57°31′31″N1°49′50″W / 57.5252°N 1.8305°W |
| Type | motte-and-bailey |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | no |
| Condition | ruined |
| Site history | |
| Built | 13th and 17th centuries |
Inverugie Castle or Cheyne's Tower is the ruins of a motte-and-bailey castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is a scheduled ancient monument. [1]
Inverugie Castle is located 2 miles (3.2 km) from Peterhead on the north-east coast. [2] The ruins are a small mound only 3 metres (9.8 ft) high above the River Ugie. [3]
A defensive structure was first built at Inverugie by the Cheyne (Le Chen) family in the 13th or 14th century. [4]
In 1345, at the death of Reginald le Chen, Baron Inverugie, the estate of Inverugie had passed to the Keith Earl Marischals, who had their main seat at the coastal fortress of Dunnottar Castle (via marriage of Edward Keith and the heiress Marjory, daughter of Reginald le Chen and Helen de Strathearn). Around 1660 the Keiths built what is the current, but now ruined, castle, lying south of the original wooden motte. [5]
In the 19th century, an oak heraldry shield was found in a local cottage with the arms of William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal and its date was carved as 1660. [5]
The Keith lands were forfeited after the Jacobite Rebellion and some time after 1745 the Inverugie estate passed from the Keiths to James Ferguson the third Laird of Pitfour who kept the building in a perfect state until he died in 1820. However, the fifth Laird stripped the Castle of all the restoration undertaken and his successor exacerbated the neglect even further. [6]
By 1890, the Castle was in poor condition and was unable to withstand inclement weather. Gales in April 1890 resulted in the collapse of some walls and the stair tower. It was declared unsafe by the Local Authority following further storms on New Years Day 1899. The estate factor, William Ainslie, probably acting under instruction from the Laird at that time, arranged to have much of what was left of the ruins blown up, weakening the remaining structure. Within a fortnight, little remained of the castle. [7]
Charles McKean described the castle as "a splendid double-courtyard Renaissance chateau [consisting] of a four-storey block with circular angle towers and a stair turret". [8]
William Burnes or William Burness (1721 – 1784), the father of Robert Burns the poet, was born at Clochnahill Farm, Dunnottar, and trained as a gardener at Inverugie Castle, before moving to Ayrshire. [9]
Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-eastern coast of Scotland, about 2 miles south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages. Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength.
Clan Keith is a Highland and Lowland Scottish clan, whose Chief historically held the hereditary title of Marischal, then Great Marischal, then Earl Marischal of Scotland.
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement, with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landings by UK vessels, according to a 2019 survey.
Reginald le Chen or Cheyne was the Chamberlain of Scotland from 1267 to 1269. He was the Baron of Inverugie.
Pitsligo Castle is a ruined castle half a mile east of Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Modified in the 1570s by the Forbes of Druminnor, it was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire.
William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal was a Scottish nobleman and politician.
James Ferguson FRSE was a Scottish advocate and Tory politician and the third Laird of Pitfour, a large estate in the Buchan area of north east Scotland, which is known as the 'Blenheim of the North'.
Fedderate Castle is a ruined castle near New Deer in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, dating to around 1474 and built by the Crawford family. It was extended by the family in 1519. A drawbridge and causeway provided access to the castle. The walls are up to 30 feet (9.1 m) tall and 6 feet (1.8 m) thick.
The Pitfour Estate, in the Buchan area of North-East Scotland, was an ancient barony encompassing most of the extensive Longside Parish, stretching from St Fergus to New Pitsligo. It was purchased in 1700 by James Ferguson of Badifurrow, who became the first Laird of Pitfour.
James Ferguson, Lord Pitfour was a Scottish advocate and second Laird of Pitfour, a large estate in Buchan. His flourishing law practice was sited opposite Parliament House in Edinburgh. He became Dean of the Faculty of Advocates in 1760 and was elevated to the bench as Lord Pitfour, in 1764.
James Ferguson was a Scottish lawyer and was also the 1st Laird of Pitfour, a large estate in the Buchan area of north-east Scotland, which became known as 'The Blenheim of the North'. Prior to the purchase of the Pitfour estate, he had the honorific 'James Ferguson of Badifurrow', the estate he eventually inherited after his grandfather cut all ties with Ferguson's uncle, Robert Ferguson, who was in hiding to attempt to avoid treachery charges.
George Ferguson was the fourth Laird of Pitfour, a large estate in the Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, that became known as The Blenheim of the North.
Ravenscraig Castle, also known as the Craig of Inverugie, is a ruined 15th-century L-shaped tower-house north-west of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is a scheduled ancient monument.
Pittulie Castle is an oblong tower house probably dating from 1596, half a mile from Pitsligo Castle, Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is a scheduled monument. Built by the Frasers of Philorth, it was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire.
Clan Cheyne is a Scottish clan. The clan is officially recognized by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, however as the clan does not currently have a chief recognized by the Court of the Lord Lyon, it is therefore considered an Armigerous clan. The surname Cheyne is also recognized as a sept of the Clan Sutherland, and is accepted as such by the Clan Sutherland Society in Scotland.
Sir Reginald le Chen or Cheyne (c.1235-1312) was a 13th-14th century Scottish noble. He was a sheriff of Nairn, sheriff of Inverness and Baron of Inverugie.
Sir Reginald le Chen of Inverugie and Duffus was a 13th–14th century Scottish noble. He was Baron of Inverugie and Duffus.
The Reform Monument is a Category B listed monument on Broad Street, at its junction with Longate, in Peterhead, Scotland, built in 1833. A Roman doric column, it is surmounted by arms of Earl Marischal, inspired by the gateway of Inverugie Castle.
The Fish-House is a Category B listed building on Golf Road in the Inverugie area of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. One of the two right-angled blocks dates from 1585, making it the oldest building in Peterhead. Walker and Woodworth state the structure was built as a coastal store for Inverugie Castle by William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal, whose initials are on a skewputt. They also state that it was "rebuilt c. 1801," but without clarification as to which building.
Old St Peter's Church is a scheduled monument in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. While the medieval main tower is still standing, only ruins remain of its other sections, some of which date to the 12th century. The pyramid roof of the tower is believed to be 18th century.