Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 30 on 01/12/2006.

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Banchory’s hidden gem (Crathes Castle)

Crathes Castle is a 16th century castle in Scotland’s Grampian region. Charles Douglas visited it

Situated 14 miles south of Aberdeen is Crathes Castle, the oldest part dating from 1583. Now within the portfolio of the National Trust for Scotland, it ranks as one the five so-called Castles of Mar – Craigievar, Drum, Fraser, Fyvie and Crathes – each a unique reminder of the ancient feudal life of the north east of Scotland.

On display in the hall at Crathes is a jewelled ivory horn which is known as the Horn of Leys, alleged to have been given to Alexander Burnard by King Robert I in 1323 when he granted him the Lands of Leys, which the Burnard or Burnett family has occupied ever since.

Many of Scotland’s oldest clans and families secured their lands in a similar way, and the horn symbol features not only on the Burnett family’s crest, but throughout the decoration of the castle, as well as being carved into the laird’s bed.

For the first 250 years of their tenure, the Burnett family lived in a crannog, a lake dwelling on Banchory Loch, otherwise known as the Loch of the Leys, now drained. By the 16th century, they had prospered significantly and were sufficiently established in the region to build the present castellated L-plan castle which exists today.

Writing about this in 1954, John Fleming observed, “Like all the houses in the castellated style, Crathes seems not so much to stand upon the ground as to have come up through it, though the weird effect is diminished by the 18th century square windows which break up the surface of the lower stories.” The bulk of the .....

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By Charles Douglas

Section : Historic Houses

Page number : 14