Slains Castle

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Slains Castle

Slains redirects here; note that the term can also be used to refer to the general area surrounding the castle

New Slains Castle is a ruined castle
Castle

A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The term has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning, but it is usually regarded as being distinct from the general terms fort or fortress in that it describes a residence of a monarch or noble and commands a specific defensive territor...
near Cruden Bay
Cruden Bay

Cruden Bay is a village in Scotland, on the north coast of the Bay of Cruden in Aberdeenshire, 26 miles North of Aberdeen.Just south of Slains Castle, Cruden Bay was the site of a battle between Denmark and Scottish people under King Malcolm II of Scotland in 1012....
in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland.In this present day Aberdeenshire does not include Aberdeen City which is a Council Area in its own right....
, Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, overlooking the North Sea
North Sea

The North Sea is a marginal sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean....
.

The remains stand perched atop tall, sea-facing cliffs, constructed around an existing tower house
Tower house

A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as Human habitat. Such buildings were constructed in the wilder parts of Great Britain, particularly in Scotland, and throughout Ireland, beginning in the High Middle Ages and continuing at least up to the 17th century....
built in 1597 by the 9th Earl of Erroll
Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll

Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll , Scotland nobleman, was the son of Andrew, 8th earl, and of Lady Jean Hay, daughter of William, 6th earl. The date of his birth is unrecorded, but he succeeded to the earldom in 1585, was early converted to Roman Catholicism, and as the associate of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly joined in the Spain co...
. Significant reconstruction of the castle has been carried out a number of times, lastly in 1837.

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Encyclopedia

Slains redirects here; note that the term can also be used to refer to the general area surrounding the castle

New Slains Castle is a ruined castle
Castle

A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The term has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning, but it is usually regarded as being distinct from the general terms fort or fortress in that it describes a residence of a monarch or noble and commands a specific defensive territor...
near Cruden Bay
Cruden Bay

Cruden Bay is a village in Scotland, on the north coast of the Bay of Cruden in Aberdeenshire, 26 miles North of Aberdeen.Just south of Slains Castle, Cruden Bay was the site of a battle between Denmark and Scottish people under King Malcolm II of Scotland in 1012....
in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland.In this present day Aberdeenshire does not include Aberdeen City which is a Council Area in its own right....
, Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, overlooking the North Sea
North Sea

The North Sea is a marginal sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean....
.

The remains stand perched atop tall, sea-facing cliffs, constructed around an existing tower house
Tower house

A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as Human habitat. Such buildings were constructed in the wilder parts of Great Britain, particularly in Scotland, and throughout Ireland, beginning in the High Middle Ages and continuing at least up to the 17th century....
built in 1597 by the 9th Earl of Erroll
Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll

Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll , Scotland nobleman, was the son of Andrew, 8th earl, and of Lady Jean Hay, daughter of William, 6th earl. The date of his birth is unrecorded, but he succeeded to the earldom in 1585, was early converted to Roman Catholicism, and as the associate of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly joined in the Spain co...
. 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.

History

The Earls of Erroll
Earl of Erroll

The title Earl of Erroll is an ancient one in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1453 for Sir William Hay.The subsidiary titles held by the Earl of Erroll are Lord Hay and Lord Slains , both in the Peerage of Scotland....
, chiefs of Clan Hay
Clan Hay

Clan Hay is a Scottish clan, associated with the regions of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire , that has played an important part in the history and politics of Scotland....
, were a powerful family in the area for generations and prospered after William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll
William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll

William George Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll, Order of the Thistle, Royal Guelphic Order, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Lord Hay until 1819, was a Peerage of Scotland....
, married the daughter of King William IV. Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll
Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll

Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll , Scotland nobleman, was the son of Andrew, 8th earl, and of Lady Jean Hay, daughter of William, 6th earl. The date of his birth is unrecorded, but he succeeded to the earldom in 1585, was early converted to Roman Catholicism, and as the associate of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly joined in the Spain co...
, built it after James VI had destroyed his castle at Old Slains at Cruden Bay
Cruden Bay

Cruden Bay is a village in Scotland, on the north coast of the Bay of Cruden in Aberdeenshire, 26 miles North of Aberdeen.Just south of Slains Castle, Cruden Bay was the site of a battle between Denmark and Scottish people under King Malcolm II of Scotland in 1012....
, 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.

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. Once a major stronghold and occupying a large area, it consisted of a massive 15th century keep, a fragment of which survives, and a courtyard defended by ditches. The castle 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. Some believe it was Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker

Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Ireland novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Horror fiction novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre, London in London, which Irving owned....
's inspiration for the castle of Count Dracula
Dracula

Dracula is an 1897 in literature novel by Irish people author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary antagonist the vampire Count Dracula.Dracula has been attributed to many literary genres including vampire literature, horror fiction, the gothic novel and invasion literature....
. In 1948, the Earl of Erroll accorded the title Slains Pursuivant
Slains Pursuivant

Slains Pursuivant of Arms is a Private Officer of Arms appointed by the Clan_Hay#Chief ? presently the Earl of Erroll, Lord High Constable of Scotland....
to his newly revived private officer of arms
Private Officer of Arms

A private officer of arms is one of those heralds and pursuivants appointed by great noble houses to handle all heraldry and genealogy questions....
and appointed Michael Maclagan
Michael Maclagan

Michael Maclagan, Royal Victorian Order, Society of Antiquaries of London, Royal Historical Society was Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Trinity College, Oxford for more than forty years and a long-serving Officer of Arms....
to the position. The current holder of the office, Peter Drummond-Murray of Mastrick
Peter Drummond-Murray of Mastrick

William Edward Peter Louis Drummond-Murray of Mastrick born 24 November 1929 is the current Slains Pursuivant to the Clan_Hay#Chief?currently the Earl of Erroll, Lord High Constable of Scotland....
, is a retired banker and an authority on heraldry.

Bram Stoker was staying in a local hotel in Cruden Bay when he heard of Slains Castle - which he saw as 'the castle of the dead'. It may have helped to inspire his writing of the novel, Dracula.

The ruin of the 13th century Old Slains Castle lie about 6 miles to the Southwest. The older castle, also a family seat of the Errolls, was blown up by James VI
James I of England

James VI and I was List of monarchs of Scotland as James VI, and List of English monarchs and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Kingdom of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary I of Scotland....
as a punishment for their part in the 1597 plot by the Earl of Huntly
Marquess of Huntly

Marquess of Huntly is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created on April 17, 1599, for George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly, making it the oldest existing marquessate in Scotland, and the second-oldest in the British Isles, only the English Marquess of Winchester being older....
against him.

Architecture
At first inspection the ruin appears to be a blend of several different architectural styles and periods, due to diverse masonry
Masonry

Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar , and the term "masonry" can also refer to the units themselves....
including older mortar
Mortar (masonry)

Mortar is a workable paste formed by mixture of cement, water and fine aggregate masonry to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between them....
ed granite
Granite

Granite is a common and widely occurring type of Intrusion , felsic, igneous rock rock . Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as Porphyry ....
, 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
North Sea

The North Sea is a marginal sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean....
cliffs, an abyss to the west that functions as a deep impassable moat
Moat

A moat is deep, broad trench, usually filled with water, that surrounds a structure, installation, or town, normally to provide it with a preliminary line of Defense ....
and a ruined rampart
Rampart

Rampart may refer to:* A type of defensive wall consisting of a low earthen embankment topped by a parapet or palisade* LAPD Rampart Division, a division of the Los Angeles Police Department...
that would have been the main entrance on the south. 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 firepit
Firebox (architecture)

The firebox or firepit is the part of the fireplace where fuel is combusted, in distinction to the hearth, chimney, Fireplace mantel, overmantle and flue elements of the total fireplace system....
s and masonry indented storage spaces.

The internal doorways are primarily of well preserved wooden lintel
Lintel

A lintel or header is a horizontal Beam used in the construction of buildings, and is a major architectural contribution of ancient Greece....
construction, with numerous examples of mortared sandstone
Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock Particle size . Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust ....
archway
Arch

An arch is a structure that Span a space while supporting weight . Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture, but their systematic use started with the Ancient Rome who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures....
s 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.

Conversion into holiday homes
In October 2007, it was announced that the ruins of New Slains Castle have been fenced-off to the public prior to their conversion into holiday homes by the Slains Partnership.

External links