Huntly Castle, Scotland

Huntly Castle is a noble ruin which once was the ancestral home of the chief of Clan Gordon, Earl of Huntly.

Originally named Strathbogie, the castle was granted to Sir Adam Gordon of Huntly in the 14th century. King Robert the Bruce was a guest of the castle in 1307 prior to his defeat of the Earl of Buchan.

It was destroyed by fire in 1452 by the Earl of Moray then extensively restored by the first Earl of Huntly. The castle was again burned to the ground in 1449 by the Earl of Moray, a relation and ally of the Douglases. A grander castle was built in its place. In 1496, the pretender to the English throne Perkin Warbeck was married to Catherine Gordon at Huntly Castle, an act witnessed by King James IV of Scotland.

Wings were added to the castle in the 16th and 17th centuries. Captured in October 1644, the castle was briefly held by James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose against the Duke of Argyll. In 1647 it was gallantly defended against General David Leslie by Lord Charles Gordon, but its garrison was starved into surrender. Savage treatment was meted out, for the men were hanged and their officers beheaded. In December of the same year Huntly himself was captured and on his way to execution at Edinburgh was detained, by a refinement of cruelty, in his own mansion. His escort were shot against its walls. In 1650 Charles II visited briefly on his way to the Battle of Worcester, defeat and exile. The Civil War brought an end to the Gordon of Huntly family's long occupation of the castle.

In the early eighteenth century it was already in decay and providing material for house builders in the village. In 1746, during the Jacobite Risings, it was occupied by British Government troops.

Huntly Castle remained under the ownership of the Clan Gordon until 1923. Today, the remains of the castle are open to the public.

The surviving remains tell the story of the development of the castle in Scotland, from the motte and bailey of the 12th century, through the tower house of the later Middle Ages, to the stately stone palace of the Jacobean era.

Opening Times

Summer
1 April - 30 September
Daily 9.30 am to 5.30 pm

October
1 October - 31 October
Daily 9.30 am to 4.30 pm

Winter
1 November - 31 March
Sunday to Wednesday 9.30 am to 4.30 pm

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Ticket Prices

Adult £5.00
Child £3.00
Concession £4.00

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Disabled Facilities

Eleven steps lead to the raised area where the castle stands. The castle can be viewed from outside and there is an interpretation board giving information about the property. Visitors using wheelchairs can enter the sales point.

Sound Loop is available at cash till area.

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More Information

Telephone: 01466 793 191

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