Old Photograph Druminnor Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Druminnor Castle,an L-plan castle, dating from the early 15th century, about two miles east of Rhynie village, located fourteen miles North West of Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In about 1271 Alexander III of Scotland granted land to Duncan Forbes in this area and there may have been a castle up river from the present site. A second Druminnor Castle is thought to have been the original Castle Forbes. The original tower house, dated from 1456, was demolished in the early 19th century. It was described as a square tower united to a halfsquare and which contains the staircase. The Gordon and Forbes families had a protracted feud, in the course of which twenty of the Gordons were murdered in the castle’s Great Hall in 1571. Later that year a party from Clan Forbes was defeated by a party of Gordons at the battle of Tillieangus, Black Arthur Forbes, their commander, being killed by William Gordon of Terpersie, and the survivors being pursued to the gates of Druminnor Castle. This dispute arose after the Master of Forbes repudiated his wife, the daughter of the Earl of Huntly. In 1590 John, Master of Forbes was accused of imprisoning his father in a chamber at Druminnor and hitting him on the head with the pommel of his sword. Two younger sons, Robert Forbes Commendator of Monymusk and James Forbes of Fechell brought their father's complaint to the Privy Council, but John Forbes denied it. The Council declared that Drumminor should be kept by William Forbes of Tolquhoun and others till Lord Forbes came to Edinburgh or sent further testimony. In May 1591 John Master of Forbes claimed that his brothers had turned his father against him, and while Lord Forbes was lying sick at Dundee they had entered and robbed the House of Druminnor. The younger Forbes brothers obtained royal letters against the Master of Forbes to support their occupation of Druminnor. Additions were made to the castle in 1841, under the plans of Archibald Simpson, but these were removed in a further restoration by Margaret Sempill-Forbes in the 20th century, initially with the guidance of Ian Gordon Lindsay.



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