Tour Scotland travel video of New Slains Castle on ancestry visit to Aberdeenshire. The 16th Century castle is thought to have inspired the Irish author, Bram Stoker's, Dracula. The Clan Hay were a powerful family in the area for generations, having possessed the lands of Slains since the 14th century. In 1453 Sir William Hay, the clan chief, was made Earl of Erroll by King James II. At this time the local seat of power was Old Slains Castle, near Collieston some five miles to the South West. Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll, succeeded in 1585, and converted to Roman Catholicism. He conspired with other Catholic nobles, including the Earl of Huntly, with whom he joined in a brief rebellion in 1589. Erroll was declared a traitor in 1594, and Old Slains Castle was destroyed in October on the orders of King James VI. Earlier distinguished visitors to the castle include Samuel Johnson and James Boswell on their tour of the Highlands and Islands
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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