Near Turriff, in Aberdeenshire, the white-harled keep of Delgatie, five storeys high, is a fine example of the Scottish tower house of the last third of the sixteenth century. The seat of Clan Hay, Earls of Erroll, it combines two glories: its dated painted ceilings and the memory of Mary Stuart.
The tower of the Hays
The surviving structures date from the 1570s, when the castle took its form of a tall tower house, the heart of Hay power in the north-east. As at Crathes or Craigievar, the essential is inside: the refinement of painted decoration which, at that time, distinguished the houses of the Scottish gentry.
Painted ceilings and a royal memory
Two chambers preserve panelled painted ceilings dated 1592 and 1597 — major witnesses of the painted decoration of the Scottish Renaissance. A room called 'Mary's chamber' commemorates the stay Mary Stuart is said to have made here in 1562, after her victory over the Gordons at the Battle of Corrichie. Between the art of the ceilings and the memory of the queen, Delgatie condenses two facets of sixteenth-century Scotland: taste and drama.
What to see
- The painted ceilings dated 1592 and 1597.
- The wide turnpike staircase.
- The Hay heraldry and 'Mary's chamber'.
Did you know?
In 1562, Mary Stuart is said to have stayed here after defeating the Gordons at Corrichie — the room still bears her name, four and a half centuries later.
Practical information
Delgatie Castle lies near Turriff, in Aberdeenshire. A private castle open to the public; hours liable to change, check against the official sources.
Quiz
- From when do the painted ceilings of Delgatie date?
- From 1592 and 1597
- From the nineteenth century
- From Antiquity
- Which queen stayed here in 1562?
- Mary Stuart
- Elizabeth I
- Anne of Denmark
- Which clan held Delgatie?
- The Hays (Earls of Erroll)
- The Gordons
- The Campbells