In Aberdeenshire, Huntly Castle was the flagship residence of the Gordons, Earls and then Marquesses of Huntly, the most richly furnished in the north-east of Scotland. Its carved façade, bristling with titles and inscriptions, makes it one of the most eloquent manifestos of the Scottish aristocratic Renaissance.
The Gordons at their height
A fortress dating back to the twelfth century, renamed Huntly Castle in 1506, it became the heart of the power of the mighty Clan Gordon. In 1562 the English diplomat Thomas Randolph described it as the best-furnished house he had seen in Scotland. The Gordons received kings here: James IV stayed several times (1501-1505). The house embodies the power of a family that dominated the whole north-east.
A façade that proclaims rank
Around 1597, the 1st Marquess, George Gordon, had the castle rebuilt and an extraordinary heraldic frontispiece carved on its façade, bearing his titles and the name of his wife, Henrietta Stewart, a favourite of Queen Anne of Denmark. This accumulation of arms, inscriptions and sculptures makes the stone a discourse: it proclaims, to the face of the world, the prestige of the house of Huntly in the time of the Stuarts. One still admires the five-storey round tower, the great hall and the Renaissance chimneypieces.
What to see
- The carved heraldic frontispiece with the marquess's titles.
- The engraved inscriptions of the façade.
- The five-storey round tower and the great hall.
Did you know?
In 1576, George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly, collapsed, the victim of a seizure, after playing football on the castle lawn on rising from dinner — and died soon after. Proof that the game was already played, fatally, on the lawns of the great of Scotland.
Practical information
Huntly Castle lies at Huntly, in Aberdeenshire; a site in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. Hours and access liable to change; check against the official sources.
Quiz
- Which family made Huntly Castle its flagship residence?
- The Gordons
- The Stuarts
- The Douglases
- What does the façade of Huntly bear, around 1597?
- A heraldic frontispiece with the marquess's titles
- An astronomical clock
- A battle fresco
- Which king stayed at Huntly in the early sixteenth century?
- James IV
- Henry VIII
- Charles I