his Scottish castle stands on the banks of Loch Ness in the Great Glen. The land was granted to the Durward family by the Scottish King Alexander II and a fine Norman-style castle was built on the shores of the loch. The castle passed from the Durward family to the Comyns. Urquhart was captured by King Edward I during the Wars of Independence in 1296 and the defences were improved, but by 1298 the Scots had regained control of the castle. King Edward retook the castle in 1303. In 1509 King James IV of Scotland granted the castle to John Grant of Freuchie instructing him to make improvements to the castle and its interior so that it could be used as a safe haven for the local inhabitants against robbers. The castle fell into disrepair in the eighteenth century and its stone was taken to be used in local buildings.Castle
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Urquhart Castle
| County | TBC | Categories | Stone |
| Remains | Small amount survives | Access | Only open at certain times |
| Location | 57.3213,-4.447773 (Google Maps) ///objecting.shock.reflected | Directions | Directions via Google Maps |
| County |
TBC |
| Categories |
Stone |
| Remains |
Small amount survives |
| Access |
Only open at certain times |
| Location |
| 57.3213,-4.447773 ///objecting.shock.reflected |
| Directions |
| Directions via Google Maps |
his Scottish castle stands on the banks of Loch Ness in the Great Glen. The land was granted to the Durward family by the Scottish King Alexander II and a fine Norman-style castle was built on the shores of the loch. The castle passed from the Durward family to the Comyns. Urquhart was captured by King Edward I during the Wars of Independence in 1296 and the defences were improved, but by 1298 the Scots had regained control of the castle. King Edward retook the castle in 1303. In 1509 King James IV of Scotland granted the castle to John Grant of Freuchie instructing him to make improvements to the castle and its interior so that it could be used as a safe haven for the local inhabitants against robbers. The castle fell into disrepair in the eighteenth century and its stone was taken to be used in local buildings.Location
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Edward I and Scotland (click here)
Edward I and Scotland (click here)
Timeline
1296
...
Edward captures Urquhart Castle
The castle on Loch Ness fell to the English. Sir William Fitz Warine was left in charge of the castle as its Constable. [1]
1303
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Edward takes Urquhart Castle
As part of Edward's campaign in Scotland he attacked and took control of Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness. Sir Alexander Comyn was left in change. [1]
1308
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Bruce takes Urquhart Castle
Robert Bruce captured Urquhart Castle and placed it in the care of Sir Thomas Ranpolph, the Earl of Moray. [1]
1333
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Urquhart Castle is held by the Scots
Urquhart Castle was one of only five Scottish castles that resisted being captured by the English. Its Constable at the time was Sir Robert Lauder.
1398
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Urquhart Castle becomes the King's property
An act of Parliament is passed which brings the ownership of Urquhart Castle into the hands of the English King. [1]
1509
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Building work at Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle was given as a gift to the Grant family by King James IV of Scotland with the understanding that extensive building work was to be carried out. This included the construction of a new tower and supporting buildings so that the surrounding lands could be better protected.
1513
Quarter 4
Urquhart Castle captured
After the death of James IV at Flodden, Sir Donald Macdonald of Lochalsh, took the castle and over the following three years robbed it and the surrounding lands of all of its assets.
3D Virtual Reconstructions
Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as they may have appeared in the past. Built using the popular game development tool Unity 3D, these reconstructions will run in the most of the popular web browsers on your desktop or laptop computer.
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Selection of references used:
- 1: Susan Ross, The Castles of Scotland, ISBN:0-85097-184-5
A Medieval Mystery
There appear to be some strange connections between the fourteenth century Old Wardour Castle and ancient stone circle Stonehenge.
1: Location
Old Wardour Castle appears to be aligned to ancient sites in the Stonehenge landscape.
2: Alignment
Stonehenge is aligned to the Summer Solstice. Old Wardour has a very similar alignment.
3: Size
Could the builders of Old Wardour used mesaurements from Stonehenge to layout the geometrical keep?
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