Building record MAB12716 - DRUMINNOR CASTLE

Castle, of which only the staircase tower and hall block of a much larger building survive, formerly a great palace house, similar to Huntly Castle.

Castle, of which only the staircase tower and hall block of a much larger building survive, formerly a great palace house, similar to Huntly Castle. The remains date to 1577. The castle was usually called Castle Forbes until 1770 The great square tower original built in circa 1440 was demolished in 1800, after which a Baronial villa was built in 1815 which was in turn demolished in 1960. Only the foundations remain of the extensive courtyard ranges. The basement and ground floor of the present building are 15th century. Both are vaulted, and the ground floor has fine pendant bosses. The interior was remodelled by Archibald Simpson. Listing description of 1971 notes that Simpson's addition at the northwest had been demolished. There has been considerable repair and restoration from 1955 onwards. Now restored to its former condition where possible. There is an associated designed landscape (NJ52NW0066) and an adjacent walled garden to the east, south and west (NJ52NW0125). Exploratory excavation was undertaken in 1969 on the supposed site of the destroyed tower which was overlain by the site of the new house built in 1815. Some traces were recorded. Archaeological recording of service trenches carried out in 2001 by Kirkdale Archaeology. Further watching brief maintained by Scotia Archaeology in 2004. Excavation within a small cellar in Garden Cottage, 100 m west of the castle, revealed a stone lined passage in its east wall which defies interpretation. Watching brief requested in 2003 over remedial work on the fabric and drainage and other work in the surroundings of the castle. A watching brief was carried out by Scotia Archaeology in 2003, followed by a small research excavation in 2004. A programme of excavation has been carried out as part of the Bennachies Landscapes project since 2012. Trial trenching in 2013 was aimed at locating former wall-lines shown on an 18th century estate plan. The plan confirmed that the medieval castle was much larger than the surviving fragment consisting of two courtyards of buildings within a barmkin, surrounded by extensive enclosures for gardens, orchards and a 'cour d'honneur'. Documentary evidence indicates a 6-storey tower on the northwest corner of the double courtyard castle plan, and a third entrance court is show on the west side. It is believed that the old tower was the earliest feature on the site (Phase 1). The tower appears to have been built immediately onto basalt and sandstone bedrocks, negating the need for any foundations. The 19th century mansion was built over the castle’s former southwest end. Although many of the earlier land surfaces had been removed during early 19th century landscaping and rebuilding works, a number of features were recorded in 2013, including mason's marks. Further fieldwork undertaken in May to October 2014 helped clarify and confirm the ground plan of the 18th century castle, which was largely demolished in the first half of the 19th century, and also recorded features of earlier phases which appear to show a slightly different alignment and plan. Structures recorded included the foundations of a western 'gatehouse' range. Excavation in 2014 and 2016 also recorded a medieval bowl-fired grain-drying kiln which has been dated to the 12th century AD, and which partly underlies the former west range and main entrance of the castle. Artefacts recovered include a good range of medieval pottery, a small copper alloy buckle and a gold reliquary cross. Excavation in 2017 showed evidence of quarrying, ditching and creation, possibly in the mid 15th century (Phase 2), of a level platform on which the main part of the castle was positioned. Three superimposed buildings were subsequently constructed over the quarry pits and ditching in the later 15th century. Some quarrying has been dated by OSL to the 13th century. Excavation in June to October 2018 helped to clarify the plan and chronological development of buildings constructed in the lower court of the castle, during the later 15th century (Phase 3), when the barmkin wall was moved eastwards and a lower courtyard constructed, built across the earlier ditch. It confirmed the location of two structures built against the inner side of the north barmkin wall shown on an 18th century estate plan. Within the northeast corner of the lower court stood a small, square building (Building 1). The west wall was built directly over the middle of the infilled defensive ditch, suffered subsidence and was re-built. The rebuilding of the wall may have resulted in the provision of a replacement Correen stone slabbed floor and associated drain. The use of Correen stone here appears to be the earliest recorded use of this stone at Druminnor, the earliest exploitation of the stone had previously been dated to the 19th century. It has been suggested that Building 1 may have functioned as a buttery or brewhouse. Radiocarbon dating provided a sequence of dates from the second quarter of the 15th century through to the middle of the 17th century (Phase 2 to 4). The western end of the buildings may have replaced an earlier structure. Dated bone from the top of the natural in the lower court and receipt for building works dated 1440 suggests that the first half of the 15th century was a period of massive reconfiguration of the castle (Phase 2). A royal licence to build and fortify 'Drymynour' was granted in 1456 along with the right to 'circumvallate it with ditches'. The lower court appears to have been added around 1500. Geophysical survey of ground around the surviving portion of the castle was carried out in 2019 (NJ52NW0258). This located the line of the outer garden enclosure depicted on the 18th century plan. Within the later garden a range of other structures have been identified including metalled and cobbled surfaces (Phase 4). Further excavation was carried out in 2019, looking at three areas. A previously unknown well (Phase 1) was discovered in the middle of the car park, the well stone-lined and infilled when the tower was demolished in 1800. The work also investigated the remains of the outer garden enclosure, recording the wall to be at least 1 m wide and surviving up to 1 m high in places. The third area revealed two layers of metalled and cobbled surfaces, possibly related to a formal 'Renaissance' garden (Phase 4). Another section of a ditch (previously radiocarbon dated to 1425-1450 AD) also recorded, and a sample gave a radiocarbon date of 1396-1444 AD. The ditch probably relates to the documented 15th century royal licence to fortify Druminnor (Phase 2). Further excavation in 2021 investigated the remains, recorded by GPR, of the outer garden enclosure wall, the footings uncovered indicating a substantial wall. A second trench investigated the platform believed to have underlain the existing tower (Phase 2). The remains of the stone-flagged entrance to the castle prior to the 1800 demolitions were also found, these flagstones survived beneath the later Victorian mansion built on the site on the 1840s. Following on from this discovery a wall foundation formerly thought to relate to 16th century remodelling is now tentatively assigned to an earlier phase (Phase 1), possibly 12th-13th century. A third trench aimed at finding the termination of the early 15th century defensive circuit uncovered walls and a cobbled surface attesting to a previously unknown late 18th century phase of reorganisation to the castle’s outbuildings and garden in this area. Two interpretations of this late 18th to early 19th century (Phase 5) were provided in 2022. The first interpretation suggests that the later east stables wall may be the east barmkin wall as shown on the estate plans. This would make the measurements of those plans possibly inaccurate. The second interpretation suggests that the later stables and cobbling belong to a short-lived phase of garden planning dated to shortly after the demolition of the Old Tower in 1800, maybe supported by the way in which the cobbling appears to relate to the 19th century garden paths. The 19th century (Phase 6) garden planning was recognised in the form of narrow garden pathing recovered in the earliest years of the excavations. One of these respected the line of the former north barmkin wall, which showed that it had to be in existence while that wall was still standing. Parts of the north wall that did survive were subsequently covered by later 19th century landscaping. Excavations inside the line of the former west range showed the same pattern of early 19th century cobbling, sealing the late 18th to early 19th century pottery and glass, respecting the line of the former courtyard wall. It would appear that the demolition of 1800 may have left elements of the former upper courtyard to be reused as a new enclosed garden area. In 1840 Druminnor (Phase 7) was inherited by the eldest daughter of Robert Grant and her husband, the Foulerton-Grants, who added the mansion, designed by Archibald Simpson, adjoining the present house at its northwest corner, along with the re-organisation of the garden area. The landscaping that followed took the form of raising the height of the former garden to the north to create a more levelled outlook, planted with individual trees. Further excavations in 2024 explored the thirteenth-century origins of the castle. The enclosure evidence suggests the thirteenth-century castle to have been contained within a walled and ditched enclosure covering one and a half acres.

Period Notes
Memorandum dated 4 July 1440; licence dated 4 May 1456; sacked 1571; alterations 1577 and 1843; burial ground and cross for the Grant family 1900. Radiocarbon date: SUERC-67036 (GU40768), charred grain 906+/-31BP, calibrated to 1035-1207 AD (at 2 sigma, OxCal 4.2 run 17/05/16). SUERC-70893 (GU42626) 1762+/-29, calibrated to 211-381 cal AD. 2020 RC date- SUERC-92585 (GU54396) birch charcoal, 512+/-27, calibrated to 1330-1444 AD. 2017 radiocarbon dates: SUERC-76174 (GU45748), charcoal Trench 8-0265, 837+/-29, calibrated to 1158-1262 AD.

AB 5610 CS, AB 5610 CS (Ground Photograph). SAB13088.

Author unknown, 1799, OLD STATISTICAL ACCOUNT, VOL XI, 197 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1845.

LEITH-HAY, A, 1849, CASTELLATED ARCHITECTURE OF ABERDEENSHIRE, 59 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1052.

LEITH-HAY, A, 1849, CASTELLATED ARCHITECTURE OF ABERDEENSHIRE, pp 59-60 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1052.

MACGIBBON, D, 1892, THE CASTELLATED AND DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND, 1-5, VOL II, 29 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1140.

LEYDEN, J, 1903, JOURNAL OF A TOUR IN HIGHLANDS, 229 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1054.

GILES, J, 1936, DRAWINGS OF ABERDEEN CASTLES, VIII, IX (Bibliographic reference). SAB587.

SIMPSON, WD, 1949, EARLDOM OF MAR, 66, 120 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1681.

WYNESS, JF, 1959, DEESIDE FIELD 2 SER,3,48-52, 48-52 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2011.

SLADE, HG, 1967, PSAS 99(1966-7) 148-66, 148-67 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1692.

SLADE, HG, 1969, DRUMMINOR: INTERIM REPORT ON EXCAVATIONS: SEPTEMBER 1969, Interim exc report (Bibliographic reference). SAB1730.

TRANTER, N, 1970, FORTIFIED HOUSE IN SCOT VOL 4, VOL 4, 43-5 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1918.

SCOTTISH MONUMENTS SURVEY, 1990, JAMES GILES - ABERDEENSHIRE CASTLES, pp.8-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1738.

FORBES, A, 1999, DRUMINNOR CASTLE - HISTORY OF THE HOUSE OF FORBES (Bibliographic reference). SAB2512.

KIRKDALE ARCHAEOLOGY, 2001, ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDING: DRUMINNOR CASTLE (Bibliographic reference). SAB1011.

EVALUATION

SCOTIA ARCHAEOLOGY, 2004, DRUMINNOR CASTLE, RHYNIE: ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS 2003-04 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4810.

LEWIS, J, 2007, DES VOL5, 2004, p.10-11 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1132.

watching brief

BOGDAN, N, 2008, EARLY CASTLES OF ABERDEENSHIRE (Bibliographic reference). SAB3811.

ARCAHEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2015, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND. NEW SERIES, VOLUME 15, 2014, PP.16-17 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5542.

SHEPHERD, C, 2015, ECOLOGY AND LANDSCAPE USE WITHIN THE PRE-MODERN LORDSHIP OF FORBES: INTERIM REPORT ON EXCAV AT DRUMINNOR CASTLE IN 2012 AND 2013 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4859.

CASTLE STUDIES GROUP, 2016, BULLETIN VOLUME 22 (Bibliographic reference). SAB8025.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2017, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 17, 2016, pp. 11-12 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6497.

SHEPHERD, C, 2018, A 12TH CENTURY 'BOWL-FIRED' GRAIN-DRYING KILN AT DRUMINNOR CASTLE, ABERDEENSHIRE. IN STUDIA CELTICA LII (2018), 1-32 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1784.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2019, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 19, 2018, pp. 9-10 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6524.

SHEPHERD, C, 2020, PENETRATING THE FORGOTTEN PLAN OF DRUMINNOR: GPS SURVEY AT DRUMINNOR CASTLE IN 2019. IN MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY 64:2, 384- 391 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4848.

FORBES, A, 2021, SOME FORBES CASTLES IN SCOTTISH CASTLES ASSOCATION JOURNAL 27, 38-44 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4189.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2022, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 22 (2021), pp. 9-10 (Bibliographic reference). SAB8314.

SHEPHERD, C, 2022, DRUMINNOR CASTLE EXCAVATIONS, 2012-2022: INTERIM SUMMARY OF FINDINGS , Interim findings report (Bibliographic reference). SAB4858.

SRIVASTAVA, A, 2024, REPORT ON THE FIRST PHASE OF LUMINESCENCE INVESTIGATIONS AT DRUMMINOR CASTLE, ABERDEENSHIRE (Bibliographic reference). SAB4877.

Apr 20 1990 , KA 17-19, KA 17-19 (Ground Photograph). SAB33787.

Jul 2 2009 , AAS/09/1/DG0588-9,0611, AAS/09/1/DG0588-9,0611 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB19976.

Jun 1 1990 , SC 976533, SC 976533 (Ground Photograph). SAB13087.

SDD, n.d., BLDS OF ARCH & HIST INTEREST, AUCHINDOIR/KEARN 18 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1827.

Author unknown, n.d., NSA, VOL XII, 411 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1269.

Oct 10 2015 , PUB-GR-15-10-001, 002, PUB-GR-15-10-001, 002 (Ground Photograph). SAB32238.

Sep 3 2003 , GR/03/CT440-66, GR/03/CT440-66 (Ground Photograph). SAB19178.

Sep 22 2021 , AAS-GR-18-09-017 - 021, AAS-GR-18-09-017 - 021 (Ground Photograph). SAB35180.

Record last edited

Jul 25 2025 2:07PM