Balquhain Castle, Aberdeenshire
Photo © Greg Stringham, 29 June 2005
Balquhain Castle, Aberdeenshire
Photo © Greg Stringham,
29 June 2005
A Leslie property from 1340, Balquhain played host to Mary Queen of Scots in
1562 prior to the battle of Corriche. It was burned by the Duke of Cumberland
in 1746.
--BALQUHAIN CASTLE, Aberdeenshire.
This ruinous keep stands in the parish of Chapel of Garioch, about half a mile from the church, and two miles from Inveramsay Junction on the North of Scotland Railway. It was originally a quadrangular keep, probably of the fifteenth century, which was destroyed in 1526 in the feuds between the Leslies (the proprietors) and their neighbours the Forbeses. The lower part of the walls is extremely thick, and has the deep recesses and the narrow loops then in use. The castle was rebuilt in 1530 by Sir William Leslie, seventh Baron of Balquhain, probably on much the same lines as the older keep. Unfortunately so little of it now remains that it is scarcely possible to ascertain the disposition of the interior; but its nnassive and weather-stained grey walls have a commanding and impressive effect. The walls enclosing the barmkin, which occupied the highest part of a knoll, and some of the out-buildings, can still be traced.
Balquhain was the abode of Queen Mary the night before the battle of Corrichie, in 1562, and it stands within a short distance of the more famous battle-field of Harlaw (1414), The castle was burnt by the Duke of Cumberland in 1746.
THE CASTELLATED AND DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND BY DAVID MACGIBBON AND
THOMAS ROSS, 1889--
--BALQUHAIN CASTLE.
Balquhain Castle, the ancient residence of the family of Leslie, barons of Balquhain, is situated in the district of the Garioch in Aberdeenshire, about three miles north-west of the Royal Burgh of Inverurie, and nineteen miles from the city of Aberdeen. Balquhain Castle stands in a rich valley on the high bank of a small stream. The valley is bounded on the north by a range of fertile heights which extend to the west, and on which is seen the parish church of Chapel of Garioch, built on the site of the ancient chapel of the Blessed Virgin of the Garioch. At some distance on the south is the hill of Middleton, covered with wood. The valley is open to the east, commanding a most extensive view over the varied and highly-cultivated country, through which is seen gliding the river Urie.
The castle of Balquhain was erected at a very early period. George Leslie, first Baron of Balquhain, son of Sir Andrew de Leslie, sixth Lord of Leslie from Bartholomew, the founder of the family in 1067, got from his father the baronies of Balquhain, Braco, Syde, and other lands in 1340, and obtained from King David II. a charter under the Great Seal, erecting the said lands into one free barony, called the barony of Balquhain. Hence the proprietors of the barony have usually been styled Barons of Balquhain, and the barony has remained in the possession of the Leslie family in the direct descendants of George Leslie, first Baron of Balquhain. The castle of Balquhain appears originally to have consisted of a quadrangular turreted building, having a court enclosed with a wall, and towers on the front. The noble square tower or keep was erected by Sir William Leslie, seventh Baron of Balquhain, about 1530, when he repaired the ancient castle, which had been burned in the memorable feud between the Leslies and the Forbesses in 1526. Sir William made the castle a place of considerable strength, capable of resisting future attacks. It would appear that in the time of Sir William Leslie, ninth Baron of Balquhain, the castle of Balquhain must have been a place of comfort, and even elegance, as the baron, who was then Sheriff of Aberdeenshire, had the honour of entertaining Queen Mary there when she made her progress to the north in 1562. The Queen spent the night at the castle of Balquhain, 9th September 1562, and attended mass in the neighbouring Chapel of the Blessed Virgin of the Garioch.
The castle of Balquhain remained the principal residence of the Barons of Balquhain till the time of Patrick, Count Leslie, fifteenth baron, about 1690. Patrick, Count Leslie, finding the castle of Balquhain incommodious—it having been built more as a place of strength than as a place of residence—removed to the mansion-house of Fetternear, beautifully situated on the banks of the river Don. Henceforth Fetternear became the permanent residence of the Barons of Balquhain. After Patrick, Count Leslie, took up his residence at Fetternear, his son, George Leslie, with his wife, the Honourable Margaret Elphinston, and their family continued to reside at Balquhain Castle. On the death of Patrick, Count LesUe, in 1710, his son and successor, George Leslie, sixteenth Baron of Balquhain, left the castle of Balquhain and took up his residence at Fetternear. After this the proud baronial residence was occupied by the factors or managers of the Balquhain estates, and the castle began to fall into decay. It was entirely ruined in 1746. The Duke of Cumberland, while on his way to Culloden, ordered the castle of Balquhain to be burned. There is a local tradition that this calamity was averted by one of the tenants on the estate, John NicoL who offered the soldiers, sent to set fire to the castle, his broad bonnet full of silver pieces, and said to them, "My lads, I'll gie ye a' this, if ye winna burn the auld place." The soldiers took the money, and filled the vaults of the castle with wet straw, to which they set fire, and when the Duke beheld the dense smoke which enveloped the castle, he was satisfied that his orders had been executed, and he proceeded on his way to Culloden.
The roof of the castle of Balquhain having fallen in through neglect during the disputed succession to the Balquhain estates, after the death of Ernest, Count Leslie, eighteenth baron, people began to pull down the out-wings of the castle, and carried off the stones to build houses and farm-steadings, so that at the present time the large square tower or keep is the only part remaining. No one can behold the crumbling walls of this ancient baronial castle, and the shattered remains of the towering keep still standing erect amid the wreck of so remarkable a building without feelings of regret. There the proud display of the pomp and power of the feudal state long held its sway. The ancient hold, whose former vaulted roof had oft resounded with the joyous sounds of revelry and the social mirth of valorous knights and courtly dames, is now silent as the tomb. The present proprietor, Colonel Charles Leslie, K.H., twenty-sixth Baron of Balquhain, has taken measures to prevent farther dilapidation of the castle. The ground immediately surrounding the castle has been enclosed and laid out in an ornamental manner with plots and evergreens. He is seconded in preserving and ornamenting the place by a most enterprising tenant, Mr. Dean, who has built a handsome residence, and has laid out his garden and the grounds adjoining the castle with great taste. Several illustrious members of the Leslie family were born in the castle of Balquhain. Among others, Walter, Count Leslie, fourth son of John Leslie, tenth Baron of Balquhain, created a Count of the Holy Roman Empire by the Emperor Ferdinand, who also gave him large possessions in Germany and Bohemia; also James, Count Leslie, eldest son of Alexander Leslie, fourteenth Baron of Balquhain, who succeeded his uncle, Count Walter, in Germany, and was a Field-Marshal in the Imperial service, and held a command in the Imperial army under John Sobieski, King of Poland, in 1C83, during the famous siege of Vienna by the Turks; also James Ernest, Count Leslie, eldest son of Patrick, Count Leslie, fifteenth Baron of Balquhain, who succeeded his uncle, James, second Count Leslie in Germany, and was ancestor of the succeeding Counts Leslie.
HISTORICAL RECORDS OF THE FAMILY OF LESLIE FROM 1067 TO 1868-9 BY CHARLES JOSEPH LESLIE, 1887--