Castle Stuart
Castle Stuart is owned by the Earl of Moray, however, as he also owns other grander establishments, the castle is leased (to people also called Stuart!) The castle is available for functions and to stay in – see their website at www.castlestuart.com/history.htm
The castle is built on the E-plan, which is to say the main block and two wings form three sides of an oblong, rather than the more usual Z-plan, where the two wings are built off diagonally opposite corners of the main block. The tower that currently has a flat top is shown with a rather unattractive pyramidal roof in old engravings (See the Scottish Castles Engravings Pool!!!! www.flickr.com/groups/59822255@N00/pool/ ).
The land was granted by Mary Queen of Scots to her half-brother, James Stuart 1st Earl of Moray (one of the many bastard sons of James V), who started construction of the castle before being murdered in 1542. His daughter, Elizabeth Countess of Moray, married James Stewart, son of the 1st Lord Doune, who by right of his wife, became 2nd earl of Moray. Better know as the “Bonny earl of Moray”, he was murdered by the Gordons (see my sequence of photos on Gight Castle), at the instigation although not the personal hand, of Earl of Huntly. It fell to the third earl of Moray to complete the castle.
(To those unfamilair with this part of the world (as well as those that are!) Moray is pronounced Murry)
Castle Stuart
Castle Stuart is owned by the Earl of Moray, however, as he also owns other grander establishments, the castle is leased (to people also called Stuart!) The castle is available for functions and to stay in – see their website at www.castlestuart.com/history.htm
The castle is built on the E-plan, which is to say the main block and two wings form three sides of an oblong, rather than the more usual Z-plan, where the two wings are built off diagonally opposite corners of the main block. The tower that currently has a flat top is shown with a rather unattractive pyramidal roof in old engravings (See the Scottish Castles Engravings Pool!!!! www.flickr.com/groups/59822255@N00/pool/ ).
The land was granted by Mary Queen of Scots to her half-brother, James Stuart 1st Earl of Moray (one of the many bastard sons of James V), who started construction of the castle before being murdered in 1542. His daughter, Elizabeth Countess of Moray, married James Stewart, son of the 1st Lord Doune, who by right of his wife, became 2nd earl of Moray. Better know as the “Bonny earl of Moray”, he was murdered by the Gordons (see my sequence of photos on Gight Castle), at the instigation although not the personal hand, of Earl of Huntly. It fell to the third earl of Moray to complete the castle.
(To those unfamilair with this part of the world (as well as those that are!) Moray is pronounced Murry)