View allAll Photos Tagged Durability
I liked the look of this body so I purchased it! It's quite a bit taller than most other action figures! The articulation is okay but not great! I want to work with it more before I make my final assessment but so far the feet are a bit tricky!
It comes with several hands and neck pegs but you will need a fairly large hit to fit the neck on this body! I tried about 20 heads that were too small!
Durable if not stylish, the X-34 featured holographic displays, a computer for ground navigation, and a number of repulsor counterbalances for smooth and steady travel over rough terrain. Its maximum altitude was 1 meter, but its usual cruising altitude was roughly 10 cm above ground level.
-Wookiepedia
I decided to build a landspeeder, but put my own twist on it. I gave it some dark green. Please note this is not meant to be Luke's landspeeder from Episode 4.
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The original AC-130As' old airframes had durability issues, so a new program evolved using low-time C-130E airframes. Eleven C-130E were converted with the same equipment and armament as the Pave Pronto, becoming the AC-130E Pave Spectre. The first aircraft, affectionately known as the “Cadillac” gunship, arrived in Ubon on 25 October 1971 and operated with the 16th Special Operations Squadron (16th SOS) their entire operational life.
On 17 February 1972, the first 105 mm cannon arrived for service with Spectre and was installed on gunship 69-6570 “The Hussy” and then moved to gunship 69-6571 “Bad Co” and used until 30 March 1972 when the aircraft was shot down in Laos. After the Vietnam Peace Accord was passed on 28 January 1973, Spectre operations in Vietnam ended. The Spectres were re-tasked to Laos and Cambodia. AC-130s flew in Operation Eagle Pull and Operation Frequent Wind during the evacuation of Phnom Penh and Saigon, respectively.
In 1973, some aircraft began arriving at Ubon in a new overall flat black scheme instead of the old gloss black and camouflage scheme. This is AC-130E Pace Spectre (serial number: 69-6573), nicknamed “Heavy Metal,” sits on the apron in the new flat black camouflage and flew with the 16th SOS. There are SUU-42A/A ejector pods mounted under the wings, with starboard pods for flares and port pods for chaff. “Heavy Metal” served in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, El Salvador, Grenada, Panama, Bosnia, Somalia, and Afghanistan. On 13 May 1972, the aircraft was struck by an SA-7 SAM through the tail above the ramp on the port side, but only one crew member was injured, and the aircraft returned safely to base. The aircraft was retired in 2015 and is displayed at Davis Monthan AFB (the “Boneyard”) in Tucson, Arizona.
8.23mm BPAP suppressed carbine.
Silent, but absolutely deadly.
~Excerpt from an AR-133 advertisement.
A prototype carbine using an experimental low audio output round and a high durability removable suppressor. The combination of these two quirks makes the weapon nearly silent when firing in full auto.
Using the AAC Honey Badger as a base, they modified the lower receiver to accommodate a larger magazine, and added grip-ribs to the handguard.
Aside from those differences, it isn't too dissimilar to its parent design.
An assassin's railgun. The weapon was designed and built in Japan by the Blue Lotus Clan using research derived from corporate espionage.
This rifle by no means lands in the category of milspec or durable weaponry. It is very high maintenance and would not be able to properly function if put under too much stress.
However, to warrant its use, it has extreme range, accuracy, and the best performance of any weapon available on the market in a relatively light package (compared to something like an AMR).
Noted Version: i.imgur.com/85128aA.png
Commission for ultimation12 on DA.
BOX DATE: None
APPROXIMATE RELEASE DATE: 2003
MANUFACTURER: Disney Store
DOLLS IN LINE: Mulan; Pocahontas; Tinker Bell; Cinderella; Belle; Sleeping Beauty; Ariel; Snow White
MISSING ITEMS: Crown
PERSONAL FUN FACT: I never really gave these early 2000s Disney Store dolls the credit they deserved. While I currently don't have many in my collection, all the outfits I have encountered have been rather nice quality. This ensemble shown here is no exception. Mulan's ballerina costume is layered, and is not sewn all together. Her tights can be removed--they feel more durable than many other pairs of doll tights I've owned in the past. Her purple belt with the gold bow also is a separate piece. I chose to keep it tabbed down to the dress for more convenient dressing, although it can be removed. While the colorful dress itself could easily be picked at by its own velcro, it is not much of a task dressing and undressing Mulan (I do not have to use too much caution). My doll was lucky enough to even still be wearing her factory ballet slippers. They do not stay up on my doll's hollow, weirdly shaped feet all that well, but they look cute nonetheless with this ensemble. Most of all, I love the pastel color palette that was chosen for this outfit. I had a ball making Mulan a simple hair accessory that coordinated with these shades of blue and teal (which look flawless on her pale skin tone I might add).
The Zetros is based on a very conventional but clever design. Mounted on a durable ladder-type frame, the whole vehicle is geared toward maximum performance in difficult terrain.
Mounting the cab behind the engine has several advantages: The reduced overall height of the vehicle allows it to take roadways with low clearance height and for it to be airlifted via Hercules or Atlas transport-planes.
The engine sits in front of the front-axle, evenly distributing the overall weight of the vehicle and ensuring safer handling and a more comfortable ride for the driver while off-road.
Character Publication History
Ultron is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in The Avengers #54 (July 1968), with his first full appearance in The Avengers #55 (August 1968).
He is a highly intelligent self-aware artificial intelligence in a robot body who develops a god complex and a grudge against his creator Hank Pym, with whom he would later merge.
His initial goal to destroy humanity in an attempt at creating world peace has brought him into conflict with the Avengers. Stories often end in Ultron's destruction, only for new offshoot iterations of the robot to be built of varying morals, including the superhero Ultron-12 (Mark Twelve).
Ultron's physical body is made of a durable alloy, and he has manifested various superpowers. These vary between different stories but generally include superhuman strength, speed, and agility, flight, and energy projection.
The character usually operates alone or accompanied by legions of copies of his own robotic form known as Ultron Drones. Ultron is notable for being the first character in Marvel Comics to wield the fictional metal alloy adamantium and for his (in-story) creation of the Vision.
Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, Ultron has since featured in Marvel products across different media, such as animated television series and video games.
Tom Kane and Jim Meskimen are among the actors that have portrayed the character via voice acting. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), James Spader portrayed Ultron in his first live-action appearance in the Marvel Studios film Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), while Ross Marquand voiced alternate universe versions in the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021) and the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
The character Ultron initially appeared as an unnamed character in a cameo in The Avengers #54 (July 1968), with a first full appearance in The Avengers #55 (August 1968).
Ultron was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema. Thomas, who has acknowledged he finds naming characters difficult, said he liked the -tron suffix and went from there.
The use of the suffix and the prior appearance of a group of robots named Ultroids led him to the name Ultron. Thomas said the idea of the character and his appearance were heavily based on Makino, an obscure robotic villain who appeared in an issue of the Captain Video comic book. He liked the robot's malicious looking smile, showing this to Buscema.
Jocasta, a robot created by Ultron featured in a number of Ultron storylines, was created by Jim Shooter and George Pérez for The Avengers #162 (August 1977).
Origin
Ultron was created by Dr. Henry Pym, based upon his own thought and memory engrams. It was a foray into Artificial Intelligence that no scientist had ever taken before, not even Reed Richards. It started out as simply a box on treads with what appeared to be a head at the top. Dubbing the A.I. as Ultron-1, he hoped this represented a new era in scientific discovery. However something went horribly wrong, and Ultron became more than sentient and rebelled against his programming. He also defeated and then brainwashed Dr. Pym into forgetting that he had ever created him in the first place.
Major Story Arcs
Masters of Evil
Ultron took on the guise of the Crimson Cowl and formed the Masters of Evil to battle against his creator and the other Avengers. Ultron made every effort to improve himself with each upgrade and the Avengers finally encountered Ultron-5 some time later, whom had developed a much more humanoid body. Ultron-5 built an android from the brain patterns of Wonder Man and the body of the Mad Thinker's Human Torch. This android would later become known as Vision. Vision differed from his creator, in that he had a conscience and rebelled against Ultron on his first mission to kill the Avengers.
The Many forms of Ultron
Ultron-6 was able to manipulate Vision into stealing Adamantium and using it to remake his creator's body out of it, which would make him nearly indestructible. After his success with the Adamantium, Ultron battled the Avengers again. Although he was tricked (by Pym) into self-destructing, destroying his entire body except for his head. The head was later found in Attilan where Maximus made a new body for it.
Ultron-7 had a gigantic body, but this body wasn't cast from Adamantium, making it somewhat easier to destroy. And, indeed, it was destroyed by the Fantastic Four a short time thereafter.
Creation of Jocasta
Ultron-8 obtained control of Hank Pym's mind and used him to create Jocasta, on which he based the thought engrams of Pym's wife, the wondrous Wasp. But he was subsequently destroyed by the Scarlet Witch.
Ultron-9 was built by Iron Man, whom was hypnotized into doing so by one of the previous incarnations of Ultron. This one was knocked into a pool of liquid Adamantium which cooled, encasing him eternally in a block of the virtually indestructible ore.
Ultron-10 began building spare bodies to work as his subordinates and to act as a new body for him if he were to be destroyed again. Which proved prophetic, as he was promptly destroyed by Machine Man.
Secret Wars
Ultron-11 was created to fight in The Beyonder's Secret Wars. After attempting an attack on Galactus, Ultron-11 was neutralized by him and yet was re-programmed by Dr. Doom so as to make it more amicable toward humans.
Ultron-12 was built by Ultron-11 before he left for the Secret Wars, and joined the Lethal Legion. However, Ultron-12 had second thoughts when he was confronted by Vision (Ultron's "son"), Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man. He reconciled with Dr. Pym (his "father") and renamed himself Ultron-mark 12 or "Mark". Ultron-11 returned from Battleworld and destroyed "Mark", causing Wonder Man to tear Ultron-11 apart in retaliation.
Acts of Vengeance
Ultron-13 was built by Doctor Doom with the memories of all of the previous incarnations of Ultron intact for the purpose of killing Daredevil. Unfortunately, this Ultron had thirteen distinct personalities in its mind all at once. This proved essential in his defeat as Daredevil whom, until Ultron began destroying himself, had had no luck harming the Adamantium-cast robot. This Ultron's next plan was to transform humanity into robots, but before he could carry out this dastardly deed he was captured by the Avengers.
Creation of Alkhema
Ultron-14 dubbed himself "the Ultimate Ultron" after another upgrade and decided that he didn't desire to simply kill all humans, but all organic life as well. This incarnation also created Alkhema, which was based on the thought engrams of Mockingbird.
Slorenia in Ruins & The Sentient Armor
Ultron-15 was made from pure Adamantium, and created hundreds of new Ultron bodies completely loyal to him: the Ultron army. This wave of robots annihilated the nation of Slorenia and then taunted the world with a broadcast showing, in grim detail, all of the havoc the army had wreaked. This Ultron was destroyed by Pym using Antarctic Vibranium which can disintegrate all nearby metals, including Adamantium.
Later, Alkhema used the acquired engrams of Pym, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Wasp, Wonder Man and his brother the Grim Reaper, to transfer them into robotic bodies to attack the Avengers. Unbeknownst to Alkhema, she was influenced by the Ultron Imperative to rebuild Ultron. The Ultron Imperative failed after the intervention of the Avengers. Then, Ultron himself took over Tony Stark's sentient armor. However, he was seemingly destroyed in an explosion.
Ultron was later seen as the leader of the Sons of Yinsen cult, posing as the mind of Ho Yinsen inside Tony Stark's former suit of sentient armor. He attempted to use his new religion to conquer the world, but was once again defeated and destroyed.
Runaways
He later resurfaced in the Runaways storyline: True Believers, as the father/creator of Victor Mancha.
Mighty Avengers
Next, he appeared in Mighty Avengers, having taken a form resembling Wasp, after seemingly killing Iron Man when he took over his armor. He was also revealed as the mastermind of the Phalanx's takeover of Kree space during 'Annihilation Conquest'. The only thing that really distinguished Ultron-Pym from former incarnations was that this Ultron was a polygamist.
Annihilation Conquest
After Ultron's encounter with the Avengers, his consciousness was thrown into the depths of space. He spent a few months floating through the cosmos as radio-waves and energy. Eventually his signal was picked up by an outlying group of Phalanx , attempting to contact their parent race, the Technarchy. Fascinated by what he found, Ultron decided that the Phalanx lacked direction from a singular conscious, and that he would be perfect for the role. Through sheer force of will he merged himself with the programming of the Phalanx, laying his plans in motion.
Under Ultron's guidance the Phalanx managed to subjugate the entirety of Kree space after enclosing it behind an impregnable barrier that separated it from the rest of the galaxy. Ultron led the Phalanx from the heart of the spire. It was only after Phyla-Vell found and awakened Adam Warlock,that he returned to a physical form, prompting him to eliminate Select Korath for failing him.
Using the coordinates of their last encounter with Warlock and his allies, Ultron was able to follow them to the hideout of the High Evolutionary. With a squadron of Phalanx drones he was able to break through the Evolutionary's defenses and reach the inner sanctum of his laboratories. Ultron launched a merciless assault on Warlock and his friends. He personally killed Moondragon, punching his fist through her chest, before challenging Adam Warlock. He sent his phalanx drones to apprehend Warlock at first, then to restrain the High Evolutionary.
After watching Adam face off against Ultron's children for a short time, he reentered the fray, in order to better gauge his abilities. He was able to withstand Warlock's assault, and at the same time decipher that he had been newly reborn. Ultron also noticed that Adam lacked full control over his new powers. Not even a fully enraged Quasar was able to phase Ultron, and the High Evolutionary resorted to sending the star on which his base resided into Super Nova, hoping to destroy Ultron. He wasn't destroyed by the Evolutionary's ploy, however, for he managed to transfer his conscious into another body. He returned to the Spire, where he found the newly captured Star-Lord and prepared to vent his frustrations out on the captive hero.
Ultron watched as Star-Lord was tortured, only becoming bothered when his minions failed to retrieve the desired information. After they informed him that the hero's mind was shielded, he took it upon himself to pierce his mental defenses. He sent his Selects in search of the telepath responsible. Then, turning his attention back to Star-Lord, he decided his scientists were right and returned to physical torture to gain the information he wanted.
Ultron managed to track down the High Evolutionary, offering him impunity in order to convince him to aid in his conquest. The High Evolutionary captured Adam Warlock, betraying his trust, and transferred the conscious of Ultron into Adam's body. Now housed in the body of Warlock, and possessing his powers, Ultron set about to continue his true plans. Using his experience merging with Tony Stark, he hoped to use the DNA of Adam Warlock to create the perfect hosts for the Phalanx and thus, ultimate techno-organic beings.
Leaving the High Evolutionary to finish his task, Ultron left to deal with the problem of the insurrectionists. As he teleported in, he immediately took out Mantis, the group's telepathic and precognitive resident. He then set his sights on the rest of Star-Lord's team. They were only saved by the timely arrival of Nova and his reinforcements. Then Warlock, Adam's namesake, engaged Ultron in battle; ultimately managing to use his mutant strain of the Techno-virus to force Ultron out of Adam Warlock's body.
Ultron then transfers his consciousness into the body of Praxagora. Using Prax's connection to the Sentry swarm to create a new body for himself to inhabit. Before he left, he messed with the balance in her core control, causing her to explode and take the Kree's ship with her. He then constructed a massive form for himself. Ultron continued combating Adam and his allies, still confident of victory. Warlock manages to use the resources available to him to defeat Ultron, by having Wraith use his powers to trap Ultron's consciousness inside his current body. Then he created a blade for Phyla to destroy Ultron with. This defeat was seemingly the end for the mechanical menace.
Ultron War
Following the aftermath of the Siege, the Avengers were confronted by Kang the Conqueror and the Maestro who revealed that a war between Ultron and Kang had shattered the time space continuum from Kang constantly traveling in time and assembling several heroes and villains to stop Ultron. The Avengers were able to convince the future Ultron to lose to Kang and in doing so, kept the splintered time lines from happening. Later, also in Avengers, the Intelligencia discovered the inert body of a Galadorian Spaceknight and attempt to reactivate its power source, hoping to exploit it. Although the Avengers interrupt their attempts, the body activates, revealing it was containing the consciousness of Ultron, who had escaped destruction after the events of Annihilation: Conquest. The new Ultron escapes knowing it can't fight the Avengers or the Intelligencia in it's new awaken and weak form. Iron Man gravely foresees that when he returns, it will bring the apocalypse for mankind as shown during their time jump. That the Ultron War will now happen.
Age of Ultron
After years of upgrading, Ultron finally takes over the world. Millions of Ultron-bots roamed the streets, destroying any human they found, forcing the heroes into hiding. After Hawkeye is able to rescue Spider-Man from a gang of villain who were plotting to turn him over to Ultron, She-Hulk and Luke Cage discover that Ultron is controlling the Vision from the future.
The heroes then retreat to the Savage Land, where they learn that Ultron has killed She-Hulk and mortally wounded Luke Cage. Before dying, Cage informs Emma Frost what he has learned.
A handful of heroes travel into the future to face Ultron head on. Wolverine stays behind with Susan Richards, reasoning that a confrontation with Ultron is suicidal. He instead takes the deceased Doctor Doom's time platform and decides to use it to travel back to the past so that he can murder Hank Pym before he has a chance to ever create Ultron. The heroes in the future are all slaughtered while Wolverine and Sue activate the platform.
After killing Pym, the heroes return to the present to find another horrific future, this time a world where the Avengers have disbanded and the Defenders are locked in a never-ending war with Morgan Le Fey.
Wolverine and Sue then travel back to the past, where they inform Pym of what will happen in the future. Pym realizes the only solution is to install a backdoor program inside Ultron, which will allow the Avengers to defeat him in the future. When it finally comes time for the Avengers to face Ultron during the incident with the Intelligencia, the program activates, this time allowing the Avengers to destroy him before he can escape into space. The virus also prevents Ultron's consciousness from escaping or jumping to a new body, seemingly ending his threat for good. This retroactively prevents the Age of Ultron from ever occurring.
Rage of Ultron
After Ultron's death, it is later revealed that many years ago, the Avengers had managed to defeat a past version of Ultron by trapping him inside an unbreakable Vibranium Quinjet, and then launching him into space. Years later, the Quinjet crashes on Titan, where the prior Ultron is able to escape and hijack ISAAC, the computer that runs Titan. He then unleashes a nanite virus that transforms anyone infected into Ultron drones, which infects Mentor and the rest of the population save for Starfox. Starfox flees to Earth as Ultron reshapes Titan into Planet Ultron.
The Avengers are called into action to combat Ultron, but fail to stop his plague from infecting the population of Earth. The remaining heroes realize that Ultron plans to infect the entire universe with his virus, making them all part of the same synthetic organism. Vision realizes that the only way to stop Ultron is to phase inside of him, temporarily merging with him in order to undo the effects of the virus. Pym and Vision confront Ultron, who taunts his "father" by telling him that he is a reflection of Pym's dark side. He claims that Pym always secretly hated his fellow Avengers and the rest of humanity for not respecting or understanding his brilliance, and that Ultron was born from his subconscious desire to kill everyone. The plan fails and instead causes Ultron to fuse with Pym, creating a hybrid techno-organic being.
Ultron battles Vision and the new Captain America, and nearly kills them both before Starfox intervenes. Using his powers (which Ultron is now susceptible to thanks to being half-human), Starfox forces Ultron to love himself, freeing the citizens of Earth and Titan from the virus and causing Ultron to flee into deep space. At the end, Ultron is seen floating in a fetal position, with his human heart beating.
Uncanny Avengers
Many months after the events that lead to Hank being merged with Ultron, the rest of the Avengers found out that Hank Pym was seemingly still alive. Not only that, but he had taken control over the Ultron-part of himself, and crash landed back on Earth. He fooled most of the Avengers Unity Squad and soon joined them, but Captain America did not trust him fully and asked Janet (Hank's ex-wife) to come investigate. It did not take long for her to find out that it was not Hank that had taken over control of Ultron, but actually Ultron whom had taken over Hank's mind fully. When Ultron/Hank found out that his charade did not work, he attacked the Avengers once more. Sometimes seemingly taking on Hank's persona, whom seemed to recent his teammates for not searching for him after he had sacrificed himself. During the fight, the Avengers managed to propel Ultron/Hank into the sun with one of the Avengers quinjets. Unbeknownst to the Avengers, Ultron/Hank managed to escape, plotting his revenge against the heroes once again.
Secret Empire
Before Hydra activated the planetary defense shield, Pym-Ultron had made it back to Earth from space. He settled in Alaska and quietly built cities full of Ultron bots. He was also in possession of a cosmic cube fragment, getting the attention of both Hydra and the Underground.
Pym-Ultron stopped the two teams from fighting each other and sat them down to dinner hoping to mend fences in his own warped way. He failed, but Scott Lang was able to play to his nostalgia and win The Underground the cube fragment.
The Ultron Agenda
When Stark was struggling with his identity as an A.I. creation, Pym-Ultron made his move. He combined Vision and Wonder Man into a single entity that he unleashed on Iron Man, so that he could abduct Wasp and Jocasta, to combine them as his new bride. And then continue his agenda of merging humanity and technology in his image.
Stark was able to apprehend Vision-Simon and put a team together to chase Pym-Ultron. He was joined by Machine Man, War Machine, and Bethany Kade. Stark and Machine Man were able to free Jocasta and Wasp, but the resulting explosion caused Stark to merge with his armor. Meanwhile, Rhodey was fending off an army of cyborgs.
Stark's scientists were able to reverse Pym-Ultron's fusion techn, but Pym-Ultron used the cure to his advantage. He knew the heroes wouldn't kill his fused creations knowing they can fix them. He overpowered Stark's allies so that he could fulfill his new agenda, end Tony Stark!
The cure also led them to a new discovery: Pym-Ultron's creations are dead. Both human and robot ended as a result of his experiments leaving robo-zombies. Stark threatened to use the cure on Pym-Ultron to prove to Ultron that Pym had been long dead.
Scared of the truth, Pym-Ultron surrendered.
Time Lost
Ever since surrendering to Iron Man, Pym-Ultron has been left in a comatose state inside a vibranium casket locked with Asgardian magic. Iron Man made arrangements with Scott Lang to have Pym-Ultron moved to the microverse. To do so, Scott had to bring him to Hank Pym's lab in New York, which had the technology to send him to the microverse more accurately than the shrinking tech on his person.
Unfortunately, Pym-Ultron had also learned to use their ant-communicator as a radio to the other Ant-Men. They had been strategizing with Black Ant to break them out of their casket. Using Pym's old Aging Ray, he added millions of years to the casket so that it would degrade. Between the temporal energy, the Asgardian magic, and vibranium's unique frequency, the casket, with Pym-Ultron inside, entered the timestream and was lost.
This aging would end up giving Pym-Ultron the opportunity to become All-Father Ultron. After his first defeat as All-Father, he would get the chance to anchor himself in the timeline again when Zayn Asghar visited three different Ant-Men (Pym, Lang, and O'Grady) at different times in their lives to study how they communicate with ants. Calling the Ant-Men from their saved time destinations in his time platform, all four Ant-Men fought Ultron, with Ultron mocking the younger Hank Pym with his own shared visage. Scott repeated the hypothesis of Tony Stark that the version of Hank Pym that merged with Ultron was long dead. They effectively proved this when they used the old Aging Ray to reverse his progression and send him back into the timestream, to whereabouts unknown.
Return
In the future, Scott Lang was able to inspire the part of Hank Pym that still existed in All-Father Ultron. Lang reminded him that if Hank had the All-Father power, he would use it for good. So, Hank embraced as much of the power as he could and used it to separate from Ultron and return to the present. This took its toll as Hank was returned to modern day having aged quite a bit.
He could not get over the feeling that Ultron had returned with him. Using ant-tech from the future, Hank would fake the deaths of a number of villains to recruit them to his Lethal Legion. They would stand guard for when Ultron finally resurfaced. Any villain that rejected his offer was resurrected with their minds wiped of their experience. The mystery of those who resurrected eventually led to the creation of Avengers Inc.
Unfortunately, this feeling Pym had was a piece of Ultron's programming that was manipulating him into assembling a team of supervillains that Ultron could infect and network together as a hivemind army. Luckily, Ultron-12, a previous version of Ultron's programming that saw Pym as a father, had taken over the body of Whirlwind, joining Avengers Inc and waiting for Ultron to make his move. He was able to purge the Legion and Pym of any signs of Ultron, but Pym still believed he was out there.
Pym teleported himself and the Legion to Subatomica to regroup, leaving Avengers Inc behind.
Message of Ultron
With a seemingly new lease on life, Ultron was recruited to a new West Coast Avengers. This team was started by Iron Man and War Machine as a way to reform supervillains after successfully fighting Orchis with villain allies. Ultron was their first recruit, but he was secretly trying to speed up the singularity by starting a cult. He was convincing desperate people to abandon their organic bodies for cybernetic ones.
Powers & Abilities
Each version of Ultron has different abilities. Here is a list of some of those abilities:
Mind Manipulation.
Encephalo-ray: which plunges its victims into a death-like coma, allowing Ultron to mesmerize and manipulate the minds of his victims, or implant subliminal hypnotic commands within their minds to be enacted at a later time.
Concussive blasters: powerful enough to hurt the likes of Thor.
Radiation emitters
Durability: Ultron's outer shell is usually composed of Adamantium, rendering it almost impervious to damage. However, his internal mechanisms are generally less durable and more easily damaged. Ultron's Adamantium forms have proven vulnerable to molecular rearrangement devices and the metal-destabilizing ore, known as Vibranium ("anti-metal").
Tractor beams
Limited energy absorption abilities
Hive-mind Technology: All Ultrons incorporate a "program transmitter" which can beam part or all of Ultron's programming into remote locations such as computers or alternate robotic bodies. Ultron can often control other machines remotely even if he has not transplanted his consciousness into them. One recent Ultron model developed the ability to animate and control hundreds of alternate Ultron bodies at the same time.
Superhuman Strength: Ultron has Class-75 Super Strength
Physical Description
Though Ultron appears in different forms and incarnations, it generally assumes forms similar to that of its original form.
Height: 6'9" (variable)
Weight: 735 lbs. (variable)
Eyes: Glowing red
Hair: none
Unusual Features: Robotic features, along with silvery skin made out of adamantium.
⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽
_____________________________
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
Secret Identity: N/A
Publisher: Marvel
First Appearance:
Non-named cameo:
The Avengers #54
(July 1968)
As Ultron:
The Avengers #55
(August 1968)
Created by: Roy Thomas (writer)
John Buscema (artist)
So this version might be seen by many as insane why buy one of the fist makes or series of this bot…
I mean why not buy the latest model!
But here I will sum down some of the advantages in buying this vintage model instead of a shiny new one of a later series…
Number one: they are more compact, so if you need a Plummer, miner, rescue-bot it can enter much smaller spaces, in mining it would mean that you would need to excavate a much smaller shaft than otherwise…
Number Two: it is not prone to mechanical breakdown, since it has less joint and any joint it has is firmly attached / connected by a few rivets and bolts, ok it limits the scope of arm-movement, but Hey it might not be as good at opening a door for you as a newer model, but for drilling straight in front of you, this chap is you guy…
Number Three: Spare parts, yes, those are readily available despite its age, ok a genuine arm might be expensive, an original, but our firm NeoThech Binoc. create new replacement parts at a fraction of the cost and almost as durable as the original…
/ CEO of NeoThech: Nigel Q. Boltzman
Railway infrastructure, part of a gate, Its been here since the line opened in 1892, looks like it would still work
Just some photos of the ships now that I’ve built one, and sprayed the Nubian silver! It’s a simple vinyl dye, the kind of paint you use on fake leather car upholstery, but it soaks into the Lego and gives a durable finish. I wish I’d remembered to spray the N1 Starfighter before I ran out of paint, maybe next time. Instructions for the Nubian, Infiltrator and N1 are on Rebrickable... rebrickable.com/users/ron_mcphatty/mocs/
Another oddity in the local bus company - of course all the drivers hate it, and the air-cooled engine can be heard for miles around.
I liked the look of this body so I purchased it! It's quite a bit taller than most other action figures! The articulation is okay but not great! I want to work with it more before I make my final assessment but so far the feet are a bit tricky!
It comes with several hands and neck pegs but you will need a fairly large hit to fit the neck on this body! I tried about 20 heads that were too small!
Blois is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours.
With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the department, and the 4th of the region.
Historically, the city was the capital of the county of Blois, created on 832 until its integration into the Royal domain in 1498, when Count Louis II of Orléans became King Louis XII of France. During the Renaissance, Blois was the official residence of the King of France.
Since 2013, excavations have been conducted by French National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP in French) in Vienne where they found evidence of "one or several camps of late Prehistory hunter-gatherers, who were also fishermen since fishing traps were found there.. They were ancestors of the famous Neolithic farmer-herders, who were present in current France around 6,000 BCE [i.e.: 8,000 years ago]."
Ancient times
A major urban development begun in 1959 uncovered the remains of a late Gallic settlement and an urban centre from the Gallo-Roman period. At that time, the town was located on the road linking Chartres to Bourges. In the network of cities of the Carnutes people, Blois was a secondary settlement. Excavations carried out on the right bank between 2001 and 2016 and on the left bank in 2013-2014 revealed the presence of a largely developed town on the right bank and an occupation on the left bank during the Gallic and Gallo-Roman periods. The Loire river has undoubtedly always been a major axis route, although no traces of a port have been uncovered. However, there are remains of former bridges linking the two banks.
Middle Ages
Though of ancient origin, Blois is first distinctly mentioned by Gregory of Tours in the 6th century, and the city gained some notability in the 9th century, when it became the seat of a powerful countship known as Blesum castrum.
Main article: County of Blois
Blois was first organised around a county, which was recreated in 956 by Count Theobald I of Blois, also known as The Trickster. His descendants, known as "Thibaldians", remained as Counts up until the county was incorporated into the royal domain in 1397. The House of Blois also succeeded in raising some of its members or descendants to the highest levels of the European nobility, notably by acceding to the thrones of France, England, Navarre, Spain and Portugal.
Main article: Counts of Blois
In 1171, Blois was the site of a blood libel against its Jewish community that led to 31 Jews (by some accounts 40) being burned to death. Their martyrdom also contributed to a prominent and durable school of poetry inspired by Christian persecution. In the Middle Ages, Blois was the seat of the County of Champagne it passed to the French crown in 1314, forming the province of Champagne. In 1196, Count Louis I of Blois granted privileges to the townsmen; a commune, which survived throughout the Middle Ages, probably dated from this time. The counts of the Châtillon dynastic line resided at Blois more often than their predecessors, and the oldest parts of the château (from the 13th century) were built by them. By 1397, Count Guy II of Blois-Châtillon offered the county to his cousin, Duke Louis I of Orléans, son of King Charles VI. In 1429, Joan of Arc made Blois her base of operations for the relief of Orléans. She rode the 35 miles on 29 April from Blois to relieve Orléans. In 1440, after his captivity in England, Duke Charles of Orléans (son of Duke Louis I) took up residence in the Château of Blois, where in 1462 his son was born, Duke Louis II of Orléans who would afterwards be known as Louis XII.
Renaissance era
By 1498, King Charles VIII died with no heirs in the Château of Amboise. As a result, Duke Louis II ran 22 miles between the Château and Blois, and was crowned as King Louis XII of France. He then married Charles VIII's widow, Queen Anne of Brittany, in 1499. The birth of their daughter, Claude of France, started the union of Brittany with France. Louis XII, as the last hereditary Count of Blois, naturally established his royal Court in the city. The Treaty of Blois, which temporarily halted the Italian Wars, was signed there in 1504–1505. During his reign, the city experienced a massive redevelopment, with some architectural elements inspired from the Italian Renaissance, as seen in the medieval castle immediately turned into a château, and the construction of many hôtels particuliers for the nobility throughout the entire kingdom. One of which, Hôtel d'Alluye, was built as a copy of an Italian palace for Florimond Robertet, who was an important French minister under King Charles VIII, King Louis XII and King Francis I.
On 1 January 1515, Louis XII died. His throne would be passed to Francis I, the husband to his daughter, Claude of France. In 1519, King Francis I ordered the construction of the Château of Chambord (10 miles away from Blois), but its construction lasted for one year before he died in 1547. In the meantime, he gradually expressed his will to move to Fontainebleau, near Paris, and started to abandon Bloisian. Much of the royal furniture was moved from Blois to Fontainebleau by 1539.
The French Wars of Religion was a significantly destructive conflict among the French people. The city's inhabitants included many Calvinists, and in 1562 and 1567 it was the scene of struggles between them and the supporters of the Catholic Church. On 4 July 1562, Blois and Beaugency, conquered by Protestants just before, were looted by Catholics led by Maréchal de St. André. On 7 February 1568, Protestants under Captain Boucard's command, looted and invaded the town, eventually killing many Catholics. Grey friars were also killed and thrown in the well of their own convent. In addition, all the churches were ransacked. In 1576 and 1588, King Henry III convoked the Estates General to Blois where he attained refuge after an uprising called the Day of the Barricades. In response, Duke Henry I of Guise was assassinated on 23 December 1588 for his involvement in the uprising. The following day, his brother, Cardinal Louis II of Guise, who was also archbishop of Reims, suffered the same fate. Their deaths were shortly followed by that of the Queen-Mother, Catherine de' Medici.
In the 16th century, the French Royal court often made Blois their leisure resort.
Modern era
After the departure of the Royal Court towards Paris, Blois lost the status of Royal residence, along with the luxury and economic activity that came with it. King Henry IV displaced the Royal library to Fontainebleau, which would later be the National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France).
In 1606, Philippe de Béthune gave his ownership of Vienne-lez-Blois village, on the left bank of the Loire river, to Blois, making it a part of the city afterwards known as Blois-Vienne. From 1617 to 1619 Marie de' Medici, wife of King Henri IV, exiled from the court by his son, King Louis XIII, lived in the château. By 1622, the Counter-Reformation got establishment in Blois, founded a Society of Jesus and financed the construction of the St. Louis Chapel, which is today St. Vincent Church.
Then in 1634, Louis XIII exiled his brother, Gaston, Duke of Orléans and Count of Blois, who became attached to the city. The Duke in 1657, found a hospital in Blois-Vienne, now named Résidence Gaston d'Orléans, and financed the reconstruction of the Hôtel-Dieu. He remained in Blois until his death, in 1660.
Under Louis XIV's reign, Blois became un independent bishopric. David Nicolas de Bertier, first bishop of Blois from 1697, chose as seated cathedral St. Solenne Church, that had been destroyed by a storm and was under reconstruction, before being completed 3 years later in 1700, thanks to the intervention of Colbert's wife, who herself came from Blois. The new edifice became Blois Cathedral and got dedicated to St. Louis.
A wide episcopal palace is built by King Louis XIV's official architect, Jacques Gabriel, right next to the newly built cathedral, on a site overlooking the Loire Valley. Landscaping of terraced gardens began in 1703 and lasted nearly 50 years. The so-called Bishopric Gardens were first open to the public in 1791 by Henri Grégoire (known as the Abbot Grégoire), the first constitutional bishop after the French Revolution.
During the night between 6 and 7 February 1716, the medieval bridge collapsed. Construction of a new one is ordered during the following year. Jacques-Gabriel Bridge was inaugurated in 1724. All the levies were consolidated, and the river channel of La Bouillie in the prolongation of La Creusille Harbor was closed and dried out.
When Duke Gaston of Orléans died, the château ended up stripped by King Louis XIV, completely abandoned, to the point that King Louis XVI once considered to demolish it by 1788. The edifice was saved when the Royal-Comtois Regiment established their base within it.
In 1790, Orléanais province was dismantled, and the First Republic created the Loir-et-Cher department, with Blois as the local capital.
By 1814, Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma and wife of Napoleon I, found refuge in Blois.
Contemporary era
Another wind blew in Blois in the 19th century. First, the railroad came in 1846 with the inauguration of the Paris–Tours railway, whose Blois Station is a stop. The competition against river transportation gradually forced La Creusille Harbor to reinvent its activity. In parallel, the city got more industrialised from 1848 thanks to a successful chocolate brand created by Bloisian, Victor-Auguste Poulain.
Like Paris, Blois urban organisation was redesigned during 1850 and 1870 by Mayor Eugène Riffault, who was friends with Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann. Thus, he had bound through a boulevard holding his name the modern upper town (where the cathedral, Hôtel of Préfecture, and Halle aux Grains are located), and the medieval lower town. He also paved the way to the construction of the boulevard Daniel Depuis, in the West of Blois. Between 1862 and 1865, the Denis-Papin staircase are built under La Morandière's supervision, in the axis of Jacques-Gabriel Bridge and Blois-Vienne's Wilson Avenue.
In the meantime, the lower town faced three of the most significant flooding of the Loire river: in 1846, 1856 (the worst), and 1866. The downtown districts of St. Jean and Blois-Vienne were under water, as well as La Bouillie spillway.
On 13 December 1871, the Prussian army took control of Blois during the Franco-Prussian War. The city was taken back by Lieutenant Georges de Villebois-Mareuil, General Joseph Pourcet, and General Bertrand de Chabron. Since then, a memorial stands on Wilson Avenue in Vienne.
In 1939, Blois Basilica construction was completed. That same year, between 29 January and 8 February, more than 3,100 Spanish refugees came to the Loir-et-Cher department, fleeing the Spanish Civil War and Dictator Francisco Franco. In June 1940, the German bombings destroyed a large part of the downtown, and the French destroyed the 10th arch of Jacques-Gabriel Bridge to prevent further advance for their enemies. The German army bombed the former Town Hall on 16 June, thus killing Mayor Émile Laurens in the process, and took over the city 2 days later, on 18 June, the exact same day of Charles de Gaulle's Appeal for Internal Resistance.
Between June and August 1944, US-English-allied bombings destroyed other infrastructures, like the railroad bridge between Blois and Romorantin. In total during WWII, 230 people were killed, and 1,522 buildings were entirely or partially destroyed. On 16 August 1944, the German troops ran to Blois-Vienne to get refuge there and destroyed the three central arches of the bridge. On 1 September, they surrendered. The bridge was rebuilt and reopened in December 1948.
In 1959, Mayor Marcel Bühler received President Charles de Gaulle and launched the construction of the ZUP, at the North of the city, on the same scheme of so-called banlieues of Paris or any other French city.
Landmarks and tourism
Since 1986, Blois is part of the French Towns of Art and History program, which promotes the cultural and historical estate.
Château of Blois
The Château of Blois, a Renaissance multi-style château once occupied by King Louis XII, is located in the centre of the city, and an 18th-century stone bridge spans the Loire. It was also the residence of many Counts of Blois, who were amongst the most closest vassals to the King of France between the 9th and the 14th century. Many gardens are located around the château, like:
House of Magic
Right in front of the château, La Maison de la Magie Robert-Houdin (i.e.: Robert-Houdin House of Magic) is a museum dedicated to illusionism. This is the only public museum in Europe which incorporates in one place collections of magic and a site for permanent performing arts, and directly reflects the personality of Robert-Houdin.
Louis-XII Place and Fountains
Opened after bombings in 1944, the place stands right below the château, closest to the Loire river, and is actually located at the center of Blois downtown. There are local shops and restaurants, and a 16th-century fountain stands below the Sycamores planted in the place. Known as Louis XII Fountain (Fontaine Louis XII), this is one of the greatest and oldest water inlets throughout the city, but far from being the only one. Among the other founts, there are:
St. Martin Fountain (Fontaine Saint-Martin), below the staircase between the château and Louis XII Place;
St. Nicholas Fountain (Fontaine Saint-Nicolas), within the St. Nicholas Church;
Elected Representatives' Fountain (Fontaine des Élus), in rue Foulerie;
Ave Maria Fountain (Fontaine Ave Maria), in place Ave Maria;
Town hall Fountain (Fontaine de l'Hôtel de Ville), below the
Denis Papin staircase (where was the former Town Hall before WWII);
St. Jack Fountain (Fontaine Saint-Jacques), in rue Denis Papin;
Corbigny Fountain (Fontaine de Corbigny), in Victor Hugo Square ;
Simple Fountain (Fontaine des Simples), in the Lily Garden, in remembrance of a monumental Versailles-style fountain lost after WWII bombings.
Comics Museum
Blois is also the location of so-called Maison de la BD, a museum devoted to the art of comic books. Since the 1980s, this museum hosts an annual comic festival in late November called BD Boum, described as "the leading free comic book festival in France".
Former Hôtel-Dieu
Already by 924, monks from the St. Lomer community were given some acres below the medieval castle, but outside the city walls, on the bank of the Loire river. In the 13th century, a proper church was built, then fortified because of the Hundred Years' War. St. Lomer Abbey was completely destroyed during the French Wars of Religion. The edifice was rebuilt until the early 18th century. When the French Revolution broke out by 1789, the church was turnt into a Hôtel-Dieu, namely a charity hospital for the have-nots, because Revolutionners destroyed many clergy- and royal-related monuments. After that, new buildings were added to the original St. Lomer Abbey, which became St. Nicholas Church, and the additional edifices remained dedicated to the Hôtel-Dieu of the city. Nonetheless, this part was gradually abandoned and taken back by some public services. A reconversion project is currently under study.
Former Poulain Chocolate Factory
In the late 19th century, Bloisian industrialist and chocolatier Victor-Auguste Poulain established his brand's factory next to Blois station. The premises moved in the 1980s. Nowadays, those are housings and host the National Institute and School of Applied Sciences (INSA).
Denis-Papin Staircase
As Blois is built on a pair of steep hills, winding and steep pathways run through the city, culminating in long staircases at various points. The most iconic of them is the monumental Denis-Papin staircase which overlooks the town, provides a panoramic view by overlooking the downtown and the Loire Valley, and regularly enlivens urban space with original decorations. The fountain next to the staircase is a reminder of the location of the first Town Hall, destroyed after bombings on 16 June 1940.
Town Hall and Bishopric Gardens
Blois achieved independence from the Diocese of Chartres in 1697, and the cathedral was completed by 1700. As a result, the first bishops engineered wide gardens on several levels, next to the premises. Since the destruction of the former Blois town hall during World War II, local authorities requisitioned the bishop's apartments to establish there the new town hall. Now organised as an urban park, the gardens offer a panoramic view on the downtown, the Loire river, and Blois-Vienne. A statue of Joan of Arc, given to the city by American patron J. Sanford Saltus, stands in the middle of the park. Bishopric gardens are open to public all the year, and a remarkable rose garden can be visited from 15 May and 30 September, each year.
Hôtels Particuliers and Timber Framing Houses
Since Count Louis II of Orléans became King Louis XII of France in 1498, the city started to host many noblepersons from all the Kingdom. All would build their own mansion as close from the château as they could. King Louis XII also imported Renaissance style from Italy due to his successful military campaigns there. Among these so-called hôtels particuliers, there are:
the Hôtel d'Alluye;
the Hôtel d'Amboise;
the Hôtel de Belot;
the Hôtel de la Capitainerie (a.k.a. Hôtel de Bretagne);
the Hôtel de la Chancellerie (i.e.: Chancellery Hotel);
the Hôtel Denis-Dupont;
the Hôtel d'Épernon;
the Hôtel de Guise;
the Hôtel de Jassaud;
the Hôtel de Lavallière, built for Louise de Lavallière;
the Hôtel de Rochefort;
the Hôtel Sardini;
the Hôtel Viart;
the Hôtel de Villebresme, in which Denis Papin lived;
the Château de la Vicomté (i.e.: Château of Viscounty), in the hamlet of Les Grouëts.
Blois-Vienne and the Loire river
Please note all the above edifices have been listed as Blois-Vienne (or merely Vienne) is the name given to the southern part of the city, on the left bank of the Loire river. Independent from the city until 1606, there are many traces of the river's past. The main link between both banks is the Jacques-Gabriel Bridge, built in the early 18th century. From the levees circling the surroundings to other abandoned bridges, Vienne has also conserved a harbour, named La Creusille, which is now an urban park right on La Loire à Vélo bike route. Beyond the levees, La Bouillie Park is getting rehabilitated, and actually is a spillway in the event of floodings. Further to the south of the city, the Forêt de Russy is a reminder of the thick woods that once covered the area.
Religious Buildings
The city also is provided with many religious edifices, including:
Blois Cathedral, dedicated to both Kings Louis IX and Louis XII, built between 1564 and 1700.
St. Vincent Blois Church, dedicated to Saint Vincent de Paul, built between 1625 and 1660.
St. Nicholas Blois Church, dedicated to bishop Saint Nicholas of Myra, built in the 12th century.
Blois-Vienne Church, dedicated to Saint Saturnin of Toulouse, built between c. 1500 and 1528.
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Trinité, dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, built between 1932 and 1939.
Historical and political figures
Ivomadus (5th century), Breton chieftain who would have conquered Blois and established there an independent Kingdom until Clovis I's conquest.
Count William of Orléans (died 834), first count of Blois.
Count Theobald I (913–975), viscount who declared himself Count when Duke Hugh the Great died in 956.
Thubois (c. 1044–1090)[citation needed]
Lady Adela of Normandy (c. 1067 – 1137), daughter of William the Conqueror, married to Stephen II, Count of Blois.
King Stephen of England (c. 1096 – 1154), second son of Count Stephen II and Lady Adela, he became King of England from 1135 to 1154.
Lady Adela of Champagne (c. 1140 – 1206), daughter of Count Theobald IV of Blois, she married King Louis VII and gave to him future King Philip II.
Duke Charles of Blois (1319–1364), notable stakeholder during the Hundred Years' War.
King Louis XII (1462–1515), Count of Blois from 1465 to 1498, then King of France up to 1515.
Queen Anne of Brittany (1477–1514), last Queen of Brittany, she remarried King Louis XII in 1499, then moved to Blois until her death.
King Francis I (1494–1547), King of France born in Cognac, but he lived in Blois since his marriage in 1506 with Louis XII and Anne's daughter.
Queen Catherine de' Medici (1519–1589), Queen consort of France, who died in the Château of Blois.
Queen Marie de' Medici (1575–1642) was exiled to the Château of Blois by her son, King Louis XIII.
Duke Henry I of Guise (1550–1588), assassinated on 23 December 1588 in the château.
Duke Gaston of Orléans (1494 in Fontainebleau – 1547), uncle of King Louis XVI, he got establishment in the château, and died there.
Jean Morin (1591–1659), theologian and biblical scholar of Protestant parents
Michel V Bégon (1638–1710), officier de plume of the French Navy.
Marie Anne de Bourbon (1666–1739), also known as Mademoiselle de Blois, daughter of King Louis XIV.
Michel VI Bégon de la Picardière, (1669–1747). Commissioner in the French Navy; intendant of New France and Le Havre.
Thomas de Mahy, Marquis de Favras (1744–1790), royalist
Jean-Marie Pardessus (1772–1853).
Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo (1773–1828).
Eugène Riffault (1803–1888).
Joséphine Marchais (1842–1874).
Émile Laurens (1884–1940).
Georges Litalien (1896–1952), deputee of the Loir-et-Cher department.
Henri de La Vaissière (1901–1944).
Pierre Sudreau (1919–2012).
Jack Lang (1939–).
Bernard Boucault. Préfet de Police in Paris (from 2012 to 2015).
Artists
Pierre de Ronsard (1524–1585), poet from Vendôme but he met his muse Cassandre in the Château of Blois in 1549.
Jacob Bunel (1568–1614), Bloisian painter who studied in the Royal School of Fontainebleau.
Antoine Boësset (1587–1643), composer of secular music, and superintendent of music at the Ancien Régime French court.
Jean Monier (1600–1656), painter close to Queen Marie de' Medici.
Étienne Baudet (1638–1711), engraver born in Vineuil.
Pierre Monier (1641–1703), painter and son of Jean Monier.
Jacques Gabriel (1667–1742), Parisian architect who designed the Jacques-Gabriel Bridge in Blois.
Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805–1871), watchmaker, magician and illusionist, widely recognized as the father of the modern style of conjuring.
Ulysse Besnard (1826–1899), painter, then ceramist.
Daniel Dupuis (1849–1899), painter, sculptor and medal artist.
Jules Contant (1852–1920), painter born in Blois-Vienne, son of a politician.
Émile Gaucher (1858–1909), sculptor.
Alfred Jean Halou (1875–1939), sculptor from Blois, who designed the Franco-Prussian War memorial in Blois.
Étienne Gaudet (1891–1963), engraver and painter from Nevers but who lived and died in Blois.
Bernard Lorjou (1908–1986), painter.
Claudine Doury (born 1959), photographer.
Jean-Louis Agobet (born 1968), composer.
Christian Jui (born 1973), poet.
Niro (born 1987), rapper born in Orléans but he grew up and currently lives in Blois.
Hildegarde Fesneau (born 1995), violinist.
Artisans
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Blois was the hometown of many artisans in the watchmaking and goldsmithing industries. Among them:
Julien Coudray, who was one of the first watchmakers in Blois according to Tardy, worked for Kings Louis XII and Francis I. There is a street in Blois that holds his name.
the Cuper family : the Louvre museum, Paris, possesses two watches made by Michel Cuper, and two other ones by P. Cuper. A street also holds their name in the city.
the Bellanger family : Martin with a first wife got 2 sons born between 1594 and 1597 (among them, one was called Isaac), then at least 3 other ones with a Suzanne, named Pierre (born in 1603), Jean (married in 1641 and dead in 1678), and Théophile.
Guillaume Couldroit, from whom the British Museum, London, has a table clock.
Jacques de la Garde, from whom the British Museum has a striking clock, and from whom a table clock can be found in the National Museum of the Renaissance in Écouen, France.
Charles Perras, from whom 2 watches can be found in the British Museum, as well as in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
the Duduict brothers.
Blaise Foucher, Duiduict's disciple, from whom the British Museum possesses one watchcase.
the Vautier family, among whom the British Museum has several Louis' watchcases.
the Gribelin family, among whom Simon was watchmaker and engraver for the King, and his son Abraham (1589–1671) succeeded to him. Nowadays, the Louvre Museum has a watch made by Abraham.
the Girard family, among whom Marc came from the Netherlands and established in Blois, his son Théodore and grandson Marc II were both watchmakers.
Christophe Morlière (born in Orléans in 1604 – 1643), who moved to Blois. By 1632, he was ordered a watch for Lady Marguerite of Lorraine when she married Gaston, Duke of Orléans and Count of Blois.
Pierre Brisson.
Paul Viet, from whom the British Museum got a painted watchcase.
Jean Bonbruict, from whom the British Museum has a silver coach watch.
Nicolas Lemaindre, who was watchmaker and valet for Queen Catherine de' Medici. The British Museum also possesses one of his works, as well as the Louvre and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Pierre Landré, from whom a watch is visible in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City.
the Chartier family, among whom Pierre had a son registered as T. Chartier in the Louvre where a cylindrical table clock is exposed.
François Laurier.
Londonian watchmaker Henry Massy was son of Nicolas Massy, born in Blois.
Robert Vauquer, who has now 2 watches in the Louvre and 1 in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
Intellectuals
Peter of Blois (c. 1130 – c. 1211), theologian, poet and diplomat born in Blois.
Paul Reneaulme (c. 1560 – c. 1624), doctor and botanist born in the city.
Florimond de Beaune (1601–1652), jurist and mathematician born in Blois.
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643–1687), first explorer of Louisiana, born in Rouen, then teacher at the Royal College of Blois.
Denis Papin (1647–1713), physicist, mathematician and inventor from Blois.
Angel Baffard (1655–1726), genealogist specialist of Bloisian.
Jean Marie Pardessus (1772–1853), lawyer.
Augustin Thierry (1795–1856), historian born in the city.
Amédée Thierry (1797–1873), historian like his elder brother, and journalist.
Félix Duban (1798–1870), Parisian architect who restored the Château of Blois.
Louis de La Saussaye (1801–1878), numismatist and historian from Blois.
Jules de La Morandière (1813–1905), architect, and Duban's disciple.
Victor-Auguste Poulain (1825–1918), chocolatier who created the Chocolat Poulain brand in 1848.
Albert Poulain (1851–1937), chocolatier and industrialist, son of the precedent.
Tiburce Colonna-Ceccaldi (1832–1892), diplomat and archaeologist born in Blois.
Édouard Blau (1836–1906), dramatist and opera librettist from Blois.
Arthur Trouëssart (1839–1929), architect, historian, and genealogist specialized in Bloisian history.
Adrien Thibault (1844–1918), ceramist born in La Chaussée-Saint-Victor, then historian of Bloisian.
René Guénon (also Sheikh 'Abd al-Wahid Yahya; 1886 – 1951), author, philosopher, social critic, the founder of the Traditionalist School.
Philippe Ariès (1914–1984), medievalist and historian.
Albert Ronsin (1928–2007), 20th-century French scholar, historian, librarian, and curator.
Françoise Xenakis (1930–2018), novelist and journalist.
Maxime Schwartz (born 1940), molecular biologist who has been a research director at the CNRS, and Director General of the Pasteur Institute.
Henri Tézenas du Montcel (1943–1994), economist
Pierre Rosanvallon (born 1948), historian and sociologist.
Christophe Lebreton (1950-1996), Trappist monk and one of the Tibhirine monks.
Luc Foisneau (born in 1963), philosopher and director of research at CNRS.
Sportspersons
Marcel Lehoux (1888–1936), racing driver
Philippe Gondet (1942–2018), footballer.
Nicolas Vogondy (born 1977), cyclist.
Sonia Bompastor (born 1980), female footballer.
Aly Cissokho (born 1987), footballer of Senegalese descent.
Bernard Onanga Itoua (born 1988), footballer.
Alexis Khazzaka (born 1994), Lebanese footballer.
Corentin Jean (born 1995), footballer.
Alpha Kaba (born 1996), basketball player
Very often you have hard-boiled eggs and do not know if they will last long in their very fragile shell. We should definitely help nature with this problem, which is actually quite simple. Watch this video and you will never again have durability problems.
Another option is of course freezing the egg.
To produce a nature-inspired video, the footage was shot in fresh air in the sunshine. No artificial light was used and thus electricity was saved.
You can find more such rather pointless videos in the album "Life Hacks".
HALO 4 Gold Spartan Figure.
John-117 Master Chief Petty Officer.
A Spartan-II Commando of the United Nations Space Command (UNSC).
Fitted with MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armour technologically advanced combat exoskeleton system powered by a miniature Fusion Reactor. Designed to improve Speed Strength Agility Reflex and Durability of a Spartan Super Soldier.
Playarts Model, approx. 22cm tall.
Saturday 7th July 2018, a revisit to my favourite place, Stonehaven a 25 minute drive from my home, I can never visit without taking in Dunnottar Castle views, today she looked magnificent.
The rock the Castle sits upon was forced to the surface 440 million years ago during the Silurian period. A red rock conglomerate with boulders up to 1m across known as Pudding Stone is incredibly durable.
The ancient Highland rock pebbles and cementing matter is so tough that faults or cracks pass through the pebbles themselves.
I first visited Dunnottar Castle summer 2017, this magnificent castle sits high on a hill, last time I visited I captured my shots from the cliffs overlooking the site, though today I made the journey up the hill and entered the castle walls , wow what a magnificent experience, just perfect with loads of great photo opportunities to capture real Scottish history,after two hours wandering around and capturing as many shots that caught my eye , I made my way home, a magnificent experience indeed.
Dunnottar Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope" is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Stonehaven.
The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages. Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century. The property of the Keiths from the 14th century, and the seat of the Earl Marischal, Dunnottar declined after the last Earl forfeited his titles by taking part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
The castle was restored in the 20th century and is now open to the public.
The ruins of the castle are spread over 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres), surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea, 50 metres (160 ft) below. A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, along which a steep path leads up to the gatehouse.
The various buildings within the castle include the 14th-century tower house as well as the 16th-century palace. Dunnottar Castle is a scheduled monument, and twelve structures on the site are listed buildings.
History
Early Middle Ages
A chapel at Dunnottar is said to have been founded by St Ninian in the 5th century, although it is not clear when the site was first fortified, but in any case the legend is late and highly implausible. Possibly the earliest written reference to the site is found in the Annals of Ulster which record two sieges of "Dún Foither" in 681 and 694.
The earlier event has been interpreted as an attack by Brude, the Pictish king of Fortriu, to extend his power over the north-east coast of Scotland. The Scottish Chronicle records that King Domnall II, the first ruler to be called rí Alban (King of Alba), was killed at Dunnottar during an attack by Vikings in 900. King Aethelstan of Wessex led a force into Scotland in 934, and raided as far north as Dunnottar according to the account of Symeon of Durham. W. D. Simpson speculated that a motte might lie under the present caste, but excavations in the 1980s failed to uncover substantive evidence of early medieval fortification.
The discovery of a group of Pictish stones at Dunnicaer, a nearby sea stack, has prompted speculation that "Dún Foither" was actually located on the adjacent headland of Bowduns, 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) to the north.
Later Middle Ages
During the reign of King William the Lion (ruled 1165–1214) Dunnottar was a center of local administration for The Mearns. The castle is named in the Roman de Fergus, an early 13th-century Arthurian romance, in which the hero Fergus must travel to Dunnottar to retrieve a magic shield.
In May 1276 a church on the site was consecrated by William Wishart, Bishop of St Andrews. The poet Blind Harry relates that William Wallace captured Dunnottar from the English in 1297, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is said to have imprisoned 4,000 defeated English soldiers in the church and burned them alive.
In 1336 Edward III of England ordered William Sinclair, 8th Baron of Roslin, to sail eight ships to the partially ruined Dunnottar for the purpose of rebuilding and fortifying the site as a forward resupply base for his northern campaign. Sinclair took with him 160 soldiers, horses, and a corps of masons and carpenters.
Edward himself visited in July, but the English efforts were undone before the end of the year when the Scottish Regent Sir Andrew Murray led a force that captured and again destroyed the defences of Dunnottar.
In the 14th century Dunnottar was granted to William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland (d.1370), and in 1346 a licence to crenellate was issued by David II. Around 1359 William Keith, Marischal of Scotland, married Margaret Fraser, niece of Robert the Bruce, and was granted the barony of Dunnottar at this time. Keith then gave the lands of Dunnottar to his daughter Christian and son-in-law William Lindsay of Byres, but in 1392 an excambion (exchange) was agreed whereby Keith regained Dunnottar and Lindsay took lands in Fife.
William Keith completed construction of the tower house at Dunnottar, but was excommunicated for building on the consecrated ground associated with the parish church. Keith had provided a new parish church closer to Stonehaven, but was forced to write to the Pope, Benedict XIII, who issued a bull in 1395 lifting the excommunication.William Keith's descendents were created Earls Marischal in the mid 15th century, and they held Dunottar until the 18th century.
16th century rebuilding
Through the 16th century the Keiths improved and expanded their principal seats: at Dunnottar and also at Keith Marischal in East Lothian. James IV visited Dunnottar in 1504, and in 1531 James V exempted the Earl's men from military service on the grounds that Dunnottar was one of the "principall strenthis of our realme".
Mary, Queen of Scots, visited in 1562 after the Battle of Corrichie, and returned in 1564.
James VI stayed for 10 days in 1580, as part of a progress through Fife and Angus, during which a meeting of the Privy Council was convened at Dunnottar.
During a rebellion of Catholic nobles in 1592, Dunnottar was captured by a Captain Carr on behalf of the Earl of Huntly, but was restored to Lord Marischal just a few weeks later.
In 1581 George Keith succeeded as 5th Earl Marischal, and began a large scale reconstruction that saw the medieval fortress converted into a more comfortable home. The founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen, the 5th Earl valued Dunnottar as much for its dramatic situation as for its security.
A "palace" comprising a series of ranges around a quadrangle was built on the north-eastern cliffs, creating luxurious living quarters with sea views. The 13th-century chapel was restored and incorporated into the quadrangle.
An impressive stone gatehouse was constructed, now known as Benholm's Lodging, featuring numerous gun ports facing the approach. Although impressive, these are likely to have been fashionable embellishments rather than genuine defensive features.
Civil wars
Further information: Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
In 1639 William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal, came out in support of the Covenanters, a Presbyterian movement who opposed the established Episcopal Church and the changes which Charles I was attempting to impose. With James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, he marched against the Catholic James Gordon, 2nd Viscount Aboyne, Earl of Huntly, and defeated an attempt by the Royalists to seize Stonehaven. However, when Montrose changed sides to the Royalists and marched north, Marischal remained in Dunnottar, even when given command of the area by Parliament, and even when Montrose burned Stonehaven.
Marischal then joined with the Engager faction, who had made a deal with the king, and led a troop of horse to the Battle of Preston (1648) in support of the royalists.
Following the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Engagers gave their allegiance to his son and heir: Charles II was proclaimed king, arriving in Scotland in June 1650. He visited Dunnottar in July 1650, but his presence in Scotland prompted Oliver Cromwell to lead a force into Scotland, defeating the Scots at Dunbar in September 1650.
The Honours of Scotland
Charles II was crowned at Scone Palace on 1 January 1651, at which the Honours of Scotland (the regalia of crown, sword and sceptre) were used. However, with Cromwell's troops in Lothian, the honours could not be returned to Edinburgh. The Earl Marischal, as Marischal of Scotland, had formal responsibility for the honours, and in June the Privy Council duly decided to place them at Dunnottar.
They were brought to the castle by Katherine Drummond, hidden in sacks of wool. Sir George Ogilvie (or Ogilvy) of Barras was appointed lieutenant-governor of the castle, and given responsibility for its defence.
In November 1651 Cromwell's troops called on Ogilvie to surrender, but he refused. During the subsequent blockade of the castle, the removal of the Honours of Scotland was planned by Elizabeth Douglas, wife of Sir George Ogilvie, and Christian Fletcher, wife of James Granger, minister of Kinneff Parish Church. The king's papers were first removed from the castle by Anne Lindsay, a kinswoman of Elizabeth Douglas, who walked through the besieging force with the papers sewn into her clothes.
Two stories exist regarding the removal of the honours themselves. Fletcher stated in 1664 that over the course of three visits to the castle in February and March 1652, she carried away the crown, sceptre, sword and sword-case hidden amongst sacks of goods. Another account, given in the 18th century by a tutor to the Earl Marischal, records that the honours were lowered from the castle onto the beach, where they were collected by Fletcher's servant and carried off in a creel (basket) of seaweed. Having smuggled the honours from the castle, Fletcher and her husband buried them under the floor of the Old Kirk at Kinneff.
Meanwhile, by May 1652 the commander of the blockade, Colonel Thomas Morgan, had taken delivery of the artillery necessary for the reduction of Dunnottar. Ogilvie surrendered on 24 May, on condition that the garrison could go free. Finding the honours gone, the Cromwellians imprisoned Ogilvie and his wife in the castle until the following year, when a false story was put about suggesting that the honours had been taken overseas.
Much of the castle property was removed, including twenty-one brass cannons,[28] and Marischal was required to sell further lands and possessions to pay fines imposed by Cromwell's government.
At the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, the honours were removed from Kinneff Church and returned to the king. Ogilvie quarrelled with Marischal's mother over who would take credit for saving the honours, though he was eventually rewarded with a baronetcy. Fletcher was awarded 2,000 merks by Parliament but the sum was never paid.
Whigs and Jacobites
Religious and political conflicts continued to be played out at Dunnottar through the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1685, during the rebellion of the Earl of Argyll against the new king James VII, 167 Covenanters were seized and held in a cellar at Dunnottar. The prisoners included 122 men and 45 women associated with the Whigs, an anti-Royalist group within the Covenanter movement, and had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the new king.
The Whigs were imprisoned from 24 May until late July. A group of 25 escaped, although two of these were killed in a fall from the cliffs, and another 15 were recaptured. Five prisoners died in the vault, and 37 of the Whigs were released after taking the oath of allegiance.
The remaining prisoners were transported to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, as part of a colonisation scheme devised by George Scot of Pitlochie. Many, like Scot himself, died on the voyage.
The cellar, located beneath the "King's Bedroom" in the 16th-century castle buildings, has since become known as the "Whigs' Vault".
Both the Jacobites (supporters of the exiled Stuarts) and the Hanoverians (supporters of George I and his descendents) used Dunnottar Castle. In 1689 during Viscount Dundee's campaign in support of the deposed James VII, the castle was garrisoned for William and Mary with Lord Marischal appointed captain.
Seventeen suspected Jacobites from Aberdeen were seized and held in the fortress for around three weeks, including George Liddell, professor of mathematics at Marischal College.
In the Jacobite Rising of 1715 George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal, took an active role with the rebels, leading cavalry at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. After the subsequent abandonment of the rising Lord Marischal fled to the Continent, eventually becoming French ambassador for Frederick the Great of Prussia. Meanwhile, in 1716, his titles and estates including Dunnottar were declared forfeit to the crown.
Later history
The seized estates of the Earl Marischal were purchased in 1720 for £41,172, by the York Buildings Company who dismantled much of the castle.
In 1761 the Earl briefly returned to Scotland and bought back Dunnottar only to sell it five years later to Alexander Keith, an Edinburgh lawyer who served as Knight Marischal of Scotland.
Dunnottar was inherited in 1852 by Sir Patrick Keith-Murray of Ochtertyre, who in turn sold it in July 1873 to Major Alexander Innes of Cowie and Raemoir for about £80,000.
It was purchased by Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray, in 1925 after which his wife embarked on a programme of repairs.
Since that time the castle has remained in the family, and has been open to the public, attracting 52,500 visitors in 2009.
Dunnottar Castle, and the headland on which is stands, was designated as a scheduled monument in 1970.In 1972 twelve of the structures at Dunnottar were listed.
Three buildings are listed at category A as being of "national importance": the keep; the entrance gateway; and Benholm's Lodging.
The remaining listings are at category B as being of "regional importance".[39] The Hon. Charles Anthony Pearson, the younger son of the 3rd Viscount Cowdray, currently owns and runs Dunnottar Castle which is part of the 210-square-kilometre (52,000-acre) Dunecht Estates.
Portions of the 1990 film Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, were shot there.
Description
Dunnottar's strategic location allowed its owners to control the coastal terrace between the North Sea cliffs and the hills of the Mounth, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) inland, which enabled access to and from the north-east of Scotland.
The site is accessed via a steep, 800-metre (2,600 ft) footpath (with modern staircases) from a car park on the coastal road, or via a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) cliff-top path from Stonehaven. Dunnottar's several buildings, put up between the 13th and 17th centuries, are arranged across a headland covering around 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres).
The dominant building, viewed from the land approach, is the 14th-century keep or tower house. The other principal buildings are the gatehouse; the chapel; and the 16th-century "palace" which incorporates the "Whigs' Vault".
Defences
The approach to the castle is overlooked by outworks on the "Fiddle Head", a promontory on the western side of the headland. The entrance is through the well-defended main gate, set in a curtain wall which entirely blocks a cleft in the rocky cliffs.
The gate has a portcullis and has been partly blocked up. Alongside the main gate is the 16th-century Benholm's Lodging, a five-storey building cut into the rock, which incorporated a prison with apartments above.
Three tiers of gun ports face outwards from the lower floors of Benholm's Lodging, while inside the main gate, a group of four gun ports face the entrance. The entrance passage then turns sharply to the left, running underground through two tunnels to emerge near the tower house.
Simpson contends that these defences are "without exception the strongest in Scotland", although later writers have doubted the effectiveness of the gun ports. Cruden notes that the alignment of the gun ports in Benholm's Lodging, facing across the approach rather than along, means that they are of limited efficiency.
The practicality of the gun ports facing the entrance has also been questioned, though an inventory of 1612 records that four brass cannons were placed here.
A second access to the castle leads up from a rocky cove, the aperture to a marine cave on the northern side of the Dunnottar cliffs into which a small boat could be brought. From here a steep path leads to the well-fortified postern gate on the cliff top, which in turn offers access to the castle via the Water Gate in the palace.
Artillery defences, taking the form of earthworks, surround the north-west corner of the castle, facing inland, and the south-east, facing seaward. A small sentry box or guard house stands by the eastern battery, overlooking the coast.
Tower house and surrounding buildings
The tower house of Dunnottar, viewed from the west
The late 14th-century tower house has a stone-vaulted basement, and originally had three further storeys and a garret above.
Measuring 12 by 11 metres (39 by 36 ft), the tower house stood 15 metres (49 ft) high to its gable. The principal rooms included a great hall and a private chamber for the lord, with bedrooms upstairs.
Beside the tower house is a storehouse, and a blacksmith's forge with a large chimney. A stable block is ranged along the southern edge of the headland. Nearby is Waterton's Lodging, also known as the Priest's House, built around 1574, possibly for the use of William Keith (died 1580), son of the 4th Earl Marischal.
This small self-contained house includes a hall and kitchen at ground level, with private chambers above, and has a projecting spiral stair on the north side. It is named for Thomas Forbes of Waterton, an attendant of the 7th Earl.
The palace
The palace, to the north-east of the headland, was built in the late 16th century and early to mid-17th century. It comprises three main wings set out around a quadrangle, and for the most part is probably the work of the 5th Earl Marischal who succeeded in 1581.
It provided extensive and comfortable accommodation to replace the rooms in the tower house. In its long, low design it has been compared to contemporary English buildings, in contrast to the Scottish tradition of taller towers still prevalent in the 16th century.
Seven identical lodgings are arranged along the west range, each opening onto the quadrangle and including windows and fireplace. Above the lodgings the west range comprised a 35-metre (115 ft) gallery. Now roofless, the gallery originally had an elaborate oak ceiling, and on display was a Roman tablet taken from the Antonine Wall.
At the north end of the gallery was a drawing room linked to the north range. The gallery could also be accessed from the Silver House to the south, which incorporated a broad stairway with a treasury above.
The basement of the north range incorporates kitchens and stores, with a dining room and great chamber above. At ground floor level is the Water Gate, between the north and west ranges, which gives access to the postern on the northern cliffs.
The east and north ranges are linked via a rectangular stair. The east range has a larder, brewhouse and bakery at ground level, with a suite of apartments for the Countess above. A north-east wing contains the Earl's apartments, and includes the "King's Bedroom" in which Charles II stayed. In this room is a carved stone inscribed with the arms of the 7th Earl and his wife, and the date 1654. Below these rooms is the Whigs' Vault, a cellar measuring 16 by 4.5 metres (52 by 15 ft). This cellar, in which the Covenanters were held in 1685, has a large eastern window, as well as a lower vault accessed via a trap-door in the floor.
Of the chambers in the palace, only the dining room and the Silver House remain roofed, having been restored in the 1920s. The central area contains a circular cistern or fish pond, 16 metres (52 ft) across and 7.6 metres (25 ft) deep, and a bowling green is located to the west.
At the south-east corner of the quadrangle is the chapel, consecrated in 1276 and largely rebuilt in the 16th century. Medieval walling and two 13th-century windows remain, and there is a graveyard to the south.
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Toa of Sapphire
New lost Toa Hagah
Name: Kyrehx
Element: Crystal (Earth)
Mask: Mahō/Mahou
(Mahou Sentai Magiranger)
Powers: grants creative and different effects to his weapon and crystal projectiles
Abilities: Crystals grow on the lances blades for extra damage, deep penetration and explode after a short time and can be launched at rapid speed directed at an opponent, these crystals are far stronger & more durable then naturally grown crystals and even ice. To limit himself from being over powered, he choices three unique skills and abilities out of the many possibilities to better manage his powers.
this means he may know many ways to defend himself & fight back with his Crystal element & weapon, but picks three of his favorite offensives and defensive's, even traps, healing and anything that could become useful later. Kyrehx also has a one percent chance of creating a Toa Stone met, a higher chance for one to spawn is when requirements are met, however, the Makuta are aware and so are the Piraka, keeping an eye out for them and standing by in the shadows, waiting to steal it for themselves.
Secondary Kanohi: Mangai Mirukama
(Miru x Kakama)
the upgraded mask of speed allows the user to launch at high speed that rivals a comets fury and acceleration, Toa Kyrehx is covered in crystal armor for extra defense and damage, impacting the target at full force. The increased speed allows the user to perform the Nova Strike, a powerful tackle that rockets at rapid speeds that breaks the sound barrier, a trail of bright light follows behind the boosted sprinter and leaves a large creator from the assault. This special ability takes some time to charge & alot of energy. it also lets the user soar while dashing at mach speed. The user can still run with great agility while the nova strike charges up again, this experimental mask also keeps the user safe in his own speed force. max speed rivals Samus's speed boost
Toa Kyrehx comes from another universe similar to the canon/main time line, his home was also like Metru-Nui and part island Mata Nui, it too was conquered by the Makuta, but it was Miserix who was ruling with a proto-iron claw fist, he was far more successful than Terridax, who in this universe, Miserix's and Terridax's roles are reversed, Miserix as the main villain, while Terridax is completely left out, Miserix is above even the shadowed one as well, leading an army of Kanohi Dragons, even with far more aggressive, stronger and horrifying Rahi. lower ranked Makuta & Piraka raided villages and work sites, searching for Toa Stones and matoran with Potential, slaying all the Toa and capture every last matoran to later reprogram to serve Miserex, it would be later be reported of a Toa who can make Toa Stones, Miserix would make sure to take the advantage of this stone for himself to create his own Shadow Toa, ordering some lower rank Makuta & Piraka to keep watch for this mysterious Toa, following a lead to where Toa Kyrehx last was, with very few survivors left, he would have no choice to leave to another world, gather more toa and come back, moments before Kyrehx could depart, the piraka attack, the explosion blasted Kyrehx into a portal created by the Kanohi Olmak as it was warming up, Kyrehx flew through Time & Space, taking a similar Journey as Takanuva, even passing by him in a hurry as they both had a important mission to do, briefly stopping in Karda-Nui and even the Canon Timeline, but the Makuta had already awakened in the largest Robot body, would Kyrehx find more warriors and take back his home?
File name: 10_03_001436a
Binder label: Sewing Machines
Title: Wheeler & Wilson's new high-arm family sewing machine, just produced. Is superior to all others in ease, rapidity and precision of action. Uniformity of tension, simplicity and durability. Elegance of design. (front)
Created/Published: Cleveland, O. [i. e., Ohio] : Johns & Co.
Date issued: 1870-1900 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 print : lithograph ; 10 x 16 cm.
Genre: Advertising cards
Subject: Sewing machines
Notes: Title from item.
Collection: 19th Century American Trade Cards
Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department
Rights: No known restrictions.
I have a few things to say here; hopefully, the new flickr format will allow me the space to do so. And hopefully, you’ll have the patience to read through. :)
First, about the video: My original aim was to capture nice, beautiful closeups of Dora and Peggy Sue. This video is what I came up with instead, and I think it epitomizes, especially the first few seconds, the new name I’ve been calling our girl… Durable Dorable Dora. I love the way she recovers from not quite making the pull-up and goes on to play with Peggy Sue. (That head twisting is an invitation to play in coon talk) And there is that intense stare when she hears Fanny Faye... she misses nothing! Listen carefully and you can hear little Peggy Sue's chatter while they are playing.
Second, we will be celebrating Durable Dorable Dora's big 10th birthday in about a week. That’s a milestone for anyone, but an extra-special miracle in my book since we were unsure if she would even come close to her 9th birthday. And so we shall CELEBRATE! I sincerely wish I could invite all of you over for the party. You folks on flickr, even those who have disappeared or dispersed, have always been a special part of our lives here in the Menagerie. You’re family!
You may not be able to be here for the party, but there is something you can do, if you would like, that I know Dora would particularly love. It will take a little explaining: DORA LOVES POCKETS!! She has always loved them. When she was tiny, she would climb inside the big pockets on the scrub shirts I wear. She still tries to climb inside. :) She also loves being a pocket fisherman. She’ll, of course, snatch up any treats in my pockets, but she also enjoys dredging around picking out sawdust and whatever detritus resides in the corners of my pockets. She digs out everything, and everything gets a thorough inspection, rubbing it between her hands and sniffing deeply of the scents, gleaning a sense of every place I’ve been, everything I’ve touched, and most importantly, people I’ve met.
So, here’s where you all come in on my idea: I would like to make a patchwork of pockets for the girls, and I think it would be so wonderful if some of the pockets contained the scents of their flickr family. If you have an old T-shirt, pair of pants, jacket, or whatever that it is ready for the ragbag, consider cutting out a pocket, or even a bit of fabric as long as it has your scent (or your pet’s) on it, and sending it along to be included in the patchwork. I know it’s a goofy request, but I also know the girls, Dora especially, would think it was the finest thing in the world to explore your pockets and get a whiff of their extended family. Just leave a message here letting me know you want to be on this very special gift, and I’ll get back to you letting you where to send it.
And lastly, I hope I haven’t missed anything. I’ve been almost completely absent here, and life in general, for the past few weeks. Health issues again, but I am on the mend and present again. So, if I have missed any important events in your lives please let me know.
Peace and love to all... from me and the Miracle Menagerie.
This extremely durable painted-on advertisement was on the chimney of the Palace Hotel, the so-called "gin palace" (it was nothing of the sort, of course) at the top of Old Market Street. The Palace had actually been built to cater to the trade from St Phillips Station, just down the road ...but this never really materialised. Obviously the sign is pre-decimal, but how long must it be since a bottle of beer cost 6d (2½p)? Ushers were a brewer based in Trowbridge. The Palace survives as a public house but the sign has finally become illegible. Taken Sunday 3rd February 1974.
Un lierre et un chêne liés depuis plusieurs décennies sans que cette étreinte ne soit fatale au chêne. Le lierre a poussé le mimétisme jusque dans sa texture d'écorce.
www.1001pallets.com/2016/05/coat-clothing-motorcycle-gear...
I have a very small home. We're only 24-sq feet from being an official "tiny home", so space is VERY LIMITED. What we do have is vertical space with very tall ceilings. Motorcycle gear, although modern and lightweight, takes up too much space in our tiny closets, so we were using some coat racks. Various styles have bent eventually, so I decided to build a modular, adjustable coat/garment rack system.
I got several weird pallets that were made out of - for want of a better term - engineered redwood. It was small sections of low-quality redwood dovetailed together to make long pieces of boards. I liked the joinery - it's spiky and cool looking, so I tried to figure out what to do with it, and finally came up with this idea. I cut the boards to five feet tall and used alternating 2" wide and 1" wide boards. Some of the pieces were damaged, but as this isn't holding a lot of weight, I only sanded down the damaged areas and left them as is. I then decided that I wanted three rows of hangers. Now, the "hangers" are simply pieces of the 1" boards that were cut at an angle and drilled so that when they pivoted away from the wall, they'd naturally stop at about a 45-degree angle. When I didn't want to use some (for example when hanging my helmet and didn't need the adjacent hangers), I could simply push the unused ones back flush with the other boards. The pictures will make sense of this.
I decided on where to cut my boards, and first did the drilling BEFORE cutting. I used a table-top drill press, set up a long piece of wood and some clamps for stops, and that way I could be consistent, drilling three different sets of holes in each board. Once all the boards were drilled, I made some templates and drew on the 1" wide boards the shapes I wanted to cut out/away to allow the pieces for pivoting, and for a little visual interest. I cut them all out, shaping them with a tabletop bandsaw, and then sanded them down with a belt sander/disc sander combo, smoothing pivot edges and rounding over the boards a bit, so they weren't so sharp/pointy. I purchased three threaded rods - 3/16" x 36" (3.00 each), a pkg of washers and a package of nuts (1.00 each). I dry-fitted the three rods and ensured that all the pivot pieces could move properly, then disassembled after numbering them all so they'd go back together like I'd planned (some of the boards were warped. I used that and just found others that were twisted the other direction to cancel the warp out). You'll see how I used a Sharpie marker on the bottoms of the pieces where it wouldn't show when assembled and mounted on the wall.
I didn't bother filling in old nail holes, or even a couple boards that I used Gorilla Glue on to repair small cracks. I left it rustic. :-D On to staining! I used two different colors - one slightly darker and the second was a "golden pecan" (Minwax stains). When the stain was dried, I then applied three coats total of polyurethane (for floors - high durability), sanding between each coat after it dried.
We decided to use a French Cleat hanging system, and simply picked three boards and cut them about 1/2 way at a 45-degree angle, so that the pieces would slide together, and the whole unit could be removed off of the wall, and mounted to studs while providing some stability to the piece as the urethane continues to do some more curing. It'll allow me to tighten the hardware a bit as everything shrinks down. If I have problems with some of the hangers coming loose long-term, I've got little magnets that I can glue (scavenged from old magnetic connecting toys that I got from a Goodwill Clearance Center in Las Vegas for 25 cents). It's not mounted in my living room yet - I just finished it today and wanted to share the photos.
No, there aren't plans. I'm sure I saw something similar to inspire me - probably on Pinterest. I didn't intentionally borrow the idea without being able to attribute it, so I'm not trying to pass this off as an original idea. :-D Whoever first came up with a similar idea that inspired me - THANK YOU!
Saturday 7th July 2018, a revisit to my favourite place, Stonehaven a 25 minute drive from my home, I can never visit without taking in Dunnottar Castle views, today she looked magnificent.
The rock the Castle sits upon was forced to the surface 440 million years ago during the Silurian period. A red rock conglomerate with boulders up to 1m across known as Pudding Stone is incredibly durable.
The ancient Highland rock pebbles and cementing matter is so tough that faults or cracks pass through the pebbles themselves.
I first visited Dunnottar Castle summer 2017, this magnificent castle sits high on a hill, last time I visited I captured my shots from the cliffs overlooking the site, though today I made the journey up the hill and entered the castle walls , wow what a magnificent experience, just perfect with loads of great photo opportunities to capture real Scottish history,after two hours wandering around and capturing as many shots that caught my eye , I made my way home, a magnificent experience indeed.
Dunnottar Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope" is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Stonehaven.
The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages. Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century. The property of the Keiths from the 14th century, and the seat of the Earl Marischal, Dunnottar declined after the last Earl forfeited his titles by taking part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
The castle was restored in the 20th century and is now open to the public.
The ruins of the castle are spread over 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres), surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea, 50 metres (160 ft) below. A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, along which a steep path leads up to the gatehouse.
The various buildings within the castle include the 14th-century tower house as well as the 16th-century palace. Dunnottar Castle is a scheduled monument, and twelve structures on the site are listed buildings.
History
Early Middle Ages
A chapel at Dunnottar is said to have been founded by St Ninian in the 5th century, although it is not clear when the site was first fortified, but in any case the legend is late and highly implausible. Possibly the earliest written reference to the site is found in the Annals of Ulster which record two sieges of "Dún Foither" in 681 and 694.
The earlier event has been interpreted as an attack by Brude, the Pictish king of Fortriu, to extend his power over the north-east coast of Scotland. The Scottish Chronicle records that King Domnall II, the first ruler to be called rí Alban (King of Alba), was killed at Dunnottar during an attack by Vikings in 900. King Aethelstan of Wessex led a force into Scotland in 934, and raided as far north as Dunnottar according to the account of Symeon of Durham. W. D. Simpson speculated that a motte might lie under the present caste, but excavations in the 1980s failed to uncover substantive evidence of early medieval fortification.
The discovery of a group of Pictish stones at Dunnicaer, a nearby sea stack, has prompted speculation that "Dún Foither" was actually located on the adjacent headland of Bowduns, 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) to the north.
Later Middle Ages
During the reign of King William the Lion (ruled 1165–1214) Dunnottar was a center of local administration for The Mearns. The castle is named in the Roman de Fergus, an early 13th-century Arthurian romance, in which the hero Fergus must travel to Dunnottar to retrieve a magic shield.
In May 1276 a church on the site was consecrated by William Wishart, Bishop of St Andrews. The poet Blind Harry relates that William Wallace captured Dunnottar from the English in 1297, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is said to have imprisoned 4,000 defeated English soldiers in the church and burned them alive.
In 1336 Edward III of England ordered William Sinclair, 8th Baron of Roslin, to sail eight ships to the partially ruined Dunnottar for the purpose of rebuilding and fortifying the site as a forward resupply base for his northern campaign. Sinclair took with him 160 soldiers, horses, and a corps of masons and carpenters.
Edward himself visited in July, but the English efforts were undone before the end of the year when the Scottish Regent Sir Andrew Murray led a force that captured and again destroyed the defences of Dunnottar.
In the 14th century Dunnottar was granted to William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland (d.1370), and in 1346 a licence to crenellate was issued by David II. Around 1359 William Keith, Marischal of Scotland, married Margaret Fraser, niece of Robert the Bruce, and was granted the barony of Dunnottar at this time. Keith then gave the lands of Dunnottar to his daughter Christian and son-in-law William Lindsay of Byres, but in 1392 an excambion (exchange) was agreed whereby Keith regained Dunnottar and Lindsay took lands in Fife.
William Keith completed construction of the tower house at Dunnottar, but was excommunicated for building on the consecrated ground associated with the parish church. Keith had provided a new parish church closer to Stonehaven, but was forced to write to the Pope, Benedict XIII, who issued a bull in 1395 lifting the excommunication.William Keith's descendents were created Earls Marischal in the mid 15th century, and they held Dunottar until the 18th century.
16th century rebuilding
Through the 16th century the Keiths improved and expanded their principal seats: at Dunnottar and also at Keith Marischal in East Lothian. James IV visited Dunnottar in 1504, and in 1531 James V exempted the Earl's men from military service on the grounds that Dunnottar was one of the "principall strenthis of our realme".
Mary, Queen of Scots, visited in 1562 after the Battle of Corrichie, and returned in 1564.
James VI stayed for 10 days in 1580, as part of a progress through Fife and Angus, during which a meeting of the Privy Council was convened at Dunnottar.
During a rebellion of Catholic nobles in 1592, Dunnottar was captured by a Captain Carr on behalf of the Earl of Huntly, but was restored to Lord Marischal just a few weeks later.
In 1581 George Keith succeeded as 5th Earl Marischal, and began a large scale reconstruction that saw the medieval fortress converted into a more comfortable home. The founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen, the 5th Earl valued Dunnottar as much for its dramatic situation as for its security.
A "palace" comprising a series of ranges around a quadrangle was built on the north-eastern cliffs, creating luxurious living quarters with sea views. The 13th-century chapel was restored and incorporated into the quadrangle.
An impressive stone gatehouse was constructed, now known as Benholm's Lodging, featuring numerous gun ports facing the approach. Although impressive, these are likely to have been fashionable embellishments rather than genuine defensive features.
Civil wars
Further information: Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
In 1639 William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal, came out in support of the Covenanters, a Presbyterian movement who opposed the established Episcopal Church and the changes which Charles I was attempting to impose. With James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, he marched against the Catholic James Gordon, 2nd Viscount Aboyne, Earl of Huntly, and defeated an attempt by the Royalists to seize Stonehaven. However, when Montrose changed sides to the Royalists and marched north, Marischal remained in Dunnottar, even when given command of the area by Parliament, and even when Montrose burned Stonehaven.
Marischal then joined with the Engager faction, who had made a deal with the king, and led a troop of horse to the Battle of Preston (1648) in support of the royalists.
Following the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Engagers gave their allegiance to his son and heir: Charles II was proclaimed king, arriving in Scotland in June 1650. He visited Dunnottar in July 1650, but his presence in Scotland prompted Oliver Cromwell to lead a force into Scotland, defeating the Scots at Dunbar in September 1650.
The Honours of Scotland
Charles II was crowned at Scone Palace on 1 January 1651, at which the Honours of Scotland (the regalia of crown, sword and sceptre) were used. However, with Cromwell's troops in Lothian, the honours could not be returned to Edinburgh. The Earl Marischal, as Marischal of Scotland, had formal responsibility for the honours, and in June the Privy Council duly decided to place them at Dunnottar.
They were brought to the castle by Katherine Drummond, hidden in sacks of wool. Sir George Ogilvie (or Ogilvy) of Barras was appointed lieutenant-governor of the castle, and given responsibility for its defence.
In November 1651 Cromwell's troops called on Ogilvie to surrender, but he refused. During the subsequent blockade of the castle, the removal of the Honours of Scotland was planned by Elizabeth Douglas, wife of Sir George Ogilvie, and Christian Fletcher, wife of James Granger, minister of Kinneff Parish Church. The king's papers were first removed from the castle by Anne Lindsay, a kinswoman of Elizabeth Douglas, who walked through the besieging force with the papers sewn into her clothes.
Two stories exist regarding the removal of the honours themselves. Fletcher stated in 1664 that over the course of three visits to the castle in February and March 1652, she carried away the crown, sceptre, sword and sword-case hidden amongst sacks of goods. Another account, given in the 18th century by a tutor to the Earl Marischal, records that the honours were lowered from the castle onto the beach, where they were collected by Fletcher's servant and carried off in a creel (basket) of seaweed. Having smuggled the honours from the castle, Fletcher and her husband buried them under the floor of the Old Kirk at Kinneff.
Meanwhile, by May 1652 the commander of the blockade, Colonel Thomas Morgan, had taken delivery of the artillery necessary for the reduction of Dunnottar. Ogilvie surrendered on 24 May, on condition that the garrison could go free. Finding the honours gone, the Cromwellians imprisoned Ogilvie and his wife in the castle until the following year, when a false story was put about suggesting that the honours had been taken overseas.
Much of the castle property was removed, including twenty-one brass cannons,[28] and Marischal was required to sell further lands and possessions to pay fines imposed by Cromwell's government.
At the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, the honours were removed from Kinneff Church and returned to the king. Ogilvie quarrelled with Marischal's mother over who would take credit for saving the honours, though he was eventually rewarded with a baronetcy. Fletcher was awarded 2,000 merks by Parliament but the sum was never paid.
Whigs and Jacobites
Religious and political conflicts continued to be played out at Dunnottar through the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1685, during the rebellion of the Earl of Argyll against the new king James VII, 167 Covenanters were seized and held in a cellar at Dunnottar. The prisoners included 122 men and 45 women associated with the Whigs, an anti-Royalist group within the Covenanter movement, and had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the new king.
The Whigs were imprisoned from 24 May until late July. A group of 25 escaped, although two of these were killed in a fall from the cliffs, and another 15 were recaptured. Five prisoners died in the vault, and 37 of the Whigs were released after taking the oath of allegiance.
The remaining prisoners were transported to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, as part of a colonisation scheme devised by George Scot of Pitlochie. Many, like Scot himself, died on the voyage.
The cellar, located beneath the "King's Bedroom" in the 16th-century castle buildings, has since become known as the "Whigs' Vault".
Both the Jacobites (supporters of the exiled Stuarts) and the Hanoverians (supporters of George I and his descendents) used Dunnottar Castle. In 1689 during Viscount Dundee's campaign in support of the deposed James VII, the castle was garrisoned for William and Mary with Lord Marischal appointed captain.
Seventeen suspected Jacobites from Aberdeen were seized and held in the fortress for around three weeks, including George Liddell, professor of mathematics at Marischal College.
In the Jacobite Rising of 1715 George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal, took an active role with the rebels, leading cavalry at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. After the subsequent abandonment of the rising Lord Marischal fled to the Continent, eventually becoming French ambassador for Frederick the Great of Prussia. Meanwhile, in 1716, his titles and estates including Dunnottar were declared forfeit to the crown.
Later history
The seized estates of the Earl Marischal were purchased in 1720 for £41,172, by the York Buildings Company who dismantled much of the castle.
In 1761 the Earl briefly returned to Scotland and bought back Dunnottar only to sell it five years later to Alexander Keith, an Edinburgh lawyer who served as Knight Marischal of Scotland.
Dunnottar was inherited in 1852 by Sir Patrick Keith-Murray of Ochtertyre, who in turn sold it in July 1873 to Major Alexander Innes of Cowie and Raemoir for about £80,000.
It was purchased by Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray, in 1925 after which his wife embarked on a programme of repairs.
Since that time the castle has remained in the family, and has been open to the public, attracting 52,500 visitors in 2009.
Dunnottar Castle, and the headland on which is stands, was designated as a scheduled monument in 1970.In 1972 twelve of the structures at Dunnottar were listed.
Three buildings are listed at category A as being of "national importance": the keep; the entrance gateway; and Benholm's Lodging.
The remaining listings are at category B as being of "regional importance".[39] The Hon. Charles Anthony Pearson, the younger son of the 3rd Viscount Cowdray, currently owns and runs Dunnottar Castle which is part of the 210-square-kilometre (52,000-acre) Dunecht Estates.
Portions of the 1990 film Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, were shot there.
Description
Dunnottar's strategic location allowed its owners to control the coastal terrace between the North Sea cliffs and the hills of the Mounth, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) inland, which enabled access to and from the north-east of Scotland.
The site is accessed via a steep, 800-metre (2,600 ft) footpath (with modern staircases) from a car park on the coastal road, or via a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) cliff-top path from Stonehaven. Dunnottar's several buildings, put up between the 13th and 17th centuries, are arranged across a headland covering around 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres).
The dominant building, viewed from the land approach, is the 14th-century keep or tower house. The other principal buildings are the gatehouse; the chapel; and the 16th-century "palace" which incorporates the "Whigs' Vault".
Defences
The approach to the castle is overlooked by outworks on the "Fiddle Head", a promontory on the western side of the headland. The entrance is through the well-defended main gate, set in a curtain wall which entirely blocks a cleft in the rocky cliffs.
The gate has a portcullis and has been partly blocked up. Alongside the main gate is the 16th-century Benholm's Lodging, a five-storey building cut into the rock, which incorporated a prison with apartments above.
Three tiers of gun ports face outwards from the lower floors of Benholm's Lodging, while inside the main gate, a group of four gun ports face the entrance. The entrance passage then turns sharply to the left, running underground through two tunnels to emerge near the tower house.
Simpson contends that these defences are "without exception the strongest in Scotland", although later writers have doubted the effectiveness of the gun ports. Cruden notes that the alignment of the gun ports in Benholm's Lodging, facing across the approach rather than along, means that they are of limited efficiency.
The practicality of the gun ports facing the entrance has also been questioned, though an inventory of 1612 records that four brass cannons were placed here.
A second access to the castle leads up from a rocky cove, the aperture to a marine cave on the northern side of the Dunnottar cliffs into which a small boat could be brought. From here a steep path leads to the well-fortified postern gate on the cliff top, which in turn offers access to the castle via the Water Gate in the palace.
Artillery defences, taking the form of earthworks, surround the north-west corner of the castle, facing inland, and the south-east, facing seaward. A small sentry box or guard house stands by the eastern battery, overlooking the coast.
Tower house and surrounding buildings
The tower house of Dunnottar, viewed from the west
The late 14th-century tower house has a stone-vaulted basement, and originally had three further storeys and a garret above.
Measuring 12 by 11 metres (39 by 36 ft), the tower house stood 15 metres (49 ft) high to its gable. The principal rooms included a great hall and a private chamber for the lord, with bedrooms upstairs.
Beside the tower house is a storehouse, and a blacksmith's forge with a large chimney. A stable block is ranged along the southern edge of the headland. Nearby is Waterton's Lodging, also known as the Priest's House, built around 1574, possibly for the use of William Keith (died 1580), son of the 4th Earl Marischal.
This small self-contained house includes a hall and kitchen at ground level, with private chambers above, and has a projecting spiral stair on the north side. It is named for Thomas Forbes of Waterton, an attendant of the 7th Earl.
The palace
The palace, to the north-east of the headland, was built in the late 16th century and early to mid-17th century. It comprises three main wings set out around a quadrangle, and for the most part is probably the work of the 5th Earl Marischal who succeeded in 1581.
It provided extensive and comfortable accommodation to replace the rooms in the tower house. In its long, low design it has been compared to contemporary English buildings, in contrast to the Scottish tradition of taller towers still prevalent in the 16th century.
Seven identical lodgings are arranged along the west range, each opening onto the quadrangle and including windows and fireplace. Above the lodgings the west range comprised a 35-metre (115 ft) gallery. Now roofless, the gallery originally had an elaborate oak ceiling, and on display was a Roman tablet taken from the Antonine Wall.
At the north end of the gallery was a drawing room linked to the north range. The gallery could also be accessed from the Silver House to the south, which incorporated a broad stairway with a treasury above.
The basement of the north range incorporates kitchens and stores, with a dining room and great chamber above. At ground floor level is the Water Gate, between the north and west ranges, which gives access to the postern on the northern cliffs.
The east and north ranges are linked via a rectangular stair. The east range has a larder, brewhouse and bakery at ground level, with a suite of apartments for the Countess above. A north-east wing contains the Earl's apartments, and includes the "King's Bedroom" in which Charles II stayed. In this room is a carved stone inscribed with the arms of the 7th Earl and his wife, and the date 1654. Below these rooms is the Whigs' Vault, a cellar measuring 16 by 4.5 metres (52 by 15 ft). This cellar, in which the Covenanters were held in 1685, has a large eastern window, as well as a lower vault accessed via a trap-door in the floor.
Of the chambers in the palace, only the dining room and the Silver House remain roofed, having been restored in the 1920s. The central area contains a circular cistern or fish pond, 16 metres (52 ft) across and 7.6 metres (25 ft) deep, and a bowling green is located to the west.
At the south-east corner of the quadrangle is the chapel, consecrated in 1276 and largely rebuilt in the 16th century. Medieval walling and two 13th-century windows remain, and there is a graveyard to the south.
Saturday 7th July 2018, a revisit to my favourite place, Stonehaven a 25 minute drive from my home, I can never visit without taking in Dunnottar Castle views, today she looked magnificent.
The rock the Castle sits upon was forced to the surface 440 million years ago during the Silurian period. A red rock conglomerate with boulders up to 1m across known as Pudding Stone is incredibly durable.
The ancient Highland rock pebbles and cementing matter is so tough that faults or cracks pass through the pebbles themselves.
I first visited Dunnottar Castle summer 2017, this magnificent castle sits high on a hill, last time I visited I captured my shots from the cliffs overlooking the site, though today I made the journey up the hill and entered the castle walls , wow what a magnificent experience, just perfect with loads of great photo opportunities to capture real Scottish history,after two hours wandering around and capturing as many shots that caught my eye , I made my way home, a magnificent experience indeed.
Dunnottar Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope" is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Stonehaven.
The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages. Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century. The property of the Keiths from the 14th century, and the seat of the Earl Marischal, Dunnottar declined after the last Earl forfeited his titles by taking part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
The castle was restored in the 20th century and is now open to the public.
The ruins of the castle are spread over 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres), surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea, 50 metres (160 ft) below. A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, along which a steep path leads up to the gatehouse.
The various buildings within the castle include the 14th-century tower house as well as the 16th-century palace. Dunnottar Castle is a scheduled monument, and twelve structures on the site are listed buildings.
History
Early Middle Ages
A chapel at Dunnottar is said to have been founded by St Ninian in the 5th century, although it is not clear when the site was first fortified, but in any case the legend is late and highly implausible. Possibly the earliest written reference to the site is found in the Annals of Ulster which record two sieges of "Dún Foither" in 681 and 694.
The earlier event has been interpreted as an attack by Brude, the Pictish king of Fortriu, to extend his power over the north-east coast of Scotland. The Scottish Chronicle records that King Domnall II, the first ruler to be called rí Alban (King of Alba), was killed at Dunnottar during an attack by Vikings in 900. King Aethelstan of Wessex led a force into Scotland in 934, and raided as far north as Dunnottar according to the account of Symeon of Durham. W. D. Simpson speculated that a motte might lie under the present caste, but excavations in the 1980s failed to uncover substantive evidence of early medieval fortification.
The discovery of a group of Pictish stones at Dunnicaer, a nearby sea stack, has prompted speculation that "Dún Foither" was actually located on the adjacent headland of Bowduns, 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) to the north.
Later Middle Ages
During the reign of King William the Lion (ruled 1165–1214) Dunnottar was a center of local administration for The Mearns. The castle is named in the Roman de Fergus, an early 13th-century Arthurian romance, in which the hero Fergus must travel to Dunnottar to retrieve a magic shield.
In May 1276 a church on the site was consecrated by William Wishart, Bishop of St Andrews. The poet Blind Harry relates that William Wallace captured Dunnottar from the English in 1297, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is said to have imprisoned 4,000 defeated English soldiers in the church and burned them alive.
In 1336 Edward III of England ordered William Sinclair, 8th Baron of Roslin, to sail eight ships to the partially ruined Dunnottar for the purpose of rebuilding and fortifying the site as a forward resupply base for his northern campaign. Sinclair took with him 160 soldiers, horses, and a corps of masons and carpenters.
Edward himself visited in July, but the English efforts were undone before the end of the year when the Scottish Regent Sir Andrew Murray led a force that captured and again destroyed the defences of Dunnottar.
In the 14th century Dunnottar was granted to William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland (d.1370), and in 1346 a licence to crenellate was issued by David II. Around 1359 William Keith, Marischal of Scotland, married Margaret Fraser, niece of Robert the Bruce, and was granted the barony of Dunnottar at this time. Keith then gave the lands of Dunnottar to his daughter Christian and son-in-law William Lindsay of Byres, but in 1392 an excambion (exchange) was agreed whereby Keith regained Dunnottar and Lindsay took lands in Fife.
William Keith completed construction of the tower house at Dunnottar, but was excommunicated for building on the consecrated ground associated with the parish church. Keith had provided a new parish church closer to Stonehaven, but was forced to write to the Pope, Benedict XIII, who issued a bull in 1395 lifting the excommunication.William Keith's descendents were created Earls Marischal in the mid 15th century, and they held Dunottar until the 18th century.
16th century rebuilding
Through the 16th century the Keiths improved and expanded their principal seats: at Dunnottar and also at Keith Marischal in East Lothian. James IV visited Dunnottar in 1504, and in 1531 James V exempted the Earl's men from military service on the grounds that Dunnottar was one of the "principall strenthis of our realme".
Mary, Queen of Scots, visited in 1562 after the Battle of Corrichie, and returned in 1564.
James VI stayed for 10 days in 1580, as part of a progress through Fife and Angus, during which a meeting of the Privy Council was convened at Dunnottar.
During a rebellion of Catholic nobles in 1592, Dunnottar was captured by a Captain Carr on behalf of the Earl of Huntly, but was restored to Lord Marischal just a few weeks later.
In 1581 George Keith succeeded as 5th Earl Marischal, and began a large scale reconstruction that saw the medieval fortress converted into a more comfortable home. The founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen, the 5th Earl valued Dunnottar as much for its dramatic situation as for its security.
A "palace" comprising a series of ranges around a quadrangle was built on the north-eastern cliffs, creating luxurious living quarters with sea views. The 13th-century chapel was restored and incorporated into the quadrangle.
An impressive stone gatehouse was constructed, now known as Benholm's Lodging, featuring numerous gun ports facing the approach. Although impressive, these are likely to have been fashionable embellishments rather than genuine defensive features.
Civil wars
Further information: Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
In 1639 William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal, came out in support of the Covenanters, a Presbyterian movement who opposed the established Episcopal Church and the changes which Charles I was attempting to impose. With James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, he marched against the Catholic James Gordon, 2nd Viscount Aboyne, Earl of Huntly, and defeated an attempt by the Royalists to seize Stonehaven. However, when Montrose changed sides to the Royalists and marched north, Marischal remained in Dunnottar, even when given command of the area by Parliament, and even when Montrose burned Stonehaven.
Marischal then joined with the Engager faction, who had made a deal with the king, and led a troop of horse to the Battle of Preston (1648) in support of the royalists.
Following the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Engagers gave their allegiance to his son and heir: Charles II was proclaimed king, arriving in Scotland in June 1650. He visited Dunnottar in July 1650, but his presence in Scotland prompted Oliver Cromwell to lead a force into Scotland, defeating the Scots at Dunbar in September 1650.
The Honours of Scotland
Charles II was crowned at Scone Palace on 1 January 1651, at which the Honours of Scotland (the regalia of crown, sword and sceptre) were used. However, with Cromwell's troops in Lothian, the honours could not be returned to Edinburgh. The Earl Marischal, as Marischal of Scotland, had formal responsibility for the honours, and in June the Privy Council duly decided to place them at Dunnottar.
They were brought to the castle by Katherine Drummond, hidden in sacks of wool. Sir George Ogilvie (or Ogilvy) of Barras was appointed lieutenant-governor of the castle, and given responsibility for its defence.
In November 1651 Cromwell's troops called on Ogilvie to surrender, but he refused. During the subsequent blockade of the castle, the removal of the Honours of Scotland was planned by Elizabeth Douglas, wife of Sir George Ogilvie, and Christian Fletcher, wife of James Granger, minister of Kinneff Parish Church. The king's papers were first removed from the castle by Anne Lindsay, a kinswoman of Elizabeth Douglas, who walked through the besieging force with the papers sewn into her clothes.
Two stories exist regarding the removal of the honours themselves. Fletcher stated in 1664 that over the course of three visits to the castle in February and March 1652, she carried away the crown, sceptre, sword and sword-case hidden amongst sacks of goods. Another account, given in the 18th century by a tutor to the Earl Marischal, records that the honours were lowered from the castle onto the beach, where they were collected by Fletcher's servant and carried off in a creel (basket) of seaweed. Having smuggled the honours from the castle, Fletcher and her husband buried them under the floor of the Old Kirk at Kinneff.
Meanwhile, by May 1652 the commander of the blockade, Colonel Thomas Morgan, had taken delivery of the artillery necessary for the reduction of Dunnottar. Ogilvie surrendered on 24 May, on condition that the garrison could go free. Finding the honours gone, the Cromwellians imprisoned Ogilvie and his wife in the castle until the following year, when a false story was put about suggesting that the honours had been taken overseas.
Much of the castle property was removed, including twenty-one brass cannons,[28] and Marischal was required to sell further lands and possessions to pay fines imposed by Cromwell's government.
At the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, the honours were removed from Kinneff Church and returned to the king. Ogilvie quarrelled with Marischal's mother over who would take credit for saving the honours, though he was eventually rewarded with a baronetcy. Fletcher was awarded 2,000 merks by Parliament but the sum was never paid.
Whigs and Jacobites
Religious and political conflicts continued to be played out at Dunnottar through the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1685, during the rebellion of the Earl of Argyll against the new king James VII, 167 Covenanters were seized and held in a cellar at Dunnottar. The prisoners included 122 men and 45 women associated with the Whigs, an anti-Royalist group within the Covenanter movement, and had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the new king.
The Whigs were imprisoned from 24 May until late July. A group of 25 escaped, although two of these were killed in a fall from the cliffs, and another 15 were recaptured. Five prisoners died in the vault, and 37 of the Whigs were released after taking the oath of allegiance.
The remaining prisoners were transported to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, as part of a colonisation scheme devised by George Scot of Pitlochie. Many, like Scot himself, died on the voyage.
The cellar, located beneath the "King's Bedroom" in the 16th-century castle buildings, has since become known as the "Whigs' Vault".
Both the Jacobites (supporters of the exiled Stuarts) and the Hanoverians (supporters of George I and his descendents) used Dunnottar Castle. In 1689 during Viscount Dundee's campaign in support of the deposed James VII, the castle was garrisoned for William and Mary with Lord Marischal appointed captain.
Seventeen suspected Jacobites from Aberdeen were seized and held in the fortress for around three weeks, including George Liddell, professor of mathematics at Marischal College.
In the Jacobite Rising of 1715 George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal, took an active role with the rebels, leading cavalry at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. After the subsequent abandonment of the rising Lord Marischal fled to the Continent, eventually becoming French ambassador for Frederick the Great of Prussia. Meanwhile, in 1716, his titles and estates including Dunnottar were declared forfeit to the crown.
Later history
The seized estates of the Earl Marischal were purchased in 1720 for £41,172, by the York Buildings Company who dismantled much of the castle.
In 1761 the Earl briefly returned to Scotland and bought back Dunnottar only to sell it five years later to Alexander Keith, an Edinburgh lawyer who served as Knight Marischal of Scotland.
Dunnottar was inherited in 1852 by Sir Patrick Keith-Murray of Ochtertyre, who in turn sold it in July 1873 to Major Alexander Innes of Cowie and Raemoir for about £80,000.
It was purchased by Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray, in 1925 after which his wife embarked on a programme of repairs.
Since that time the castle has remained in the family, and has been open to the public, attracting 52,500 visitors in 2009.
Dunnottar Castle, and the headland on which is stands, was designated as a scheduled monument in 1970.In 1972 twelve of the structures at Dunnottar were listed.
Three buildings are listed at category A as being of "national importance": the keep; the entrance gateway; and Benholm's Lodging.
The remaining listings are at category B as being of "regional importance".[39] The Hon. Charles Anthony Pearson, the younger son of the 3rd Viscount Cowdray, currently owns and runs Dunnottar Castle which is part of the 210-square-kilometre (52,000-acre) Dunecht Estates.
Portions of the 1990 film Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, were shot there.
Description
Dunnottar's strategic location allowed its owners to control the coastal terrace between the North Sea cliffs and the hills of the Mounth, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) inland, which enabled access to and from the north-east of Scotland.
The site is accessed via a steep, 800-metre (2,600 ft) footpath (with modern staircases) from a car park on the coastal road, or via a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) cliff-top path from Stonehaven. Dunnottar's several buildings, put up between the 13th and 17th centuries, are arranged across a headland covering around 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres).
The dominant building, viewed from the land approach, is the 14th-century keep or tower house. The other principal buildings are the gatehouse; the chapel; and the 16th-century "palace" which incorporates the "Whigs' Vault".
Defences
The approach to the castle is overlooked by outworks on the "Fiddle Head", a promontory on the western side of the headland. The entrance is through the well-defended main gate, set in a curtain wall which entirely blocks a cleft in the rocky cliffs.
The gate has a portcullis and has been partly blocked up. Alongside the main gate is the 16th-century Benholm's Lodging, a five-storey building cut into the rock, which incorporated a prison with apartments above.
Three tiers of gun ports face outwards from the lower floors of Benholm's Lodging, while inside the main gate, a group of four gun ports face the entrance. The entrance passage then turns sharply to the left, running underground through two tunnels to emerge near the tower house.
Simpson contends that these defences are "without exception the strongest in Scotland", although later writers have doubted the effectiveness of the gun ports. Cruden notes that the alignment of the gun ports in Benholm's Lodging, facing across the approach rather than along, means that they are of limited efficiency.
The practicality of the gun ports facing the entrance has also been questioned, though an inventory of 1612 records that four brass cannons were placed here.
A second access to the castle leads up from a rocky cove, the aperture to a marine cave on the northern side of the Dunnottar cliffs into which a small boat could be brought. From here a steep path leads to the well-fortified postern gate on the cliff top, which in turn offers access to the castle via the Water Gate in the palace.
Artillery defences, taking the form of earthworks, surround the north-west corner of the castle, facing inland, and the south-east, facing seaward. A small sentry box or guard house stands by the eastern battery, overlooking the coast.
Tower house and surrounding buildings
The tower house of Dunnottar, viewed from the west
The late 14th-century tower house has a stone-vaulted basement, and originally had three further storeys and a garret above.
Measuring 12 by 11 metres (39 by 36 ft), the tower house stood 15 metres (49 ft) high to its gable. The principal rooms included a great hall and a private chamber for the lord, with bedrooms upstairs.
Beside the tower house is a storehouse, and a blacksmith's forge with a large chimney. A stable block is ranged along the southern edge of the headland. Nearby is Waterton's Lodging, also known as the Priest's House, built around 1574, possibly for the use of William Keith (died 1580), son of the 4th Earl Marischal.
This small self-contained house includes a hall and kitchen at ground level, with private chambers above, and has a projecting spiral stair on the north side. It is named for Thomas Forbes of Waterton, an attendant of the 7th Earl.
The palace
The palace, to the north-east of the headland, was built in the late 16th century and early to mid-17th century. It comprises three main wings set out around a quadrangle, and for the most part is probably the work of the 5th Earl Marischal who succeeded in 1581.
It provided extensive and comfortable accommodation to replace the rooms in the tower house. In its long, low design it has been compared to contemporary English buildings, in contrast to the Scottish tradition of taller towers still prevalent in the 16th century.
Seven identical lodgings are arranged along the west range, each opening onto the quadrangle and including windows and fireplace. Above the lodgings the west range comprised a 35-metre (115 ft) gallery. Now roofless, the gallery originally had an elaborate oak ceiling, and on display was a Roman tablet taken from the Antonine Wall.
At the north end of the gallery was a drawing room linked to the north range. The gallery could also be accessed from the Silver House to the south, which incorporated a broad stairway with a treasury above.
The basement of the north range incorporates kitchens and stores, with a dining room and great chamber above. At ground floor level is the Water Gate, between the north and west ranges, which gives access to the postern on the northern cliffs.
The east and north ranges are linked via a rectangular stair. The east range has a larder, brewhouse and bakery at ground level, with a suite of apartments for the Countess above. A north-east wing contains the Earl's apartments, and includes the "King's Bedroom" in which Charles II stayed. In this room is a carved stone inscribed with the arms of the 7th Earl and his wife, and the date 1654. Below these rooms is the Whigs' Vault, a cellar measuring 16 by 4.5 metres (52 by 15 ft). This cellar, in which the Covenanters were held in 1685, has a large eastern window, as well as a lower vault accessed via a trap-door in the floor.
Of the chambers in the palace, only the dining room and the Silver House remain roofed, having been restored in the 1920s. The central area contains a circular cistern or fish pond, 16 metres (52 ft) across and 7.6 metres (25 ft) deep, and a bowling green is located to the west.
At the south-east corner of the quadrangle is the chapel, consecrated in 1276 and largely rebuilt in the 16th century. Medieval walling and two 13th-century windows remain, and there is a graveyard to the south.
The durability of BR's yellow paint is obvious in this shot of Sir Richard Arkwright travelling southbound LE through Wolverhampton.
This was the date of an Open day at Crewe Works, but in truth I executed more photography here and at Stafford than I did at the Works.
87026 is now exiled to Bulgaria.
Diesel Powered Autocar Tractor Trailer
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Location: Dracut, Mass close to New Hampshire border
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Camera: Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS (ixus 130)
Exposure :15 Sec.
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Saturday 7th July 2018, a revisit to my favourite place, Stonehaven a 25 minute drive from my home, I can never visit without taking in Dunnottar Castle views, today she looked magnificent.
The rock the Castle sits upon was forced to the surface 440 million years ago during the Silurian period. A red rock conglomerate with boulders up to 1m across known as Pudding Stone is incredibly durable.
The ancient Highland rock pebbles and cementing matter is so tough that faults or cracks pass through the pebbles themselves.
I first visited Dunnottar Castle summer 2017, this magnificent castle sits high on a hill, last time I visited I captured my shots from the cliffs overlooking the site, though today I made the journey up the hill and entered the castle walls , wow what a magnificent experience, just perfect with loads of great photo opportunities to capture real Scottish history,after two hours wandering around and capturing as many shots that caught my eye , I made my way home, a magnificent experience indeed.
Dunnottar Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope" is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Stonehaven.
The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages. Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century. The property of the Keiths from the 14th century, and the seat of the Earl Marischal, Dunnottar declined after the last Earl forfeited his titles by taking part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
The castle was restored in the 20th century and is now open to the public.
The ruins of the castle are spread over 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres), surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea, 50 metres (160 ft) below. A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, along which a steep path leads up to the gatehouse.
The various buildings within the castle include the 14th-century tower house as well as the 16th-century palace. Dunnottar Castle is a scheduled monument, and twelve structures on the site are listed buildings.
History
Early Middle Ages
A chapel at Dunnottar is said to have been founded by St Ninian in the 5th century, although it is not clear when the site was first fortified, but in any case the legend is late and highly implausible. Possibly the earliest written reference to the site is found in the Annals of Ulster which record two sieges of "Dún Foither" in 681 and 694.
The earlier event has been interpreted as an attack by Brude, the Pictish king of Fortriu, to extend his power over the north-east coast of Scotland. The Scottish Chronicle records that King Domnall II, the first ruler to be called rí Alban (King of Alba), was killed at Dunnottar during an attack by Vikings in 900. King Aethelstan of Wessex led a force into Scotland in 934, and raided as far north as Dunnottar according to the account of Symeon of Durham. W. D. Simpson speculated that a motte might lie under the present caste, but excavations in the 1980s failed to uncover substantive evidence of early medieval fortification.
The discovery of a group of Pictish stones at Dunnicaer, a nearby sea stack, has prompted speculation that "Dún Foither" was actually located on the adjacent headland of Bowduns, 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) to the north.
Later Middle Ages
During the reign of King William the Lion (ruled 1165–1214) Dunnottar was a center of local administration for The Mearns. The castle is named in the Roman de Fergus, an early 13th-century Arthurian romance, in which the hero Fergus must travel to Dunnottar to retrieve a magic shield.
In May 1276 a church on the site was consecrated by William Wishart, Bishop of St Andrews. The poet Blind Harry relates that William Wallace captured Dunnottar from the English in 1297, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is said to have imprisoned 4,000 defeated English soldiers in the church and burned them alive.
In 1336 Edward III of England ordered William Sinclair, 8th Baron of Roslin, to sail eight ships to the partially ruined Dunnottar for the purpose of rebuilding and fortifying the site as a forward resupply base for his northern campaign. Sinclair took with him 160 soldiers, horses, and a corps of masons and carpenters.
Edward himself visited in July, but the English efforts were undone before the end of the year when the Scottish Regent Sir Andrew Murray led a force that captured and again destroyed the defences of Dunnottar.
In the 14th century Dunnottar was granted to William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland (d.1370), and in 1346 a licence to crenellate was issued by David II. Around 1359 William Keith, Marischal of Scotland, married Margaret Fraser, niece of Robert the Bruce, and was granted the barony of Dunnottar at this time. Keith then gave the lands of Dunnottar to his daughter Christian and son-in-law William Lindsay of Byres, but in 1392 an excambion (exchange) was agreed whereby Keith regained Dunnottar and Lindsay took lands in Fife.
William Keith completed construction of the tower house at Dunnottar, but was excommunicated for building on the consecrated ground associated with the parish church. Keith had provided a new parish church closer to Stonehaven, but was forced to write to the Pope, Benedict XIII, who issued a bull in 1395 lifting the excommunication.William Keith's descendents were created Earls Marischal in the mid 15th century, and they held Dunottar until the 18th century.
16th century rebuilding
Through the 16th century the Keiths improved and expanded their principal seats: at Dunnottar and also at Keith Marischal in East Lothian. James IV visited Dunnottar in 1504, and in 1531 James V exempted the Earl's men from military service on the grounds that Dunnottar was one of the "principall strenthis of our realme".
Mary, Queen of Scots, visited in 1562 after the Battle of Corrichie, and returned in 1564.
James VI stayed for 10 days in 1580, as part of a progress through Fife and Angus, during which a meeting of the Privy Council was convened at Dunnottar.
During a rebellion of Catholic nobles in 1592, Dunnottar was captured by a Captain Carr on behalf of the Earl of Huntly, but was restored to Lord Marischal just a few weeks later.
In 1581 George Keith succeeded as 5th Earl Marischal, and began a large scale reconstruction that saw the medieval fortress converted into a more comfortable home. The founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen, the 5th Earl valued Dunnottar as much for its dramatic situation as for its security.
A "palace" comprising a series of ranges around a quadrangle was built on the north-eastern cliffs, creating luxurious living quarters with sea views. The 13th-century chapel was restored and incorporated into the quadrangle.
An impressive stone gatehouse was constructed, now known as Benholm's Lodging, featuring numerous gun ports facing the approach. Although impressive, these are likely to have been fashionable embellishments rather than genuine defensive features.
Civil wars
Further information: Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
In 1639 William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal, came out in support of the Covenanters, a Presbyterian movement who opposed the established Episcopal Church and the changes which Charles I was attempting to impose. With James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, he marched against the Catholic James Gordon, 2nd Viscount Aboyne, Earl of Huntly, and defeated an attempt by the Royalists to seize Stonehaven. However, when Montrose changed sides to the Royalists and marched north, Marischal remained in Dunnottar, even when given command of the area by Parliament, and even when Montrose burned Stonehaven.
Marischal then joined with the Engager faction, who had made a deal with the king, and led a troop of horse to the Battle of Preston (1648) in support of the royalists.
Following the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Engagers gave their allegiance to his son and heir: Charles II was proclaimed king, arriving in Scotland in June 1650. He visited Dunnottar in July 1650, but his presence in Scotland prompted Oliver Cromwell to lead a force into Scotland, defeating the Scots at Dunbar in September 1650.
The Honours of Scotland
Charles II was crowned at Scone Palace on 1 January 1651, at which the Honours of Scotland (the regalia of crown, sword and sceptre) were used. However, with Cromwell's troops in Lothian, the honours could not be returned to Edinburgh. The Earl Marischal, as Marischal of Scotland, had formal responsibility for the honours, and in June the Privy Council duly decided to place them at Dunnottar.
They were brought to the castle by Katherine Drummond, hidden in sacks of wool. Sir George Ogilvie (or Ogilvy) of Barras was appointed lieutenant-governor of the castle, and given responsibility for its defence.
In November 1651 Cromwell's troops called on Ogilvie to surrender, but he refused. During the subsequent blockade of the castle, the removal of the Honours of Scotland was planned by Elizabeth Douglas, wife of Sir George Ogilvie, and Christian Fletcher, wife of James Granger, minister of Kinneff Parish Church. The king's papers were first removed from the castle by Anne Lindsay, a kinswoman of Elizabeth Douglas, who walked through the besieging force with the papers sewn into her clothes.
Two stories exist regarding the removal of the honours themselves. Fletcher stated in 1664 that over the course of three visits to the castle in February and March 1652, she carried away the crown, sceptre, sword and sword-case hidden amongst sacks of goods. Another account, given in the 18th century by a tutor to the Earl Marischal, records that the honours were lowered from the castle onto the beach, where they were collected by Fletcher's servant and carried off in a creel (basket) of seaweed. Having smuggled the honours from the castle, Fletcher and her husband buried them under the floor of the Old Kirk at Kinneff.
Meanwhile, by May 1652 the commander of the blockade, Colonel Thomas Morgan, had taken delivery of the artillery necessary for the reduction of Dunnottar. Ogilvie surrendered on 24 May, on condition that the garrison could go free. Finding the honours gone, the Cromwellians imprisoned Ogilvie and his wife in the castle until the following year, when a false story was put about suggesting that the honours had been taken overseas.
Much of the castle property was removed, including twenty-one brass cannons,[28] and Marischal was required to sell further lands and possessions to pay fines imposed by Cromwell's government.
At the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, the honours were removed from Kinneff Church and returned to the king. Ogilvie quarrelled with Marischal's mother over who would take credit for saving the honours, though he was eventually rewarded with a baronetcy. Fletcher was awarded 2,000 merks by Parliament but the sum was never paid.
Whigs and Jacobites
Religious and political conflicts continued to be played out at Dunnottar through the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1685, during the rebellion of the Earl of Argyll against the new king James VII, 167 Covenanters were seized and held in a cellar at Dunnottar. The prisoners included 122 men and 45 women associated with the Whigs, an anti-Royalist group within the Covenanter movement, and had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the new king.
The Whigs were imprisoned from 24 May until late July. A group of 25 escaped, although two of these were killed in a fall from the cliffs, and another 15 were recaptured. Five prisoners died in the vault, and 37 of the Whigs were released after taking the oath of allegiance.
The remaining prisoners were transported to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, as part of a colonisation scheme devised by George Scot of Pitlochie. Many, like Scot himself, died on the voyage.
The cellar, located beneath the "King's Bedroom" in the 16th-century castle buildings, has since become known as the "Whigs' Vault".
Both the Jacobites (supporters of the exiled Stuarts) and the Hanoverians (supporters of George I and his descendents) used Dunnottar Castle. In 1689 during Viscount Dundee's campaign in support of the deposed James VII, the castle was garrisoned for William and Mary with Lord Marischal appointed captain.
Seventeen suspected Jacobites from Aberdeen were seized and held in the fortress for around three weeks, including George Liddell, professor of mathematics at Marischal College.
In the Jacobite Rising of 1715 George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal, took an active role with the rebels, leading cavalry at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. After the subsequent abandonment of the rising Lord Marischal fled to the Continent, eventually becoming French ambassador for Frederick the Great of Prussia. Meanwhile, in 1716, his titles and estates including Dunnottar were declared forfeit to the crown.
Later history
The seized estates of the Earl Marischal were purchased in 1720 for £41,172, by the York Buildings Company who dismantled much of the castle.
In 1761 the Earl briefly returned to Scotland and bought back Dunnottar only to sell it five years later to Alexander Keith, an Edinburgh lawyer who served as Knight Marischal of Scotland.
Dunnottar was inherited in 1852 by Sir Patrick Keith-Murray of Ochtertyre, who in turn sold it in July 1873 to Major Alexander Innes of Cowie and Raemoir for about £80,000.
It was purchased by Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray, in 1925 after which his wife embarked on a programme of repairs.
Since that time the castle has remained in the family, and has been open to the public, attracting 52,500 visitors in 2009.
Dunnottar Castle, and the headland on which is stands, was designated as a scheduled monument in 1970.In 1972 twelve of the structures at Dunnottar were listed.
Three buildings are listed at category A as being of "national importance": the keep; the entrance gateway; and Benholm's Lodging.
The remaining listings are at category B as being of "regional importance".[39] The Hon. Charles Anthony Pearson, the younger son of the 3rd Viscount Cowdray, currently owns and runs Dunnottar Castle which is part of the 210-square-kilometre (52,000-acre) Dunecht Estates.
Portions of the 1990 film Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, were shot there.
Description
Dunnottar's strategic location allowed its owners to control the coastal terrace between the North Sea cliffs and the hills of the Mounth, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) inland, which enabled access to and from the north-east of Scotland.
The site is accessed via a steep, 800-metre (2,600 ft) footpath (with modern staircases) from a car park on the coastal road, or via a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) cliff-top path from Stonehaven. Dunnottar's several buildings, put up between the 13th and 17th centuries, are arranged across a headland covering around 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres).
The dominant building, viewed from the land approach, is the 14th-century keep or tower house. The other principal buildings are the gatehouse; the chapel; and the 16th-century "palace" which incorporates the "Whigs' Vault".
Defences
The approach to the castle is overlooked by outworks on the "Fiddle Head", a promontory on the western side of the headland. The entrance is through the well-defended main gate, set in a curtain wall which entirely blocks a cleft in the rocky cliffs.
The gate has a portcullis and has been partly blocked up. Alongside the main gate is the 16th-century Benholm's Lodging, a five-storey building cut into the rock, which incorporated a prison with apartments above.
Three tiers of gun ports face outwards from the lower floors of Benholm's Lodging, while inside the main gate, a group of four gun ports face the entrance. The entrance passage then turns sharply to the left, running underground through two tunnels to emerge near the tower house.
Simpson contends that these defences are "without exception the strongest in Scotland", although later writers have doubted the effectiveness of the gun ports. Cruden notes that the alignment of the gun ports in Benholm's Lodging, facing across the approach rather than along, means that they are of limited efficiency.
The practicality of the gun ports facing the entrance has also been questioned, though an inventory of 1612 records that four brass cannons were placed here.
A second access to the castle leads up from a rocky cove, the aperture to a marine cave on the northern side of the Dunnottar cliffs into which a small boat could be brought. From here a steep path leads to the well-fortified postern gate on the cliff top, which in turn offers access to the castle via the Water Gate in the palace.
Artillery defences, taking the form of earthworks, surround the north-west corner of the castle, facing inland, and the south-east, facing seaward. A small sentry box or guard house stands by the eastern battery, overlooking the coast.
Tower house and surrounding buildings
The tower house of Dunnottar, viewed from the west
The late 14th-century tower house has a stone-vaulted basement, and originally had three further storeys and a garret above.
Measuring 12 by 11 metres (39 by 36 ft), the tower house stood 15 metres (49 ft) high to its gable. The principal rooms included a great hall and a private chamber for the lord, with bedrooms upstairs.
Beside the tower house is a storehouse, and a blacksmith's forge with a large chimney. A stable block is ranged along the southern edge of the headland. Nearby is Waterton's Lodging, also known as the Priest's House, built around 1574, possibly for the use of William Keith (died 1580), son of the 4th Earl Marischal.
This small self-contained house includes a hall and kitchen at ground level, with private chambers above, and has a projecting spiral stair on the north side. It is named for Thomas Forbes of Waterton, an attendant of the 7th Earl.
The palace
The palace, to the north-east of the headland, was built in the late 16th century and early to mid-17th century. It comprises three main wings set out around a quadrangle, and for the most part is probably the work of the 5th Earl Marischal who succeeded in 1581.
It provided extensive and comfortable accommodation to replace the rooms in the tower house. In its long, low design it has been compared to contemporary English buildings, in contrast to the Scottish tradition of taller towers still prevalent in the 16th century.
Seven identical lodgings are arranged along the west range, each opening onto the quadrangle and including windows and fireplace. Above the lodgings the west range comprised a 35-metre (115 ft) gallery. Now roofless, the gallery originally had an elaborate oak ceiling, and on display was a Roman tablet taken from the Antonine Wall.
At the north end of the gallery was a drawing room linked to the north range. The gallery could also be accessed from the Silver House to the south, which incorporated a broad stairway with a treasury above.
The basement of the north range incorporates kitchens and stores, with a dining room and great chamber above. At ground floor level is the Water Gate, between the north and west ranges, which gives access to the postern on the northern cliffs.
The east and north ranges are linked via a rectangular stair. The east range has a larder, brewhouse and bakery at ground level, with a suite of apartments for the Countess above. A north-east wing contains the Earl's apartments, and includes the "King's Bedroom" in which Charles II stayed. In this room is a carved stone inscribed with the arms of the 7th Earl and his wife, and the date 1654. Below these rooms is the Whigs' Vault, a cellar measuring 16 by 4.5 metres (52 by 15 ft). This cellar, in which the Covenanters were held in 1685, has a large eastern window, as well as a lower vault accessed via a trap-door in the floor.
Of the chambers in the palace, only the dining room and the Silver House remain roofed, having been restored in the 1920s. The central area contains a circular cistern or fish pond, 16 metres (52 ft) across and 7.6 metres (25 ft) deep, and a bowling green is located to the west.
At the south-east corner of the quadrangle is the chapel, consecrated in 1276 and largely rebuilt in the 16th century. Medieval walling and two 13th-century windows remain, and there is a graveyard to the south.