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You need security in Nigeria - especially Lagos. Lucky - front - was a very cool AK-47 wielding host.
The Security Council unanimously adopts resolution 2254 (2015), requesting the Secretary-General, through his good offices and the efforts of his Special Envoy for Syria, to convene representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition to engage in formal negotiations on a political transition process on an urgent basis, with a target of early January 2016 for the initiation of talks.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
18 December 2015
Photo # 658012
"Some liberty must be sacrificed in exchange for greater security. This is obvious. The hard part is knowing how much we should give up."
...this has become a pressing issue in this country during the past years. In the name of the fight against terror people seem willing to give up a bit more liberty to feel a bit safer. But are we giving up too much? Photography - believe it or not - is important in this debate.
We want to be able to photograph things around us, and we want to feel safe doing so. However, the war on terror is encroaching on these freedoms in the name of security. We need to protect sensitive areas and we can't be too careful people say. Bridges, power plants, oil refineries, ports, highways, tall buildings and train depots are potential terror targets. Taking out your tripod at night to photograph these things is abnormal and borderline suspicious, right? I disagree. Harassing photographers is likely to have a negligble contribution in finding terrorists, however, the cost in terms of liberty is high. Even worse the state is wasting scare resources.
Why the suden need to rant? I had many encounters with paranoid law enforcement in NYC. Today I read a similar story from one of my contacts. The circumstances were different, but everything else was eerily similar. A 'suspicious site' (a rail depot). Cops checking IDs. Cops asking questions. No real logic. A sense that what happened contributed nothing to law enforcement.
Read about it here. Click on his link below the photo to read the post about what happened.
www.flickr.com/photos/nrbelex/2432509443/
I've written lots about this topic before. Read a summary here.
A while back somebody challenged my interpretation and I spent some quality time replying - and I feel it is worthwhile to post what I said here. I am not trying to mock the challenger. To the contrary, he presents the viewpoint of many in society.
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"Sorry you felt violated but (not being a wiseass) what were the cops supposed to do? As a Police Officer myself my opinion is going to be biased but reading the comments on here are hilarious. Everyone feels that since they are a good guy that the Police should just take your word for it and say "ok have a nice day". "I don't look like a criminal". Well who does? And if you think certain people do look like criminals I'll call the ACLU for you to try and articulate it.
They never searched your car or person and were professional. Reading the comments on here like the kite incident or how its just a camera are funny. Think hard to your self and before someone used a Ryder truck to blow up a building were you ever suspicious of vehicles in certain areas? Did you ever think that opening an envelope could kill you? That multiple aircraft could be hijacked at one time?
Is the war on terror somewhat exagerated..maybe but that's my job to investigate terrorism to stolen cars to identity theft, to dumping trash in a desolated area all of which you could have been involved in when you were stopped.
If you had been guilty of a criminal or terroristic act the same people criticizing are usually the first ones blaming the cops for not doing thier jobs and preventing a tragedy (example the airport security that let the hijackers on the planes).
Sorry, there are neccessary evils and in this case your inconvienece is miniscule to other wrongs in the world including abuse of power which this clearly wasn't.
PS your photo is quite nice. Was it a bulb setting?
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink | delete ) "
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Mazda6 (Tor) says:
"how its just a camera are funny."
I don't agree with the 'it is just a camera remark.' Cameras can be used in suspicious ways - and in those cases an investigation or questioning may be warranted. For instance, people plotting terrorist attacks often scout out areas using a video camera and/or cameras.
Nevertheless, law enforcement has limited resources in fighting terror and needs to use these resources efficiently. Not everything that is marginally suspicious can be investigated. It is not clear to me that using almost 3 man-hours on somebody who was observed for 20 seconds taking a picture of an old Chevy constitutes efficient use of resources.
Some law-enforcement is just for show. How does banning photography in tunnels and on bridge reduce terror? Anyone can sneak pictures of the tunnels with small cameras without anyone noticing. Anyone can take zoomed shots of bridges from other vantage points. There are boatloads of pictures of all bridges on the internet. How does grilling every visitor to the US improve security? Terrorists have already practiced every possible question and are the last people to trip up on this. It is just show. People want to see 'action' against terror and police and politicans want to be seen doing something. Sadly, terrorists are smart and cunning, and unless the resources fighting terror are used in such a way these initiatives and efforts will simply waste resources.
"Is the war on terror somewhat exagerated..maybe but that's my job to investigate terrorism to stolen cars to identity theft, to dumping trash in a desolated area all of which you could have been involved in when you were stopped."
Like I said above, it might have been considered odd or unusual behavior to take a photo an old Chevy in a desolute area. Maybe it was slightly suspicious. Maybe I wanted a picture of my car-bomb vehicle before driving it into the Holland Tunnel. Maybe I was practicing a special type of photography that I'd use to plan terror. Maybe. There are so many maybe's all around us. Can we investigate them all? What do you think it the probability of any of the above scenarios?
Most people engage in suspicious behavior sometimes. It may be something as simple as driving a white Ryder vans over a NYC area bridge. To illustrate the trade-off between security and liberty consider the following questions:
1) What suspicious behavior to investigate (should we check Ryder vans?)
2) How frequently should we investigate (what % of Ryder vans do we check)
If we investigate too many behaviors and too frequently we may achieve more security, but at a heavy cost to liberty and privacy. On the other hand, if we investigate too few and not very frequently, we compromise security and make terror more likely.
After 9/11 many people have accepted more (perceived?) security in exchange for less liberty. Society has accepted more frequent investigations into more suspicious behaviors. Some people - including me - believe this has gone too far.
If any sign of abnormal behavior leads to suspicion then we will be living in a paranoid and unplesant society. If every Ryder truck, every backpack, every camera is considered suspicious and subject to frequent search and questioning that would not only imply massive use of resources (lots of police), but also a the sense of living in a police state.
To fight terror police need to implement counter-terrorist polices that are intelligent and effective. What the NJ cops did that night was neither. They spent precious time investigating a marginally suspicious incident. Would the search have made more sense if I was close to a sensitive area? Yes. Would it have made more sense if I came back every night? Yes. Would it have made more sense if I was trying to hide (I was very visible)? Yes. Would it make more sense if I was photographing something sensitve? Yes.
Yet, I was not close to any sensitive areas, it was not repeat behavior, I was clearly not hiding and I was shooting an old car. In sum, in my mind they wasted scare anti-terror resources - and it seems like they waste a lot of resources on harrassing photographers these days. Those are the sentiments you hear echoed in the comments above - all of which I great appreciate! Thanks all!
Another example: Quizzing me about shooting the Sears Tower in Chicago from a mile away is not intelligent policing. To the contrary it reflects ignorance about how terrorists operate. If you want to photograph the Sears Tower you do it during the day. You use a smaller camera. You don't use a tripod. You find a more concealed position. You look at any of the 1 million shots on the web - and even if you get caught - it is the terrorist that knows how to answer police questions. Terrorists are smart. Don't mock them with dumb policing that is designed to show the electorate the police is 'doing something.'
"Sorry, there are neccessary evils and in this case your inconvienece is miniscule to other wrongs in the world including abuse of power which this clearly wasn't."
Isolated this may be miniscule, but if such incidents are frequent the burden on society quickly adds up. More importantly you are causing a nuisance and at the same time diverting scare policing resources from more effective anti-terror tactics. It may not be an abuse of power (and I never claimed it was), more than a waste of power. Where you see a necessary evil I - and the contributers above - see our hobby and passion threatened by over-zealous and ineffective policing.
However, it is not just photography it is about the type of society we want to live in. As phoneyman says "many of us still treasure living in a free society."
"PS your photo is quite nice. Was it a bulb setting?"
Thanks. Nope. Just a long exposure in Tv.
data security
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In the later part of the 60's, the USAF began to refer to their police force as the "Security Police".
I researched the web to see if I could create a SP officer using some Hasbro Shore Patrol items. Honestly, most of the SP helmets I found online were either Blue or Black. However, I did find one image of a white SP helmet. The caption with the helmet indicated that the airman had stopped wearing the white helment once he realized what a great target it made at night. Being that this is Vietnam era, that makes a LOT of sense!
So, a basic GI Joe soldier with a Shore Patrol helmet, Carbine and pistol now represents a SP officer from the late 60's. It's a very rare combination, mostly due to the white helmet.
Both figures are 40th anniversary Hasbro GI Joes. The SP helmet is a Cotswold reproduction of a Hasbro SP helmet.
HISTORIA
La situación del Alcázar de Segovia, sobre una roca labrada por los ríos Eresma y Clamores, indica el origen militar de esta fortaleza durante siglos inexpugnable.
El testimonio más antiguo de la existencia del Alcázar de Segovia es un documento de principios del siglo XII, fechado en 1122, poco después de la reconquista de la ciudad por Alfonso VI, que menciona la fortaleza como un castro sobre el Eresma. En una carta algo posterior (1155) ya se le da el nombre de Alcázar. No obstante, es muy probable que la fortificación existiese en tiempos más remotos, quizá desde la dominación romana, pues en recientes excavaciones se ha encontrado sillares de granito análogos a los del Acueducto. En la Edad Media, el Alcázar, tanto por la belleza de su situación y su indiscutible seguridad militar, como por la proximidad a famosos cazaderos en los bosques serranos, se convirtió en una de las residencias favoritas de los Reyes de Castilla.
No se han encontrado vestigios arquitectónicos notables de este Palacio Real anteriores a la época de Alfonso VIII "el de Las Navas", aproximadamente a finales del siglo XII y principios del siglo XIII. Sin embargo, lo cierto es que se consolida el proceso que de forma progresiva va convirtiendo la fortaleza en residencia cortesana. La reforma se hizo cuando se iniciaba la transición del románico al gótico, con la sobriedad elegante del estilo del Císter. Sin duda pertenece a este tiempo la gran grujía del lado norte, compuesta por una gran estancia, flanqueada en los extremos por gabinetes, al estilo oriental, llamada "sala del Palacio Mayor". Al mismo impulso constructivo, que constituye el núcleo del Alcázar, corresponde la gran torre del poniente, llamada "Del Homenaje", con su estancia cubierta de cañón apuntado, que sirvió de sala de armas, y sus ventanales germinados. A pesar del tono cisterciense de estas construcciones, lo morisco aparece en la decoración pictórica, con zócalos de lacerías pintadas de rojo sobre el fondo claro del estuco.
Alfonso X El Sabio demostró hacia Segovia una extrema predilección e hizo del Alcázar una de sus residencias favoritas, hasta los últimos años de su vida, en los que celebró Cortes en esta ciudad que le había permanecido fiel.
En el siglo XIV, Segovia fue testigo de combates entre bandos nobiliarios a los que no fue ajeno el Alcázar, obligando el nuevo empleo de la artillería a reforzar sus murallas y ampliar su sistema defensivo.
Los reyes de la dinastía de Trastámara aprovecharon la nueva crujía, construida paralelamente a la primitiva, para convertirla en un suntuoso conjunto de salones al estilo de los alcázares andaluces. La decoración gótico- mudéjar de estas salas se inicia con la reina Catalina de Lancaster, regente de su hijo Juan II. Durante el reinado de este último tuvieron lugar en el Alcázar las grandes fiestas cortesanas evocadas por Jorge Manrique en sus célebres "Coplas".
Enrique IV, tan amante de Segovia, continuó embelleciéndolo y en su reinado debió terminarse la gran torre que lleva el nombre de su padre. Fue el Alcázar fortaleza clave para el dominio de Castilla y de él salió Isabel la Católica para ser proclamada reina en la Plaza Mayor. También tuvo importancia este castillo en las luchas civiles de todas las épocas sucesivas, desde el reinado de Juana la Loca y la Guerra de las comunidades hasta la Guerra de Sucesión en el siglo XVIII y las guerras Carlista en el XIX.
Los reyes de la Casa de Austria lo visitaron frecuentemente y Felipe II celebró en él la boda de velaciones con su cuarta esposa, Ana de Austria. Este rey realizó importantes obras en el Alcázar, como el patio herreriano o cubrir las techumbres con agudos chapiteles de pizarra al estilo de los castillos centroeuropeos.
Más tarde comienza a utilizarse la fortaleza como prisión de Estado, donde estuvieron confinados importantes personajes. Así permaneció hasta que en 1762 Carlos III fundó en Segovia el Real Colegio de Artillería, cuyo primer Director fue el conde Félix Gazola, quedando instalado en el Alcázar en 1764. Este centro permaneció aquí, con leves paréntesis hasta el 6 de mazo de 1862, día en el que un incendio destruyó las techumbres. A partir de esta fecha el Colegio, luego la Academia de Artillería, pasó al Convento de San Francisco de Segovia, El Alcázar fue restaurado, en 1898 se instaló en la primera plante del edificio el Archivo General Militar y en 1953 se creó el Patronato del Alcázar de Segovia, responsable del actual Museo.
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HISTORY
The situation of the Alcazar of Segovia, on a rock carved by rivers and Clamores Eresma indicates the military origin of this impregnable fortress for centuries.
The earliest evidence of the existence of the Alcazar of Segovia is a document of the early twelfth century, dated in 1122, shortly after the conquest of the city by Alfonso VI, which mentions the fortress as a fort on Eresma. In a letter somewhat later (1155) and is given the name of Alcazar. However, it is likely that the fortification existed in ancient times, perhaps since Roman times, as in recent excavations found granite blocks similar to the Aqueduct. In the Middle Ages, the Alcazar, both for the beauty of its situation and its indisputable military security, such as proximity to famous hunting grounds in the mountain forests, became one of the favorite residences of the kings of Castile.
No notable architectural vestiges of this former royal palace at the time of Alfonso VIII "the Las Navas," about the late twelfth and early thirteenth century. However, the truth is that consolidates the process is becoming progressively strength courtly residence. The reform was initiated when the transition from Romanesque to Gothic, with elegant sobriety Cistercian style. No doubt this time belongs to the great grujía north side, consisting of a large room, flanked at the ends by cabinets, oriental style, called "Mayor of the Palace hall." At the same constructive impulse, which is the core of the Alcázar, account for the great western tower, called "The Tribute", by staying tracked gun deck, which was the armory, and its windows sprouts. Cistercian Despite the tone of these constructs, Moorish appears in the pictorial decoration with sockets lacerías painted red on light background stucco.
Alfonso X El Sabio showed extreme predilection toward Segovia's Alcazar and became one of his favorite residences, until the last years of his life, in which Cortes held in this city which had remained faithful.
In the fourteenth century, Segovia witnessed fighting between factions of nobility to which the Alcazar was no stranger, again forcing the use of artillery to strengthen its walls and expand its defense system.
The kings of the dynasty of Castile took the new bay, built parallel to the primitive, to turn it into a sumptuous set of rooms in the style of the Andalusian palaces. The Gothic-Mudejar decoration of these rooms opens with Queen Catherine of Lancaster, regent for her son John II. During the reign of the latter took place in the great feasts Alcázar evoked by Jorge Manrique courtesans in his famous "Verses".
Henry IV, as a lover of Segovia, embellishing and continued his reign had completed the great tower that bears the name of his father. Alcazar fortress was the key to the mastery of Castile and Isabella the Catholic left him to be proclaimed queen in the Plaza Mayor. Also of significance, this castle in the civil strife of all successive epochs, from the reign of Mad Love and War communities until the War of Succession in the eighteenth century and the Carlist wars in the nineteenth.
The kings of the House of Austria and visited him often held at the Philip II's wedding revelations with his fourth wife, Anne of Austria. This king made major works in the Palace, as the patio cover herreriano or roofs with sharp slate spiers style of Central European castles.
Later the fort began to be used as a state prison, where inmates were important people. So in 1762 he remained until Carlos III founded in Segovia the Royal School of Artillery, whose first director was Count Felix Gazola, being installed in the Palace in 1764. The center remained here, with slight parentheses mallet until 6, 1862, the day on which a fire destroyed the roofs. From this date the College, then the Artillery Academy, went to the Convent of San Francisco de Segovia, El Alcázar was restored in 1898 was installed in the first plant of the General Military Archives building and in 1953 created the Board of Alcazar of Segovia, responsible for the present Museum.
we have had thunder and torrential rain all day. By 12:30pm i kid you not i was having withdrawal symptoms. I just had to go out and photograph something.
The blurred figure on the right is a David Jones security officer pouncing on me for taking photos. He tried to tell me that "It was against David Jones store policy to take photos without permission from management". I reminded him that as I was outside the store, the policy did not apply to me. I told him that as inside the store entrance was clearly visible from a public space, I wasn't doing anything wrong. He then tried to suggest it was harassment and he would call the police. I ignored him and continued on my merry way
Fun details, like this security sign, are everywhere you look in the Muppets area of Disney's Hollywood Studios! There are so many of these little touches compressed into this small area of the park that I feel like I'm missing three or four for every one I do see! Definitely keep your eyes open is this area!
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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