| Dunnottar Castle has the most impressive location of | | | | youngest son of the Earl, became responsible for |
| any castle in Scotland. Surrounded on three sides by | | | | these items as Cromwell's English neared the rock. |
| sheer cliffs , the castle was virtually impregnable . It is 2 | | | | They were smuggled out of the castle hidden in the |
| miles south of Stonehaven and about 15 miles from | | | | skirts of a female visitor to the castrle ans hiden under |
| Aberdeen on the east coast of Scotland . The tower | | | | the bed of a local minister . In May of 1652, Dunnottar, |
| house was built at the end of the 14th century by Sir | | | | under siege, remained the last of Scotland's |
| William Keith , Great Marischal of Scotland. Other | | | | strongholds still flying the flag. John Keith was |
| buildings were added later on by the fifth Earl | | | | generouslyy rewarded by King Charles .Dunnottar was |
| Marischal, including a retainers' barracks, a chapel, | | | | also notorious from its use as a state prison. In 1685 it |
| priest's house , stables and a graveyard . William | | | | housed 167 men and women kept in a dark cellar. |
| Wallace captured the castle during the Wars of | | | | located under the Earl's bedrooms, was later called the |
| Independence. English troops occupied a stockade on | | | | "Whig's Vault". A memorial to the dead (later erected in |
| the rock in 1297, but it was captured by William | | | | the courtyard) is . Other prisoners included a James |
| Wallace, who burned the church and the English | | | | Keith who escaped (in 1629). Accused Jacobites from |
| garrison inside. Later on , at the start of the 14th | | | | Aberdeen of the late 1600's, such as George Liddel, |
| century , English soldiers recaptured the rock which | | | | professor of Mathematics from Marischal College, |
| was burned in 1336. David II then gave the rock to | | | | were brought to Dunnottar's dungeons. It all ended |
| William, Earl of Sutherland, so he could build a | | | | after the Stewart failure in 1716. The York Buildings |
| castle.Dunnottar came into the possession of Sir | | | | Company bought the castle and stripped it , and sold |
| William Keith-Marischal at the end of the 14th century. | | | | its roofs, floors and everything of value inside it . The |
| He soon began construction of a fortalice , the keep | | | | 9th Earl Marischal regained possession of the castle , |
| and other early structures that still exist. William was | | | | he never visited it or made any attempt to rebuild it .In |
| excommunicated by the Bishop of St. Andrews for | | | | 1766 Alexander Keith bought it but did nothing with the |
| building a castle on "sacred soil", and later reinstated | | | | buildings. In 1925 some restoration was arranged by |
| for a price. Over the years Dunnottar became a major | | | | Lady Cowdray. The castle is is a ruin , albeit a |
| Scottish stronghold. King James IV was lavishly | | | | spectacular one.Article by writer and photographer |
| entertained there in 1504. Queen Mary visited after the | | | | David Rankin. 10 years experience writing and |
| battle of Corrichie in 1562, and again in 1564. James VI | | | | photographing Scotland. David's website features 10 |
| stayed at the castle on several occasions, and held a | | | | pictures of Dunnottar Castle and 20 other Scottish |
| Privy Council there. King Charles II stayed at Dunnottar | | | | castles. David supplies stock photography in digital |
| several times, during wars with England, and deposited | | | | format and prints of Scottish castles and landscapes. |
| the regalia of Scotland for safe keeping. John Keith, | | | | |