Duffus Castle

Duffus Castle, near Elgin, Moray, Scotland, was a motte-and-bailey castle and served as a fortress-residence from c.1140 to 1705 . During that time it had undergone many changes. The most fundamental was the destruction of the original wooden structure and replacing it with one of stone and lime. When first built it was among the most secure fortifications in Scotland. By the time it was abandoned, at the death of the 2nd Lord Duffus in 1705, the castle was becoming totally unsuitable as a dwelling.

The wooden castle
The ancient province of Moray was a major region of the Pictish confederation. At the beginning of the 12th century the province was ruled by the mormaer, Angus, grandson of Lulach Macgillecomgan, who had succeeded the murdered Macbeth as King of Scots in 1057. Ferociously independent and deeply distrustful of the expansion of the national monarchy, Angus rose up in revolt in 1130. The rising was firmly put down by King David I, and the mormaer deposed. King David immediately began to populate the province with nobles and people of his own choosing.

Freskyn
Model of mott-and-bailey castleOne significant newcomer was Freskyn who already owned an extensive estate in Lothian (Strabrock, now Uphall). He accepted lands at Duffus from King David.[2] Freskyn’s background is uncertain. Some historians claim that he was Flemish but there is no evidence to support that. Undoubtedly, King David, himself a Norman baron with extensive estates at Carlisle, granted lands to many nobles from Flanders as well as other Normans. However, the name Freskyn, or Freskin as he was sometimes called, is not one that appears anywhere in Flanders. The other alternative was that he may have been a Scot or a southern Pict who fought for King David. At that time, Flemish nobles were referred to in writs as "Flandrensis". Freskyn was never referred to as such. His son, William, adopted the title 'de Moravia' ('of Moray'), and by 1200 Freskyn's descendants had become the most dominant family in northern Scotland.

It was Freskyn who built the great earthwork and timber motte-and-bailey castle in c.1140. The motte was an immense man-made mound with steeply sloping sides and a wide and deep ditch that surrounded the base. Timber buildings would have stood on its flat top and would have been further protected by a wooden palisade placed around the edge of the summit. The motte was reached from the bailey, a broad expanse of ground raised above the surrounding land though not as high as the motte, either by a bridge carried over the ditch or by steps climbing the mound. Here were the ancillary halls, lodgings and service offices, such as the brewhouse, bakehouse, stables, workshops, and perhaps a chapel, all necessary to maintain the household. None of these structures has survived.

The stone castle
Freskyn’s direct line ended in 1270 and the castle passed into the ownership of Sir Reginald Cheyne, the younger. In around 1350 the last Cheyne, Lord of Duffus died leaving the estate to an heiress who married Nicholas, second son of the 4th Earl of Sutherland. The Sutherlands, themselves were descended from Freskyn and remained in possession until 1705 when the castle was abandoned.

Plan of castleIn 1305, it was recorded that Reginald Cheyne was granted 200 oaks from the royal forests of Darnaway and Longmorn 'to build his manor of Dufhous' and indicated that a major rebuilding programme was underway. The wood would have been needed for flooring, roofing and for other parts of the rising stone castle. It is known that the original castle was burned down by Robert the Bruce in 1297 because it held a garrison of King Edward I’s English troops and this had been the impetus for building a more secure castle of stone.

A two-storey rectangular tower was built on the motte and was the main residence. The first floor held the lord’s hall, with a latrine and bed chambers. The ground floor was the main storage space and also accommodated the lord’s household. The tower was built as a defensive structure with a small number of narrow windows. There was only the one entrance on the ground floor which also housed a portcullis. On the second floor, two doors exited onto the walkway of the curtain wall. This wall completely enclosed the bailey. The put-log holes built into the curtain wall indicate the presence of a number of buildings. On the north side a later building was erected that housed a kitchen, a great hall with reception room and the great chamber bedroom. It is possible that this building was constructed by the Sutherlands. It is not known when the serious subsidence took place but evidence of repairs to the tower are evident before it slid down the motte. The tower shows no further repairs and may have collapsed early on but the newer hall became the main residence. This building shows continued alterations over time. In 1689, Claverhouse was a guest of Lord Duffus just before the battle of Killiekrankie and would be one of the last important visitors before the castle’s abandonment.

This text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License