Cawdor Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cawdor Castle |
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Cawdor Castle from the east
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Listed Building – Category A
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| Designated | 26 January 1971 |
| Reference no. | LB1728 |
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Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
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| Designated | 1 July 1987 |
| Reference no. | GDL00099 |
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Cawdor Castle is a beautiful castle located in Nairnshire, Scotland. It was built around a strong stone tower from the 15th century. Over the years, many parts were added to make it bigger. The castle first belonged to the Calder family, but then it passed to the Campbells in the 16th century. It is still owned by the Campbell family today. The Dowager Countess Cawdor, who is the stepmother of the 7th Earl Cawdor, lives there now.
This castle is famous because of its link to William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. In the play, the main character is called "Thane of Cawdor". However, the story in the play is mostly made up. The castle itself was built many years after the real King Macbeth lived in the 11th century. The play also never directly mentions Cawdor Castle.
Cawdor Castle is a very important historic building in Scotland. Its beautiful gardens are also listed as significant national gardens.
History of Cawdor Castle
The earliest official date for Cawdor Castle is 1454. This is when William Calder, who was the 6th Thane of Cawdor, got permission to build a fortified home. However, some parts of the old tower house might be even older. Experts who study buildings think the oldest stonework could be from around 1380.
One interesting story about the castle is that it was built around a small, living holly tree. The legend says that a donkey carrying gold lay down to rest under this tree. This spot was then chosen as the perfect place to build the castle. You can still see the remains of the tree in the lowest part of the tower. Scientists have checked the tree and found that it died around 1372. This supports the idea that the castle started being built even earlier than 1454. The iron gate, called a yett, at Cawdor Castle came from a nearby castle called Lochindorb Castle. It was moved here around 1455.
The castle grew much larger over the centuries. In 1510, Muriel, who was the heiress of the Calder family, married Sir John Campbell. He started adding more parts to the castle. Later, John Campbell, 3rd of Cawdor (who lived from about 1576 to 1642) made more improvements. By 1635, a garden had been added. After the time of the Scottish Restoration, Sir Hugh Campbell of Cawdor added or improved the north and west parts of the castle. He hired skilled builders from Nairn to do the work.
In the 1680s, Sir Alexander Campbell, who was Sir Hugh's son, met a local heiress named Elizabeth Lort. They got married, and after that, the Campbells of Cawdor often lived on their estates in Pembrokeshire. Younger brothers of the family stayed at Cawdor to manage the estates. They built a walled flower garden in 1720 and planted many trees in the late 1700s.
John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor, who was a Member of Parliament, married a daughter of the Earl of Carlisle in 1789. He was given the title Lord Cawdor in 1796. In 1827, his son became the Earl Cawdor. During the 1800s, the Earls used Cawdor as a summer home. Architects Thomas Mackenzie and Alexander Ross were hired to add the southern and eastern parts, creating a courtyard with a drawbridge. In the 1900s, John Campbell, 5th Earl Cawdor, moved to Cawdor permanently. His second son, James Campbell (potter), was born here. The 5th Earl was followed by the 6th Earl. The Dowager Countess Angelika, the 6th Earl's second wife, still lives at the castle today.
Beautiful Gardens
Cawdor Castle is very well known for its amazing gardens. These include:
- The Walled Garden, which was first planted in the 1600s.
- The Flower Garden, created in the 1700s.
- The Wild Garden, which was added in the 1960s.
The castle grounds also have a large wood with many different kinds of trees. You can even find over 100 types of lichen growing there!
The Shakespeare Connection
The name Cawdor is still strongly linked to Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth. However, the story in Shakespeare's play is very different from real history. The real King Macbeth ruled Scotland from 1040 to 1057. His army defeated King Duncan I in battle. The historical Macbeth was never the Thane of Cawdor. This idea was made up by a writer named Hector Boece in the 15th century.
Also, Cawdor Castle did not even exist when Macbeth or Duncan were alive. The play never actually says the name of Cawdor Castle. The 5th Earl Cawdor once famously said, "I wish the Bard had never written his damned play!" This shows how much the fictional story has overshadowed the castle's real history.
See also
In Spanish: Castillo Cawdor para niños
