Esslemont Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Esslemont Castle |
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| Near Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
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Esslemont Castle exterior
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 Esslemont Castle
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| Coordinates | 57°21′29″N 2°06′51″W / 57.3581°N 2.1141°W |
| Type | Tower house and moat |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Private |
| Controlled by | lastly Clan Gordon |
| Open to the public |
No |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Site history | |
| Built | mid 14th century-1570 |
| Built by | various, notably Henry Cheyne |
| In use | Until 1769 |
| Materials | Granite |
Esslemont Castle is an old, ruined castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It's a type of castle called a tower house. You can find it near Ellon, and it's protected as a special ancient site.
Contents
What's in a Name? Esslemont's Meaning
The name Esslemont might come from an old language called Brittonic. It's similar to the Welsh word iselfynydd, which means "low hill".
Esslemont Castle: A Look Back in Time
The first time Esslemont was mentioned was in the 1300s. Back then, it was called the 'manor of Eislemont'.
Early Owners and Rebuilding
The land of Esslemont was passed down through families. In the 1300s, it went from the Mareschal family to Francis le Chen of Straloch through marriage.
After the castle was damaged by fire in 1493, Henry Cheyne started rebuilding it. He got special permission from the king in 1500 to do this.
Royal Visits and Family Feuds
In 1564, Patrick Cheyne was made the baron of Esslemont by Queen Mary. She even stayed at the castle during her campaign against the Earl of Huntly. Records from 1575–76 show it had a strong tower and fortress.
Sadly, the castle was later destroyed because of a big fight between the Cheyne family and the Hay family. The name of the land, now called "Essilmounthe," appeared in Scottish records in 1609.
Changing Hands and Later Years
The castle stopped being lived in regularly around 1625. At that time, the estate went to the Errol family. In 1728, Robert Gordon became the owner. The castle might have been partly used until 1769. That's when a new house, Esslemont House, was built nearby.
What We Found: Castle Excavations
In 1938, people dug inside the castle area. They found the lower parts of the older castle. It was a huge, L-shaped tower house. Its walls were about 6 to 7 feet thick and stood up to 6 feet high. There was also a strong outer wall, about 4 feet thick. The ditch around the castle might be from the 1300s. During the digging, they found old pots from the 14th and 15th centuries. They also found a medallion and a worn shilling coin from King William III.
Esslemont Castle Today
Today, the castle has no roof. Many large parts of its walls are missing. These stones were used to build other things nearby. You can especially notice that the carved stones from the windows are gone.
The castle has an L-shape, which is common for tower houses. It has a staircase tower and a round tower at its southeast corner. On the ground floor, the main building likely held the kitchen. You can still see the rough edges of a wide fireplace in the north wall. Even though it's a ruin, you can clearly see it had three stories.
You can also see the Gordon family's coat of arms on the outside of the castle.
