Frendraught Castle facts for kids
Frendraught Castle is an old house in Scotland. It's about 6 miles (10 km) east of Huntly in Aberdeenshire. The house you see today was built in the 1600s. It stands where a much older castle from the 1200s used to be.
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A Look Back in Time
The first castle on this spot was sadly burned down in 1630. The house that stands now was built in 1656. It was changed a bit in 1753 and made bigger in 1790. Some parts of the original castle might still be part of the house today. The house was fixed up in 1974 and people still live there.
The Crichton family owned Frendraught for a long time. King James V of Scotland even visited in 1535. Later, in 1690, the Morrison family took over the property.
The Great Fire of 1630
The burning of the castle in 1630 happened during a big disagreement between the Crichton family and the Gordon family. Several people died in the fire, including the Lord of Rothiemay and Lord Aboyne. However, the Crichton owner and his family managed to escape.
The owner, Crichton of Frendraught, was accused of causing the fire. But he was found innocent. One of his servants, John Meldrum, was found guilty and executed. This sad event was remembered in a famous old song called ‘'The Fire of Frendraught’'.
James Crichton, Viscount Frendraught
The son of the Crichton owner was named James Crichton. He was given the special title of Viscount Frendraught in 1642. He fought in some important battles. He fought against James Graham, the Marquess of Montrose, at the battle of Aberdeen in 1644.
Later, in 1650, he fought with Montrose at the battle of Carbisdale. James Crichton was hurt in this battle. He even gave his horse to Montrose to help him get away safely. Some say he was captured and died soon after. But others believe he lived until 1664 or 1665.
What the House Looks Like
The house today is quite large and interesting. It has many different parts. Some old cellars in the west side of the house might be from the very first building. Two small windows in the west wall also look very old.
There used to be a tower next to the house, but it was taken down in 1947. You can still see small pieces of it attached to the east side of the house.
The main part of the house was rebuilt in the 1600s. It has a grand front with seven windows. The middle part sticks out a little and has three windows with a rounded top. A porch was added in 1688. Around 1832, the corner tower was decorated with castle-like features called battlements and bartizans.
To the north of the main courtyard, there are other buildings that used to be offices. They have special stepped roofs called crowstepped roofs. These buildings are now changed for other uses and are from the 1700s or even earlier.
Ghostly Tales
People say that the ghost of Lady Elizabeth Crichton haunts Frendraught Castle. She died in the 1600s and some believe she might have been involved in the fire. People reported seeing her ghost during the 1900s.
