Thursday, June 24, 2010
Exploring Scotland 1 Castle at a Time, Part 12, Crathes Castle
The founder lived in a Crannog (a loch dwelling) on the Loch of Leys. I've always been facinated by the Crannogs and wish we'd had time to visit one and see exactly how it was constructed. I borrowed this image from Wikipedia so you could see what one looked like.
His successor several generations later started building Crathes in 1553. It took over 40 years to construct. The outer courtyard wall and outbuildings that would have surrounded the castle are gone, replaced by gardens that stay open to the public year round.
Crathes never faced any military action though the Burnetts did produce many soldiers. The castle was “captured” by the Marquis of Montrose in 1644. Thomas Burnett and he sat down and ate dinner together in the dining room afterward, and the Marquis moved on the next day. Nothing ever came of the capture, and Thomas remained at Crathes helm throughout the Civil War.
The next Sir Thomas Burnett married in 1680 and he and his wife Margaret produced 21 children. They built an entire wing on the castle to accommodate their brood that burnt in 1966, it was replaced by a two story structure that’s there now.
The last Burnett heir, the 13th Baronet, a resident of Australia, signed Crathes over to the National Trust of Scotland in 1951.
The castle is 6 stories tall and the gardens cover more than 3 acres of property.