Huntly Castle (6) - a photo on Flickriver

Huntly Castle (6)

            The vaulted brewery in the previous photo was on the right of this reconstruction, where the cart and barrels are shown.

Whoever his mother may have been, Alexander, the eldest son of George 2nd Earl of Huntly, became 3rd Earl on his father's death in 1501.  He too was married to a  Stewart, but not a royal one.  His wife Jean, was the daughter of Sir John Stewart of Balveny, 1st Earl of Atholl, who was a descendant of the 4th High Steward, father-in-law of Robert Bruce and grandfather of King Robert II - the first Stewart king.

The third earl was a favourite of King James IV and acquired considerable grants of land during his career.   He fought at the Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513, from where he was one of the fortunate few Scottish noblemen to escape with their lives - probably by virtue of the fact that he commanded the left wing of the army, which was closest to the hills, into which the survivors escaped.  His son John, Master of Huntly, having predeceased him, Alexander was succeeded by his grandson George when he died in 1524.

(The Master of Huntly married Margaret Stewart, an illegitimate daughter of James IV of Scotland by his mistress (and some say 'hand-fast' wife) Margaret Drummond.) 

George 4th Earl of Huntly (1514 to 1562) we are told "magnificently extended his castle of Strathbogie, adding new structures to the ancient fortalice, and sparing no expense."  The great 'palace block' of Huntly Castle, the dominant feature of the castle as it stands today, was largely built during the 4th Earl's career.  While the lowermost level of this building was built in the 1450s and the ornate work at the top was finished by his grandson, Earl George built most of the rest.  His initials and those of his wife are still to be found on some of the crowsteps on the main gable.  

This new building was of the type known technically in Scotland as a "palace" (palatium = hall)—i.e. a house designed on the plan of an elongated hall, raised above a tier or tiers of cellarage, as distinct from the more traditional tower-house plan.  The word "palace" first emerges in connection with Huntly Castle in 1544, when the fourth Earl "caused the palace of Strathbogie to be called Huntlie, by act of Parlament."

The power of the Gordons probably reached its zenith during the time of the 4th Earl.  As commander of the King's Army he defeated the English (a rare achievement!) at the Battle of Haddon Rig in 1542.  He was a member of the council of Regency under the Earl of Arran and Cardinal Beaton and succeeded as Chancellor on the murder of Beaton in 1546.  He was captured at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, but escaped and in 1550 accompanied Mary of Guise to France.  He joined the Lords of the Congregation in 1560 and was prepared to accept Mary, Queen of Scots, until she transferred the Earldom of Moray, which had been given to the Earl of Huntly in 1549, to her illegitimate half-brother James Stewart, at which point he withdrew to his estates in the North-East of Scotland.

Mary, Queen of Scots, toured the north-east in August 1562, but was refused entry to Inverness Castle on Gordon's orders, however the Queen's forces captured the castle anyway, before moving to Aberdeen where she issued a summons for Gordon to appear before her.  He refused to answer and was outlawed, following which he marched on Aberdeen but was defeated by James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray at the Battle of Corrichie in October 1562.  He died of apoplexy after his capture and his son, Sir John was executed in Aberdeen.  Huntly was posthumously forfeited by parliament in May 1563.

Taken on: June 19, 2014

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Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, f/3.5, 1/2500 sec, 59mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Aperture:	f/3.5
Exposure Time:	1/2500 sec
Focal Length:	59mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
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