Scotland’s Best-Preserved Medieval Castle Doune

On the edge of the Scottish Highlands, Doune Castle sits at a perilous site

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Built by Robert, the Duke of Albany, in the late 1300s to be impregnable, Doune Castle remains little altered in more than 600 years.[/caption]

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They came with cameras, lights and assorted props to transform the venerable edifice into a movie-maker’s version of a medieval castle to film one of history’s funniest movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In their wake came thousands of visitors, some for a taste of Scottish history and some because, well, it was where they made that funny movie. The latter occasionally dress in medieval garb. They have been known to hurl toy cows from the battlements, gallop through the Great Hall to the sound of clicking coconuts and try to determine the exact spot where the Trojan Rabbit got in or the dimwitted prince asked if he would inherit the curtains.
Historic Scotland, Doune Castle’s curator, has wisely decided to go along with the gag, stocking the gift shop not only with Scottish history, but also grails, Monty Python videos and songbooks, and bottles of Monty Python’s Holy Ale, tempered over burning witches.
Doune Castle is unique in several other ways: It was created in one epic building project by one man, Robert, Duke of Albany—not piecemeal over the centuries by successive owners. It is remarkably intact. The Victorians did a restoration project, but mercifully only added the occasional touch. Nobody knows why the Duke’s Hall has two identical side-by-side fireplaces. And what castle has as many individual privies and closets?
Robert Stewart, First Duke of Albany, built Doune near the end of the 14th century. He planned it as a residence fit for a king because he thought that was what he should be, and indeed he has been dubbed “Scotland’s uncrowned king.” His brother, Robert II, was the first Stewart king, ruling from 1371 to 1390. Described as “gentle but ineffective,” Robert II fathered at least 21 children, four of them legitimate. At his death, his eldest son became Robert III, but he was feeble and deemed unfit to rule. So Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, became governor of Scotland. He ruled a country in which the north was controlled by Norway, a MacDonald cousin in the west had his eye on the throne, the families ruling the southern counties tended to negotiate with the English and the English wanted everything.

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A cow hurled improbably and pointlessly from the battlements of Doune Castle became one of the iconic images of the cult Monty Python movie.[/caption]

‘Once a year, Doune holds a Monty Python Day, giving fans a chance to reenact the scenes’

He married Margaret Graham, heiress of the Menteith estates, in 1361 and later acquired the earldom of Fife, along with some exceedingly vast tracts of land. He was described as patient, distinguished in appearance, loving in countenance and, by an incongruously modern term, “a big spender.”
One of his expenditures was magnificent Doune Castle, built on a promontory between the Ardoch Burn and the River Teith. Dates are shaky, but it seems to have been habitable by 1401. It was probably the site of an earlier castle, and a Roman stronghold before that. Its strategic position, sturdy sandstone walls, imposing gatehouse tower and strong, cross-barred wooden yett—the Scottish word for gate—ensured that the castle’s defenders could discourage or repel enemy attacks. The views from the windows were strategic then and are lovely today.
Albany never finished Doune, but he moved in with his family and entourage and made himself at home. Today we can only imagine the rich tapestries and other noble trappings that would have made a Scottish castle approximately warm and livable.
Albany’s rule was challenged in 1399 by his nephew, David, Duke of Rothesay, who understandably thought that as Robert II’s next oldest son he should be king. He and Albany had been in conflict for some time. It came to an abrupt end in 1402 when David, who was living at Albany’s Falkland Castle in Fife, died of either dysentery or starvation. Albany protested his innocence in the matter, but doubts remain even today.
When the English captured another of his nephews, who would later become James I, Albany negotiated for his freedom, but he may have taken his time about it, and James held a grudge. He was finally released in 1424, by which time Albany was dead and his son, Murdoch, was in charge. James imprisoned Murdoch for treason and had him beheaded, along with Murdoch’s son and father-in-law. Doune reverted to the Crown, which decreed it was only fit for a hunting lodge or royal retreat.

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Warder Frieda Jenkins holds coconuts for rent and the Holy Grail for sale in Doune’s gift shop, certainly displaying a sense of humor about the castle’s less than serious infamy.[/caption]

Three successive queens—James II’s Mary of Gueldres, James III’s Margaret of Denmark and James IV’s Margaret Tudor received Doune as part of their marriage portions, and each spent a bit of her widowhood there. Doune was well staffed during this time, but not much was spent on its maintenance, and it was in the charge of various keepers.

Heading for Doune Castle

DOUNE IS OPEN March to September from 9:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. Drive on the A820 and park in the castle lot, or take a train from Stirling or Glasgow and bus from Dunblane to Doune. Walk up a woodland path 1/4 mile to the castle.

ADMISSION £4.50 adult, £2.50 child

The castle contains many steps and disability access is limited.
www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

In 1527 Queen Margaret Tudor married Henry Stewart and installed his brother, Sir James Stewart of Beath, as keeper. He died in a street brawl in 1544. His son James, also a keeper, was ordered to forfeit Doune after being implicated in the murder of David Riccio, friend of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1565 at Holyrood Palace. He refused, a siege ensued, and he surrendered to save the castle from destruction. Sir James Stewart survived his disgrace, was reinstated as keeper, was created Lord Doune in 1576 and married Elizabeth Stewart, heir of the Lord of Moray. The Earls of Moray have owned it ever since.
In 1581, 15-year-old James VI decided Doune would be “maist pleasant for our pastime and verray commodious for our dwelling in the summer season,” and smartened the place up a bit, repairing the walls and roofs, adding round turrets and a parapet on the curtain walls.
Doune became a prison for the opponents of the ill-fated Jacobite Rebellion in 1746. John Witherspoon, a Scottish minister who was unfortunate enough to witness the Battle of Falkirk, was taken prisoner and held with several others in the tower room over the kitchen. In the night they tied together bedding and made a perilous descent to freedom. After his escape, Witherspoon became prominent in the Church of Scotland. Witherspoon emigrated to New Jersey, became president of the college that became Princeton University and was a major leader of the Presbyterian Church in America. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
In 1883, the 14th Earl of Moray hired an architect to inspect and restore Doune, which was in great disrepair. Although he added some inauthentic shields and a carved chair or two to the Duke’s Hall, he made sure the castle kept its ruinous, romantic appearance. The Moray estate leased Doune to the state in 1970, to be cared for by Historic Scotland.
Visitors to Doune stroll up a woodland path and into the former prison and guardroom, now a ticket booth and gift shop. They enter the spacious courtyard, where in Holy Grail Sir Launcelot slaughters a group of wedding guests. Treacherous stairs lead to the Great Hall, provided heat and light by a massive fire basket. The adjoining kitchen has a surprisingly high, barrel-vaulted ceiling to allow for ventilation. Over the kitchen is the room where Witherspoon and his companions were imprisoned. It is known as Mary, Queen of Scots’, room, and although there is no evidence that she ever dropped by, other noble visitors probably did.
The Duke’s Hall, with its mysterious double fireplace, was a private apartment. The trestle table and stools are made from a mighty oak that had been used as a gallows and blew down in 1870.
On two different floors in the Gatehouse Tower are the Duke’s and Duchess’ apartments. Unlike other bedrooms in the castle, the lady’s boudoir had no fireplace or closet and an inconveniently located latrine, probably to lure her to her lord’s chamber more often. Another twisting staircase leads to the nursery. Nanny may have had a hard climb, but at least she had a fire.
Once a year, Doune holds Monty Python Day, giving fans a chance to reenact their favorite scenes and clomp about with borrowed coconut shells. One hopes they also enjoy Doune for what it is—Scotland’s best-preserved medieval castle.