Ackergill Tower
Encyclopedia
Ackergill Tower is a Scottish castle
located north of Wick
, Caithness
. It is a category A listed building.
, under John Keith, inherited the lands of Ackergill
in 1354, from the Cheynes family. Ackergill Tower may have been built by his son, but was first mentioned in 1538.
A legend relates the tale of a young woman by the name of Helen Gunn, who was abducted by John Keith for her beauty. She flung herself, or fell, from the highest tower to escape her abductor's advances. Supposedly her ghost is still seen, wearing a long red rustling ball gown and a tall head of black hair. This was in the late 14th or early 15th century and is said to have been the true beginning for all feuding between the Gunn
s and Keiths. It led to the Battle of Champions
in either 1478 or 1464, a judicial combat which led to a massacre of the Gunns by the Keiths at the chapel of St Tear (or Tayre) just east of the village.
of Castle Sinclair Girnigoe attacked and seized the castle. Mary of Guise
, then Regent of Scotland, granted the Sinclairs remission for this, and returned Ackergill Tower to the Keiths. She later installed Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant
as keeper of Ackergill in 1549. The Sinclairs again captured the castle in 1556, for which they were again granted remission.
In 1593, Robert Keith, brother to the William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal
(who rightfully owned the tower), seized Ackergill by force, for which he was declared a rebel, and the castle was returned to the Earl. In 1598, another Keith, one John Keith of Subster, attacked the tower in the dead of night, taking its occupants by surprise and capturing the place.
In 1612, the Sinclairs acquired Ackergill Tower once again, but through legal means, when it was sold to the Earl of Caithness
by the Earl Marischal. However, by 1623 it was under assault once more, when it was besieged by Sir Robert Gordon during his feud with George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness, but the Sinclairs surrendered the castle before any assault took place.
In 1651, Oliver Cromwell
may have used Ackergill Castle to garrison
his troops during his siege of the Keith's Dunnottar Castle
, as he was hunting for the Honours of Scotland
. In 1676, John Campbell, 2nd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland
took possession of Ackergill Tower in repayment of debts owed to him by the Sinclairs.
-shaped extension to the tower. In the mid 19th century, further additions including a cap house were made by the architect David Bryce
on behalf of George Sutherland Dunbar, 7th Lord Duffus
. It remained in the hands of the Dunbars of Hempriggs until 1986, when it was sold. The castle underwent a two-year period of restoration work before opening as an exclusive hotel and business venue. The tower was sold on in 2009, although the new owners have maintained the existing business.
. The four-storey wing to the rear was added in the early 18th century.
Castles in Scotland
This list of castles in Scotland is a link page for any castle in Scotland.A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
located north of Wick
Wick, Highland
Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay...
, Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
. It is a category A listed building.
Early history
The Clan KeithClan Keith
Clan Keith is a Scottish clan associated with Aberdeenshire and Caithness.-Origins:It is said that a Scottish warrior slew the Danish General Camus at the legendary Battle of Barrie in 1010. For this, King Máel Coluim II of Scotland dipped three fingers into the blood of the slain and drew them...
, under John Keith, inherited the lands of Ackergill
Ackergill
Ackergill is a settlement in the Wick, Caithness, in the Highland Council area of Scotland.-Economy:NIga be a small village, Ackergill used to have a lifeboat station, which served the increasing volume of shipping that began to pass through the area with the rise of the herring industry at nearby...
in 1354, from the Cheynes family. Ackergill Tower may have been built by his son, but was first mentioned in 1538.
A legend relates the tale of a young woman by the name of Helen Gunn, who was abducted by John Keith for her beauty. She flung herself, or fell, from the highest tower to escape her abductor's advances. Supposedly her ghost is still seen, wearing a long red rustling ball gown and a tall head of black hair. This was in the late 14th or early 15th century and is said to have been the true beginning for all feuding between the Gunn
Clan Gunn
Clan Gunn is a Scottish clan associated with northeastern Scotland, including Caithness and Sutherland as well as the Orkney Islands.The clan's origins stretch over the sea to Norway, and the Clan Gunn themselves claim descent from the legendary viking Sweyn Asleifsson, the progenitor of the clan,...
s and Keiths. It led to the Battle of Champions
Battle of Champions
The Battle of Champions was a trial by combat fought in 1478 or 1464 between two Scottish clans, Clan Gunn and Clan Keith. It took place at the chapel of St Tears on the coast north of Wick in Caithness, between Ackergill Tower and Girnigoe Castle. It was arranged to settle a dispute with a battle...
in either 1478 or 1464, a judicial combat which led to a massacre of the Gunns by the Keiths at the chapel of St Tear (or Tayre) just east of the village.
Keiths and Sinclairs
In 1547, the SinclairsClan Sinclair
Clan Sinclair is a Highland Scottish clan of Norman origin who held lands in the north of Scotland, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians which they received from the Kings of Scots...
of Castle Sinclair Girnigoe attacked and seized the castle. Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
, then Regent of Scotland, granted the Sinclairs remission for this, and returned Ackergill Tower to the Keiths. She later installed Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant
Lord Oliphant
Lord Oliphant is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It has been created twice; both creations are extinct. It was first created in 1456 for Laurence Oliphant, but this creation became extinct on the death of the fifth lord in 1631...
as keeper of Ackergill in 1549. The Sinclairs again captured the castle in 1556, for which they were again granted remission.
In 1593, Robert Keith, brother to the William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal
William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal
William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal was a Scottish lord, Earl Marischal and naval official.-Life:He was the eldest son of George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal and his wife, Margaret , daughter of Alexander Home, 5th Lord Home. He left for the continent in 1601, travelling for his education to Paris,...
(who rightfully owned the tower), seized Ackergill by force, for which he was declared a rebel, and the castle was returned to the Earl. In 1598, another Keith, one John Keith of Subster, attacked the tower in the dead of night, taking its occupants by surprise and capturing the place.
In 1612, the Sinclairs acquired Ackergill Tower once again, but through legal means, when it was sold to the Earl of Caithness
Earl of Caithness
Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have taken place in favor of Maol Íosa V, Earl of...
by the Earl Marischal. However, by 1623 it was under assault once more, when it was besieged by Sir Robert Gordon during his feud with George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness, but the Sinclairs surrendered the castle before any assault took place.
In 1651, Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
may have used Ackergill Castle to garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
his troops during his siege of the Keith's Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about two miles south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th–16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been an early fortress of the Dark Ages...
, as he was hunting for the Honours of Scotland
Honours of Scotland
The Honours of Scotland, also known as the Scottish regalia and the Scottish Crown Jewels, dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, are the oldest set of crown jewels in the British Isles. The existing set were used for the coronation of Scottish monarchs from 1543 to 1651...
. In 1676, John Campbell, 2nd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland
John Campbell, 2nd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland
John Campbell, 2nd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland a Scottish nobleman born in Breadalbane, Scotland to John Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland and Lady Mary Rich. In 1685 he married Lady Frances Cavendish, daughter of Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Lady Frances...
took possession of Ackergill Tower in repayment of debts owed to him by the Sinclairs.
The Dunbars
John Campbell put Ackergill Tower up for sale in 1699, and it was bought by Sir William Dunbar of Hempriggs. The Dunbars began extensive renovations, including the addition of a lean-toLean-to
A lean-to is a term used to describe a roof with a single slope. The term also applies to a variety of structures that are built using a lean-to roof....
-shaped extension to the tower. In the mid 19th century, further additions including a cap house were made by the architect David Bryce
David Bryce
David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA was a Scottish architect. Born in Edinburgh, he was educated at the Royal High School and joined the office of architect William Burn in 1825, aged 22. By 1841, Bryce had risen to be Burn's partner...
on behalf of George Sutherland Dunbar, 7th Lord Duffus
Lord Duffus
The title Lord Duffus was created by Charles II in the Peerage of Scotland on 8 December 1650 for Alexander Sutherland. He was a descendant of the 4th Earl of Sutherland, who fell in battle in 1333. The title is now extinct, although there may be male-line Sutherlands descended from earlier lairds...
. It remained in the hands of the Dunbars of Hempriggs until 1986, when it was sold. The castle underwent a two-year period of restoration work before opening as an exclusive hotel and business venue. The tower was sold on in 2009, although the new owners have maintained the existing business.
The castle
Ackergill Tower is a five-story oblong tower houseTower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
. The four-storey wing to the rear was added in the early 18th century.
See also
- Battle of ChampionsBattle of ChampionsThe Battle of Champions was a trial by combat fought in 1478 or 1464 between two Scottish clans, Clan Gunn and Clan Keith. It took place at the chapel of St Tears on the coast north of Wick in Caithness, between Ackergill Tower and Girnigoe Castle. It was arranged to settle a dispute with a battle...
- Clan Keith massacred men from Clan Gunn at St Tears chapel, just east of the Tower, in 1478 or 1464
External links
- Ackergill Tower website
- Ackergill Tower, Caithness.org