Donibristle
Encyclopedia
Donibristle was a house and estate in Fife
, Scotland
, on the coast of the Firth of Forth
. Only the wings of the house remain, within the modern settlement of Dalgety Bay
: they are now protected as a category A listed building. Donibristle was the scene of the killing of James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray
, in 1592, which is remembered in the ballad "The Bonny Earl O'Moray".
, which is located on an island in the Firth of Forth. Donibristle was then a property of the abbey, and James used it as a residence. In 1580, his son was raised to the peerage
as Lord Doune. Lord Doune's son James Stewart married, in 1581, Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray
, and assumed, jure uxoris
(in right of his wife), the title of the Earl of Moray
. Moray quarelled with George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly
, and on on 7 February 1592 Huntly attacked and burned Donibristle. Moray attempted to flee but was caught and killed.
A new house was constructed around 1700, and around 1720 L-plan wings of three storeys were added, to the designs of Alexander McGill
. McGill also designed the mortuary chapel of the Earls of Moray on the estate, which is dated 1731 and is also category A listed. In the late 18th century landscape gardener Thomas White laid out the parkland. James Gillespie Graham
prepared plans for Jacobean-style
remodelling in the earlier 19th century. The main block of the house burned down in 1858. The surviving wings are linked by a subterranean passage and a decorative wrought-iron screen, said to be the finest early 18th century wrought-iron screen still in existence in Scotland.
During World War I the estate was used by the Royal Naval Air Service
as an airfield, which was expanded during World War II as HMS Merlin. From 1962 the airfield and the rest of the estate was developed as Dalgety Bay
, a privately-funded new town
. Begun by Copthall Holdings, the site was taken over by the Scottish Homes Investment Company and construction continued into the 1970s. In the late 20th century the wings of Donibristle House and the nearby stable block were restored as housing, and a new apartment building was erected in place of the main block of the house.
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, on the coast of the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
. Only the wings of the house remain, within the modern settlement of Dalgety Bay
Dalgety Bay
Dalgety Bay Today, Dalgety Bay functions largely as a dormitory suburb of Edinburgh and to the rest of Fife. While the architecture of the town reflects construction by volume housebuilders, the town is a regular winner of the Best Kept Small Town title...
: they are now protected as a category A listed building. Donibristle was the scene of the killing of James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray
James Stewart , 2nd Earl of Moray was a Scottish nobleman, the son of James Stewart, 1st Lord Doune. The 2nd Earl was murdered by George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly, as the culmination of a vendetta...
, in 1592, which is remembered in the ballad "The Bonny Earl O'Moray".
History
Around 1540, James Stewart of Doune was made Commendator of Inchcolm AbbeyInchcolm Abbey
Inchcolm Abbey is a medieval abbey located on the island of Inchcolm in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. The Abbey, which is located at the centre of the island, was founded in the 12th century during the episcopate of Gregoir, Bishop of Dunkeld. Later tradition placed it back in the reign of King...
, which is located on an island in the Firth of Forth. Donibristle was then a property of the abbey, and James used it as a residence. In 1580, his son was raised to the peerage
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
as Lord Doune. Lord Doune's son James Stewart married, in 1581, Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray
Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray
Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray suo jure , was the daughter of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray and Agnes Keith.On 23 January 1581, she married James Stewart, son of the first Lord Doune, and they had five children:...
, and assumed, jure uxoris
Jure uxoris
Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband....
(in right of his wife), the title of the Earl of Moray
Earl of Moray
The title Earl of Moray has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland.Prior to the formal establishment of the peerage, Earl of Moray, numerous individuals ruled the kingdom of Moray or Mormaer of Moray until 1130 when the kingdom was destroyed by David I of Scotland.-History of the...
. Moray quarelled with George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly was a Scottish nobleman who took a leading role in the political and military life of Scotland in the late 16th century and around the time of the Union of the Crowns.-Biography:...
, and on on 7 February 1592 Huntly attacked and burned Donibristle. Moray attempted to flee but was caught and killed.
A new house was constructed around 1700, and around 1720 L-plan wings of three storeys were added, to the designs of Alexander McGill
Alexander McGill
Alexander McGill was a Scottish mason and architect, who worked in partnership with fellow architect James Smith. His work was influenced by that of Sir William Bruce, and some of his designs later appeared in William Adam's Vitruvius Scoticus....
. McGill also designed the mortuary chapel of the Earls of Moray on the estate, which is dated 1731 and is also category A listed. In the late 18th century landscape gardener Thomas White laid out the parkland. James Gillespie Graham
James Gillespie Graham
James Gillespie Graham was a Scottish architect, born in Dunblane. He is most notable for his work in the Scottish baronial style, as at Ayton Castle, and he worked in the Gothic Revival style, in which he was heavily influenced by the work of Augustus Pugin...
prepared plans for Jacobean-style
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
remodelling in the earlier 19th century. The main block of the house burned down in 1858. The surviving wings are linked by a subterranean passage and a decorative wrought-iron screen, said to be the finest early 18th century wrought-iron screen still in existence in Scotland.
During World War I the estate was used by the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
as an airfield, which was expanded during World War II as HMS Merlin. From 1962 the airfield and the rest of the estate was developed as Dalgety Bay
Dalgety Bay
Dalgety Bay Today, Dalgety Bay functions largely as a dormitory suburb of Edinburgh and to the rest of Fife. While the architecture of the town reflects construction by volume housebuilders, the town is a regular winner of the Best Kept Small Town title...
, a privately-funded new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
. Begun by Copthall Holdings, the site was taken over by the Scottish Homes Investment Company and construction continued into the 1970s. In the late 20th century the wings of Donibristle House and the nearby stable block were restored as housing, and a new apartment building was erected in place of the main block of the house.