Inverugie Castle
Encyclopedia
Inverugie Castle or Cheyne's Tower is the ruins of a motte-and-bailey
castle
in Aberdeenshire
, Scotland
.
on the north east coast. The ruins
are a small mound only three metres high above the River Ugie
. This is all that remains of a wooden motte-and-bailey
castle of Inverugie built by the Cheynne family in the 12th century. The stone ruins date from later than the original building on the site.
relative to the river at Inverugie suggests it was built to protect the ford
at this point and that the bailey ditch (moat
) would have been filled with water from the Ugie for additional defence.
of the oblong tower house there was the storage area and kitchen
. The next level contained the hall
used for entertaining guests. In the north and south corners of the hall were small turnpike stairs accessing both round towers. On the middle of the west side was a third tower with the main staircase. This faced into the cobbled courtyard with its wall beside the river Ugie.
s who had their main seat at the coastal fortress of Dunnottar Castle
. They built the current (ruined) stone castle of Inverugie south of the original wooden motte in around 1660. In the 19th century an oak heraldry
shield was found in a local cottage with the arms of William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal
and its date was carved as 1660. Some time within the early 19th century the Inverugie estate passed from the Keiths to one James Ferguson who kept the building in a perfect state until he died in 1820. The empty structure was then looted with the roof and flooring stolen. In 1899, Inverugie castle was blown up. The reasons for this are unknown.
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, 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...
.
Location
Inverugie Castle is located two miles from PeterheadPeterhead
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....
on the north east coast. The ruins
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
are a small mound only three metres high above the River Ugie
River Ugie
The River Ugie or Ugie Water is a river in Scotland. Located in the north east, it flows into the North Sea on the east coast at Peterhead, north of Cruden Bay. There is considerable evidence of prehistoric within the Ugie drainage basin, especially in the South Ugie Water catchment basin...
. This is all that remains of a wooden motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castle of Inverugie built by the Cheynne family in the 12th century. The stone ruins date from later than the original building on the site.
Original Structure
The location of the motteMotte
Motte may be:*Motte-and-bailey, a type of construction used in castles*Isaac Motte, an 18th century American statesman*La Motte , various places with this name-See also:* Mote * Mott...
relative to the river at Inverugie suggests it was built to protect the ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
at this point and that the bailey ditch (moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
) would have been filled with water from the Ugie for additional defence.
Later Structure
In the basementBasement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
of the oblong tower house there was the storage area and kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
. The next level contained the hall
Hall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
used for entertaining guests. In the north and south corners of the hall were small turnpike stairs accessing both round towers. On the middle of the west side was a third tower with the main staircase. This faced into the cobbled courtyard with its wall beside the river Ugie.
History
The castle of Inverugie was first raised by the Cheynne family in the 12th century. By the mid-14th century the estate of Inverugie had passed to the Keith Earl MarischalEarl Marischal
The title of Earl Marischal was created in the peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland.The office of "Marischal of Scotland" had been held heritably by the senior member of the Keith family since Hervey de Keith, who held the office of Marischal under Malcolm IV and...
s who had their main seat at the coastal fortress of 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...
. They built the current (ruined) stone castle of Inverugie south of the original wooden motte in around 1660. In the 19th century an oak heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
shield was found in a local cottage with the arms of William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal
William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal
William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal was a Scottish nobleman and Covenanter. He was the eldest son of William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal...
and its date was carved as 1660. Some time within the early 19th century the Inverugie estate passed from the Keiths to one James Ferguson who kept the building in a perfect state until he died in 1820. The empty structure was then looted with the roof and flooring stolen. In 1899, Inverugie castle was blown up. The reasons for this are unknown.