Old Slains Castle is a ruined 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...

 near Collieston

Collieston

Collieston is a small former fishing village on the North Sea coast in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The village lies just north of the Sands of Forvie Special Protection Area, between Cruden Bay and Newburgh.-History:...

 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...

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History

The 13th-century castle was originally the property of the Comyn

Comyn

Comyn can refer to:* Clan Comyn, another name for Clan Cumming.People* Dan Comyn, an Irish cricketer.* Stephen George Comyn, Naval chaplain to Lord Nelson* Valens Comyn, English MP* William Leslie Comyn, Californian shipbuilder...

 Earls of Buchan

Earl of Buchan

The Mormaer or Earl of Buchan was originally the provincial ruler of the medieval province of Buchan. Buchan was the first Mormaerdom in the High Medieval Kingdom of the Scots to pass into the hands of a non-Scottish family in the male line. The earldom had three lines in its history, not counting...

. After their forfeiture

Asset forfeiture

Asset forfeiture is confiscation, by the State, of assets which are either the alleged proceeds of crime or the alleged instrumentalities of crime, and more recently, alleged terrorism. Instrumentalities of crime are property that was allegedly used to facilitate crime, for example cars...

 in the 14th century it was given to Sir Gilbert Hay

Gilbert de la Hay

Sir Gilbert de la Haye , 5th feudal baron of Errol in Gowrie, was Lord High Constable of Scotland from 1309 ....

 by Robert the Bruce in recognition for his support against the English.

In 1594, Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll

Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll

Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll , Scottish nobleman, was the son of Andrew, 8th earl, and of Lady Jean Hay, daughter of William, 6th earl...

 led a rebellion which was put down by James VI. The castle was destroyed with gunpowder and cannon.

After returning from exile, Hay built a New Slains Castle on the site of the former Bowness Castle near Cruden Bay

Cruden Bay

Cruden Bay is a small village in Scotland, on the north coast of the Bay of Cruden in Aberdeenshire, 26 miles north of Aberdeen.Just south of Slains Castle, Cruden Bay was the site of a battle between Danes and Scots under King Malcolm II in 1012...

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Modern Day

One wall of the castle remains standing, at approximately 25m in height. In the 1950s, a 3-storey house was built within the ruins, adjoining a fishing cottage built in the 18th century. The property was leased out until 2003 to a variety of wayward individuals, none of whom have moved onto better things .

Structure

Originally a strongly built 5-storey oblong keep (of which a small part remains), a wall defending the landward side was added in the early 16th century.