21/02/2024
Edzell Castle.
The castle at Edzell begun its life as a timber Motte and Bailey fortification at some point during the 1100s, it was built by the Abbe (Abbott) family to guard the strategic route over the Grampian Mountains via Glen Esk which led into Aberdeenshire and Morayshire, the remains of this earlier structure can still be seen, it lies about 300-350 metres to the southwest of the present ruined castle.
There is mention of an infamous place that once occupied a marsh to the south of the Motte known as 'The Fatal Pit of the Ancient Lords', this place was thought to have been some kind of dungeon, although other sources say that it was a Moat where prisoners were taken to be drowned.
The name Abbe (Abbott) first appeared in the Angus-shire parish of Brechin during the early part of the 12th century, an early Charter concerning the Abbe family dating to 1178 states that Donald Abbe of Brechin had gifted lands to the Abbey at Arbroath, a charter that was later ratified by King William I, and then in c.1214, John Abbe gave permission to the Monks at Arbroath to manufacture charcoal in the "Nemore Jaeo de Edale" (Forest of Edzell).
Edzell Castle lies about 9km north of the principle town of Brechin and about 1.5 km to the west of the more modern village of Edzell, the original and much earlier village of Edzell once surrounded the Motte of Edzell, which is almost two km from the present town, this early village grew up around the original fortress of the Abbe family but was abandoned at about the same time as the Motte in the 16th century, the present village was once known as Slateford, but by the 19th century it had expanded and became known as Edzell. The meaning of the name Edzell, "Éigill" is unclear.
At some point throughout the 13th century the Motte of Edzell passed to the Stirlings of Glenesk, who in 1357, through Catherine Stirling, daughter and heiress of Sir John Stirling of Edzell and of Glenesk passed the estates to the Lindsays of Crawford when Catherine married Alexander Lindsay, later of Glenesk, and son of Sir David Lindsay of Crawford and his wife Maria Abernethy. Alexander and Catherine's 1st son David would in1398 become Sir David Lindsay, 9th Lord of Crawford, and 1st Earl of Crawford, leaving the estates at Edzell, for the time being in the hands of a junior member of the Lindsay family.
The Edzell Motte was to remain the property of the Lindsays until its final abandonment in early 16th century when Sir Walter Lindsay of Arden, Laird of Arden, Beaufort & Edzell was killed at Flodden Field in 1513, at which point Edzell became the property of Sir Walter's son David Lindsay, soon to be known as David of Edzell, David did not like the old Motte though and therefore he decided to build himself a new and luxurious fortified residence, and so by 1520 work had begun on a new four storey tower house with a garret and a stout enclosing Barmkin wall just a few hundred metres away from the old drafty Motte, the new castle was to be built within a more sheltered part of Strathmore, the area of open level land that lies between the Grampian Mountains and the North Sea coastline.
