Alternative Names Darnaway Estate; Darnaway Castle And Terraces; Darnaway Castle Policies
Site type COUNTRY HOUSE, MOTTE (POSSIBLE)
Canmore ID 15530
Site Number NH95NE 4.00
NGR NH 99441 55064
Council MORAY
Parish DYKE AND MOY
Former Region GRAMPIAN
Former District MORAY
Former County MORAYSHIRE

Canmore Mapping
View this site on a map

Archaeological Notes

NH95NE 4.00 99441 55064

NH95NE 4.01 NH 99510 55037 Garden
NH95NE 4.02 NH 99656 55957 House
NH95NE 4.03 NH 99650 55992 Kennels
NH95NE 4.04 NH 99391 55078 Motor Court Gates
NH95NE 4.05 NH 99413 56931 East Gate and Lodge
NH95NE 4.06 NH 97543 55676 West Gate and Lodge
NH95NE 4.09 NH 99456 55017 and NH 99482 55010 Sundials

NH95SE 38.00 NH 99474 54963 Stables & Carriage House
NH95SE 38.01 NH 99680 54575 Walled Garden
NH95SE 38.02 NH 99590 54560 Gardener's House

For associated Estate buildings see also NH95NE 16, NH95NE 17, NH95NE 28 and NH95SE 37 and NH95SE 39

(NH 994550) Darnaway Castle (NAT)
OS 6" map (1906)

Darnaway Castle, the principle residence of the Earls of Moray since the Late Middle Ages, stands upon the site of a castle built by Thomas Randolph, Regent to David II during his minority. About 1450 the existing ancient hall was begun which contains a contemporary open timber roof, one of the very few examples left in Scotland. In 1810 a large new castle was erected in front of the ancient hall, and connected with it, so that the hall forms part of the existing mansion. But its walls have been greatly altered and all that now remains of the ancient hall is its timber roof.
D MacGibbon and T Ross 1887; R G Cant 1948

Darnaway Castle is as described above. The hall forms the south wing of the existing mansion.
Visited by OS (RD) 24 August 1965

Castle, Garden and associated buildings are visible on vertical air photographs (OS 65/35/055-6, flown 1965).
Information from RCAHMS (DE) July 1996.

Architectural Notes

NMRS REFERENCE

Owner: Earl of Moray

Architect: Alexander Laing - gothic additions to early castle - dated "founded 1802 finished 1812" supplied a number of designs from 1796
Alexander & William Reid - designs for estate cottages, 1873
Approach layout 1915

Inventory to Moray Estate drawings - typescript

EXTERNAL REFERENCE:

Darnaway Estate Office, Forres. Book of A/Cs kept by William (Gables) Browne, factor 11th April 1871-1902 - account with contractors for building work on the estate.

"Scotia Depicta", 1804, John Claude Nattes - view and text on Darnaway Castle, title 'Tarnaway Castle'

Bogdan and Bryce, N and I B D (1991) 'Castles, manors and 'town houses' survey', Discovery Excav Scot
Page(s): 36

Cant, R G (1948a) Old Moray: a description of old buildings illustrated with photographs, two plans and a map, {Elgin}
Page(s): 25 Held at RCAHMS D.5.41.CAN

Crone and Mills, A and C M (2002) 'Seeing the wood and the trees: dendrochronological studies in Scotland', Antiquity, vol.76, 293
Page(s): 790

Crone and Watson, A and F (2003) 'Sufficiency to scarcity: medieval Scotland, 500-1600', in Smout, T C People and woods in Scotland: a history Edinburgh
Page(s): 71-4

Fawcett, R (2002) Scottish medieval churches: architecture and furnishings, Stroud
Page(s): 243 Held at RCAHMS F.5.31.FAW

Forman, S (1954c) 'Darnaway Castle: home of the Earls of Moray for six hundred years', Scot Fld, vol.102, 613 January
Page(s): 23-24

Forman, S (1967) Scottish country houses and castles, Glasgow
Page(s): 141-143 Held at RCAHMS F.5.41.FOR

Leslie, {?} (1810) General view of the agriculture of the counties of Nairn and Moray with observations on the means of its improvement drawn up for the consideration of the Board of Agriculture and internal improvements, London
Page(s): 49-51 Held at RCAHMS R.7

MacGibbon and Ross, D and T (1887-92) The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries, 5v Edinburgh
Page(s): Vol.1, 304-6 Held at RCAHMS F.5.21.MAC

Scottish Castle Survey (1988) 'A directory of the owners and occupiers of the castles, manors and 'town houses' {c.1050-c.1707} of Scotland: Grampian Region', Aberdeen
Page(s): 56, no.124/5 Held at RCAHMS B.2.1.CAS

Stell and Baillie, G and M (1993) 'The great hall and roof of Darnaway Castle, Moray', in Sellar, W D H Moray: province and people Edinburgh
Page(s): 163-86 Held at RCAHMS D.6.43.DAR.P

Watson and Watson, J and W (1868) Morayshire described: being a guide to visitors, containing notices of ecclesiastical and military antiquities, topographical descriptions of the principal country residences, towns and villages and genealogical notes of the leading families in the county, 'With map and illustrations' Elgin, printed by Jeans and Grant.
Page(s): opp p65 Held at RCAHMS D.5.41.WAT.R

Yeoman, P A (1988f) 'Mottes in Northeast Scotland', Scot Archaeol Rev, vol.5
Page(s): 131, 132, no. 95 Held at RCAHMS A1(P)

anon (1959) Papers from the Moray Muniments sent for examination by the Commission, 1959, (Argyll Lodgings) Typescript
Held at RCAHMS D.2.23.STH.P