340:
13.5 m and 22 m in height and was started by Bishop David
Stewart (1462–76) and completed by Bishop William Tulloch (1477–82). It has 6 storeys above ground and had a garret on the top. Below ground is a vaulted basement which is approximately 1.5 m below the level of the courtyard; it contains a circular dungeon, 5.3 m in diameter, lit only by a narrow loop looking to the west and has a slightly domed vaulted roof. The ground floor contained the hall which is 12.8 m by 6.7 m and lit by large windows with built-in stone seats. At the NE corner was a spiral staircase which led to the upper floors. Each of these floors was similar in design with a single large room and smaller chambers leading off it. The tower is plain and practically lacking in architectural features; the external walls were originally rendered while the internal walls were plastered.
328:(1435–60) was responsible for moving the main gate to the east wall which contained a strong portcullis. The architectural detail of the upper section of the gate remains and shows the gatekeeper's room complete with a small fireplace. John, as well as being the Bishop of Moray, was also the king's Master of Works and had been responsible for alterations to the castles at Inverness and Urquhart as well as the palace at Linlithgow. The fine stonework and styling of the gate may have been carried out by the master masons working on the restoration work at Elgin Cathedral following its destruction in 1390.
471:. The palace passed into the hands of the Crown and the fine ironwork and wood carvings removed. Local people plundered the walls for stonework for building works until the early 19th century when it passed into the ownership of James Dunbar-Brander of Pitgaveny. It was leased to the Department of the Works in 1974. The tower by that time had a pronounced bulge in the east wall - the structure being undermined by attempts by Covenanters to blow it up.
442:
1110:
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established practice during the period of the vacant seat, took possession of the castle and perversely appointed the now reformed Wolf of
Badenoch to be warden of the castle. After the election of the new bishop, the King issued a writ on 3 May 1398 to Buchan to hand over the castle and contents to Bishop William without claiming expenses.
352:
walled garden to the south of the castle precinct was established mainly to house an orchard. A deed was signed in the garden in 1556 indicating that it would have been a pleasant place to relax in. The household diet was further supplemented when a rabbit warren and a doocot were added in 1569. Bishop
Patrick Hepburn (1538–73), the last
459:
to take the castle. Spynie had become the centre for the
Covenanters in the area and this fact had not gone unnoticed by the Royalists. The Marquis of Huntly laid siege to the castle in late 1645 leaving Lord Lewis Gordon in charge but the castle's defences held until it was relieved by John Middleton, the future Earl of Middleton.
458:
turned his attention towards Elgin. The Laird of Innes and Grant of
Ballindalloch and some burgesses from Elgin prepared the castle for a siege. Montrose occupied Elgin and burned the homes of leading Covenanter supporters in the town and the farmyard buildings belonging to Spynie but did not attempt
275:
The first castle was a wooden structure built in the late 12th century and was revealed in excavations carried out between 1986 and 1994. The excavated evidence suggests that the buildings were surrounded by a rectangular ring work and ditch which seem to have enclosed an area of roughly the same as
351:
Stewart was also responsible for converting the old hall in the west range to kitchens to service the tower. It was said that the building of the tower was a reaction to intimidation from the Earl of Huntly whom
Stewart had excommunicated for failing to pay his taxes. During the mid-16th century, a
339:
The most significant buildings were established in the later 15th century through into the 16th century when David's Tower (also known as Davey's Tower) was built along with other substantial accommodation areas. The tower is the largest by volume of all medieval
Scottish towers measuring 19 m by
257:
in 1215 and may have appealed to
Innocent to transfer the See of Moray to Elgin. However, he certainly wrote to him requesting the move before July 1216. The cathedral church of Spynie was considered vulnerable to attack and too far from the market. Elgin with its royal castle would have been seen
431:, who was a well-known royalist, ceased to be the bishop in 1638 when all bishops were deposed by the general assembly – he and his family continued to live at Spynie however. Guthrie refused to subscribe to the Covenant and prepared the castle for a siege which duly arrived in 1640 in the form of
303:
The remaining wooden buildings were gradually replaced with stone, and this continued through into the 14th century when the first main castle building was erected. This was a near-square structure built within a 7-metre-high curtain wall. The main entrance in the wall faced to the south and a
462:
Following the restoration of
Episcopacy to the Scottish Church in 1662 ownership of the castle passed back to the church, but it was starting to fall into decay. Parliament granted Bishop Murdo MacKenzie £1000 for repairs and this sustained the building up to 1689 when the last occupant, Bishop
449:
Guthrie surrendered the castle immediately on 16 July and the castle was disarmed, however he was allowed, together with his wife and servants, to stay within the castle. Although under house arrest, Guthrie was forced to pay for the upkeep of the garrison of twenty-four men. In
September 1640,
315:
in June 1390. It also appears that he took Spynie Castle as King Robert III (Buchan's brother) issued an instruction to Buchan in August 1390 forbidding him to 'intromit' the Castle of Spynie for any reason. Following Bishop Alexander Bur's death in 1397, the King, in conformity with feudal
276:
the 14th-century curtain wall, i.e., an enclosure of 45 – 65 m and is large even by medieval ring works found elsewhere in Britain. The buildings would likely have consisted of the bishop's house with a hall, a bed chamber and a chapel and also holding a brewhouse and a bakehouse.
474:
Major work to stabilise the structure was undertaken during the late 1970s using a large scaffold. Ultimately a curtain wall was reinstated disguising a large concrete plinth that prevents the tower from collapsing. The Palace was finally opened by Historic Scotland in 1994.
419:; and they remained in his hands until he surrendered them back to the Crown in December 1605. During this period in 1595, Spynie was one of the castles that had additional fortifications installed as protection against a perceived threat from the Spaniards.
290:
The first recorded mention of the castle is in a document held in the British Museum. This manuscript dates from the early 14th century but appears to have been compiled between 1292 and 1296 and was apparently for the use of English administrators during
387:, into a plot with English Roman Catholics, was imprisoned in Spynie Castle in 1566 for eighteen months during Bishop Patrick Hepburn's tenure. Hepburn fell foul of the Privy Council for sheltering his relative
402:
As part of the pacification following the abdication of Queen Mary, Regent Morton, in a meeting of the Privy Council at Perth on 23 February 1573, ordered that the castle be made available to the Crown, if
213:. The founding of the palace dates back to the late 12th century. It is situated about 500 m from the location of the first officially settled Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Moray,
262:
carried them out. Although the See of Moray was transferred to the Church of the Holy Trinity in Elgin on 19 July 1224, the Bishop of Moray's episcopal palace remained at Spynie.
229:
The beginnings of the Bishopric of Moray are unclear. The first mention of a bishop was Gregoir whose name appeared on several royal charters in the 1120s. The early bishops of
407:
the hous of Spyne salbe randerit and deliverit to oure Soverane Lord and his Regent foirsaid quhen it salbe requirite on XV dayis warning, without prejudice of ony partiis rycht.
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bishop at Spynie, installed wide-mouth gun loops to boost the castle defences and enlarged some windows. He continued to live at Spynie for a period after the
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The stone buildings first appeared in the 13th century with the establishment of what was thought to have been a chapel and which had coloured glass windows.
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Donaldson, G: The Foundation of Elgin Cathedral, in Maclean, A 1974 (ed): Elgin Cathedral and Diocese of Moray, Inverness, p. 2
455:
454:. Elgin and surrounding areas were staunchly anti-Royalist and after his victory against the Covenanters at Auldearn on 9 May 1645,
308:
508:
Donaldson, G: The Foundation of Elgin Cathedral, in Maclean, A 1974 (ed): Elgin Cathedral and Diocese of Moray, Inverness, p. 2
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Guthrie was imprisoned in Aberdeen on rather dubious accusations. The castle was then granted to the Earl of Moray by
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occupation of Scotland. The first writ issued at Spynie Castle was in 1343 and is recorded in the Register of Moray
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825:
Spalding, J: Memorials of the Troubles in Scotland and England 1624 – 1645, Aberdeen, 1850-1, II, p. 447
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in present-day Spynie Churchyard. For most of its occupied history, the castle was not described as a
624:
MacGibbon; Ross: Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1887, Vol. I, pp. 443–4
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as a better option. Bricius did not live to see the changes made, dying in 1222, but his successor,
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In 1606, King James restored to the bishopric of Moray the endowments that remained. Bishop
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in April 1206 and the transfer was probably made by 1208. Bishop Bricius attended the
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241:, made grants to the church of the Holy Trinity of the Bishopric of Moray and Bishop
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MacGibbon; Ross: Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1887
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MacLean, A (ed): Elgin Cathedral and the Diocese of Moray, Inverness, 1974, pp. 8,9
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Simpson, W D: The Palace of the Bishops of Moray at Spynie, Elgin, 1927, pp 13 – 15
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tower that projected from the south-east corner had narrow openings for archers.
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Simpson, W D: The Palace of the Bishops of Moray at Spynie, Elgin, 1927, pp 2, 3
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Lewis, Pringle: Spynie Palace and the Bishops of Moray, Edinburgh, 2002, p. 51
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Lewis, Pringle: Spynie Palace and the Bishops of Moray, Edinburgh, 2002, p. 23
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William Hay was expelled after refusing to take an oath of allegiance to King
432:
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Lewis, Pringle: Spynie Palace and the Bishops of Moray, Edinburgh, 2002, p.10
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Simpson, W D: The Palace of the Bishops of Moray at Spynie, Elgin, 1927, p. 8
615:
Lewis, Pringle: Spynie Palace and the Bishops of Moray, Edinburgh, 2002, p.88
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Lewis, Pringle: Spynie Palace and the Bishops of Moray, Edinburgh, 2002, p.29
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Lewis, Pringle: Spynie Palace and the Bishops of Moray, Edinburgh, 2002, p. 2
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Interior of David's Tower showing putlog holes for floors and plastered walls
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Simpson, W: The Palace of the Bishops of Moray at Spynie, Elgin, 1927, p. 5
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Skene, W F(Ed): Chronicles of the Picts and Scots, Edinburgh, pp. 214, 215
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Simpson, W: The Palace of the Bishops of Moray at Spynie, 1927 pp. 32,33
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Simpson, W: The Palace of the Bishops of Moray at Spynie, 1927 pp. 31,32
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Simpson, W D: The Palace of the Bishops of Moray at Spynie, Elgin, 1927
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Lewis, Pringle: Spynie Palace and the Bishops of Moray, Edinburgh, 2002
221:— this term first appeared in the Registry of Moray in a writ of 1524.
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Bishops David Stewart's and Patrick Hepburn's armorial shields below
399:. Bothwell sailed to Orkney and Shetland, and finally to Denmark.
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English prisoners were held at Spynie during the war known as the
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245:. Formal permission for the permanent move to Spynie was given by
230:
206:
795:
Miscellany of the Spalding Club, Vol. II, Introduction, p. xlviii
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311:, otherwise known as the Wolf of Badenoch, attacked and burned
816:
Simpson, W: The Palace of the Bishops of Moray at Spynie, 1927
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Buchanan, George: The History of Scotland, Vol III, 1856 p 551
197:, also known as Spynie Castle, was the fortified seat of the
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Acts of the Parliament of Scotland, vol. VII, pp. 409,410
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Buchanan, George: The History of Scotland, Vol III, 1856
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had no fixed abode but moved between houses at Birnie,
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888:Fawcett, R: Elgin Cathedral, Edinburgh, 1991
710:The Palace of the Bishops of Moray at Spynie
517:Registrium Episcacopatus Moravienses no. 45
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1118:(Key: ǂ = demolished ¤ = partly ruined)
760:Illustrations of the Reign of Queen Mary
499:Registrum Episcopatus Moraviensis, 40—43
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391:at Spynie in 1567 who had fled from the
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656:Spynie Palace and the Bishops of Moray
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1146:Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Moray
16:Ruined castle in Moray, Scotland, UK
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417:Alexander Lindsay, 1st Lord Spynie
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456:James Graham, Marquis of Montrose
309:Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan
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369:Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley
712:(Elgin, 1927), pp. 10, 11, 15.
415:gave the castle and estate to
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1136:Episcopal palaces in Scotland
909:Historic Environment Scotland
320:Later 15th and 16th centuries
299:14th and early 15th centuries
114:Historic Environment Scotland
925:Mary, Queen of Scots website
724:, IV (London, 1968), p. 109.
722:HMC Longleat: Seymour Papers
583:Registrum Moraviense, p. 127
490:Registrum Moraviense, p. 401
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784:Register of the Great Seal
762:(Edinburgh, 1837), p. 217.
379:, an agent provocateur of
324:It is thought that Bishop
293:King Edward I of England's
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1033:Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall
913:"Spynie Palace (SM90282)"
283:The early living quarters
42:
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383:, who had tried to lead
239:King William I, the Lion
1011:Palace of Holyroodhouse
733:Joseph Stevenson (ed),
695:Registrum Magni Sigilli
393:battle of Carberry Hill
271:12th and 13th centuries
266:The fortified residence
201:for about 500 years in
933:Bishop's Palace Ruins,
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381:Elizabeth I of England
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260:Bishop Andrew of Moray
255:Fourth Lateran Council
188:besieged 1640 and 1645
92:Keep with curtain wall
1078:Earl's Palace, Birsay
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436:Col. Sir Robert Monro
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237:and Spynie. In 1172,
1005:Palace of Haddington
786:, 1580—93, no. 1727.
385:Mary, Queen of Scots
73:57.67611°N 3.29139°W
1115:Scotland portal
979:Palaces in Scotland
682:The Chiefs of Grant
215:Holy Trinity Church
69: /
1045:Palace of Monimail
993:Dunfermline Palace
758:Joseph Stevenson,
658:(Edinburgh, 2002).
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377:Christopher Rokeby
375:in December 1548.
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78:57.67611; -3.29139
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1039:Fetternear Palace
1016:Linlithgow Palace
774:, vol. 2, p. 195.
749:, vol. 1, p. 531.
684:, vol. 3, p. 124.
438:and his 800 men.
411:On 29 July 1587,
371:who was taken at
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746:
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734:
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709:
704:
693:
689:
681:
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650:
629:
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611:
602:
579:
570:
561:
552:
543:
522:
513:
504:
495:
486:
473:
461:
448:
429:John Guthrie
426:
423:17th century
410:
406:
401:
367:, including
365:Rough Wooing
362:
350:
338:
323:
306:
302:
289:
286:
274:
228:
218:
194:
193:
172:c1150 – 1689
151:
146:
138:Site history
120:Open to
35:Elgin, Moray
18:
699:, no. 1907.
667:Rhind, W.,
373:Hume Castle
358:Reformation
169:In use
76: /
52:Coordinates
37:, Scotland
1130:Categories
467:and Queen
433:Covenanter
249:to Bishop
225:Background
64:03°17′29″W
61:57°40′34″N
1026:Episcopal
697:, 1546—80
395:first to
235:Kinneddar
180:Sandstone
177:Materials
130:Condition
100:22 metres
737:, p. 27.
389:Bothwell
211:Scotland
1151:Culdees
931:Images:
671:(1839).
465:William
403:needed:
33:, near
219:palace
203:Spynie
185:Events
97:Height
31:Spynie
1061:Noble
986:Royal
479:Notes
231:Moray
207:Moray
154:c1250
149:c1150
143:Built
110:Owner
469:Mary
133:Ruin
89:Type
152:2nd
147:1st
125:Yes
1132::
911:.
800:^
638:^
588:^
531:^
360:.
209:,
205:,
1097:ǂ
1086:ǂ
1080:¤
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1018:¤
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1001:¤
995:¤
971:e
964:t
957:v
936:,
915:.
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