Fyvie Castle: Eight Centuries of Scottish Power, Tragedy, and Hidden Bones

Origins

Fyvie Castle first enters the historical record between 1211 and 1214, referenced in royal charters that confirm its existence as a significant stronghold in northeastern Scotland. The site served as a royal hunting lodge and fortification, hosting both William the Lion and Robert the Bruce during their movements through Aberdeenshire. The original structure bore little resemblance to the turreted fortress that dominates the landscape today.

The castle occupied a strategically valuable position, controlling passage through the agricultural heartland of the region. Its earliest stone construction dates to 1395, marking the transition from timber fortification to permanent masonry. Preston Tower, the oldest surviving major element, rose between 1390 and 1433 under the Preston family, establishing the template of defensive architecture that subsequent owners would expand upon. The tower’s thick walls and narrow windows reflect the violent realities of medieval Scottish life.

Through the Centuries

Five great families shaped Fyvie’s evolution: Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon, and Leith. Each dynasty left architectural evidence of their occupation, creating the remarkable collection of towers that defines the castle’s silhouette. This succession of ownership also generated a local legend - Thomas the Rhymer, the 13th-century Scottish seer, allegedly cursed Fyvie with the prophecy that no firstborn son would ever inherit the estate peacefully until three mysterious stones were found.

Alexander Seton’s acquisition in 1596 transformed Fyvie from medieval fortress to Renaissance palace. A Lord Chancellor of Scotland and man of considerable wealth, Seton commissioned the magnificent south front with its elaborate wheel staircase. The gatehouse, completed in 1599 and still displaying its date stone, marked the formal entrance to his remodelled estate. Seton’s building programme created the grandest private residence in northern Scotland.

The Gordon family took possession in 1733, adding further embellishments and the substantial collection of paintings that remains within the castle today. The Leiths, who purchased Fyvie in 1889, undertook the final major restoration and modernisation before the National Trust for Scotland acquired the property in 1984.

Notable Guests and Events

Fyvie’s royal connections span centuries. William the Lion held court here in the 12th century. Robert the Bruce stayed at the castle in 1308 during his campaign to secure the Scottish throne. The castle’s position on major routes through Aberdeenshire made it a natural stopping point for monarchs and their retinues travelling through the northeast.

The castle’s art collection, assembled primarily by the Gordon and Leith families, includes works by Raeburn, Romney, and Gainsborough. This remarkable gathering of paintings transformed Fyvie into a showcase of Scottish patronage and taste. The collection remains largely intact, offering visitors a window into the aesthetic priorities of the Scottish aristocracy.

The Dark History

The castle’s most notorious death centres on Lilias Drummond, first wife of Alexander Seton. She died around 1601, and accounts of her final months paint a disturbing picture. Lilias had failed to produce a male heir, bearing five daughters in succession. Historical tradition records that she fell from favour, confined to increasingly restricted quarters within the castle. Some accounts suggest she died of starvation; others attribute her death to a broken heart after learning her husband had already selected her replacement.

Within months of Lilias’s death, Alexander Seton married Grizel Leslie. On the morning after their wedding night in the Charter Room, the couple discovered something carved into the stone windowsill outside their bridal chamber. The name “D. LILIAS DRUMMOND” had been scratched into the stone - twenty feet above ground level, with no apparent means of access. The inscription remains visible today.

Renovation work in the early 20th century produced more disturbing discoveries. Workers found a skeleton sealed within a wall, the remains of an adult of unknown identity. When the bones were removed and reinterred in consecrated ground, strange disturbances reportedly increased throughout the castle. A separate discovery - the skeleton of an infant concealed within a bricked-up chimney in the Morning Room - added another layer of tragedy to Fyvie’s history. The circumstances of this child’s death and concealment remain unknown.

A sealed chamber beneath the Charter Room has never been opened in living memory. Local tradition connects this space to Thomas the Rhymer’s curse and warns against disturbing whatever lies within.

Architectural Heritage

Fyvie Castle represents one of Scotland’s finest examples of baronial architecture. The five towers - Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon, and Leith - chronicle the evolution of Scottish building styles across five centuries. Preston Tower’s medieval austerity contrasts sharply with the elaborate Renaissance detailing of Seton’s later additions.

The great wheel staircase, a masterpiece of Scottish stonework, rises through the castle’s core. Its construction during Alexander Seton’s rebuilding programme demonstrates both the technical skill available to wealthy Scottish patrons and their ambitions for display and grandeur.

Archaeological excavations conducted under Historic Environment Scotland oversight have revealed the medieval defences and garden features that predate the current structure. These investigations confirm the site’s importance throughout the medieval period and provide context for the documentary records.

The Haunted Legacy

The documented tragedies at Fyvie provide clear context for its paranormal reputation. Lilias Drummond’s death under suspicious circumstances, followed by the inexplicable appearance of her carved name, established the castle’s association with the supernatural within a decade of Alexander Seton’s grand rebuilding programme.

The discovery of human remains sealed within the fabric of the building - both the adult skeleton in the wall and the infant in the chimney - represents exactly the kind of violent or secretive death that ghost traditions require. These were people denied proper burial, hidden from view, their fates concealed for centuries.

The Preston Tower apartment, now available as holiday accommodation within the castle, occupies spaces where centuries of inhabitants lived, worked, and died. The morning room, library, and great staircase all carry the weight of eight hundred years of occupation. Staff members and visitors continue to report experiences they cannot explain in rational terms.

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Fyvie Castle stands as a living monument to Aberdeenshire’s rich and sometimes dark history.