Colliston Castle
Encyclopedia
Colliston Castle, near Arbroath
, Scotland
, was built in 1545 by Cardinal Beaton, abbott of Arbroath Abbey
. It was a Z-plan tower house
, and was altered and extended in the 18th and 19th centuries. The castle is currently on hire as a venue for wedding
receptions and parties.
The original Z-plan part of the Castle of Colliston was erected in 1583.It consists of a main block with two round towers projecting at opposite corners, and a stair turret rising in one of the re-entrant angles between the main block and tower. This tower, which also houses the entrance to the castle, is corbelled out at the top to form a gabled watch-chamber. The plan is similar to Claypotts Castle
and is amply provided with wide splayed gun-loops and circular shot-holes for defence. The wall heads and the entire upper story were remodelled at several times and are not original.
Sir Henry Guthrie sold to Doctor Gordon in 1684.
By 1721 George Chaplin was in possession of Colliston, and was succeeded by his nephew George Robertson Chaplin of Auchengray
, and then George Chaplin Child Chaplin, M.D. He died in 1883, and was succeeded by Mr Peebles of Somerset House, London, the next heir of entail.
In 1920 John Hume Adams Peebles-Chaplin sold it to Richard (Dicky) Bruce (Major R.F.D. Bruce), son of the Hon. F. J. Bruce of Seaton, who was a son of the Earl of Elgin. He installed a gun cupboard in part of the original kitchen fireplace in the west tower. This room became the gunroom. In 1929 Dicky Bruce was found dead in the hall with his gun beside him. On the death of her husband his wife married a local (Arbroath)lawyer she was having an affair with and sold the castle to Captain Alfred Knox.
Arbroath
Arbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
, 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...
, was built in 1545 by Cardinal Beaton, abbott of Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, whom the king had met at the English court...
. It was a Z-plan tower house
Tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
, and was altered and extended in the 18th and 19th centuries. The castle is currently on hire as a venue for wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
receptions and parties.
History
The estate was granted to John Guthrie and Isabella Ogilvy, his wife, by Cardinal David Beaton, Abbot of Arbroath and Archbishop of St Andrews, on 25 July 1544. David Beaton's long term partner of over twenty years was Marion Ogilvy, and it is quite likely Isabella was their daughter.The original Z-plan part of the Castle of Colliston was erected in 1583.It consists of a main block with two round towers projecting at opposite corners, and a stair turret rising in one of the re-entrant angles between the main block and tower. This tower, which also houses the entrance to the castle, is corbelled out at the top to form a gabled watch-chamber. The plan is similar to Claypotts Castle
Claypotts Castle
Claypotts Castle is a medieval castle located in the suburban West Ferry area of Dundee, Scotland.-History:The castle was originally built by John Strachan around the period of 1569 and 1588 according to dates inscribed on stones that make up parts of the castle, which make its construction longer...
and is amply provided with wide splayed gun-loops and circular shot-holes for defence. The wall heads and the entire upper story were remodelled at several times and are not original.
Sir Henry Guthrie sold to Doctor Gordon in 1684.
By 1721 George Chaplin was in possession of Colliston, and was succeeded by his nephew George Robertson Chaplin of Auchengray
Auchengray
Auchengray is a small village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.It has a small church whose architect was Frederick Thomas Pilkington , the ground given by George Robertson Chaplin of Colliston House, Arbroath, the uncle of David Souter Robertson of Lawhead House nearby. The church has two stained...
, and then George Chaplin Child Chaplin, M.D. He died in 1883, and was succeeded by Mr Peebles of Somerset House, London, the next heir of entail.
In 1920 John Hume Adams Peebles-Chaplin sold it to Richard (Dicky) Bruce (Major R.F.D. Bruce), son of the Hon. F. J. Bruce of Seaton, who was a son of the Earl of Elgin. He installed a gun cupboard in part of the original kitchen fireplace in the west tower. This room became the gunroom. In 1929 Dicky Bruce was found dead in the hall with his gun beside him. On the death of her husband his wife married a local (Arbroath)lawyer she was having an affair with and sold the castle to Captain Alfred Knox.