Description
Doune Castle - Scotland
Doune Castle is located on Castle Hill in Doune, Scotland on a promontory where the River Teith and the Ardoch Burn meet. The word doune means ancient stronghold and, although the current castle dates to some time after 1381, there is reason to believe that there was a castle or fort of some sort on this site for many years prior. Doune Castle was initially the residence of Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, Earl of Menteith and Fife, and younger brother of Robert III, King of Scotland. He is known as the Uncrowned King owing to his selection as the guardian of Scotland from 1388 to 1420, serving under the ineffectual Robert III. After Stewart’s death the castle became a possession of the crown, and was granted to a succession of queens, including Mary of Guelders in 1449, Margaret of Denmark in 1468, and Margaret Tudor in 1503. The castle found its way into the family of James Stewart in 1532, and his son, also James, who was created Lord Doune in 1581. The castle has passed through the lords of Doune since that time. After the 1745 Rising the castle fell into disrepair, but would have to wait over a hundred years, to 1883, when restoration work was begun by the 14th Earl of Moray. In 1984 the castle was turned over to the State by the Moray estate and is today run by Historic Scotland. In popular culture Doune Castle is best remembered as a shooting location for the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Many scenes were shot in and around the castle, which doubled as Swamp Castle and Castle Anthrax in the movie.
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