Cawdor Castle
Cawdor Castle dates from the late 14th century and was built as a private fortress by the Thanes of Cawdor. The ancient medieval tower was built around the legendary holly-tree.
Although the House has evolved over 600 years, later additions mainly of the 17th century were all built in the Scottish vernacular style with slated roofs over walls and crow-stepped gables of mellow local stone. This style gives Cawdor a strong sense of unity, and the massive, severe exterior belies an intimate interior that gives the place a surprisingly personal, friendly atmosphere.
Good furniture, fine portraits and pictures, interesting objects and outstanding tapestries are arranged to please the family rather than to echo fashion or impress.
Along with the three gardens, the Cawdor Big Wood, and our own 9-hole golf course, we believe Cawdor Castle to be a truly extraordinary place. We hope that when you have seen all you want to see, Cawdor will give you a pleasing and lasting memory.
The Gardens
Vistors express surprise that the gardens
grow so well, situated as Cawdor is, in a latitude that is geographically
north of Moscow, although politically somewhat to the right. The answer is a
combination of reasons: the soil is fertile; the climate is tempered by the
Gulf stream; the rain-fall, at around 625mm (24 inches) is well distributed
through the year; at midsummer there can be 18 hours of sunshine daily; and
of course, not least, there is head gardener, Mr. Derek Hosie who is quite
excellent. Like good cooks, good gardeners are temperamental people and this
seems always to have been the case; it is set down that as long ago as 1679
that a new gardener having agreed to come to Cawdor, suddenly refused to go
north 'on any account.' Perhaps he thought of the winters.
Macbeth
Visitors often ask about the link between Macbeth, Cawdor and Shakespeare. This is a complicated web. A pithy, but not the most helpful explanation was given by the 5th Earl Cawdor: "I wish the Bard had never written his damned play!"
The History
Macbeth was born about 1005. His mother was Donada, second daughter of King Malcolm II of Scotland, and his father was Findlay, chieftain of Moray. Macbeth married Gruoch, a widowed grand-daughter of King Kenneth III. Gruoch's brother, and her first husband died at the hands of Malcolm's followers headed by another grandson and his successor, King Duncan I.
Avenging his wife and disputing the throne, Macbeth brought Duncan's rule to an abrupt end: on 14 August 1040, Duncan was mortally wounded at Pitgaveny, and died at Elgin Castle in Moray. Macbeth was crowned High King of Scots at Scone outside Perth, with his Queen
The skilled recorders of early Scottish history were the monks. Andrew of Wyntoun, a canon of St Andrews in Fife, completed his Cronykil in 1406, setting down facts in sequence, and embroidering them with old fables and older myths.
He spins us a tale about Macbeth who is asleep, dreaming of three weird sisters, who in turn murmur about his destiny: the Thane of Cromarty, the Thane of Moray, and lastly the King.
A later historian, Hector Boethius (or Boyis, a Dundee family) published his Chronicle in 1527. He drew upon Wyntoun's story of Macbeth, but decided to change the predicted titles to the Thane of Glamis and the Thane of 'Cawder'.
Boethius changed several other aspects of Wyntoun's story, and invented the character of Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, to extend the royal Stuart line back to the nebulous personage of King Arthur - to please King James V. The romantic, raffish Stuarts actually emanated from prosaic Brittany in France.
William Shakespeare wrote the final version of The Tragedie of Macbeth during the spring of 1606. Holinshed's narrative of witches, prophesy, treason, execution and murder were topics that fascinated King James VI of Scotland (and by then James I of England) to the point of obsession. This opportunity was not lost on Shakespeare, who put the finishing touches to the script in time for a special royal performance at Hampton Court that same summer to entertain the King and his brother-in-law, Christian IV, King of Denmark.
Although the murder of Duncan takes place in Inverness Castle, it is often associated with Cawdor Castle.
The Upshot
The truth is that as Cawdor Castle was not built until the late 14th century, it is impossible for King Duncan to have lost any blood or Lady Macbeth much sleep in this particular house