THE BEE, LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, FOR WEDNESDAY, November 30, 1791. ACCOUNT OF CASTLE OF KILDRUMMIE, [With a PLATE.] THIS was a fortrefs of the highest antiquity, and, from the name, appears to have been alfo a place of religious worship*. It had been erected to defend, or over-awe, the country of the Garioch in Aberdeenshire, and was immemorially in the Crown. It was held by Prince David, brother of Malcolm IV. and William the Lyon, Kings of Scots. Prince Da vid's fecond daughter, Ifabella, brought it in dower to her husband Robert Brus, Lord of Annandale, and his great grandfon King Robert I. gave it to his fifter Chriftian, the wife of Gratney Earl of Marr, from whom fprung the royal house of Stuart; and it came after ward, by a preferable propinquity, to the house of Er fkine, though the Stuarts long detained it unjustly, on the pretence of a better right, founded on the error that gave the crown to Bruce before Baliol. When Edward I. of England, anno 1306, over-ran Scotland, before Robert Bruce was firmly feated on his throne, that adventrous prince was forced to leave Badenoch, and hide himself for a time in the Western ifles. On that occafion he sent his wife and daughter, with their attendants, to Kildrummie, as to a place of fafety; but on hearing that a powerful army was approaching to befiege that place they left it, and took refuge in the fanctuary of St Duthac, at Tain in Rossfhire, where they were betrayed by the Earl of Rofs, who violated that fanctuary, and delivered them up to Edward of England, who kept them in clofe confinement many years. Among these prisoners was the intrepid Countess of Buchan, who had placed the crown upon Robert's head at Scoone, which difpleafed the King of England fo much that he ordered her to be confined in a cage, under the ftrictest guard, in the caftle of Berwick. Soon after the queen and her unfortunate attendants left Kildrummie that caftle was clofely befieged by an English army, under the command of the Earls of Lancafter and Hereford, which was defended with great valour by Nigel, the young brother of King Robert.But the magazine having been treacherously burnt by one named Ofburn, the garrifon were forced, from want of provifions, to furrender at difcretion: and young Nigel, whofe comeliness of perfon is mentioned by hiftorians, was tried and condemned to be hanged, and afterwards beheaded: the punishment, in thofe days, of those who were accounted guilty of treafon. "It was, (fays the learned and worthy writer of Lady Sutherland's Memorial on her case of Peerage,) the great aim of the fagacious, but too precipitate policy of James I. King of Scots, to unite the ancient CASTLE Earldoms to the Crown, and thus to fap the foundations of a formidable and hated ariftocracy. What progress he made, and how he perished in the attempt, is known from history*." James used to joke with the Queen on this subject, and fay, "My fweetheart, I hope the time will come when I may fee you go to bed with all the nobility of Scotland!" A brave project for a patriot prince, and worthy of a more fortunate iffue! A rich and powerful nobility muft deftroy the liberties of any people among whom they are Juffered to domineer. The Caftle of Kildrummie, with the Earldom of Marr, was for fome time poffeffed by Isabella Douglas, in right of her mother Margaret of Marr, who was the wife of the firft Earl of Douglas. This lady was forcibly married by Alexander Stuart, natural fon of the earl of Buchan, who cafting his eye on fo defireable an heiress, stormed the castle of Kildrummie in the year 1404, and whether altogether by violence or not, obtained her in lawful wedlock; and on the 12th of Auguft, fhe granted to him her earldom of Marr, and lordship of Garioch. The form of procedure in this tranfaction, as defcribed by the memorialift for Sutherland, is strongly characteristic of the times. On the 19th of September Alexander presented himself at the Castle of Kildrummie, and furrendered to the Countess not only the castle but all its furniture, and the title-deeds therein kept; in teftimony of this, he delivered the keys into her hands, "freely, and with good heart, for her to difpofe of them as the pleased. The Countefs, holding the keys in her hands, of mature advice, chofe the faid Alexander for her husband; and, in * Additional Cafe of Lady Sutherland by her Guardians, delivered at the Bar of the House of Lords, cap. v. page 48. |