Midmar Castle, Aberdeenshire

A late 16th-century Z-house; the design generally is ascribed to George Bell, an ascription that may in part be incorrectThere are few houses in Aberdeenshire of the architectural quality of Midmar (NGR NJ 704 052) which can boast so meagre or so confused an history.Called at various times Migmar, Midmar, Ballogie, Grantfield and finally Midmar again, the times its name has changed being only exceeded by the number of families that have owned it -Broun, Ogilvy, Gordon, Forbes, Grant, Davidson, Elphinstone, Mansfield, Gordon and finally Wharton.Four names, 10 families, no armorial or date stone, a few papers, a single mention in Spalding, brief encounters with history during the 16th century and the 'Forty-five, an occasional mention in long-forgotten travel books and legal documents, and a gravestone in the old kirkyard at Midmar; these are the materials from which a history must be made. THE DESCENT OF MIDMAR (fig 1)The earliest mention of Midmar is in the late 13th century when Adam Broun, of the Brouns of Fordell, who was killed at Falkirk in 1298, held Midmar of the Bishop of Aberdeen.His grandson, Sir John Broun, was sheriff of the county of Aberdeen in 1328; clearly the family stood well in the world.It was either the sheriff's son or grandson -both of whom were named Johnwho was involved in a brawl in the Parliament at Scone in 1368.He and Robert D'Umfraville were ordered to find bail to the tune of 500 to keep the peace.The difference is described as a dissensio per verba, but bail of the size mentioned and the standing of the two sureties, the Earl of Mar and Lord Keith, suggest something more serious than an exchange of unparliamentary epithets.Midmar stayed in the hands of the Brouns until John Broun, the grandson of the sheriff sold it in 1422 to Patrick Ogilvy, but it did not remain in the hands of that family for long.By 1468 Midmar had come into the possession of Alexander Gordon, first Earl of Huntly, as on 8 July of that year Huntly granted a charter in favour of his son-in-law, William, Lord Forbes, of lands in the barony of Midmar.Sometime before 25 May 1484 Midmar had been granted to Alexander Gordon, second son of the first Earl, as on that date Alexander Gordon of Megmar had been one of the witnesses to a deed concerning the barony of Kennerdy.Presumably the grant of Midmar to Alexander had been made before the death of his father in 1470

Geology · Historical Studies of British Isles · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology · Scottish History and National Identity