Esslemont Castle

The earliest known reference to Esslemont is as the “manor of Eislemont” in the 14th century. The lands of Esslemont passed from the family of Mareschal through the marriage of the heiress Janet to Francis le Chen of Straloch in the 14th century. The castle was burned in 1493. John Cheyne obtained a licence to rebuild from James IV in July 1500. He was permitted to build a tower as high as he liked, with iron yetts, machicolations, portcullis, drawbridges, and other “strengths”. John Cheyne and his kin fought with Duncan Forbes in Aberdeen's Gallowgate in 1503. In 1564, Patrick Cheyne was created Baron of Esslemont by Queen Mary, who stayed here during her campaign against the Earl of…

The castle is roofless and missing large sections of its walls, which were reused in building sites nearby. Especially noticeable are the missing dressed stones of the windows. The structure is a L-plan castle with a staircase turret and a round tower at the south-east angle. The main building seems, on the ground floor, to have contained the kitchen, with a wide fireplace in the north gable; the rugged edges of the ruined sides of the flue being visible high up in the gable. Though ruined, the remains still show that there were three stories. The Gordon Arms are visible on the exterior of the castle.