Detail of carved memorial plaque on north west face

Description Detail of carved memorial plaque on north west face

Date 18/6/2001

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number E 15482 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 768813

Scope and Content Detail of Memorial Plaque on Prince Albert's Cairn, Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire This carved memorial plaque appears on the north-west side of the cairn. It is inscribed: 'To the beloved memory of Albert, the Great and Good Prince Consort, erected by his broken-hearted widow, Victoria R, 21st August 1862'. Below is a tablet inscribed with four lines from the Wisdom of Solomon: 'He being made perfect in a short time fulfilled a long time; for his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted He to take him away from among the wicked.' Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, was born in 1819, son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He married Queen Victoria in 1840, and the marriage was a very happy one, producing nine children, most of whom married into other royal families of Europe. Albert was made Prince Consort in 1857, and became a trusted advisor to Victoria in affairs of state. He was interested in the arts, science, trade and industry, and the project for which he is best remembered was the Great Exhibition of 1851 which he designed to stimulate the growth of British commerce. His ambition was 'to educate and improve', and when the royal couple purchased the Balmoral estate, he initiated the building of new houses for estate workers, introduced regular employment for other workers, and set up a 500-volume library in the castle to which everyone in the neighbourhood had access. His projects included the building of new roads, bridges, workshops and a model dairy on the estate. He died suddenly in 1862, having contracted typhoid fever while staying at Windsor Castle. The queen was heartbroken and mourned him for the rest of her life. The Balmoral estate was bought in 1852 by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria at their own expense as a Highland retreat from the stresses of London life. Prince Albert initiated many improvements, including the building of a new holiday home, Balmoral Castle, in 1853-5, and much of the Balmoral estate owes its present appearance to Albert's activities. When he died in 1861, Queen Victoria erected a cairn to his memory on the summit of Creag Lurachain, a 438m-high hill overlooking the castle. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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