Archaeology Notes

Event ID 670911

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/670911

NJ82NE 21.00 88220 26789

NJ82NE 21.01 NJ 88183 27459 North Lodge

NJ82NE 21.02 NJ 8829 2712 stables

NJ82NE 21.03 Centred NJ 8825 2675 garden; sundial

NJ82NE 21.04 Centred NJ 8853 2693 walled garden

NJ82NE 21.05 NJ 8859 2694 Gardener's Cottage

NJ82NE 21.06 NJ 8915 2687 Home Farm

NJ82NE 21.07 NJ 8911 2675 Home Farm Cottages

NJ82NE 21.08 NJ 8850 2634 The Kennels

See also:

NJ82NE 74 NJ c. 886 265 Cist

NJ82NE 92 NJ 8882 2712 Gravel Pit

(NJ 8822 2679) Udny Castle (NR) (only tower shown)

OS 6" map, Aberdeenshire, 1st ed., (1868)

(NJ 8822 2680) Udny Castle (NR)

OS 6" map, (1959)

Udny Castle is a tall, five storey, stronghold, rectangular on plan, rounded at the angles. A modern mansion, which was attached, has been demolished and only the old work remains.

MacGibbon and Ross (1887-92) considered that the work dates from the late 16th or early 17th century, but the thickness of the walls, the vaulting on two floors and the fact that there is an ancient intake in the masonary above second floor level indicates an earlier period of construction. The external aspect suggests that the three lower storeys represent an early thick-walled keep of possibly the first half of the 15th century, which was heightened probably in the 16th century, and completed with the angle turrets and present gables in the early 17th century.

Traditionally Udny was built by three lairds. The first recorded mention of the property seems to have been when Ronald of Uldney had a charter of the lands from David II. The Udny's have occupied the property down to the present times.

D MacGibbon and T Ross 1887-92; N Tranter 1962-70.

Udny Castle, as described by Tranter (1962-70) and planned by MacGibbon and Ross (1887-92), was renovated in 1966 and is now occupied.

Visited by OS (RL) 5 April 1972.

(Newspaper reference cited).

NMRS, MS/712/80.