Archaeology Notes

Event ID 704708

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/704708

NS79SE 22 79232 93744

(NS 7 923 9374) Mar's Work (NR) (Rems of)

OS 6"map, (1958).

Mar's Work: What remains of this large and important mansion stands as a roofless ruin in Mar Place.

Only the facade now survives and this has been strengthened and patched where necessary by the DoE. The house as originally laid out must have covered a larger area than now appears at first sight, as traces of two contemporaray cellars at the S end and tusking at the N end of the existing block imply wings running W, the whole comprising three sides of a quadrangular courtyard. The builder was the Earl of Mar who became Regent of Scotland in 1571, and died in 1572. Two carved stones show that work was in progress during 1570-2. The legend that the building was never completed is probably true, as a town plan of 1725 shows only the main block and S wing.

The existing frontage rises two storeys to a denuded wall-head, but the back wall has been trimmed off only a few courses above the level of the first floor and its outer face has been hidden up to this level by soil from the Holy Rude graveyard.

RCAHMS 1963, visited 1954.

As described. In good condition.

Visited by OS (JP) 6 December 1973.