History of Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle is a beautiful castle located on the north shore of Loch Ness. The earliest written record found of the existence of Urquhart Castle is dated in the 1200s but scientists have found evidence of a castle from the 6th century. In fact, people were almost certainly there 4000 years ago. King Alexander II ruled Scotland during this time of peace in the early 13th century but got interrupted by a revolt in the 1230s but the conqueror managed to keep Urquhart Castle until his death in 1249. Edward I of England started war with Scotland and in the end of the 13thcentury, much of Scotland belonged to England, including Urquhart Castle. After years and years of battles between England and Scotland and between the Glens and the Grants, the castle went in to ruins in the late 1600s and now belongs to Scotland trust.
The Magical Land of Loch Ness
A Druid priest named Daly announced to his brethren that there was a blessed and enchanted healing well which was located deep within their fertile and lush valley. A sacred stone cover protected this enchanted healing water well. Daly warned that should the stone be left uncovered a great consequence would befall the land and its people.
One long summer day a young Mother from the valley came to the well to fill her jug. Suddenly, she heard the cry of her child. Fearing the child was in danger, she ran to him. She had in haste, forgotten the warning of Daly and not replaced the stone cover on the sacred well. Within seconds of her departure and with great speed the well began to overflow with water and began to gush throughout the valley. The people realized that before their very eyes the valley itself was transforming. Waves were quickly replacing the landscape which moments before held an abundance of both flora and fauna. Citizens climbed up to the highlands for safety. Once safe, they looked down at the water and said in their native tongue, "Tha loch' nis ann" (which is pronounced loch neesh) which translated means, "There is a lake there now."
One long summer day a young Mother from the valley came to the well to fill her jug. Suddenly, she heard the cry of her child. Fearing the child was in danger, she ran to him. She had in haste, forgotten the warning of Daly and not replaced the stone cover on the sacred well. Within seconds of her departure and with great speed the well began to overflow with water and began to gush throughout the valley. The people realized that before their very eyes the valley itself was transforming. Waves were quickly replacing the landscape which moments before held an abundance of both flora and fauna. Citizens climbed up to the highlands for safety. Once safe, they looked down at the water and said in their native tongue, "Tha loch' nis ann" (which is pronounced loch neesh) which translated means, "There is a lake there now."
St. Columba & King Brude
A robust holy man named Columba was often to be found journeying by boat between holy Ireland (the land of his birth) and enchanted Scotland (the land of his soul). Many a time St. Columba would be found to have traveled from nation to nation sharing the good news of his beloved God-man.
During one of his trips to sacred Scotland he was lead to a great and good King. This King had built a fine castle on a rocky outcop where many magic stories had been said to have occurred. The name of his stonghold would come to be known as Urquart Castle of Loch Ness. The king was Brude the Brave and True. This good and just King had been told through predictions, that his land would be visited by a holy man bearing good news. The people and King knew at once the prophecy was completed by their meetings with this strange and holy man, Columba.
King Brude and his people loved to listen to the stories told of the gentle God-man by Columba and his good brothers. The stories resonated with the people as enchantment and interaction with the unnseen was commonplace for those who lived in the land of miracles. They understood the beauty and unending power of a God force inside the body of a man. Again, it was easy for them to believe as they had the gift of unending faith. King Brude would often entertain Saint Columba and his friends. They stopped and visited when on an adventure to share stories of their God. As the Loch and Valley had hosted many holy missionaries who traveled through it, the name of the area was often known as the "Valley of the Saints."
A story of Saint Columba regarding the power of the enchantment of His God of Light was often told by the Pictish King Brude and his people. It seems one night in Urquhart castle, a grand cross appeared on a carved pagan monument. The cross shone so bright upon the symbols of the old faith that all who witnessed this enchantment became followers of the God of Columba, including King Brude. The people and their King chose to weave the new symbol and faith as it complemented all that was good and true within the beauty of their old beliefs. The King and kingdom from that day forward had peace, abundance and an enduring power that made magic and miracles as natural as the air of the highlands and unending strength of the hills.
During a trip down Loch Ness, Saint Columba was told of a great sea monster who was causing the fear of death or damage to those trying to carve a living from the land and loch. Saint Columba was told that a man had been bitten by the sea monster and had died from his wound. After attending his burial, Columba was told that another man was in the lake and was in danger of succumbing to the same fate. The Saint went to the loch and demanded that the creature change his evil ways and no longer seek humans for sport, as he was causing them to die. The monster hearing the voice of the saint and feeling remorse for his deeds, never again harmed another daughter of Eve.
During one of his trips to sacred Scotland he was lead to a great and good King. This King had built a fine castle on a rocky outcop where many magic stories had been said to have occurred. The name of his stonghold would come to be known as Urquart Castle of Loch Ness. The king was Brude the Brave and True. This good and just King had been told through predictions, that his land would be visited by a holy man bearing good news. The people and King knew at once the prophecy was completed by their meetings with this strange and holy man, Columba.
King Brude and his people loved to listen to the stories told of the gentle God-man by Columba and his good brothers. The stories resonated with the people as enchantment and interaction with the unnseen was commonplace for those who lived in the land of miracles. They understood the beauty and unending power of a God force inside the body of a man. Again, it was easy for them to believe as they had the gift of unending faith. King Brude would often entertain Saint Columba and his friends. They stopped and visited when on an adventure to share stories of their God. As the Loch and Valley had hosted many holy missionaries who traveled through it, the name of the area was often known as the "Valley of the Saints."
A story of Saint Columba regarding the power of the enchantment of His God of Light was often told by the Pictish King Brude and his people. It seems one night in Urquhart castle, a grand cross appeared on a carved pagan monument. The cross shone so bright upon the symbols of the old faith that all who witnessed this enchantment became followers of the God of Columba, including King Brude. The people and their King chose to weave the new symbol and faith as it complemented all that was good and true within the beauty of their old beliefs. The King and kingdom from that day forward had peace, abundance and an enduring power that made magic and miracles as natural as the air of the highlands and unending strength of the hills.
During a trip down Loch Ness, Saint Columba was told of a great sea monster who was causing the fear of death or damage to those trying to carve a living from the land and loch. Saint Columba was told that a man had been bitten by the sea monster and had died from his wound. After attending his burial, Columba was told that another man was in the lake and was in danger of succumbing to the same fate. The Saint went to the loch and demanded that the creature change his evil ways and no longer seek humans for sport, as he was causing them to die. The monster hearing the voice of the saint and feeling remorse for his deeds, never again harmed another daughter of Eve.
General History of Urquhart Castle
Castle Urquhart stands on a rocky promontory on the north shore of Loch Ness. As soon as you get here you cant help thinking, "Well, if I were going to build a castle to survey this wide glen, and the loch itself, this is where I'd build it!" In fact people were almost certainly here at least 4000 years ago. At nearby Corrimony is a burial cairn dating from about 2000 BC. However, although some evidence has been found of a fort on this promontory dating from the Iron Age, and also remains from Pictish times, earliest written records for the existence of a castle date from the 1200's.
Loch Ness cuts a great divide along what is called Glen Mor, or The Great Glen, a 60 mile fissure scoured by glaciers during the last ice age. The Loch itself is over 700 feet deep, and the nearby surrounding hills rise by about the same amount. At the north east end, where the waters of the loch flow along the River Ness through Inverness and into the North Sea, is the flatter and more fertile land of Moray.
Around the middle of the first millenium AD St Columba travelled fom dalraida in Argyll on the West coast of scotland, and converted Emchath, a Pictish nobleman living in Glen Urquhart sometime before 597.
In 1228 the people of Moray rose against the authority of King Alexander II (1198 - 1249). By 1230 he put down the revolt and, as conquerors often do, established his own loyal men in charge of estates. He granted his son-in-law Alan Durward the lordship of Urquhart, and it is almost certain that the earliest parts of medieval castle date from his time. After his death in 1275 the castle passed to John Comyn, appointed by Edward I of England. After a series of humiliating defeats John Balliol (1250 - 1296) had relinquished his kingship, and much of Scotland and many of its castles, including Urquhart, were under English control.
This was the time the Stone of Destiny was taken from Scone to London, (it's now back in Scotland) and also the time that William Wallace began his campaign against English rule when he killed an English sheriff at Lanark. In 1297 Andrew Moray of Moray led a night-time attack on the castle which failed, but sometime later Sir Alexander Forbes retook it for Scotland. But that wasn't the end of it; in 1303 Edward again took the castle, but his garrison under Alexander Comyn of Badenoch was soon annihilated by Robert the Bruce who was to be crowned King of Scotland in 1306.
By 1346 ownership of the castle passed from the Earls of Moray back to the Scottish Crown again, and it seems likely that with Crown money much substantial building and repair was completed at this time. Throughout the end of the 1300's and well into the 1400's Castle Urquhart fell again and again to Clan MacDonald, Lords of the Isles only to be retaken again and again by the Crown.
The only consequence was the suffering and devastation of the ordinary people living in the Great Glen. Eventually the MacDonald's power was temporarily curbed in this area and for about 35 years the Grants of Freuchie looked after the castle on behalf of the Gordons of Huntly. But soon the MacDonalds were back; in the 1500's they besieged it twice, again leaving the ordinary local inhabitants of the Glen dead and devastated.
By the 1600's the castle was abandoned by the Grants to the people of the Glen. Those walls which had for so long been a cause of suffering to them, now became their comfort as they dismantled masonry and removed stones to build their own houses.
Finally, in 1689 when the last Stewart King, James II of England and VII of Scotland, was exiled, one Captain Grant and 300 Highlanders saw off a force of James's supporters. The garrison left the ruins in 1692. The castle was not repaired, and about 25 years later it was reported that a "Storme of Wind had blown down the south west side of the main tower house.
Loch Ness cuts a great divide along what is called Glen Mor, or The Great Glen, a 60 mile fissure scoured by glaciers during the last ice age. The Loch itself is over 700 feet deep, and the nearby surrounding hills rise by about the same amount. At the north east end, where the waters of the loch flow along the River Ness through Inverness and into the North Sea, is the flatter and more fertile land of Moray.
Around the middle of the first millenium AD St Columba travelled fom dalraida in Argyll on the West coast of scotland, and converted Emchath, a Pictish nobleman living in Glen Urquhart sometime before 597.
In 1228 the people of Moray rose against the authority of King Alexander II (1198 - 1249). By 1230 he put down the revolt and, as conquerors often do, established his own loyal men in charge of estates. He granted his son-in-law Alan Durward the lordship of Urquhart, and it is almost certain that the earliest parts of medieval castle date from his time. After his death in 1275 the castle passed to John Comyn, appointed by Edward I of England. After a series of humiliating defeats John Balliol (1250 - 1296) had relinquished his kingship, and much of Scotland and many of its castles, including Urquhart, were under English control.
This was the time the Stone of Destiny was taken from Scone to London, (it's now back in Scotland) and also the time that William Wallace began his campaign against English rule when he killed an English sheriff at Lanark. In 1297 Andrew Moray of Moray led a night-time attack on the castle which failed, but sometime later Sir Alexander Forbes retook it for Scotland. But that wasn't the end of it; in 1303 Edward again took the castle, but his garrison under Alexander Comyn of Badenoch was soon annihilated by Robert the Bruce who was to be crowned King of Scotland in 1306.
By 1346 ownership of the castle passed from the Earls of Moray back to the Scottish Crown again, and it seems likely that with Crown money much substantial building and repair was completed at this time. Throughout the end of the 1300's and well into the 1400's Castle Urquhart fell again and again to Clan MacDonald, Lords of the Isles only to be retaken again and again by the Crown.
The only consequence was the suffering and devastation of the ordinary people living in the Great Glen. Eventually the MacDonald's power was temporarily curbed in this area and for about 35 years the Grants of Freuchie looked after the castle on behalf of the Gordons of Huntly. But soon the MacDonalds were back; in the 1500's they besieged it twice, again leaving the ordinary local inhabitants of the Glen dead and devastated.
By the 1600's the castle was abandoned by the Grants to the people of the Glen. Those walls which had for so long been a cause of suffering to them, now became their comfort as they dismantled masonry and removed stones to build their own houses.
Finally, in 1689 when the last Stewart King, James II of England and VII of Scotland, was exiled, one Captain Grant and 300 Highlanders saw off a force of James's supporters. The garrison left the ruins in 1692. The castle was not repaired, and about 25 years later it was reported that a "Storme of Wind had blown down the south west side of the main tower house.
Celtic Legend of Bebhinn & Fairy Queen Caoimhe
One night during a deep sleep, the kind and gentle comforter priestess of the Celts known as Bebhinn, was to be given a powerful message. This message had come from the Queen Caoimhe who ruled the land of the fairies. Caoimhe had weaved her needs and desires into Bebhinn’s dreams. The priestess was told that she had been chosen to become the human messenger of the fairies. She would serve for a season, those who resided in the land of the fairies or ancestors. The fairies needed a human voice to assist them, as many centuries had passed without finding a human worthy of the task. The Queen told the holy woman that contact was often not sought with the living as knowledge from the fairies often frightened those who walked in the kingdom of men. Many fairies had tried to bring messages to the sons of Adam. They found that through their attempts at contact they had become objects of ridicule or curiosity. However, now they believed they must share their happiness and secrets as the good people of the highlands were their neighbors and kin. They knew that to not share with others they themselves could lose their wisdom, which would be lethal to both worlds.
Many fairies remembered the brave and kind Bebhinn from their time in human form. After hearing how the priestess had healed many who suffered from pain and despair, the Queen decided that they had found a messenger they could trust. The fairies would request she come to their grand kingdom to collect knowledge on how to heal and spread joy to those most like them, the people who lived in their old glen and highlands. Bebhinn was then told by Queen Caoimhee to take a journey to the land of the great northern loch. Once she reached he well-known rocky outcrop overlooking the water, she was to make a camp and rest. When in a deep sleep, she would be taken to the land of the fairies. Bebhinn was eager to do the will of the fairies. She set off the next day on her journey to the great loch and land of the fairies. When she arrived, she made her bed and began her rest. Suddenly, she felt peaceful and fell into a deep slumber. When she awakened, she found herself in the heavenly land of the ancestors. She enjoyed her time with the enchanted ones. She was told many secrets by the fairies and was given healing potions and stories to share with her upon her return to the highlands and the loch. Filled with their joy and hope, she returned to her people. Bebhinn became known both near and far as a wise and holy healer. Many sought to learn from her until the end of her life whereupon , she traveled once again to the land of the fairies and ancestors
Many fairies remembered the brave and kind Bebhinn from their time in human form. After hearing how the priestess had healed many who suffered from pain and despair, the Queen decided that they had found a messenger they could trust. The fairies would request she come to their grand kingdom to collect knowledge on how to heal and spread joy to those most like them, the people who lived in their old glen and highlands. Bebhinn was then told by Queen Caoimhee to take a journey to the land of the great northern loch. Once she reached he well-known rocky outcrop overlooking the water, she was to make a camp and rest. When in a deep sleep, she would be taken to the land of the fairies. Bebhinn was eager to do the will of the fairies. She set off the next day on her journey to the great loch and land of the fairies. When she arrived, she made her bed and began her rest. Suddenly, she felt peaceful and fell into a deep slumber. When she awakened, she found herself in the heavenly land of the ancestors. She enjoyed her time with the enchanted ones. She was told many secrets by the fairies and was given healing potions and stories to share with her upon her return to the highlands and the loch. Filled with their joy and hope, she returned to her people. Bebhinn became known both near and far as a wise and holy healer. Many sought to learn from her until the end of her life whereupon , she traveled once again to the land of the fairies and ancestors
