A Brief History
Dunrobin estate had belonged to the Freskins of Duffus in the 12th century. As Norse influence receded in the North during the middle of the 13th century (the Scots had defeated the Vikings at Largs in 1263), the Freskins became Earls of Sutherland. The Earldom passed by marriage to a branch of the Gordons of Huntly in 1514. Then in the late 18th century, another marriage resulted in the Earldom passing to an English family, the Leveson Gowers. They then became the Dukes of Sutherland.
The early castle was a fortified keep (the word 'dun' means ‘fort’) with small windows overlooking a cliff-top position. Remarkably, this early building is still in situ, encased within the later extensions, making Dunrobin one of the oldest inhabited houses in Scotland.
When the Jacobite Uprisings began in 1745 the Jacobites stormed Clan Sutherland's Dunrobin Castle without warning. The Earl of Sutherland, William the 17th Earl, narrowly escaped through a rear door. He sailed for Aberdeen where he joined the Duke of Cumberland's army.
The Highland Clearances followed in the wake of the defeat at Culloden. Elizabeth Gordon, 19th Countess of Sutherland and her factor, Patrick Sellar, were notorious in their dealing with tenants during this period, Sellar being later tried for murder in London. Donald McLeod, a Sutherland crofter, wrote about the clearing events that he witnessed:
"The consternation and confusion were extreme. Little or no time was given for the removal of persons or property; the people striving to remove the sick and the helpless before the fire should reach them; next, struggling to save the most valuable of their effects. The cries of the women and children, the roaring of the affrighted cattle, hunted at the same time by the yelling dogs of the shepherds amid the smoke and fire, altogether presented a scene that completely baffles description — it required to be seen to be believed.”
Sir Charles Barry was retained in 1845 to completely re-model the castle, changing it from a fort to a house in the "Scottish Baronial" style that had become popular among the aristocracy. Barry had been the architect for the House of Commons in Central London and was much in demand. There are 189 rooms, making this the largest house in the Northern Highlands
There is a decidedly French influence to the building and gardens. However, much of Barry's interior was destroyed by a fire in 1915 - what is seen today is mainly the work of the Scottish architect, Sir Robert Lorimer.
The 5th Duke died in 1963, and with the convoluted way of British nobility succession, while the Earldom and the house went to the current Countess of Sutherland, the Dukedom was passed to John Egerton, Earl of Ellesmere.
Visiting
With 189 rooms, Dunrobin Castle is said to be the largest house in the Scottish Highlands. Falconry displays are put on in the castle's grand gardens. There is also a museum displaying the heads of numerous animals shot by the family on safari, ethnographic items collected from around the world (particularly Africa), and an important collection of archaeological relics, collected from the enormous Sutherland estates. Notable among these are the collection of Pictish symbols stones and cross-slabs, including a majority of those discovered in Sutherland. The museum retains its Victorian-early 20th century arrangement, making it one of the most remarkable private collections in the British Isles. It is housed in an 18th century summer-house adjoining the formal gardens. An exhibition includes the colours of the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders, the famous thin red line at Balaclava.
The castle is a 1 mile walk north of Golspie (with a Citylink bus-service from Inverness) and approximately 5 miles south of the fishing village Brora on the A9. .