I passed this castle back in the summer of 2020, I could see the ruins though through large flourishing trees covered in lush greenery, I re-visited Saturday 21st November 2020 on a magnificent Autumn day, offering
better opportunity to capture this magnificent ruin.
The first mention of Esslemont is as the 'manor of Eislemont' in the 14th century.
The lands of Esslemont were passed by marriage from the family of Mareschal by marriage of the heiress Janet to Francis le Chen of Straloch in the 14th century.
After the castle was burnt in 1493, Henry Cheyne undertook re-building via a king's licence dated 1500. In 1564 Patrick Cheyne was created baron of Esslemont by Queen Mary, who stayed here during her campaign against the Earl of Huntly, and a fortalice and tower were recorded in 1575–6.
The castle was then destroyed as the result of a feud between the Cheynes and the Hays.
The name of the lands, now as "Essilmounthe", appears in Scottish records in 1609.
The castle ceased to be regularly occupied in 1625, when the estate passed to the Errol family. In 1728 it became the property of Robert Gordon and may have been partially occupied till 1769, when the existing mansion, Esslemont House, was erected in its vicinity.
In 1938 excavations within the enclosure revealed the lower courses of the earlier castle, a massive, L-shaped towerhouse with walls 6–7 feet (1.8–2.1 m) thick and 6 feet (1.8 m) maximum height. There had been a curtain wall 4 feet (1.2 m) thick. The surrounding ditch may date from the 14th century.
Finds from the excavation included 14/15th century potsherds, a medallion, and a worn shilling of William III.
In 1938 excavations within the enclosure revealed the lower courses of the earlier castle, a massive, L-shaped towerhouse with walls 6–7 feet (1.8–2.1 m) thick and 6 feet (1.8 m) maximum height. There had been a curtain wall 4 feet (1.2 m) thick. The surrounding ditch may date from the 14th century. Finds from the excavation included 14/15th century potsherds, a medallion, and a worn shilling of William III.
The castle is roofless and missing large sections of wall which were reused in building sites nearby. Especially noticeable are the missing dressed stones of the windows.
The structure is a L Plan castle with a staircase turret and a round tower at the south east angle. The main building seems on the ground floor to have contained the kitchen, with a wide fireplace in the north gable; the rugged edges of the ruined sides of the flue being visible high up in the gable.
Though ruined, the remains are clearly on three stories. The Gordon Arms are visible on the exterior of the castle.
Despite standing close beside the road, Esslemont castle is easily missed by motorists looking for a last opportunity to get past two cars and a van before reaching the confines of Ellon's 30mph speed limit! It stands on the north side of the A920 largely hidden by trees, about two miles west of Ellon, in the grounds of Esslemont House - for long the seat of the Wolridge-Gordon family.
The building is a variation of the L-plan, with a main block orientated north / south, and a wing extending west (to the left in this photo) from the south end of the main block (parallel with the main road). There was a stair tower in the re-entrant angle on the North West side, and a large round tower, corbelled out to the square at the top, on the outside angle of the L to the south east. The remains of the kitchen chimney flue can also still be traced. The building would have been three storeys and an attic high.
This shows the gable of the south end of the main block, with the scant remains of the west wing's stonework to the left, and the round tower on the external angle of the L to the right. The way the round tower is corbelled out to the square at the top, no doubt to form a watch chamber, is reminiscent of Claypotts castle in Dundee. The Wolridge-Gordons must have stabilised the ruins some time back, which would explain the condition of the pointing, which one would expect to be in much worse condition on a castle in this state. The windows in this south gable, as elsewhere in the main block, are rather larger than usual, which might be the result of the castle's dressed stone, including the window surrounds, being taken away for use in other buildings.
This crest in the south wall shows beyond doubt that Esslemont Castle has been a Gordon property. It shows three boars heads at the bottom, the Gordon motto "Bydand", meaning steadfast, at the top, and in the centre a stag's head above a crown. Despite this, the castle was not built by the Gordons. It was erected by Henry Cheyne of Straloch under a license dated 1500, and was only regularly lived in for about a century.
The previous castle on this site was destroyed as the result of a feud between the Cheynes of Esslemont and the Hays of Ardendracht in 1493 - not the building we see today. Following this event the Privy Council decreed that the Hays should pay 20 pounds compensation to the Cheynes, and no doubt making best possible use of this handsome sum, the Cheynes erected the building we see today, although probably not until nearly a century later. (There are features of the castle's design that date it to the period 1570 to 1590)
In 1938 the site of Esslemont Castle was excavated and a considerable amount was discovered, most of which has now vanished back under the undergrowth again. For a start, the foundations of a second castle were discovered a short distance to the west of the present structure. This too was an L-plan castle, and it sat in the middle of a five sided courtyard, which had round towers on all the corners, 19ft in diameter. The round tower of the present castle (see here) sits on the foundations of the easternmost tower of this curtain wall ("wall of enceinte"), and the site of another tower is now under the main road. The report on the excavation of this older castle states that "Traces of fire were abundantly present in and around the tower house", which proves that this was the castle burned down by the Hays, and not the structure we see today. Around the outside of the wall of enceinte there was also a ditch.
The existing castle was built by the Cheynes, probably between 1570 and 1590, and was no doubt built using the stones of its predecessor.
During the religious troubles of Reformation period it became the property of George Jamesone, a famous painter, who died in 1644.
In 1646 it was occupied by a party of Covenanters, but a party from the Royalist garrison at Fyvie castle, under the command of Capt. Blackater attacked Esslemont and drove the Covenanters off "killing thirty six of them, and brought away their horses and arms, with such other stuff as they had".
The Earls of Erroll, who had acquired the estate after Jamesone's death, sold it in 1728 to Robert Gordon of Hallhead (near Alford), with whose descendants it remains to this day.
1493 ~ Esslemont Castle is attacked and burnt by the Hays of Ardendracht. They are later fined by The Privy Council £20 for the destruction they caused.
1500 ~ The Cheynes receive a licence to crenellate a part of their repairs.
1564 ~ Mary, Queen of Scots is entertained at the castle.
1570 ~ A new two-storey L-plan Tower House is built in a corner of the existing castle with one of the round towers of the curtain wall incorporated into its Tower House. Stone from the original castle is used in its construction.
1625 ~ The castle passes to the Errol family but, as they had other residences, Esslemont is neglected.
1646 ~ Esslemont is briefly occupied by Covenanter forces but they are driven off by the pro-Royalist forces from Fyvie Castle, "killing thirty six of them, and brought away their horses and arms, with such other stuff as they had"
1728 ~ The castle is sold to Robert Gordon and continues to be used as an occasional residence until Esslemont House was built forty years later, thereafter falling into ruin
Esslemont Castle was originally an enclosure castle until being turned into a three storey L-shaped Tower House.
It is situated very close to the A920, almost hidden by trees.
This crest in the south wall shows that Esslemont Castle was once a Gordon property.
There is still plenty of the castle that remains to explore, including extensive foundations of a bakery, brewhouse and stables that lay hidden beneath the undergrowth.
