Destroying the Gatehouse
Blocks of masonry were thrown here by an explosion in 1692 that ended the castle's long military career. Its garrison deliberately destroyed the gatehouse to prevent their Jacobite enemies from holding the medieval fortress against them. They then abandoned Urquhart.
Within These Walls
The fallen masonry offers you a glimpse inside the walls of a medieval gatehouse. Look for the chimney flue and the groove for the lost portcullis.
'Two thousand pounds for damnifying of the house of Urquhart and low buildings by several Souldiers of his Majestie's regular forces.' Parliamentary Commissioners, 1695
The Jacobite Rising
Three years before the gatehouse was blown apart, 300 Highlanders led by Captain James Grant were besieged here. They held the castle for Queen Mary II and her husband King William II against a force of 500 Jacobites seeking to return her deposed father James VII to the throne. Despite holding out, the government forces ultimately decided that the castle was not worth defending.
Parliament granted the laird, Ludovick Grant, £2,000 Scots compensation for the damage. But the money was never received and Urquhart was never repaired.
( photo captions )
- Right: Two unfired lead musket balls,
possibly dropped in the 1600s.
- Above: King James VII, who was deposed in 1689, sparking the Jacobite struggle to return him and his sons to power.
Comments 0 comments