Huntingtower Castle

Huntingtower Castle was built at least by the fourteenth century, being one of the castles owned by the Lords of Badenoch. Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan — called the Wolf of Badenoch for his misdeeds — died there in 1394. In the fifteenth century the castle was claimed by the Huntly family, or by Clan Ruthven. For several hundred years it was known as the House or Place of Ruthven, or Ruthven Castle, or simply Ryffane, and the Ruthvens also held a substantial townhouse in nearby Perth called Gowrie House.

Mary, Queen of Scots visited on 25 June and 16 September 1565. Regent Morton, making a progress in Fife in September 1575, was summoned from Ballinbreich Castle to Huntingtower for the christening of James Ruthven, the heir. In the summer of 1582 the castle was occupied by the 4th Lord Ruthven, who was also 1st Earl of Gowrie, and his family. On 22 or 23 August that year Gowrie and his associates seized the young King James VI at the castle, in the episode known as the Raid of Ruthven.

The Protestant conspirators behind the kidnapping hoped to gain power by controlling the king. James was held prisoner for ten months in various locations, and James Stewart, Earl of Arran, was imprisoned at Ruthven Castle. The king eventually escaped from his captors at St Andrews on 27 June 1583. James VI forgave Gowrie and returned to the House of Ruthven for a banquet. After a second abortive attempt by Gowrie and others to overthrow him, however, Gowrie was executed and his property — Huntingtower included — was forfeited to the crown.

In May 1584 Dorothea Stewart, Countess of Gowrie, was commanded to surrender Dirleton, Huntingtower, Cousland and the Gowrie lodging in Perth to the crown. The family's holdings were dismantled by order rather than by sale. The Ruthvens were finally forfeited for the Gowrie Conspiracy in 1600, and the Ruthven name itself was suppressed by Act of Parliament. Contemporary writers recorded the consequence directly — the principal house called Ryven is now called the Huntynge towre, and the House of Riven to be called Hunt towre.

A castle renamed by statute is an unusual thing indeed. The present name exists only because a family name was legally erased from the record, and the building has carried the replacement ever since without anybody thinking to change it back.