History

There are references to William the Lion staying at Fyvie with the high officers of his court. This period sees the castle established in a defensive position, serving as an administrative centre and possibly a hunting lodge to meet the needs of an ever-travelling Scottish monarchy.

After Edward I’s incursions into Scotland (during which he visited Fyvie Castle), Robert the Bruce regained control of the lands and dispensed justice in an open-air court here.

In 1390, King Robert III reassigned the lands of Fyvie to Sir Henry Preston, in redemption of Ralph de Percy (an English knight who had been captured at the Battle of Otterburn). Sir Henry moved in by 1402 and so began the first of the five ages of Fyvie under dynastic family ownership. What we now know as the Preston Tower was built in this era.

In 1433, the castle passed, as a result of the marriage of Sir Henry Preston’s oldest daughter, to the Meldrum family. It is believed Alexander Meldrum began the process of shifting Fyvie from a fortress into a ‘palace’, although it is also thought he was responsible for commissioning the dungeon-like chamber at the base of the Meldrum Tower.

This is also known as the ‘Seton period’ – Alexander Seton, Lord Fyvie (later 1st Earl of Dunfermline, President of the Court of Session and Chancellor of Scotland) bought Fyvie in exchange for forgiveness of his predecessor George Meldrum’s heavy debts.

In 1599, Fyvie Castle’s gate house (the Seton Tower) is built.

Between 1603–04, a young Charles I spends part of his childhood at Fyvie Castle under the guardianship of Alexander Seton. Charles’s father, James VI, had travelled to London to accede to the throne of England as James I.

In October 1644, Fyvie Castle is occupied by James Graham, the 5th Earl and 1st Marquis of Montrose, and is then attacked by Covenanter forces led by Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquis of Argyll – the latter is defeated during the Battle of Fyvie.

Between 1650–52, during the Cromwellian occupation of Scotland, Fyvie Castle is garrisoned by a Puritan detachment.

Between 1689–90, James, 4th Earl of Dunfermline sides with King James VII/II during the Glorious Revolution and is forced to flee after the Battle of Killiecrankie in July 1689. The castle and estate are made forfeit to the Crown.

Eventually, the Fyvie estate was bought in 1733 by William Gordon, 2nd Earl of Aberdeen at the time when he was rebuilding his own tower house (later re-named Haddo).

The Gordon era saw many changes in the surrounding landscape, as the wetland was drained and the park landscaped in 18th-century fashion.

But, by 1885, the dwindling fortunes of the Gordon family resulted in the estate being put up for sale again.

The Forbes-Leith period saw the purchase of the estate (for £175,000) by wealthy steel magnate Alexander Forbes-Leith, a local man who had made his fortune in Illinois, USA. He spent an enormous sum on Fyvie, including acquiring astonishing collections of art and antiques. 

Find out more about Alexander Forbes-Leith

Among many architectural additions, he made alterations to the Gordon Tower, built new gates and commissioned the Racquets Court.

The castle and estate were purchased by the National Trust for Scotland in 1984.

In 2008, HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay (now King Charles III) asked to hold a private dinner to celebrate his 60th birthday at Fyvie Castle.

And now, in 2025, we have launched our ambitious Reimagining Fyvie masterplan, to both conserve the astonishing heritage at this beautiful place and develop new ways for more people to experience the wonder of Fyvie.