Origins and early development in
Theatrum Scotiae published 1719 The origins of Gordon Castle reach back to the 12th century, when the
Gordon family took its name from lands near
Kelso in the
Scottish Borders. By 1296, Sir Adam Gordon had gained royal favour under
Robert the Bruce, who granted him extensive territories in
Aberdeenshire,
Banffshire, and Moray—including the Forest of Enzie and the old castle of
Strathbogie at
Huntly. His descendants rose to become Lords of Gordon, then
Earls of Huntly, one of the most powerful families in northern Scotland. In 1479,
George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly, began building a new stronghold in the Forest of Enzie known as
Bog o’ Gight (or “Windy Bog”), the site that would later evolve into Gordon Castle. Over time, this six-storey tower house became the family’s northern seat and symbol of their growing dominance.
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly remodelled it into a Renaissance Z-plan mansion, celebrated by contemporary engravings such as
John Slezer’s 1672 view and praised by Richard Franck for its “lofty and majestic towers and turrets that storm the air and seemingly make dents in the very clouds.” An inventory of the contents from November 1648 mentions lavish beds and a "hen house", a parrot cage in the long gallery. Through the 16th and 17th centuries the Gordons' fortunes were intertwined with Scotland’s turbulent politics. They remained one of the few great families loyal to the Roman Catholic faith during the Reformation. The Jesuit Father
James Gordon was at the castle of Bog of Gight on 5 August 1594, and receipted payments from the Papal treasury to the rebel Catholic Earls of Huntly, Errol, and Angus. The Gordon family supported the
House of Stuart during the
Jacobite uprisings.
George Gordon, 4th Marquess of Huntly (1649–1716) was elevated to 1st
Duke of Gordon by
Charles II and became a prominent Jacobite after the
Glorious Revolution of 1688.
Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon (1743–1827), who held the title for seventy-five years, transformed both the estate and its surroundings. Their union was stormy—ending in estrangement—but during their years together they turned Gordon Castle into a centre of
Highland culture and fashionable society. He incorporated the six-storey medieval tower called the Bog o’ Gight into central four-storey block, which was flanked by a pair of two-storey wings. The principal reception rooms, including the Drawing Room and Dining Room, occupied the first floor of the central block, while a chapel and conservatory filled the east wing. In 1827 the
Aberdeen architect
Archibald Simpson was commissioned to redesign the east wing after it was destroyed by fire. Also, he is credited, with his father, for legalising whisky production for their tenant George Smith of Glenlivet, paving the way for the modern
Glenlivet distillery. The
7th Duke of Richmond also encouraged local industry, assisting William Baxter in establishing what became the
Baxters of Speyside food company. File: Gordon-Castle-historic-drone-Copy.jpg | Gordon Castle from the air File: Gordon-Castle-and-the-Broad-Walk.jpg | Gordon Castle and the Broad Walk File: 1911-Formal-Garden.jpg | Gordon Castle and its formal gardens (1911) File: Gordom Castle seen from the gardens.jpg | The south front File: 2011-Gordon-Castle.jpg | The Castle seen from the south east File: Gordon Castle from the south west.jpg | The Castle seen from the south west
War, decline and demolition (1914–1950s) The
First World War brought both service and loss. The 7th Duke’s son,
Lord Bernard Gordon-Lennox, was
killed in action during the
First Battle of Ypres in November 1914, aged 36, and his grandson,
Lord Settrington, died in action in Russia in 1919, during the
North Russia intervention. Though the family continued traditional gatherings such as the
Highland Games, the social world of the pre-war estate never fully returned. In the early 1950s, Sir
George (“Geordie”) Gordon-Lennox, son of Lord Bernard, repurchased the property from the Crown. He and his wife Nan made the painful decision to demolish the ruined central block, converting the east wing and medieval tower into a family home. In the decades that followed, the family restored the link between castle and lineage. Sir George’s descendants—Major-General Bernard Gordon Lennox and later Angus and Zara Gordon Lennox—have continued the legacy, reviving the estate as a living enterprise centred on heritage, conservation, and the remarkable Walled Garden that once again forms the heart of Gordon Castle. ==Walled garden==