Tuesday 21st September 1819
Tuesday Sept 21st After breakfast we went to Cawdor Castle where we were shown the room in which Duncan was sleeping when he was murdered by Macbeth the bed in which he was killed was formerly shown but from the carelessness of the steward this valuable relict was burnt about two years ago our guide (a curious old woman) who lamented this loss excessively gave us a bit of Duncan’s sofa & bed which she had saved at the time of the accident & showed us the alarm bell which was rung on the discovery of the murder; the inhabited part of the castle built in the 15 century is nothing very striking; thence
to Durnaway Castle the seat of the Earl of Moray passing on our way a clump of trees on a large heath which denote the spot where the Witches as is fabulously related appeared to Macbeth Durnaway Castle is a large modern uncomfortable house in an unfinished state there is a large hall here built by Lord Randolph in the 14 century 100 feet long & very lofty it is able to contain a 1000 men under arms; we then proceeded 4 miles to Forres a pretty town in a romantic situation the new Inn is very good.
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Cawdor Castle: Two sketches from Lucy’s sketchbook dated 21st September 1819
Approaching Cawdor Castle - Lucy’s sketchbook, 21st September 1819
Cawdor Castle - Lucy’s sketchbook, 21st September 1819
Cawdor Castle is built around a 15th-century tower house, with substantial additions in later centuries. Originally a property of the Calder family, it passed to the Campbells in the 16th century and remains in Campbell ownership.
1901: Cawdor Castle, Scotland by R W Billings, from The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cawdor-Castle_2.jpg
1799: Cawdor Castle. Engraving by J. Walker from an original drawing by James Moore F.A.S. published in "The Itinerant" .. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECawdorC.JPG
The castle is perhaps best known for its literary connection to William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, in which the title character is made "Thane of Cawdor". However, the story is highly fictionalised, and the castle itself, which is never directly referred to in Macbeth, was built many years after the life of the 11th-century King Macbeth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cawdor_Castle
Judging from Lucy’s vivid account of seeing the room in which Duncan was murdered, the alarm bell that was rung at the time and the Guide’s provision of part of the sofa and bed on which he died (presumably for a generous fee) one can only believe that she, and perhaps the rest of the family, believed what they were told. However the castle was not built until after Duncan’s death.
2009: Cawdor Castle in the Scottish Highland, UK by LeCardinal , the copyright holder of this work, published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ecosse2009127.JPG
Darnaway Castle: The banqueting hall is the only remaining portion of the castle. It was erected in 1450 by Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, and retains its 15th-century hammer beam roof, making it one of only two medieval halls in Scotland with its original roof, "a specimen almost unique in Scotland."
1804: Scotia Depicta - Tarnaway Castle - Etching by James Fittler after a drawing by John Claude Nattes in the collection of the National Library of Scotland under the sequence number or Shelfmark ID J.134.f. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scotia_Depicta_-_Tarnaway_Castle_-Plate-.jpg
The hall was already notable in 1562 when an English observer described it as, "verie fayer and large builded" The hall was re-roofed with "spune thak", wooden shingles or shakes hewn by a carpenter, in November 1501 at the command of James IV of Scotland. James kept his mistress Janet Kennedy at Darnaway. Lucy incorrectly dates it to the 14th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darnaway_Castle
The photograph below shows the building of 1810. Behind it is the earlier 16th century Randolph's Hall, which boasts a fine hammer beam roof, and the portrait of the murdered 'Bonnie Earl o' Moray'.
1990: Darnaway Castle. Photographer Anne Burgess.This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Anne Burgess and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Darnaway_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_13190.jpg
Forres is the location of Sueno's Stone, an enormous carved stone probably created by Picts to commemorate a battle against Norse invaders. The stele is 20 feet tall and encased in glass structure to protect it from the elements and graffiti.
2005: Sueno's Stone: Pictish symbol stone on the north-easterly edge of Forres, Moray, Scotland by Wojsyl at English Wikipedia, the copyright holder, and published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forres_sueno.jpg
Sueno's Stone translates to Sven's Stone. Brodie Castle lies near the town. Shakespeare's play Macbeth locates Duncan's castle in Forres, and the Three Witches meet on a heath near the town in the third scene of the drama. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forres
2004: Forres High Street, photographed and edited by A M Wilson and released into the public domain by its author, Amwilson2000 at English Wikipedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ForresHighStreet.JPG
The Inn: Possibly the Castle Inn https://canmore.org.uk/site/172793/forres-29-caroline-street-the-castle
Can you help us?
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?