Zamek Doune, Scottish guides, Historic Investigations
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The vision of one powerful
man, the Duke of Albany,
Doune Castle
is an excellent
place to investigate life in
medieval Scotland.
INVESTIGATING
DOUNE CASTLE
Information for Teachers
INVESTIGATING
HISTORIC SITES
DOUNE CASTLE
2
Timeline
c.1340
Birth of Robert
Stewart, second son of
Robert II
The castle at Doune is well-
preserved and exciting, situated in
a commanding riverside position.
The vision of one powerful man,
the Duke of Albany, the castle is an
excellent place to investigate life in
medieval Scotland.
of Rothesay. A noted ‘big spender’,
Albany’s kingly ambitions are embodied
in Doune Castle which is modelled
closely on contemporary royal castles.
Soon after Albany’s death in 1420, his
son Murdoch fell out with the king,
James I. James executed Murdoch and
the castle became a royal residence,
maintained by a series of royal keepers,
many of them related to the royal family
of Stewart. Doune became a popular
hunting lodge and summer residence.
late 1300s
Building of
Doune Castle begins
1386
Stewart becomes
Governor of Scotland
Historical background
It is likely that there has been a fort of
some kind on the site of Doune castle
since early times. The name doune
derives from the word ‘dun’, meaning
an ancient stronghold. The Romans
recognised the strategic importance
of the site, situated on a promontory
formed by the meeting of the River Teith
and the Ardoch burn, and built a timber
fort close by.
1398
Stewart created
Duke of Albany
1402
Death of Albany’s
nephew, heir to throne
1420
Death of Albany,
age 80
Its defences were put to the test for the
irst time in 1567 following the forced
abdication of Mary Queen of Scots.
The castle was besieged for three days
by Mary’s opponents and eventually
the pro-Mary inmates surrendered, on
the condition that the castle was not
destroyed. In the civil war years which
followed many political prisoners spent
time within Doune’s walls
1424
Doune becomes
Crown property; in use as
royal hunting lodge
1567
Castle besieged
following Mary Queen of
Scots’ abdication
1580
Doune visited by
James VI
However, the castle we see today was
constructed from around the end of the
14th century. It is unusual in Scotland
in that it is largely the vision and work
of one man, Robert Stewart, Duke of
Albany. The son of Robert II and the
brother of the sickly Robert III, Albany
is a key igure in 15th-century Scotland.
King in everything but name, Albany
ruled as governor of Scotland in place of
his ailing brother and was at the heart of
Scottish politics for around 50 years.
Doune last saw active use during
the Jacobite rising of 1745, when a
number of government soldiers were
imprisoned here by the Jacobites
after the battle of Falkirk. Six escaped
by knotting bedsheets and lowering
themselves down the walls above the
kitchen.
1746
Prisoners kept at
Doune by Jacobites
1800s
Castle becomes
ruinous
1883
Repairs and
restoration work carried
out by Earl of Moray
1970
Castle leased to
state; now cared for by
Historic Scotland
Albany is a colourful and controversial
igure. He presided over events
as diverse as the establishment of
Scotland’s irst university at St Andrew’s
and the dubious death of the heir
to the throne, his nephew the Duke
The castle gradually fell out of use. In
1883 it was inspected, repaired and
substantially restored by the Earl of
Moray. It was leased to the state in
1970 and is now cared for by Historic
Scotland.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
DOUNE CASTLE
3
Supporting learning
and teaching
A visit to
Doune Castle
is
particularly appropriate for
teachers working on class study
topics such as:
Before the visit
Working on site
• It is helpful if pupils are familiar
with some of the architectural
terminology of castles as this makes
discussion on site easier. Words
particularly relevant to Doune might
include:
courtyard, irebasket,
yett, spiral stair chamber, latrine,
battlements, dais
. Pupils could
produce an illustrated class
dictionary to explain these and
other terms.
When exploring the castle, in addition
to our suggestions for discussion,
pupils should be encouraged to look
critically at what they see and to make
and test theories based on physical
evidence. Some general starting points
could include:
• The Middle Ages
• Castles
• The Stewart
s
There are also links with
Mary Queen of Scots
and the
Jacobites
.
• What materials were used to build
the castle? Why were these materials
chosen? Are they any materials
which might have rotted away or
been stolen since then?
The
Curriculum for Excellence
aspires to motivate and
challenge pupils through a
wide range of varied learning
experiences. Site visits have a
particular role to play in joining
up learning outcomes across
the curriculum. A visit, and use
of the supporting materials, will
help to:
• Without going into too much detail,
it is worth discussing the early
years of the Stewart dynasty and
the life and role of Robert Stewart,
Duke of Albany. It helps if pupils
can understand his connection to
the kings of Scotland – his father,
brother and nephew.
• Do you think this room has always
looked like this? Can you see
anywhere it has been altered? Why
might it have been changed?
• What evidence is there for everyday
life?
•
develop successful learners
by
challenging pupils to consider
how life has changed for
people. It will help them to
think critically about evidence
and arrive at their own
conclusions.
• Help pupils gain a clearer grasp of
the time scale by making a time
line with them, counting back the
centuries and then marking on key
events in the history of the castle.
This could be added to after the
visit.
Pupils can record evidence by taking
notes, sketching, taking photographs,
recording impressions into a tape
recorder.
On the Historic Scotland website:
www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
education_unit
teachers can ind
additional resources to help with work
on site. These include compiling an
Evidence Record and a My Impressions
Record.
•
develop conident individuals
.
Pupils wilI learn about aspects
of their community’s past,
develop an understanding
of social changes, establish
some of their own values and
communicate their views on
different historical and social
issues.
• Discuss the organisation of life in a
castle. Pupils could investigate the
roles of the key castle ‘managers’:
steward, constable
or
keeper,
marshal
and
chaplain
. Further
details of this can be found in
the Historic Scotland publication
Investigating Medieval Castles in
Scotland
.
Suggestions for follow-up work
Following the visit pupils can pool their
indings in groups to create a fuller
record of the castle. This could form
the basis for a range of presentation
activites, for example:
• develop responsible citizens
.
It will help to increase
pupils’ social and historical
knowledge and understanding
and encourage greater respect
for their own historic and built
environment.
• There is plenty of good evidence
on site relating to defending and
attacking castles. Discuss with pupils
the range of ways that castles could
be attacked and defended.
A guide book or lealet for future
visitors.
A slide show with commentary.
• develop effective
contributors
by broadening
pupils’ knowledge and
understanding through
investigative, creative and
• Some children ind it hard to grasp
that a castle was ever anything
other than a ruin. Discuss how wind
and weather can affect the look
of a building as well as the many
deliberate changes that people
choose to make to buildings as their
use evolves.
Imaginative writing based on the lives
of the people who lived or worked at
the castle – even a prisoner.
A series of drama sketches showing
snapshots of life in the castle through
the ages.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
DOUNE CASTLE
4
Plan of Doune Castle
On the trail of the
Duke of Albany
Our suggested tour route
guides you and your
pupils around the castle,
in order to uncover as
much as possible about
the Duke of Albany and
how he lived.
9
After the introduction,
it doesn’t really matter
in which order you visit
the locations, so you may
prefer to split your class
into groups, each with
an adult leader and start
them at different points.
After checking in with
the steward, we suggest
you visit these locations,
marked on the plan to
the right:
2
1
1. Outside the Castle
2. The Entrance
3. The Courtyard
4. The Kitchen
2
7
8
5. The Bedchamber
6. The Great Hall
3
6
7. The Duke’s Hall
8. The Duchess’s Hall
9. On the roof
4
5
Background information
is given in the pack
for each locations. It
is written in simple
language so that it can
be read aloud to pupils if
desired. Also included are
suggested questions for
discussion.
Ground loor
First loor
Second loor
Allow about 45 minutes
for the tour.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
DOUNE CASTLE
5
Did you know...
Tour notes: On the trail of the
Duke of Albany
Outside Doune Castle
King Robert II had
twenty-one children!
Setting the scene
Background information for teachers. This can be read to pupils in advance.
• Let’s go back in time more than 600 years. It’s round about the year 1400. At this
time Doune castle was new. It was one of the most impressive castles in Scotland.
• Inside the castle lived the Duke of Albany. His name was Robert Stewart. He was
the brother of King Robert III. The king was often ill, so the Duke ruled instead of
him, as Governor of Scotland.
• Robert, Duke of Albany wanted to be the real king and his castle was built to be
like a royal palace. He spent a lot of money on making Doune castle an impressive
place to be and was known as ‘the big spender’.
• It must have been tough being the Duke of Albany. He was doing the hard work
of being a king and making hard decisions – but he couldn’t call himself king or
actually sit on the throne.
• The castle was so well built and impressive, and the Duke of Albany was so scary
and powerful that it was hardly ever attacked.
• After the Duke of Albany died in 1420, this castle became a kind of holiday home
for the Scottish royal family. It was used as a place to go hunting from.
• In the 1700s it was used as a prison and 150 soldiers were kept here. Six of them
escaped by tying bedsheets together and lowering themselves from the window!
Doune Castle from the south
• It gradually fell into ruins but parts of it were restored in the 1800s. Nowadays
it’s a popular tourist attraction – and is sometimes used in ilms. Although a ruin
now, you can still feel what it must have been like 600 years ago. And it’s probably
much safer to visit these days…
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
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