Zamek Huntingtower, Scottish guides, Historic Investigations
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Huntingtower Castle
, just
outside Perth, is associated
with the Ruthvens, one of
16th century Scotland’s most
ruthless and inluential families.
INVESTIGATING
HUNTINGTOWER
CASTLE
Information for Teachers
INVESTIGATING
HISTORIC SITES
HUNTINGTOWER CASTLE
2
Timeline
c1450
Castle irst built
1480
Title of estate given
to both Ruthven sons
Huntingtower Castle is a delightful
small castle just outside Perth. Its
cosy, almost domestic atmosphere,
complete with painted decoration
belies its association with the
Ruthvens, one of 16th century
Scotland’s most ruthless and
inluential families.
roof beams are brightly decorated with
exuberant patterns and lowers.
By the mid-16th century, the Ruthvens
had other things on their mind than
interior decor. Lord Ruthven was a
ringleader in the murder of David Rizzio,
the Catholic conidant of Mary Queen
of Scots, and his son assisted with the
imprisonment of Mary in 1567. Their
Protestant sympathies persisted into
the reign of the young James VI, who
was captured while on a hunting trip
and held hostage at the castle for ten
months in 1582 before escaping, an
event which became known as the
Ruthven Raid. Another attempt to
capture the king in 1600 resulted in the
death of the captors and the abolition of
the name Ruthven. Their property was
forfeited to the crown and the name of
the castle was changed to Huntingtower
Castle.
Early 1500s
Gatehouse
converted into east tower
house; west tower house
built right next to it
1565
Mary Queen of
Scots visits while on
honeymoon with Darnley
1582
James VI held here
for ten months
Historical background
For the irst 150 years of its existence,
Huntingtower Castle was known as
the House of Ruthven and was home
to the Ruthven family. In 1480 the two
Ruthven sons were jointly given the
right to the lands where the castle now
is and this may have been why the two
tower houses were built right next to
each other.
late 1500s
West range
added
1600
Ruthven family
punished for role in
Gowrie Conspiracy;
castle name changed to
Huntingtower
1600 – 63
Castle in crown
hands
The western tower was built new,
while the eastern tower was originally
a gatehouse. Both towers had three
storeys of accommodation, though the
western tower includes a four-storey
chamber block. A protecting curtain
wall extended from the towers to
enclose a courtyard to the north, where
there would have been buildings such
as stables and a long-gone west wing
housing the hall.
1663
Castle passed to
Murrays, dukes of Atholl
In 1663, ownership of the castle passed
to the Murrays, later Dukes of Atholl,
who remodelled the castle to make it
look more like a residential home. They
illed in the gap between the two towers
and added large south facing windows.
In 1805 the castle briely became
accommodation for cloth factory
workers. It was handed over to state
care in 1912.
Late 1600s
Space
between towers illed in
1800
West range
demolished
1805-15
Castle sold and
used as accommodation
for cloth factory workers
The eastern tower is remarkable for
the painted wooden ceiling in the irst
loor hall. Dating from about 1540, the
1912
Castle taken into
state care.
Huntingtower Castle from the
south
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
HUNTINGTOWER CASTLE
3
Supporting learning
and teaching
A visit to
Huntingtower Castle
is particularly appropriate for
teachers working on class study
topics such as:
Before the visit
Working on site
• 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. This could be added to after
the visit.
When exploring the castle, pupils
should be encouraged to look critically
at what they see, and to make and test
theories based on physical evidence.
Useful starting points are:
• Why do you think the castle was built
here? What are its natural defences?
• What materials were used to build
the castle? Where did the materials
come from? Are there any materials
which might have rotted or been
stolen since then?
• What evidence is there for everyday
life (e.g eating, heating, toilets and
washing)?
• What evidence is there to tell us
about the owners of the castle?
• How has the castle changed over the
years?
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
.
• The Middle Ages
• Castles
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:
• Discuss the organisation of life in
a castle. Pupils could investigate
the roles of these key ‘managers’:
steward, constable, marshal.
• Discuss with pupils all the different
activities which would have gone
on in a castle. Pupils could research
different topics (e.g. food, travel,
entertainment, weapons) to prepare
them for the visit.
• 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.
• It is helpful if pupils have some of
the architectural terminology of
castles as this makes discussing
on site easier. Useful words might
include:
courtyard, chamber, shield,
coat of arms, archway, gun loop,
turnpike stair, battlement, curtain
wall, beam
. Pupils could produce a
class illustrated dictionary to explain
these terms
• 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.
• Some children ind it hard to
imagine that a castle was ever
anything other than a ruin. Discuss
how buildings change with age
– does the house they live in look
the same now as it did a few years
ago? Has their family made any
changes to the house? If so, why?
Discuss how wind and weather
can affect the look of a building as
well as the deliberate changes that
people choose to make to buildings.
• 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.
Suggestions for follow-up work
Following the visit pupils can pool their
indings in groups to create a fuller
record of the castle and the lives of the
people who lived and worked there.
This could form the basis for a range of
presentation activities, for example:
• A guide book or promotional lealet
for future visitors
• A slide show with commentary of
their visit
• Imaginative writing or role play
based on the lives of the inhabitants
of the castle.
• develop effective
contributors
by broadening
pupils’ knowledge and
understanding through
investigative, creative and
critical thinking.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
HUNTINGTOWER CASTLE
4
Plan of Huntingtower Castle
On the trail of the
Ruthvens
There is much to explore
in this wonderful and
well-preserved building.
Our suggested
tour route
focuses on everyday life
in the castle at the time
of the Ruthvens (1500
– 1600). It takes in eight
key locations, marked on
the plan on the right:
1. Outside the castle
2. The kitchen
3. The hall
4. The chamber
5. On the roof
6. Between the towers
7. The west hall
8. The corner wing
1
Background information
is given in the pack
for each location. It
is written in simple
language so that it can
be read aloud to pupils
if desired. Also included
are suggested
questions
for discussion
.The focus
is on encouraging pupils
to interpret the building
and deduce what they
can from clues they see
around them.
Because the castle is so
well preserved, it lends
itself easily to
role play
,
particularly for younger
groups. Suggestions
for role play have been
included in a
Let’s
Pretend
section for each
location, featured in
purple.
Ideally, split your class
into groups of 8-10,
to allow maximum
participation.
5
7
6
3
8
2
4
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
HUNTINGTOWER CASTLE
5
Did you know...
Tour notes: On the trail of the
Ruthvens
Location 1: Outside Huntingtower Castle
Mary Queen of Scots
stayed at this castle.
She came here on her
honeymoon with her
second husband, Lord
Darnley. She started a
fashion – it’s a popular
place to get married now!
Stand by the picnic benches at the back (north) of the castle.
Setting the scene and background information. This can be read to pupils.
Let’s go back in time more than 400 years to the year 1550. Let’s imagine that we
have come to visit our friends who live in this castle. Our friends are called the
Ruthvens. They are very rich and important. Let’s pretend that we have arrived on
horseback....so we need to gallop up to the back of the house.... get off our horses....
and hand them to one of the servants who will take the horses to the stables…
• Five hundred years ago, this castle used to be two separate towers.
Can you see
the two towers?
The land was given to two of the Ruthven brothers, so they each
wanted their own tower to live in!
• Later on a different family made the two towers into one.
Can you see where they
illed in the gap between the towers?
Huntingtower Castle from the
back (North)
• The tower on the left is a bit older. It used to be a gatehouse. The Ruthvens
changed where the main door was.
Can you see where the old arched entrance
used to be?
• There used to be a high wall going around the grass. Where we are standing there
used to be buildings like stables for the horses and maybe a bakehouse for baking
bread.
Teacher prompts Desired pupil responses
Part of the castle has fallen down now. Triangular roof shape visible
Look at the tower on the right. Can you above steps on right (west)
see where an old roof used to join on to tower.
the tower?
There used to be a whole other section of
the castle sticking out here.
Gap between the two towers
Most of the windows are very small. The castle had to be strong in
Why do you think this was?
are stronger than windows.
Glass was expensive too.
Can you see where people inside the castle There are a few narrow slit
might have shot at their enemies? Be careful windows or ‘gun loops; for
– they might be watching us now!
Go into the castle through the narrow arched door in the left (east)) tower.
Marks on wall above steps
show site of west wing
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
case it was attacked. Stone walls
shooting out of.
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