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Side View of Claypotts Castle
Claypotts Castle stands at the north eastern edge of Dundee, from the east and was built in the second half of the 16th century (1569 to 1588) by John Strachan and his son Gilbert to protect the family estate from the marauding Henry Lovel of nearby Ballumbie who had turned a tyrant. His grandson was still a boy when he inherited the estate. His mother and her brothers tried to seize it for themselves, but the plot was foiled and the Maxwells (and the Strachans) lost everything.
Another View of Claypotts Castle
The Grahams of Ballunie bought the castle from the Abbey of Lindores. Later it passed to the Claverhouse branch of the family, but they, too, lost everything when "Bonnie Dundee" (Viscount John Graham of Claverhouse) was killed at Killiecrankie and the land was granted by royal charter to the Marquis of Douglas in 1694. The land belonged to the Abbey of Lindores, who also had claim to the lands of St Mary's, one of Dundee's City Churches.
Using a Z design, circular towers defended the central square house. The castle was bought by Sir William Graham of Ballunie (a neighboring estate) when the Strachan line died out, and then came into the possession of the Grahams of Claverhouse.
After another period of confusion, the castle finally came into the hands of the Home family. Though still property of the Homes, it is currently maintained by Historic Scotland.
The Arms of the Builder of Claypotts Castle and his two relatives
Left to Right: John Strachan (Builder of Claypotts), Gilbert Strachan (Canon of Aberdeen), and James Strachan (Canon of Aberdeen)
Notice at Claypotts Castle
The Builder of the Castle Claypotts Castle was built as a fortified residence for the Strachan family. The land on which it stands had been leased by the family from the Abbey of Lindores by the early sixteenth century, but it was not until after the Reformation that the existing castle was raised. Its builder was John Strachan and from the dates 1569 and 1588 which appear at the base of the two tower gables, it seems that construction took longer than might have been expected for such a relatively small building. R> Later Owners of the Castle The Strachan family can have held the lands of Claypotts for little more than a century. In 1601 the estate was sold to Sir William Graham of Ballunie and in 1620 it was again sold to Sir William Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, who inherited the estate which included Claypotts in 1678. After Dundee's death at the battle of Killiecrankie in 1689 the lands were forfeited to the Crown. In 1694 they were granted to the second Marquis of Douglas; but after the death of his son, the Duke of Douglas, in 1761, they were subject of a bitter legal struggle. Eight years later Archibald Douglas was judged to be heir, and the estate has been held by his successors ever since. In 1926 the castle was placed in the care of the State by the thirteenth Earl of Home, to whose father it had passed through marriage.
The Design of the Castle Claypotts was built to a plan which was adopted at a number of Scottish castles from the second half of the sixteenth century onwards. The most significant aspect of this plan was the use of projecting towers at diagonally opposite corners of a rectangular main block, thus resulting in a characteristic Z-shape. Such a plan had the great advantage in the defence of the castle that it was possible to fire along the faces of the main block from the flanking towers, and thus to deter any attackers from approaching too closely. On a large scale, as a Noltland in Orkney, such planning could produce a stronghold of formidable power. But at Claypotts the scale is more domestic, and it is doubtful if Strachan hoped to do more than repel any local laird with whom he might have been feuding.
The castle now stands in isolation, although it is most unlikely that this would originally have been the case. From what we know of similar buildings elsewhere it is likely that it would have formed part of a larger complex of the structures required by a significant land holder. Immediately around what we now see would have been a walled courtyard to provide some measure of additional strength, and within which would have been various ancillary structures, such as stables. Beyond this it is likely there would have been the many farm buildings required by a laird in a society which was still essentially agrarian. Parts of these latter may have survived amongst adjoining farm buildings well into the nineteenth century, but are now gone.
Cared for by Historic Buildings and Monuments, On behalf of the Secretary of State for Scotland
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