project far into the fea, in form of narrow but lofty capes'!
Their bafes are often perforated with great arches, pervious to
boats.
This caftle was the property of the Keiths, earls Marechals of
Scotland, a potent and heroic family: but in the year 1715, by.:
one fatal ftep, the fortune and title became forfeited; and our j
country loft the lervices of two moft diftinguilhed perfonages, the
-late earl, and his brother the general, the ableft officer of the age,
According to the Scotch peerage*, the property of the Keiths m\
this county came to them, in the reign of David Bruce, by the
marriage of Sir William to Margaret, daughter of Sir Juki
Frafer: but I have been informed that this fortrefs had been the
property of an Earl of Crawford, who exchanged it for an eft ate I
in Fife, with an Earl Marechal, on condition that he and his dependents
ihould, in cafe of neceffity, be permitted to take refuge
there.
About the year 1296 this caftle was taken by'Sir WMm
Wallace, who, according to his hiftorian, burnt four thoufand 1
Englijhmen in it.' His tale is told with wondrous iimplicity; for I
fpeaking of Wallace, he fays,
T h e Englijhmen that durft them not abide, x
. Before the hoft full fear’dly forth they die
T o Dunnotar, a fwake within the fea.
No further they might win out o f the land,
T h e y fembled there while they were four thoufand,
Ran to the k irk , ween’d girth to have tane,
T h e lave remain’d upon the rock o f ilane.
* Crawford’s 3.19.
Their lives to get out o f the land to ga.
But they were rude, and durft not well affy :
"Wallace in fire gart fet all haftily,
Burnt up the kirk, and all that was therein,
Attour the rock the lave ran with great din,
Some hung on crags right dolefully to die,
Some, lap, forne fell, fome fluttered in the fea.
No Soutberan in life was Left'in that hold,
And them within they burnt to powder cold.
When this, was done, feil fe ll on their knees down,
A t the bilhop aik’d abfolution.
When Wallace Ieugh, faid, I forgive you all,
Are ye war-men, repent you for fo fmall ? I
They rued not us into the town o f A ir ,
Our true barons when they hanged' there,.
p. iSr¡.
In 1336 it was re-fortified by Edward III,, in his proorefs
through Scotland; but as foon.as the conqueror quitted that klno--
T 1’ th® guardian, Sir Andrew Murray, inftantly retook it. Hif-
tory leaves us in the dark after this for a very long period. I do
net recolleót any mention of it till the civil wars of the laft cen-
jtBry, when it was befieged, and the church again burnt. The
■ton is, that it was defended by the Earl Marechal, againft the
»rqmsof Montrofe, by the perfuafion o í Andrew Cant. The
■rquis, according to the barbarous cuftom of the time, fet fire
■the country around ; which,, when Andrew faw, he told the
g j e owner, that the flames of his houfes were a fweet-fmellinr
IredV* e ™Jirils ° f the‘ Lord ; fuppofing that his lordfhip fuf-
■ or 'iighteoufnefs: fake. This caftle was inhabited till the
| - g °f Prefent century. . The annotatoron Camden mentionsi