Clan History

Clan Drummond and the name of the Clan, initially derived from a small parish called Drymen which is located in Western Stirlingshire.

The Drummond's have contributed two Queens to Scotland's Royals. King David 2nd and King Robert 3rd both had Drummond wives.

There are four main castles that are directly linked to Clan Drummond, all rich in history and royal significance and the first of these castles that should be discussed is Drummond Castle.

Drummond Castle is in Perthshire and was first built around 1491 by Sir John Drummond, a leader in the Clan Drummond family. It was built by Royal command from King James IV and took years for the oldest section to be built. Once a fantastic castle, one of the main towers were ruined in a siege by Cromwell in 1653. Fortunately, it was rebuilt between 1842 and 1853 but the tower was no longer used as a dwelling; in actual fact it was barely used at all.
The early 1690’s saw a large mansion built on the opposite side of the courtyard and gardens were added, which can still be viewed today. Many people choose to visit the beautiful gardens and Drummond Castle has become world famous for them; they were also used as the backdrop for the movie Rob Roy, in 1995.

Balmoral Castle is just one more castle that has been linked to Clan Drummond. Although more famous for being a Royal residence to our present Royal family, it was initially built by Sir William Drummond in 1390, but was later sold to Alexander Gordon, the 3rd Earl of Huntley sometime in the fifteenth century.
Set in Aberdeenshire, Balmoral Castle is rich in history and has passed through many famous families throughout the years including the 2nd Earl of Fife in 1798 and Farquharsons of Invery in 1662 to name a few, but it will always be remembered as being built by the Clan Drummond.

The house was initially bought for the Royals in 1852. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought it after renting it for a time and they made certain renovations to the property, making the castle both bigger and better –fit for a king (or queen) in actual fact!

Another castle linked to the Drummond Clan was Megginch Castle 12 miles from Perth. Originally built around 1460 by the Hay family. It has been added onto through the years and was purchased by the Drummond Family in 1664.
It was once the home of Cherry Drummond, who was the 16th Baroness Strange
and the castle still belongs to this family today and is occupied by Lady Strange's
daughter and her husband.

Hawthornden Castle is one mile from Roslin and 12 miles south of Edinburgh. It came into the Drummond family in the 16th century, bought by Sir John Drummond, it remained with them for 600 years. It was sold in 1970's and has since been fully restored.

In 1394 the wife of King Robert the 3rd, Annabella Drummond, gave birth to
the future King James 1st in Dunfermline Palace. On her death, in 1401, she
was buried in Dunfermline Abbey and her coat of arms are on display on one
of the windows.

Tracing back Clan history, the castles are one of the most important
aspects of this journey. These castles contain so much of the Clans
history, and especially the case where one of their linked castles is
now a summer dwelling for our present Royal family. Although some
of the castles were not in the history of the Clan Drummond for very
long, they all play their vital roles in Scottish and British history.