Mains Castle History
Mains Castle, also known as Fintry Castle or Claverhouse Castle, is a 16th-century architectural marvel located in Dundee, Scotland. The castle complex comprises several structures that encircle a courtyard, although a few of the original western buildings have been lost to time.
The northern and eastern structures served as the living quarters for the family, while the southern quarters housed the servants. The castle also boasts a large, six-floor, square tower house, adorned with dressed cornerstones, a characteristic feature of 16th-century architecture.
An earlier incarnation of the castle was held by the Douglas Earls of Angus from the fourteenth century until 1530, when it was passed on to the Grahams. The castle is nestled in Dundee’s Caird Park, north of the city, offering a panoramic view of the Dichty Valley. It is situated adjacent to a small stream known as the Gelly Burn.
Across the burn lies the Graham family mausoleum and the Main’s cemetery, which was once the site of the district’s kirk. A sacred well, known as ‘Suuny Vie’ or St Sinavey, is also located nearby.
The castle is believed to have been constructed in 1562 by Sir David Graham, nephew of Cardinal Beaton, a fact confirmed by a date carved over a doorway. A keystone in the western gateway bears this date, along with the initials DG and DMO, representing David Graham and Dame Margaret Ogilvy.
A horizontal beam in one of the eastern courtyard doors bears the date 1582, suggesting a possible completion date. The castle served as the seat of the Grahams of Fintry until the 19th century when it was sold to David Erskine by Robert Graham of Fintry. The estate was later sold to James Key Caird, who donated the castle and its lands to the town council in 1913 for the creation of a public park.
The park was inaugurated in 1923 by Caird’s half-sister, Mrs Marryat. The castle underwent renovation in the 1980s through a government scheme for the unemployed, as many of the buildings had become roofless. Mains Castle, now under new ownership, is available for religious and civil weddings in Dundee.
Mains Castle and its grounds served as the muse for Dundee poet William McGonagall in his work The Castle of Mains:
Ancient Castle of the Mains,
With your romantic scenery And surrounding plains,
Which seem most beautiful to the eye,
And the little rivulet running by,
Which the weary traveller can drink of when he feels dry.
And the heaven’s breath smells sweetly there,
And scented perfumes fill the air,
Emanating from the green trees and beautiful wild flowers growing there.
There the people can enjoy themselves
And wile away the time,
By admiring the romantic scenery In the beautiful sunshine;
And pull the little daisy,
As they carelessly recline
Upon the grassy green banks,
Which is most charming to see,
Near by the Castle of the Mains,
Not far from Dundee.
Then there’s the old burying-ground,
Most solemn to see,
And the silent dead reposing silently
Amid the shady trees,
In that beautiful fairy dell
Most lovely to see,
Which in the summer season
Fills the people’s hearts with glee,
To hear the birds singing and the humming of the bee.
