Glamis Castle

Glamis Castle is 12 miles north of Dundee by the small village of Glamis, built from 1376 for Sir John Lyon.

The Castle was the home of the Queen Mother. Visitors can take a Castle Tour and visit the Italian Garden, Walled Garden, Princess Margaret Memorial, and Macbeth wood carvings in woodlands. No photos are allowed of the main rooms in the Castle.

The Castle can be visited throughout the summer with an entrance fee. Postcode: DD8 1RJ

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The image top is of Glamis Castle from the long drive. The car parks are to the left behind the Castle by the gift shop and seating areas.

Glamis Castle History

A prehistoric Pictish stone known as the Eassie Stone was found in a creek at the village of Eassie 3 miles west of Glamis.

1034 - King Malcolm II was killed by bandits close to where Glamis Castle is today. His son Duncan then became King.

Malcolm II may have had a Royal Hunting Lodge at Glamis.

1040 - Macbeth becomes King of Scotland after his forces kill King Duncan I in battle.

1057 - Macbeth is killed in Battle by the forces of Malcolm Canmore, son of Duncan I. Canmore became King Malcolm III. Macbeth was buried at the Holy Isle of Iona.

Macbeth is the King made famous by William Shakespeare with his 1660 play - The Tragedy of Macbeth, or just Macbeth. Nobody seems to know where Macbeth actually lived. The play has him living at Glamis, but Glamis Castle had not been built then, although there may have been a Royal Hunting Lodge on that site.

1368 - Sir John Lyon was appointed to a position in the Scottish Court. This was the first notable Lyon in Scotland. A family thought to have its origins in France.

1372 - Sir John Lyon is awarded the lands of Glamis by King Robert II.

1375 - Sir John was appointed Keeper of Edinburgh Castle for the King.

1376 - the earliest parts of Glamis Castle were built for Sir John Lyon. Sir John also married the daughter of King Robert II that year, Princess Johanna.

1382 - Sir John is killed by James Lindsay after a dispute.

1400 - the 2nd Sir John Lyon of Glamis had the Castle re-built as an L-Plan Tower House.

1445 - the title Lord Glamis was created for Sir Patrick Lyon.

1520s - John Lyon, 6th Lord Glamis, married Janet Douglas, at a time King James V was feuding with the Douglases.

1528 - John Lyon died and his wife Janet was accused of treason for being involved in a plot to overthrow the King.

1537 - Janet was found guilty of Witchcraft and burned at the stake in Edinburgh. Historians claim King James V ordered Janet be set up for execution. A ghost at Glamis is said to be that of Janet.

1537 - Glamis is taken over by King James V who lived there until his death in 1542.

1542 - Glamis is returned to John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis.

1562 - Mary Queen of Scots visits Glamis as she tours many Scotland Castles. Mary knew she had to remain friends with these powerful Clans so they would support her in times of war.

1606 - Patrick Lyon, 9th Lord Glamis, is created Earl of Kinghorne by King James VI.

1650s - Cromwell’s Troops occupied Glamis Castles after Charles I was executed and Britain was ruled by the Government.

1660 - King Charles II is restored to the throne, ending Government rule.

1660s - Patrick Lyon, 3rd Earl, returned to Glamis Castle, finding it in a run-down state. He set about restoring the original Castle and began adding extensions.

1677 - Patrick Lyon is created Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne by King Charles II.

1688 - North East Corner Wing was completed with a Chapel.

1689 - West Wing was completed and Gardens created.

1695 - the 3rd Earl died.

1715 - the 5th Earl of Kinghorne supported the second Jacobite uprising, he was killed at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. A month later, James Stuart stayed at Glamis Castle with his Jacobite supporters. That rising ended in failure with James fleeing to France in 1716.

1753 - John Lyon, 9th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, took control of Glamis.

1767 - John Lyon married Mary Eleanor Bowes of Gibside in Northeast England, heiress to a coal-mining fortune. An arrangement of this marriage was that he took on his wife's name Bowes.

1801 - West Wing was rebuilt.

1891 - the East Wing is completed for the 13th Earl, leading to the Castle that can be seen today. You have to look close to see the original Tower within the Castle.

1900 - Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was born, youngest daughter of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathyre and King horne and his wife.

1910 - the Italian Gardens were laid out with a number of marble statues.

1914 - 1918 - Glamis Castle was used as a Military Hospital during the First World War.

1920s - a huge fireplace from Gibside Mansion was installed in the Billiard Room of Glamis. Gibside was allowed to fall into ruin from that time.

1923 - Lady Elizabeth married Prince Albert, Duke of York, at Westminster Abbey. Albert was the second son of King George V.

1925 - Their first daughter Princess Elizabeth was born at the London Home of Lady Elisabeth's parents.

1930 - Their second daughter, Princess Margaret, was born at Glamis Castle.

1937 - Prince Albert becomes King George VI after the abdication of his brother Edward VIII.

1950 - Glamis Castle is opened to the public as a tourist attraction throughout the summer.

1952 - Elizabeth becomes Queen after the death of her father George VI.

2002 February - Princess Margaret died in a London hospital. A memorial to the Princess was erected next to the Italian Garden at Glamis Castle.

2002 March - Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, The Queen Mother, died at the Royal Lodge on Windsor Estate by London. The Queen Mother was buried at St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle next to her husband George VI. The ashes of Princess Margaret were also buried next to them in St Georges Chapel.

2017 - Wood Carvings of Macbeth Characters are sculptured from fallen trees on the estate to make an interesting Woodland Trail.

2022 - Queen Elizabeth II died with her burried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, next to her husband, parents and sister.

Today - Glamis is the home of Simon Bowes-Lyon, 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. The Castle and Grounds can be visited throughout the summer with an entrance fee.