Scheduled Monument
Spynie PalaceSM90282
Status: Designated
Documents
Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).
The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.
Summary
- Date Added
- 30/04/1920
- Last Date Amended
- 17/01/2024
- Local Authority
- Moray
- Parish
- Spynie
- NGR
- NJ 23040 65869
- Coordinates
- 323040, 865869
Description
The monument consists of the remains of the palace of the bishops of Moray, a medieval courtyard castle dating to around 1400 and developed in phases during the 15th and 16th centuries. There is evidence of earlier phases of occupation, including in prehistory, in an area surrounding the palace. The palace is located on a low ridge immediately to the south of the former shoreline of Loch Spynie, at 10m above sea level.
The earliest upstanding parts of the palace date to the 14th century and include the remains of a first-floor chapel, a gateway on the south and what may have been a hall range with tall traceried windows on the west. In the 15th century a tower house was constructed in the southwest corner of the palace, incorporating the lower elements of an earlier round tower. One of the largest tower houses built in Scotland, it stands to wall head with surviving elements of a corbelled parapet. Around 1500, a great hall was built on the north side of the site, with bakehouse and kitchens to the west. At about the same time, the old south entry was replaced by a new east gate, and rectangular towers were added to the northwest and southeast corners. During the time of Bishop Patrick Hepburn (1539-73) these and the principal tower were provided with wide-mouthed openings for cannon. Archaeological excavation has confirmed the existence of buried remains outside the palace walls including buildings and cobbled roads predating the 14th century. Approximately 120m to the west is the Bishop's Well and 260m to the west are the remains of prehistoric shell middens.
The scheduled area is irregular, it includes the remains described above and an area around within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The above ground elements of all current post and wire fencing, the drystone boundary wall and top 300mm of the access road and car park are specifically excluded from the schedule to allow for their maintenance.
Statement of National Importance
The monument is of national importance because, along with St Andrew's Castle, Fife, it represents one of the largest and best preserved medieval bishop's palaces surviving in Scotland. Its importance is enhanced by the surviving unexplored below-ground archaeology of the palace area itself, and of the zone extending W from it.
References
Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation
About Scheduled Monuments
Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.
We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.
Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)
Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the
scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).
The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.
Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.
Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.