Tullibardine Castle

Tullibardine Castle stands in the village of Tullibardine, three kilometres north of Auchterarder in Perth and Kinross. Built between the late 13th and early 14th centuries, it was the stronghold of the Murray family after Ada de Strathearn granted them the lands. One early owner reputedly had seventeen sons who slept in a round room with their heads against a central pillar. The castle once featured a garden shaped like the hull of the Great Michael, a warship commissioned by James IV, planted with hawthorn hedges visible in the 1570s. Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed at the castle in 1562 and again in 1566, accompanied by the Earl of Bothwell. James VI visited frequently, attending a masque in 1591 where he danced in Venetian masks with his valet. The castle played a part in Scotland’s turbulent 16th century. During the Marian Civil War, Annabell Murray and William Stewart met there in 1570 in an attempt at reconciliation. Regent Morton arrived in 1575, and James VI stayed for New Year in 1592 and 1598. The king’s visits included a plague scare in 1584 and a wedding masque in 1591, for which tailors supplied red and pink taffeta costumes lined with yellow canvas. The original fabric accounts describe Venetian masks and tinsel trimmings for the king and his valet. By the late 19th century the castle had fallen into disrepair and was demolished in 1883. Visitors today find the site of the castle marked by earthworks and the remains of the garden planted to resemble the Great Michael. Nearby stands Tullibardine Chapel, a small 15th-century building linked to the Murray family. The surrounding landscape of Perth and Kinross offers gentle hills and farmland, with views towards the Ochil Hills. The village of Tullibardine retains its quiet character, and the chapel’s stonework shows the craftsmanship of an earlier age. The castle’s story is recalled in local records and chronicles, including those of Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie.