ABOUT THE CASTLE

Glamis Castle has a fascinating and exciting history. It has been the family home of the Earls of Strathmore since 1372, when King Robert II (the first of the Stuart Kings) of Scotland gave the castle to Sir John Lyon.

Legends and myths have grown around the castle. King Malcolm II was said to have been murdered here in the 11th century. Lady Janet Douglas, widow of Lord Glamis, was burned at the stake as a witch in 1540 by James V. There is said to be a secret room where a nobleman played cards with the devil himself.

Glamis today looks more like a French Chateau than a medieval fortress, because it was extensively restored in the 17th and 18th centuries. The original tower house remains at the centre of the castle today.

It has, of course, close connections with the present Royal Family, being the childhood home of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (she being the youngest daughter of the 14th Earl), and Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret was born here in 1930.

It is the setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth and is referred to specifically :- "Glamis thou art" "and yet woulds't wrongly win: thou'dst have great Glamis" It is popularly believed that Duncan was murdered here by Macbeth