Glamis Castle, Dundee, Scotland

Where is Glamis Castle

Just outside the village of Glamis, north of Dundee. Glamis is still the family home of the Earls of Strathmore, but is open to the public. Open May to September daily except Sunday

History of Glamis Castle

The family home of the Earls of Strathmore since 1372, when Robert II of Scotland gave the castle to Sir John Lyon.

It is the setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth and is refereed 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

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 the Earl of 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 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother ( she being the youngest daughter of the 14th Earl), and Princess Margaret was born here in 1930