Drum Castle

Drum Castle and the Jacobites

Clan Irvine of Drum Castle were staunch Jacobites. During the 1715 rising, the fourteenth Laird of Drum fought at the Battle of Sheriffmuir alongside the Jacobites, and received a head wound from which he never recovered. After years of related illness he eventually died, leaving no direct heir, and the castle and estate was passed on to his uncle, John Irvine.

During the Jacobite rising of 1745, clan Irvine continued to show their support for the Jacobite Stuarts. Alexander Irvine, who was the 17th Laird of Drum, actually fought alongside Bonnie Prince Charlie at the battle of Culloden in 1746.

After the defeat, both he and his younger brother Robert were listed as ‘never to be pardoned’. Robert died in prison in Edinburgh, but Alexander made his way back to Drum and was hidden by his sister, Mary Irvine. He hid in a secret room to avoid capture from the redcoats, whilst his sister misdirected them. 

Fighting alongside Alexander at Culloden was Drum’s head gardener, who subsequently made his fortune by collecting and selling booty from the fallen.

Although the Laird wasn’t found, the soldiers did seize the Irvine family treasure after having spotted where it was buried by the newly dug earth. After the coast was clear, the Laird of Drum went into exile in France, but was eventually allowed to return to his estate. Whilst he managed to avoid imprisonment and forfeiture, he was twice charged with treason.

The secret room was rediscovered by archaeologists in 2014 within the walls of the 14th-century Tower of Drum. 

Drum Castle is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is open to the public.