Two attempted break-ins at famous Scottish Castle, former home of the Scottish Crown Jewels

Police are appealing for information following two attempted break-ins at Dunnottar Castle - the former home of the Scottish Crown Jewels- near Stonehaven this weekend.
Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, where the Honours of Scotland were held (Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons./Christian Kadluba).Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, where the Honours of Scotland were held (Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons./Christian Kadluba).
Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, where the Honours of Scotland were held (Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons./Christian Kadluba).

The incidents happened between 4.30 pm on Friday, January 8 and 12pm on Saturday, January 9.

Nothing was stolen from the medieval castle, however, both the door and lock have been damaged.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Constable Melissa McDonald from Stonehaven Police said, "I am appealing to anyone who may have been in the area at the time and seen anything suspicious to get in touch.

"The castle is of historical importance to both the local area and Scotland in general, and in this instance the door and lock have been damaged.

“Anyone with any information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 and quoting incident number 1772 of 9 January 2021

The medieval castle located in the north east of Scotland near Stonehaven has ruins dating back to the 15th and 16th century and had to close its doors with immediate effect on December 16, 2020 due to tighter lockdown restrictions.

The castle used to be home to the Crown Jewels of Scotland - the crown, sword and sceptre, the oldest Royal Regalia in Britain - after they were moved there for safekeeping following the coronation of Charles II in the mid 17th century.

In the 17th century, six women were linked to an audacious plot to remove the Honours of Scotland from Dunnottar Castle in a pledge to throw the jewels into the sea rather than let them fall into English hands through Oliver Cromwell's invading army.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.