skip to main content
Menu
  • Blog
    • Art & design
    • Castles
    • Cycling
    • Edinburgh
    • Edinburgh Festival
    • Food & drink
    • General
    • History
    • Music
    • Sport
    • Walking
    • Whisky
    • Wildlife
  • Castles
    • Glossary
    • Mottes
    • Stay in a castle
    • Castle blog posts
    • Alphabetical list of castles
    • Castles divided by county
    • Photos of castles
    • Castles we've visited
  • History
    • Castles
    • Ancient history
      • barrows
      • brochs
      • cairns
      • caves
      • chambered cairns
      • cists
      • crannogs
      • cursus monuments
      • forts
      • henges
      • rock art
      • sacred sites
      • souterrains
      • standing stones
      • stone circles
    • Pictish history
      • Pictish stones
      • Pictish sites
      • Pictish placenames
    • Clans
      • Surnames
      • Trace your ancestors
      • Tartan
    • Trace your ancestors
  • Culture
    • Music
      • Bands & musicians
      • Music links
    • Film
    • Television
    • Placenames
      • Pictish placenames
  • Eat
  • Drink
    • Scottish beer
    • Scottish gin
    • Scottish vodka
  • Stay
  • Travel guide
    • City guides
    • Car hire
    • Airports
  • Walking
    • Munros
    • West Highland Way
  • Photos
    • ancient sites
      • Dark Age sites
      • megalithic sites
      • other carved stones
      • Pictish sites
      • Roman sites
    • buildings
    • miscellaneous
    • places in Scotland
  • Offers
  • Home
  • history
  • castles

Hallyards Castle


The site of Hallyards Castle, now also known as Camilla, may once have been a hunting seat of Malcolm Canmore, and was later owned by the Bishops of Dunkeld. It was the principle residence in the parish of Auchtertool.

In 1539 it passes into more documented history, when it was granted by the Bishop of Dunkeld – at that time it was George Crichton, although some reports suggest it was a Bishop Brown – to Sir James Kirkcaldy of Grange (also written as Kirkaldie).

Sir James was an influential individual, close to James V, and Lord High Treasurer of Scotland. James V visited Hallyards on the way to Falkland Palace following the defeat at Solway Moss in 1542.

Sir James’s son Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange was an active participant in the murder of Cardinal David Beaton in 1546, and as such Sir James’s lands at Hallyards were forfeited, and father and son sent into exile in France In 1550 the estates were returned to Sir James, and he died at Hallyards in 1556.

Upon his father’s death Hallyards Castle passed to Sir William, who returned to Scotland the same year having been pardoned for his involvement of Beaton’s murder. After initially fighting against Mary Queen of Scots he eventually ended up allied with her, and as Governor of Edinburgh Castle he held it for the Queen, but was forced to surrender to the Regent Morton in 1573 and was hanged.

The estates then passed to Sir John Boswell of Balmuto (whose seat was the nearby Balmuto Castle), and in 1617 to William Forbes of Craigievar.

Following the marriage of William Forbes’s daughter Barbara to Andrew Skene, the barony of Auchtertool (containing Hallyards Castle) was granted to Andrew Skene on the 18th of January 1628. Skene made Hallyards Castle his main residence, and by 1633, and probably earlier, Skene was styling himself Andrew Skene of Halyards. Andrew Skene was the son of Sir John Skene of Curriehill, the Lord Clerk Register and Lord of Session.

In the mid-17th century Andrew’s sister, Katharine Skene, married Sir James Anstruther of Airdrie, the second son of Sir Philip Anstruther of Anstruther.

Hallyards remained in the Skene family until 1715 when a John Skene was forced to sell the estates to the Charles Stuart, the 6th Earl of Moray, due to debts accrued by his father.

The Earls of Moray changed the name of the castle to Camilla, but they were absentee landlords and it was only occupied occasionally during the 18th century. By 1793 they had apparently departed for good, and when a member of the Skene family visited in 1819 he found it in a poor state. In 1847 the majority of it was demolished. Stone from the castle may have been used to build the nearby stable block which has a 19th century appearance.

The remains of the castle that exist today show that it was a sizeable property, with a tall section of the wall at the south-east corner indicating that it was at least three storeys in height.

Hallyards Castle

A sketch of the castle in William Skene’s “Memorials of the family of Skene of Skene” shows two tall corner towers joined by a central block.

Hallyards Castle

There was a vaulted ground floor, with two or three storeys above. Today’s remains are thought to date mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries, but may have included the fabric of an older building. A carved crest over one of the windows in the central block carried the date 1672.

Projecting from the two wings of the castle was a courtyard wall, which enclosed an area measuring around 38 by 27 metres. While most of the stonework has now gone, the plot is still in existence but very overgrown. As well as the tall thin column of masonry at the south-east corner, there is a more substantial section of wall at the north-east corner, leaning at a considerable angle.

Hallyards Castle

The branch of the Skene family known as Skene of Halyards associated with Hallyards Castle in Auchtertool, Fife, should not be confused with a second branch also styled Skene of Halyards, but associated with Hallyards Castle in Kirkliston, Midlothian.

Interestingly both branches appear to have been started by sons of Sir John Skene. The earliest reference to the Fife one seems to be 1539, while the earliest mention of the Midlothian Hallyards is 1579, so it is unclear which is the older name.

stay in a castle
  • advertisement
  • advertisement

Alternative names for Hallyards Castle

Camilla; Halyards Castle; Halyards Palace; Halzairdis; Palace of Halyards

Where is Hallyards Castle?

Hallyards Castle is in the parish of Auchtertool and the county of Fife.

Grid reference:NT 2115 9137

Lat / long:56.108603,-3.269337

  • advertisement
Bing Maps | Google Maps | Historic maps (NLS) | OpenStreetMap | Ordnance Survey | PastMap | Streetmap | Wikimapia

OS Map for Hallyards Castle

OS map 367
Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy & Glenrothes South (Methil & Culross)
OS Explorer map 367


Directions to Hallyards Castle

Enter a starting point

Weather at Hallyards Castle

4°C
max 6°C / min 3°C
24km/h WSW
1027mb
84%
40%
07:53 17:01

Scattered clouds
Weather observed at Auchtertool at 09:04
  • advertisement

References (books)

Memorials of the family of Skene of Skene
William Forbes Skene
Aberdeen, 1887
The history and antiquities of the parish of Mid-Calder
Hardy Bertram McCall
Edinburgh, 1894

References (websites)

Canmore
Wikipedia

Castles near Hallyards Castle

Balmuto Castle

1.9km away

Carden Tower

2.8km away

Knockdavie Castle

3.2km away

Balbie (site of)

3.3km away

Raith Tower

3.8km away

Balwearie Castle

4.1km away

Bogie (site of)

4.1km away

Grange

5.0km away

Pitteadie Castle

5.1km away
more castles....

Ancient sites near Hallyards Castle

Inchgall (possible) crannog

5.8km away

Bogleys standing stone

9.2km away

Classlochie souterrain

11.3km away

Hatchbank souterrain

12.3km away

Balfarg henge and stone circle

13.7km away

Orwell standing stones

14.3km away

Burleigh cursus

15.1km away

Cammo Stone standing stone

17.1km away

Nether Tillyrie souterrains

17.9km away
more ancient sites....
  • advertisement

Pictish stones near Hallyards Castle

Court Cave Class I rock carving

14.2km away

Doo Cave Class I rock carving

14.3km away

Jonathan's Cave Class I rock carving

14.6km away

Sliding Cave Class I rock carving

14.7km away

East Lomond Hill Class I symbol stone

15.2km away

Westfield 1 Class I symbol stone

16.2km away

Westfield 2 Class I symbol stone

16.2km away

Princes Street Gardens Class I symbol stone

18.2km away

Tullibole Class III cross slab

18.3km away
more Pictish stones....
  • Sixt Car Rental

Pictish sites near Hallyards Castle

Norrie's Law hoard

25.4km away

Haddington silver chain

35.1km away

Traprain Law silver chain

40.5km away

Borland silver chain

47.6km away

Todholes (possible) silver chain

48.8km away

Whitlaw silver chain

52.0km away

Hoardweel silver chain

65.4km away

Whitecleugh silver chain

81.7km away

Dunnicaer fort

115.1km away
more Pictish sites....
  • advertisement

Accommodation near Hallyards Castle

Dean Park Hotel
hotelCardenden
4.5km away
Bay View B&B
bed and breakfastBurntisland
5.8km away
Inchview Hotel
hotelBurntisland
5.8km away
Kingswood Hotel
hotel, restaurantBurntisland
6.3km away
Woodside Hotel
hotel, restaurantAberdour
6.5km away
Ahaven Bed & Breakfast
bed and breakfastKirkcaldy
7.1km away
Dunnikier House Hotel
hotel, bar, restaurantKirkcaldy
7.3km away
Harbour House
self-catering apartmentKinghorn
7.5km away
Premier Inn Dunfermline
hotel, restaurantDunfermline
8.7km away
Express by Holiday Inn Dunfermline
hotelDunfermline
9.7km away

Accommodation search

(leave blank to view all)
Accommodation type
bed and breakfasts
campsites
castles
holiday parks
hostels
hotels
self-catering apartments
self-catering cottages
self-catering lodges
spas
more accommodation....

Cafés, restaurants & bars near Hallyards Castle

Kingswood Hotel
hotel, restaurantBurntisland
6.3km away
Woodside Hotel
hotel, restaurantAberdour
6.5km away
Dunnikier House Hotel
hotel, bar, restaurantKirkcaldy
7.3km away
Papa Joe's Dunfermline
restaurantDunfermline
8.7km away
Premier Inn Dunfermline
hotel, restaurantDunfermline
8.7km away
The Hideaway Restaurant
restaurantDunfermline
8.8km away
Auld Mill House Hotel Bar and Restaurant
hotel, bar, restaurantDunfermline
9.9km away
Premier Inn Glenrothes
hotel, restaurantGlenrothes
11.0km away
Best Western Balgeddie House Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barGlenrothes
12.3km away
The Green Hotel Golf & Leisure Resort
hotel, restaurant, barMilnathort
14.7km away
more food.... / more drink....

Related pages

Dirleton Castle in East Lothian
Dirleton Castle in East Lothian
Garden of Cosmic Speculation plus castles
Garden of Cosmic Speculation plus castles
Inveraray Castle and standing stone
Inveraray Castle and standing stone
A doocot, a castle and a beach in East Lothian
A doocot, a castle and a beach in East Lothian
A pair of castles on the River Tweed
A pair of castles on the River Tweed
Dunbar harbour and castle
Dunbar harbour and castle
Published on the 14th of May 2010 at 1:59 pm. Updated on the 15th of July 2022 at 11:38 am.

Leave a comment

back to the top of the page

Connect with us

Like us on Facebook

Receive our newsletter

Follow us on Twitter

Tweets by Stravaig_Aboot

Quick links

Stay in a Scottish castle
Edinburgh Festival accommodation
Hotels in Scotland
Car hire in Scotland
Places to eat and drink in Scotland
Castles in Scotland
Trace your Scottish ancestors
Scottish clans
Standing stones in Scotland
The Picts
Pictish symbol stones
Pictish placenames
Scottish bands and musicians
Scottish films
Scottish TV shows
West Highland Way

About

Andy Sweet above Fast Castle

Stravaiging around Scotland is written, photographed and researched by Andy Sweet.
read more....

Cookies

To make this site work properly we use cookies to store information on your computer. Click here to read more.
© 2003 - 2023 Andy Sweet / Stravaiging around Scotland. Powered by WordPress. Hosted by Tsohost.