Dunnottar castle is one of the most beautiful and scenic castles in Scotland, and it has a whole load of history too. From witchcraft to William Wallace, this landmark has witnessed some horrific sights and it's also been the victim of the brutal hands of man on more than one occasion. However, Dunnottar is best known for hiding the Honours of Scotland, right under the noses of the English... But before this devilish trickery, the castle was invaded by the Vikings, set fire to by William Wallace who was attempting to kill all of the English soldiers who were hiding inside, the English recaptured the castle and started to intensify the building's defences only to have it burned down by the Scots (again) and it was also the home of witch trials where more people were burned alive. So what happened to the Honours of Scotland then? Charles II was crowned at Scone and since the English were pretty much everywhere in Scotland (Oliver Cromwell had seized Edinburgh at this point), the Honours were taken to Dunnottar for safe keeping. Cromwell was all about the royal jewels at this point and wanted to destroy them, so he started a long eight month siege on Dunnottar to get them. The English took over the Scottish castle, killing the majority of their men and were furious when they couldn't find the Honours. Were they taken out under a woman's skirt or lowered down the cliffs to the shore? The English then stormed the castle and left it in ruins. But the tale of death doesn't end there; in 1685, the religion of the country meant that new prayer books were issued and that the King was a supreme being. People who didn't accept this were of course punished and tortured until their 'sin' was cleansed. This happened at Dunnottar. Even though the building was in ruins, what became known as the Whig's Vault became a prison for non-conformists and a living Hell on Earth. People were forced into cramped, damp and dark spaces with no sanitation until they took the new oath of allegiance. Some managed to escape and some died in the process. A few people died from the drop of the cliffs, others were recaptured and exiled to the West Indies where seventy of them died upon arrival. Considering the beauty and the romantic scenery of Dunnottar, it has experienced a lot of pain and a lot of death since its construction.
