Simundus de Ramesie (Simon of Ramsey), an Englishman of Norman
descent, followed King David I to Scotland from the Huntingdonshire
village of Ramsey, in about 1140. He is considered the founder of
the Ramsay clan and the first to have lands at Dalwolsey. The first
castle at Dalhousie was constructed by him. The drum tower, oldest
part of the current structure, and L Plan Castle dates to the mid
15th century. The majority of the current castle dates to the 17th
century.
Dalhousie Castle has seen much history. King Edward I
(Longshanks) stayed at the castle on his way to meet Sir William
Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk. In 1400, Sir Alexander Ramsay
withstood a six month siege at Dalhousie by English forces led by
King Henry IV. Many Earls of Dalhousie have taken an active part in
British political and military leadership.
At the turn of the 20th century, the seat of Clan Ramsay was
moved to Brechin Castle, although the Ramsay family continued to
retain ownership of the castle until 1977. The castle was leased
out to a series of tenants including a boarding school. In 1972,
the castle was converted into a hotel. The castle was purchased by
the Von Essen Hotels company in 2003 for a reported price of £10
million.
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