History of the Stewarts | Castles and Buildings
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It was Freskin who built the great earthwork and timber motte-and-bailey castle in c. 1140. The motte was an immense man-made mound with steeply sloping sides and a wide and deep ditch that surrounded the base. Timber buildings would have stood on its flat top and would have been further protected by a wooden palisade placed around the edge of the summit. The motte was accessed from the bailey. At Duffus, the motte would have been reached by steps set into the mound.
Freskin’s direct line ended in 1270 and the castle passed into the ownership of Sir Reginald Cheyne. In around 1350 the last Cheyne died leaving his estate to his daughter who was married to Nicholas, the second son of the 4th Earl of Sutherland. The Sutherlands, themselves were descended from Freskyn and it remained in their possession until 1705, when the castle was abandoned.
The Society visited Duffus Castle during the 2019 Gathering in Elgin.