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Gordonstoun
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Gordonstoun
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Location Information
Name Gordonstoun
Owner private
NGR NJ 18440 68988
Lon. & Lat. 57.70324,-3.370147
Council Moray
Parish Drainie
Nearby Castles Spynie Palace, Gordon Castle
Year built 1638
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Located in Morayshire, north-west of Elgin, near Duffus, and originally called “Bog o’ Plewlands, this was the seat of the barony of Ogston held by the family of that name, the earliest recorded member of which, Simon, died in 1240. The Ogstons sold the estate in 1473 to the Innes family, who were here for seven generations before selling it to the Marquis of Huntly in 1616. Shortly before or after the sale a new house was built and by 1636 the Marquis had added wings with bartizans and unusual hipped roofs. In 1638 the 2nd Marquis sold Plewlands to his cousin Sir Robert Gordon, son of the 11th Earl of Sutherland. The estate then became the barony of Gordonstoun. His son Sir Ludovick drained the marshy Bog o’ Plewlands into the small lake in the grounds.

The next laird was Sir Robert, known as the Wizard of Gordonstoun. A student of alchemy, Sir Robert is said to have made a pact with the devil. He built the Round Square (courtyard) at Gordonstoun supposedly to confuse the devil and avoid having his soul taken at his death. According to legend, however, Sir Robert lost faith in this plan and, when the appointed hour arrived, he made his way to Birnie Kirk instead - pursued by a dark, mysterious horseman and hounds, with fatal consequences!

Part of Gordonstoun was damaged by fire during the 2nd World War. Gordounstoun passed to the Cummings of Altyre after the last Gordon laird died. In 1934 Dr. Kurt Han took over the property for a new type of residential educational establishment, and created Gordonstoun School.

Recently a foul smell at the school was the cause for the discovery of Sir Robert’s long lost dungeon found beneath a hidden trap door. The dungeon was 14 feet deep and only 2 feet wide and there was water in the bottom of the pit. Sir Robert was known to have imprisoned estate workers and locals with whom he was displeased.

Gordonstoun, is a possible model for Hogwarts that boasts such alumni as Phillip Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles of Wales. The school is divided into "houses" and, just as at Hogwarts, houses compete fiercely against each other in sports.

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