Summer palace of the Bishops of Aberdeen from the 12th to the 16th century.
Family seat of the Leslies of Balquhain and Fetternear from the 16th to the 20th century.
Stronghold of Catholicism in the North East of Scotland for nearly 800 years.
Archaeological excavations indicate a continuous occupation of the site from late Bronze Age to the present day.
Historic Scotland has classified the site as being of National Importance.
Consumed by fire in 1919, the ruins are now in real danger of major collapse.The Fetternear Trust needs to raise £600,000 or $1,000,000 in order to preserve them for posterity and to make them available for public access.
We welcome you to this website which details in depth the rich history of The Bishops Palace and the Leslies, and the role of The Fetternear Trust in its restoration.
Should you wish to visit this historic site we are happy to provide this location maps,please click on the thumbnails to open full size version.
A fine carved bone statuette circa 1300, found duing the 2003 dig.
Archaeology 2008.
The 2008 season of archaeological excavations run by the Scottish Episcopal Palaces Project will run from the 30th June until the 25th July.
Owing to the length of time the dig has been running (now in its 14 season) it is no longer supported by any of the major funding institutions and, as a result, funding is in very short supply sp any contributions would be very welcome.
If you cannot contribute why not come and dig? All volunteers will be welcome, whether complete beginners, experts or in between. Age is no barrier and training is given. You can come for as long a period as you wish or as often as you like.
Heritage Lottery Fund “Your Heritage Grant” for the 2005& 2006 Excavations.
All the post excavation work has been completed and the Report on the excavations for these two years is now available as a download from this website.
Archaeology in 2007.
Excavations in 2007 were concentrated at the southern part of the east wing. A complete cross-section of the fortification ditch was uncovered, samples from which should give useful information about the periods when it was in use and backfilled. Further excavations along its length produced some anomalies which will need further work to clarify.
A piece of timber found in a previous excavation has been dated to the mid 14th century.
Volunteers carrying out the excavations came from seven different countries, including several from the United States and we are extremely grateful for their support.
Improvements to Visitor Facilities.
During 2003, thanks to grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund - Your Heritage Grant Scheme and the Aberdeenshire Council Community Environment Fund we have been able to make the following improvements :
• Erect direction signs for the main walks on the estate to help visitors and to protect the residential curtilages.
• Erect a notice board by the Ruins giving brief details of its history and a welcoming board at the main gates.
• Publish a Brief History of the Estate.
• Publish a Checklist of the Bird of the Estate.
• A Checklist of the Flowers, Trees, Grasses and Mosses of the estate is in course of preparation and will be available at the end of the year.
The booklets are for sale at the following places: - Strachan’s in Inverurie, The Bennachie Centre, The Aberdeen and NE Scotland Family History Society in Aberdeen and Collies Butchers in Kemnay.
All booklets are also available as downloads from this web site.
If you would like further information please contact either John Whittall of the Trust on 44 1467 643 924, or email At this mail link.
A Brief History of the Site.
(For a more detailed history please follow this link)
In 1157 Pope Adrian IV conferred to Edward, Bishop of Aberdeen, all the lands granted to the Cathedral Church by the Kings of Scotland, including the "villam of Fetherneir". Bishop Peter de Ramsay built a residence there in 1226, and this was rebuilt and extended by Bishop Kininmonth in 1329.
In 1550 the estates were leased to John Leslie, 8th Baron of Balquhain, and gifted to his son in 1566. Rebuilding was carried out by him and major extensions were added by Count Patrick Leslie in the 1690s, by John Leslie in 1818 and by John Leslie in the 1840s.
Fetternear has had close links with many of the makers of early Scottish history. Sir William Wallace stayed there in 1297 whilst on a visit to Bishop Cheyne. Bishop Kininmonth was Bruce's diplomat and carried the Declaration of Arbroath to the Pope in Avignon in 1320, and, according to some experts, was instrumental in its drafting. Mary, Queen of Scots, is said to have visited Fetternear whilst staying with William Leslie at Balquhain in 1562.
The Leslies were very successful "soldiers of fortune" in central Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, amassing great wealth and becoming Counts of the Holy Roman Empire. In the 17th, 18th and l9th centuries Fetternear was a stronghold of Catholicism in the N.E. of Scotland .
Historical Perspective
"In its own right Fetternear deserves to survive as an unusually interesting example of the transformation of a Laird's Tower into a Nobleman's Palace and thence into a Gentleman's Seat". (H.Gordon Slade; Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1971).
"It would be a great loss to Scotland if Fetternear was to collapse completely, for not only does it have considerable historic associations, but it is also a fine representation of the Laird's Tower transformed to important country seat". (Dean & Miers; Scotland's Endangered Houses, 1990).
Archaeological excavations carried out on site since 1995 by the Scottish Episcopal Palaces Project and a detailed examination of the standing archaeology by the Royal Commission for Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, have indicated that the ruins were built on the foundations of, and almost certainly incorporate parts of the walls of the medieval palace. The size of the palace which is emerging is considerable, and it could rank as one of the largest medieval structures, excluding castles, found in Scotland.
This new historical perspective of the site, representing the transformation of a medieval bishop's palace into a laird's tower, a nobleman's palace and an important country seat, is almost unique in Scotland's heritage.
The discovery, during the archaeological excavation in 2000, of a large ditch which appears to run underneath the oldest part of the standing structure could indicate a pre-medieval occupation of the site, and surveys and exploratory excavations in the field to the rear of the ruins have indicated traces of structures which may date from the Dark Ages, (476 to 1000 AD).