F
date and may well be of the late
15th Century.
The earliest surviving docu-
mentary evidence of the Palace
is the Charter of 1557, by which
Bishop Robert appointed the
Earl of Sutherland and his heirs
to be hereditary Constables
for Dornoch “situated in the
Irish (Gaelic speaking) Country
among the wild, unbridled, un-
Dornoch Castle Hotel, is al- tamed and savage Scots”. The
most certainly on the site of the appointment was made by the
original Bishop’s Palace of St. Bishop who was alarmed by the
Gilbert, who founded the Ca- progress of the Lutheran doc-
thedral in the early 13th Cen- trines and wished to safeguard
tury. However, it is not known the property of the Church by
when the oldest surviving part putting it temporarily in the
of the present building was put care of his relations. He cannot
up. In 1557, the Palace was giv- have visualised that the Church
en to the Earl of Sutherland by would never own its property
his brother in law, Bishop Rob- again.
ert Stewart. It is clear that the
building was erected before that When the building passed into
or those honeymoon-
ers who are intrigued by his-
tory, yet are not such keen on
the travelling abroad element!
Then Scotland is the place to
visit. History seeps from it’s
every pore & it is abundant with
ancient Castles and tales of old.