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B L A I R C A S T L E
P E R T H S H I R E , S C O T L A N D
H i s G r a c e T h e 1 1 t h D u k e o f A t h o l l
The Duke of Atholl’s Blair Castle was the last private fortress to be besieged in
the country. That was 1745, and the attack came from the Duke’s own family
since they took a different view to their English loving cousins. The family had to
relieve the castle from Cromwell’s invading troops the previous century as well.
The Atholls were Kings of Man and their fates are bound into the turbulent but
spectacular history of Scotland throughout the centuries. The 9th Duke, with his
historic string of titles, was Chairman of the Westminster Press and President of
the Scottish Landowners Federation while commanding his own private army,
the last private force surviving in Britain.
