Post Reformation Glass at Fyvie Castle
Did you know that Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire contains the some of the oldest stained glass in Scotland?
Part way up the Great Wheel Stair, looking out into the courtyard there is a single light rectangular panel with a central round insert. The bulk of the panel is of machine-rolled Victorian geometric glass, but the central roundel is much older.
The roundel was incorporated into the current window by a firm of Aberdeen glaziers sometime before 1887, after being discovered in the drawer of an old table. The glass is a pale greenish tinted glass with some reams (streaks within the glass) and a few air bubbles, and is considered contemporaneous with other Scottish post-Reformation old glass from Stobhall and Woodhouselee (late C16th). While much of the red enamel has been lost, grey-blue enamels and a trace remains, and the inscription "Alexander Seton Lord Fyvie 1599" (set in an outer border) is still clearly visible.
Only a few occurrences of glass of this age have been recorded in Scotland, so if you get the chance to visit Fyvie Castle don't miss this important piece of Scottish history. You can see more images of the glass from our survey at Fyvie here.
